This family needs some support in IA/SC/OK

[RockEnds]

http://www.tulsaworld.com/article.aspx/Officials_arrest_warrant_issued_for_Baby_Veronicas/20130810_298_0_Trying188935?subj=298

Officials: Arrest warrant issued for Baby Veronica's biological father

By MICHAEL OVERALL World Staff Writer on Aug 10, 2013, at 10:39 AM Updated on 8/10/13 at 12:40 PM


Trying to force Baby Veronica's return to her adoptive parents, South Carolina authorities are seeking the biological father's arrest in Iowa, where he's training with the National Guard, officials said Saturday.

A warrant was issued Friday after closed proceedings in a South Carolina Family Court, officials in both that state and Oklahoma told the Tulsa World.

Brown has not been taken into custody, but expects to be arrested this weekend, said his wife, who is with him in Iowa.

Authorities have told her husband that he will likely be taken into custody Sunday morning when he returns to a military base in Johnston, Iowa, Robin Brown said.

He is not on base Saturday for a day off, she said.

"They would rather see him in jail than see him with Veronica," Robin said. "He will be arrested and we can't stop it."

Brown has always promised to obey the law, even if it ultimately meant losing his daughter, Robin said. But Oklahoma law gives him until Aug. 23 to challenge South Carolina's court order, she said.

"They don't want to give an Oklahoma court the chance to stop this," Robin said. "So they're using his military status against him."

Brown is in Iowa for a month of training in aviation logistics.

He is charged with "custodial interference," a felony that carries up to five years in prison, Robin said.

He will fight extradition to South Carolina, Robin said.

.... (More at link)

[RockEnds]

This case is questionable beyond the pale. Last night, one of the opposing attorneys came on facebook to argue with Brown's supporters and hurl very uncomplimentary names toward one of Brown's minor daughters. This woman argues before SCOTUS, and she thinks it's okay to call a minor child "illegitimate spawn"? To make matters worse, it seems the girl to whom she was referring was conceived and born in wedlock.

You can see the conversation here. Scroll down to the picture of Dusten and Veronica at the water.

https://www.facebook.com/StandingOurGroundForVeronicaBrown

This is honestly the most corrupt adoption case I have ever seen.

[fr33]

Is this the one in which the biological father is an Indian?

[RockEnds]

Yes.

[RockEnds]

Here is a link with a list of articles that explain the case from the father's perspective. The South Carolina couple who are relentlessly pursing this family have engaged in a media campaign, and I would just as soon not promote that, but a google search will provide several hits.

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/story/baby-veronica

From one of the articles at the link:

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/08/01/gloves-come-civil-rights-suit-filed-adoption-veronica-finalized-150676


The Cherokee Nation reacted swiftly to the finalization of the adoption and transition plan in South Carolina.

“Today, a Family Court in South Carolina finalized the adoption of an almost 4-year-old Cherokee child who has been living with her unquestionably fit, loving, biological father and large extended family, for one year and seven months, half a continent away in Oklahoma and Cherokee Nation,” said Chrissi Nimmo, assistant attorney general for the Cherokee Nation. “This decision was made without a hearing to determine what is in Veronica’s current best interests and comes almost two years after the same Family Court found that Dusten Brown was a fit, loving parent and it would be in Veronica’s best interests to be placed with her father. Every parent in America should be terrified.

Dusten Brown is an honorable man and a good father. Cherokee Nation will continue to support Dusten, Veronica and the entire Brown family in their attempt to keep their family whole.”

Dusten Brown, who is currently in training with the National Guard, also issued the following statement:

“Our family is shocked and deeply saddened that the South Carolina Supreme Court has refused to allow Veronica's best interest to be considered. Even worse, that Court issued an order they acknowledge will cause my daughter to suffer harm. The Court gave its blessing to the transition plan offered by the Capobiancos that says upon transfer to them, Veronica will be 'fearful, scared, anxious, confused,'” said Brown.

