Haiti parents testify they gave kids to Americans

AP via Yahoo News ^ | Feb 9, 2010 | KIRSTEN JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer

[ETL]

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Parents of some of the children who 10 U.S. missionaries tried to take out of Haiti after its catastrophic earthquake told a judge Tuesday that they freely handed over their kids, the Americans' lawyer said.

The parents' testimony means no law was broken and "we can't talk any more about trafficking of human beings," attorney Aviol Fleurant told reporters.

[Blogger]

You don’t know Baptists well.

[CaribouCrossing]

You’ve got experience and insight into this situation that I don’t have, MarMema, and I do thank you for sharing it. It sounds like you know of what you speak, and hopefully others will find it as educational as I did.

God bless the children and keep them safe from those who would trade their lives for riches. Amen.

[NavyCanDo]

“Hillary Clinton, as secretary of state, you should be working for the release of these folks NOW”

It is unbelievable how far this has gone without U.S. State Department intervention. There is no evidence of anything but good intentions on the part of the church members.

VISA’s held until things are sorted out I could understand, but to be treated as common criminals in primitive conditions is appalling.

[Carling]

The fact that you expect the government to come to their aid is a tell.

Welcome to FR!

[DoughtyOne]

Thank goodness. I’m glad to see that there has been a positive break on this matter. I hope the Christian folks are exonerated.

[nickcarraway]

The Obama administration is still waiting for their executions.

[Abby4116]

I read another article where the mother of the head of this group from the US was interviewed. Yes, I think she was in over her head on this mission, but I think she meant well. She was not trying to bring the kids to the US - there was hope for their survival in the Dominican Republic, and, yes, the parents signed the forms giving her custody of the children. It promised them a better life than they had in Haiti. Seems that one form was missing - and that started the whole mess.

I think she was young and idealistic. If she was thinking of a gold-mine" I would hope that she would have thought it out better.

[Freedom'sWorthIt]

Good to read, thanks.

So are these Americans now free?

Please ping me if you know or when you know the answer...not enough time to catch up on so much .....

thanks!

[chilltherats]

Um, the other kids had no parents? The parents were killed?

Duh.

I’ve been shocked all through this at the willingness of Americans to believe the absolute worst about their fellow Americans based on allegations coming from a corrupt regime of Haitian despots and an unrelated story about the group leader’s previous financial failures.

It’s disheartening to say the least to see such ignorance and gullibility.

So many FReepers on the several threads about this case were ready to string these people up. Just despicable.

[chilltherats]

“And why hasn’t our government come to their aid?”

Oh, gee, I don’t know. Could it be because they’re white, Christian, and operating an effort outside our government’s desire to control any and all benefit to Haitians?

[chilltherats]

Or maybe she just needs a good accountant or possibly medical treatment for bi-polar disorder.

[chilltherats]

Oh, give it a rest. Your entire condemnation about these people has been debunked by the remaining parents of the kids, so just give it up. You’re embarrassing yourself even if you don’t realize it yet.

[chilltherats]

Nah, zero only vilifies Americans.

What the poster was saying is that the media used the story as a diversionary tactic and to, in essence, reinforce and justify zero’s general vilification of Americans, especially white Americans, and even more especially if they’re Christians. The story suited their agenda on several fronts - helping zero and exemplifying their own hatred of white Christians. It was a win-win for the media agenda.

[chilltherats]

LOL, you really do need to read the opening article on this thread. It exonerates your “predators.”

[chilltherats]

There’s no place in Haiti to get an official seal or an official anything. The police didn’t even know if or where there were any physical official locations for these processes, to the extent they exist there at all.

A lot of you seem to forget the kind of government Haiti has and that they’d just suffered a massive destructive force of what little they did have in the way of normal and functional governmental authority. They couldn’t even care for 5,000 violent criminals so they let them out, yet they managed to find the means to arrest these people?

You people are so gullible - either that or you’re a bunch of trolls who hate white, Christian Americans who will seize on any opportunity to vilify them.

[PA Engineer]

And before anyone gets all riled up at my question, I am NOT saying these folks were into child trafficking, etc. But it sure seems to me that someone did something wrong, or these folks wouldn’t be in the mess they’re in. And why hasn’t our government come to their aid?

Have you considered foggy bottom is behind it?

[chilltherats]

“....but wow, we had to climb through ten million hoops to bring a child into the US, medical too.”

Perhaps the adoption authorities you dealt with had serious questions about your competency to be an adoptive parent.

[whatshotandwhatsnot]

That posts sums it up.

[Ancient Drive]

I’m gonna play devil’s advocate here.. Haiti is still a sovereign nation. They have laws there as well.

[deannadurbin]

From the time the mainstream media started to press this non-story I had a suspicion it was just a witchhunt against Christians trying to save children from a hellhole. If these people were UN workers instead of American Baptist Christians it never would have been a story.