“They say she will likely become quiet and withdrawn and may cry herself to sleep. That the transfer will cause 'grief' and 'loss' and she will feel 'rejected' by me and her family. They say it will leave her with many 'unanswered questions.' I will not voluntarily let my child go through that, no parent would. I am her father and it is my job to protect her. My family and I continue to pray that the justice system bring justice to Veronica.”

(snip)

Sources in Washington have pointed out that Alvino McGill's role in Adoptive Couple is more than that of a spokesperson for Christy Maldonado. As it turns out, Chief Justice Roberts and former solicitor general Ted Olson, both of whom sided with the Capobiancos, attended Ms. Alvino McGill's 2006 wedding to Matthew McGill who, coincidentally, was a clerk for John Roberts in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Therefore, given the cozy nature and small world influence in the Capitol's legal circles, observers say it was no surprise when Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl was granted petition of certiorari in January.

“Dusten Brown never had a chance,” said the source. “His biggest sin was that he got on the wrong side of the billion dollar U.S. adoption industry and he was winning. [The Supreme Court] knew this when they took cert on this case, otherwise, why would they bother with a custody dispute that should have been nipped in the bud four years ago? And the sad part is that he's rehabilitated himself in every way in this case. He's gone to every length to keep his child, he's done everything asked of him. But it is a system that was stacked against him from the beginning. This is Worcester v. Georgia all over again.”

After the South Carolina court's ruling finalizing the adoption of his daughter, Dusten Brown made a direct plea to the Capobiancos.

“To Matt and Melanie Capobianco I want to say this: Please, for Veronica's sake, just stop. Stop, and ask yourself if you really believe this is best for her.”

[Tod]

I'm confused. How did there come to be adoptive parents?

[RockEnds]

I'm confused. How did there come to be adoptive parents?

That's the question of the day. They are only adoptive parents in the State of South Carolina. The child and her family reside in Oklahoma, and Oklahoma has not recognized the adoption. In fact, there are some legal questions about whether or not South Carolina followed its own law. The child is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, and they have granted temporary custody to the child's step-mother and grandparents.

[kathy88]

This is so wrong.

[RockEnds]

This is so wrong.

I follow several adoption cases. This one is the worst I've ever seen. There is a lot of he said/she said from the time of the mother's pregnancy. Personally, I don't really care about that. The simple fact is that he is this girl's father, proven by DNA testing. He is raising her. She is safe, and there have been no allegations of any welfare concerns. I have never heard of a child being removed from the custody of a fit biological parent in favor of an adoptive placement. Never. The right of parents to raise their own children is a right that is much older than the USA. And South Carolina isn't willing to wait a month or so for Oklahoma to make a decision. Honestly, IMO SC has doubts as to whether or not its ruling will stand, and officials there are simply trying to make the father a felon to discredit his case.

[oyarde]

I follow several adoption cases. This one is the worst I've ever seen. There is a lot of he said/she said from the time of the mother's pregnancy. Personally, I don't really care about that. The simple fact is that he is this girl's father, proven by DNA testing. He is raising her. She is safe, and there have been no allegations of any welfare concerns. I have never heard of a child being removed from the custody of a fit biological parent in favor of an adoptive placement. Never. The right of parents to raise their own children is a right that is much older than the USA. And South Carolina isn't willing to wait a month or so for Oklahoma to make a decision. Honestly, IMO SC has doubts as to whether or not its ruling will stand, and officials there are simply trying to make the father a felon to discredit his case.

How would they not have had to go through the court system in the state the child resides in ?

[pcosmar]

some informative links,

http://protectingourchildrenfrombeingsold.wordpress.com/
http://protectingourchildrenfrombeingsold.wordpress.com/2010/01/09/more-facts-about-cps-buying-and-selling-our-children/
http://familyrights.azproject.org/2013/03/04/why-cps-kidnaps-children-its-the-money-of-course/

Every state,, This is a nationwide issue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8h4SOwWXdc

[pcosmar]

How would they not have had to go through the court system in the state the child resides in ?

Federal $$$$$$$$

[RockEnds]

How would they not have had to go through the court system in the state the child resides in ?

They do. Oklahoma could recognize the adoption, but that hasn't happened yet, and it's not a given. South Carolina apparently thinks it can ignore Oklahoma.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/article.aspx/Baby_Veronicas_father_Im_hoping_that_Oklahoma_will/20130808_12_0_BabyVe760209




'Baby Veronica's' father: 'I'm hoping that Oklahoma will stand up and defend her'

By MICHAEL OVERALL World Staff Writer on Aug 8, 2013, at 12:44 PM Updated on 8/08/13 at 4:51 PM

Baby Veronica’s biological father promised Thursday to obey the law, even if it means losing his daughter, but said “I’ll do everything I possibly can before letting that happen.”

While South Carolina courts are demanding that he bring the 3-year-old girl back to her adoptive parents “immediately,” her father, Dusten Brown, is in Iowa for National Guard training this month.

But even if he wasn’t out of state, he wouldn’t hand over his daughter before an Oklahoma court has decided whether the order is valid here. He has until Aug. 23 to ask a local judge to reject South Carolina’s demands.

“I’m hoping that Oklahoma will stand up and defend her,” Brown told the Tulsa World. “She was born in Oklahoma. She resides in Oklahoma. She’s an Oklahoman.”

He’ll also ask a Cherokee court to claim jurisdiction, since he and Veronica are members of the tribe.

(continued)

[oyarde]

They do. Oklahoma could recognize the adoption, but that hasn't happened yet, and it's not a given. South Carolina apparently thinks it can ignore Oklahoma.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/article.aspx/Baby_Veronicas_father_Im_hoping_that_Oklahoma_will/20130808_12_0_BabyVe760209

Sounds insane to me. Can this guys local Sheriff step in ?

[69360]

If he took his daughter and stayed on the reservation, could the fed arrest him or take her?

[RockEnds]

If he took his daughter and stayed on the reservation, could the fed arrest him or take her?

He would be AWOL.

[RockEnds]

Sounds insane to me. Can this guys local Sheriff step in ?

Not in Iowa. Brown is in Iowa on Guard Duty.

[Anti Federalist]

Maybe the Cherokee Nation can offer asylum?

[69360]

He would be AWOL.

Yeah I forgot he is military. Can the military take him from the reservation? Wonder if this qualifies him for a discharge for family reasons?

[pcosmar]

Yeah I forgot he is military. Can the military take him from the reservation? Wonder if this qualifies him for a discharge for family reasons?

If there was even one in his chain of command with both integrity and balls.. it could be done.

An emergency leave. A discharge.. or an assignment. It could be done.


/doubts

[69360]

After a little reading it looks like the FBI could arrest him on the reservation. So much for sovereign nation...

[asurfaholic]

I can pray for him, and his family.

[RockEnds]

After a little reading it looks like the FBI could arrest him on the reservation. So much for sovereign nation...

Yeah, he's in kind of a bad spot. There's a web page, if anyone is interested in helping to make a little noise on his behalf.

http://keepveronicahome.com/

[RockEnds]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jUkLCYug3OE

[C4talyst]

Hi folks, I worked for the Ron Paul campaign in 2008 and 2012. You're all being horribly misled about this case. The biological father, Dusten Brown, completely abandoned both the little girl and the birth mother, prior to, and after the birth of the child. If you want to be informed, start by reading the South Carolina Supreme Court ruling, right here:

http://www.judicial.state.sc.us/opinions/HTMLFiles/SC/27148.pdf



Throughout Mother's pregnancy, Father never offered to pay any of her medical or living expenses or accompany her to any doctor's visits, even though he admitted he was capable of doing so. According to Father, he would have given Mother support, but he "never got[] anything from the state of Oklahoma for child support." Eventually, with Father abandoning parental responsibilities, Mother broke off the relationship. Shortly thereafter, Mother sent Father a text message inquiring whether he wanted to support her and their child or relinquish his parental rights. Father sent a return text message to Mother expressly indicating his desire to give up his parental rights.


And my favorite from his testimony:



Q. But you were prepared to sign all your rights and responsibilities away to this child just so as long as the mother was taking care of the child?
A. That's correct.
Q. And you would not be responsible in any way for the child support or anything else as far as the child's concerned?
A. Correct.
Q. That's correct? Is that conducive to being a father?
A. I don't believe so.


After she had been adopted, Brown and his family started a case to regain custody. To this day, I believe it was his parents who pressured him into this role, without which he would have been perfectly content to go on with his life without the financial and other responsibilities of fatherhood, as was always his intent.

He abused a poorly written 1978 law known as the Indian Child Welfare Act designed to stem the flow of Native American children into predominantly white foster homes. According to Mr. Brown's own acquaintances, he had never been involved in any Native American heritage or with the Cherokee Nation prior to this case. His daughter, Veronica, is 1% Cherokee blood.

After winning in a South Carolina family court, and against the recommendation of dozens of child psychologists, Brown decided to take custody of the girl immediately, within 30 minutes of meeting her for the first time, and without any transition period whatsoever. The adoptive couple was willing to pay for a hotel room for Brown for an entire week, so he could be slowly introduced to the child and she could be better transitioned into her new home with him.

Brown, in a display of remarkable ignorance toward the child's needs, opted to immediately stuff her into his truck for an 1,100 mile drive to Oklahoma with strangers. He then disallowed her any future contact with the only parents she had known for the first two years of her life. His actions when taking custody in 2011 clearly demonstrated extreme negligence toward the girl's emotional well being.

The adoptive couple took the case to the South Carolina Supreme Court and lost, again due to the abuse of the federal Indian Child Welfare Act. They appealed to the US Supreme Court and won a few months ago.

Brown was under court orders to transition the girl back into their home but he and his family have thumbed their noses at our judicial system, law enforcement, and the Supreme Court. His attorneys are facing possible sanctions for misconduct and an arrest warrant was issued for Brown earlier today.

If you would like to exercise your own critical thinking skills and do a little more research on this case and Dusten Brown, here are some resources for you:

http://saveveronica.org

http://www.facebook.com/SaveVeronicaRose

www.foxnews.com/on-air/america-live/index.html#http://video.foxnews.com/v/2591439483001/legal-tug-of-war-over-baby-veronica-continues/?playlist_id=87651

http://www.abcnews4.com/story/23076676/hope-fear-a-part-of-capobiancos-waiting-game

Footage from the Capobiancos on the Today Show, this past Friday:

http://www.today.com/video/today/52712468#52712468

[RockEnds]

My compliments to the C's (who are in no way related to this child) for hiring the best PR money can buy. You guys are everywhere, aren't you? You did forget to mention that parental rights cannot be relinquished by text. You also forgot to mention that the cell phone message was inadmissible because the cell phone was never produced.

So, uh, do you support police action against this father who is fulfilling his obligations toward both his child and his country after he has stated that he will surrender the child if he loses once the legal process is completed? Do you support him being arrested at Camp Dodge tomorrow and extradited to the State of South Carolina on felony charges?

[RockEnds]

Oh, and funny thing about misconduct. Ms McGill's little episode on facebook last night prompted an interesting discovery. Not only is she comfortable hurling crass comments toward little kids, but she....

Well, stay tuned.

[Tinnuhana]

What does Lindsey G. think about this?

[RockEnds]

What does Lindsey G. think about this?

Lindsey supports the adoption, of course. The adoptive father is a Boeing employee. The natural father is simply a Bronze Star recipient.

[C4talyst]

My compliments to the C's (who are in no way related to this child) for hiring the best PR money can buy. You guys are everywhere, aren't you? You did forget to mention that parental rights cannot be relinquished by text. You also forgot to mention that the cell phone message was inadmissible because the cell phone was never produced.

So, uh, do you support police action against this father who is fulfilling his obligations toward both his child and his country after he has stated that he will surrender the child if he loses once the legal process is completed? Do you support him being arrested at Camp Dodge tomorrow and extradited to the State of South Carolina on felony charges?
They hired no one; they have a large group of supporters because most people are smart enough to see the truth. I didn't mention anything about the cell phone because it's irrelevant. You mentioning it only hurts your case more. The fact is, Dusten Brown signed away his rights...legally. It's right in the court document I linked to. The text message has nothing to do with that. It's obvious you have not researched this case at all, and unless you've read that entire document I linked to, you're in no shape for a debate on this.

I listed a lot of facts; when you are able to respond to them, I'll answer your questions.

I will say this, the worst thing Brown has done to this child surrounds his horrific decision making when he took custody. His actions were outright harmful to her, and were in no way conducive to being a competent, caring parent. It was those actions that confirmed my opinions about the guy.

I absolutely support the arrest because he has thumbed his nose at the US Supreme Court, law enforcement, and a family court order. He's in the National Guard and violating their uniform policy by giving interviews on national television. It's time for him to put the big-boy pants on and face the music. He continues to make horrible decisions at every turn, but in his defense, he's been given the worst legal advice I've ever witnessed.

Lastly, if he had made the decision to be an adult and a parent, from day one, none of us would be here discussing this issue now. The Capobiancos would have never met the little girl or even heard of her.

[RockEnds]

They hired no one; they have a large group of supporters because most people are smart enough to see the truth. I didn't mention anything about the cell phone because it's irrelevant. You mentioning it only hurts your case more. The fact is, Dusten Brown signed away his rights...legally. It's right in the court document I linked to. The text message has nothing to do with that. It's obvious you have not researched this case at all, and unless you've read that entire document I linked to, you're in no shape for a debate on this.

I listed a lot of facts; when you are able to respond to them, I'll answer your questions.

I have lived adoption since I drew my first breath. I have dealt with the industry all my life. I understand the rules. I simply disagree with them.

[C4talyst]

Lindsey supports the adoption, of course. The adoptive father is a Boeing employee. The natural father is simply a Bronze Star recipient.

Speaking of PR, being a "Bronze Star Recipient" has nothing to do with being a good father. Brown's camp has been milking the military service angle to death because everything else about the guy just stinks.

[Tinnuhana]

In Japan, if an American adopts a Japanese baby, the birth mother may take that child back at any time. Some friends of mine had a baby for a while. After a few years, the mother decided she wanted her child back. That's all it took. Different countries have different laws.

[C4talyst]

I have lived adoption since I drew my first breath. I have dealt with the industry all my life. I understand the rules. I simply disagree with them.

I'm not talking about the "adoption industry"; I'm simply discussing this case and have provided facts and data for everyone here to consume. We probably wouldn't disagree about adoption industry issues. This case, however, is another matter involving a clearly irresponsible, deadbeat, absentee sperm donor.

[RockEnds]

Speaking of PR, being a "Bronze Star Recipient" has nothing to do with being a good father. Brown's camp has been milking the military service angle to death because everything else about the guy just stinks.

For the record, I would not allow my own mother to speak of my father the way the C's people have spoken of this father. My adoptive family would never dream of it. I have too much self-respect to allow it, and everyone who knows me, knows that. It's not Brown that stinks. It's your tactics. Don't forget you're speaking of this child's father, her flesh and blood, half of who she is.

[RockEnds]

I'm not talking about the "adoption industry"; I'm simply discussing this case and have provided facts and data for everyone here to consume. We probably wouldn't disagree about adoption industry issues. This case, however, is another matter involving a clearly irresponsible, deadbeat, absentee sperm donor.

Oh, we disagree about adoption industry issues. My cousin was adopted off the rez. I understand the need for the ICWA. I also believe that many of the provisions of the act should become standard practice in adoption law.

[C4talyst]

My compliments to the C's (who are in no way related to this child) for hiring the best PR money can buy. You guys are everywhere, aren't you? You did forget to mention that parental rights cannot be relinquished by text. You also forgot to mention that the cell phone message was inadmissible because the cell phone was never produced.

So, uh, do you support police action against this father who is fulfilling his obligations toward both his child and his country after he has stated that he will surrender the child if he loses once the legal process is completed? Do you support him being arrested at Camp Dodge tomorrow and extradited to the State of South Carolina on felony charges?

BTW...the legal process has concluded. Although Brown has a few avenues left for appeals and other hearings, he has lost custody for now, and the little girl will be living in South Carolina while those other actions take place. Rock, I don't hate you guys, or the Browns, but this lack of honesty and failure to take a hard look at the case if why you guys get so much negative attention.

When you throw your support behind a statement like "he will surrender the child if he loses once the legal process is completed" it tells the whole world that you have no idea what's going on with this case, where it's been, and how it has culminated.

[C4talyst]

Oh, we disagree about adoption industry issues. My cousin was adopted off the rez. I understand the need for the ICWA. I also believe that many of the provisions of the act should become standard practice in adoption law.

I think ICWA was founded with good intent, but has flaws. This past week I read about a third child who was murdered after an ICWA placement into an abusive home. It's hard to put a positive spin on that.

The adoption industry has issues though, and I'd bet we'd agree on some of them.

[C4talyst]

For the record, I would not allow my own mother to speak of my father the way the C's people have spoken of this father. My adoptive family would never dream of it. I have too much self-respect to allow it, and everyone who knows me, knows that. It's not Brown that stinks. It's your tactics. Don't forget you're speaking of this child's father, her flesh and blood, half of who she is.

Again...he's brought this all on himself; all of it. First the abandonment, then the horrific transfer of custody, and now thumbing his nose at the Supreme Court. He's a posterboy for stupid.

[RockEnds]

BTW...the legal process has concluded. Although Brown has a few avenues left for appeals and other hearings, he has lost custody for now, and the little girl will be living in South Carolina while those other actions take place. Rock, I don't hate you guys, or the Browns, but this lack of honesty and failure to take a hard look at the case if why you guys get so much negative attention.

When you throw your support behind a statement like "he will surrender the child if he loses once the legal process is completed" it tells the whole world that you have no idea what's going on with this case, where it's been, and how it has culminated.

Oh for the love of Pete, his statement was reported in an article I cited earlier. You can't wait for Oklahoma to side with South Carolina? Is that because SC failed to conduct a hearing on the child's best interest? Or maybe because she's still a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and despite SCOTUS ruling that ICWA didn't apply to the father, no one ever said the law didn't apply to the child? Under the ICWA, the child has a right to a best interest hearing. Was the child in South Carolina when the C's filed the petition to adopt? What was the timeline there? Is their home study current? I don't know. I'm just asking. I could go on, but it's past my bedtime, and frankly, you lost me when you supported his arrest.

[C4talyst]

Oh for the love of Pete, his statement was reported in an article I cited earlier. You can't wait for Oklahoma to side with South Carolina? Is that because SC failed to conduct a hearing on the child's best interest? Or maybe because she's still a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and despite SCOTUS ruling that ICWA didn't apply to the father, no one ever said the law didn't apply to the child? Under the ICWA, the child has a right to a best interest hearing. Was the child in South Carolina when the C's filed the petition to adopt? What was the timeline there? Is their home study current? I don't know. I'm just asking. I could go on, but it's past my bedtime, and frankly, you lost me when you supported his arrest.

What part of active court order does your side not understand? You can continue pretending it "doesn't exist" or "isn't valid"...but the reality of the bad decision making will hit home tomorrow when Dusten is handcuffed and read his rights.

Maybe you have a point about a best interest hearing, but that in no way changes the fact that there is AN ACTIVE COURT ORDER out there. Jesus H...

[RockEnds]

What part of active court order does your side not understand? You can continue pretending it "doesn't exist" or "isn't valid"...but the reality of the bad decision making will hit home tomorrow when Dusten is handcuffed and read his rights.

Maybe you have a point about a best interest hearing, but that in no way changes the fact that there is AN ACTIVE COURT ORDER out there. Jesus H...

Yeah, I mean, the fact that federal law is being ignored shouldn't matter when a family court in SC has made a ruling directed at citizens of another state. Ya got me there.

[C4talyst]

BTW, I could care less about ICWA. Many legal scholars and at least two of the Supreme Court Justices believe it's unconstitutional. I have it on good authority that it will likely be abolished. I'm actually happy to see it disregarded, as we all have a duty to nullify unconstitutional laws.

As a Ron Paul supporter, do you disagree?

[69360]

Hi folks, I worked for the Ron Paul campaign in 2008 and 2012. You're all being horribly misled about this case. The biological father, Dusten Brown, completely abandoned both the little girl and the birth mother, prior to, and after the birth of the child. If you want to be informed, start by reading the South Carolina Supreme Court ruling, right here:

I don't care one bit about any of that. He is her biological father and he is taking care of her with no allegations of any sort against him. I will never support the state taking anyone's children from them.

[pcosmar]

Maybe you have a point about a best interest hearing, but that in no way changes the fact that there is AN ACTIVE COURT ORDER out there. Jesus H...

Sorry,, but I have a problem with secret courts. And that is what Family Courts are.


A warrant was issued Friday after closed proceedings in a South Carolina Family Court
As far as the He said/she said,,, there does seem to be some differences there.

She is using her political connections,, he is using his..
I really don't care for the profit motive in adoptions

http://www.massnews.com/past_issues/2000/5_May/mayds4.htm


After the adoption is finalized, the State and federal subsidies continue. The adoptive parents may collect cash subsidies until the child is 18. If the child stays in school, subsidies continue to the age of 22. There are State funded subsidies as well as federal funds through the Title IV-E section of the Social Security Act. The daily rate for State funds is the same as the foster care payments, which range from $410-$486 per month per child. Unless the child can be designated "special needs," which of course, they all can.


The adoptive parents also receive Medicaid for the child, a clothing allowance and reimbursement for adoption costs such as adoption fees, court and attorney fees, cost of adoption home study, and "reasonable costs of food and lodging for the child and adoptive parents when necessary to complete the adoption process." Under Title XX of the Social Security Act adoptive parents are also entitled to post adoption services "that may be helpful in keeping the family intact," including "daycare, specialized daycare, respite care, in-house support services such as housekeeping, and personal care, counseling, and other child welfare services". [Wow! Everything short of being knighted by the Queen!]

It is a convoluted mess. And I don't personally know any of the folks involved here.

From my reading about it, she dumped him after refusing the marriage. He was fine with her keeping the child,, until she abandoned it.
That is when he objected. And has been fighting since.
I would have to side with the Father here.

http://protectingourchildrenfrombeingsold.wordpress.com/

[69360]

From my reading about it, she dumped him after refusing the marriage. He was fine with her keeping the child,, until she abandoned it.
That is when he objected. And has been fighting since.
I would have to side with the Father here.


That is how I see it too. He was ok with her biological mother having custody, but not some random stranger. At that point he stepped up and has been caring for her since. Why is this bad? Why are these people so intent on taking a child from her biological father who by all accounts has cared for her well?

[RockEnds]

BTW, I could care less about ICWA. Many legal scholars and at least two of the Supreme Court Justices believe it's unconstitutional. I have it on good authority that it will likely be abolished. I'm actually happy to see it disregarded, as we all have a duty to nullify unconstitutional laws.

As a Ron Paul supporter, do you disagree?

I have a really long list of things I would like to see abolished. TBH, I do not favor the best interests of the child test because without it, all that would remain is parental rights*. Having said that, I would much rather see a best interests hearing than see children removed from fit parents over a legal technicality.

Let's talk truth. This case is not about Dusten or Veronica Brown. This case is about an industry that wishes to bypass Congress and change the law (ICWA) through court rulings handed down by Justices who attend the weddings of attorneys who insult little girls on facebook in the middle of the night. If the provisions of the ICWA protects some families against that, then there is some good in it. Maybe the USA and its 50 states should worry about the condition of its own child welfare system before it goes on a crusade against native Nations.

Just a thought.

*parents being at least one of two people who created the child. Sadly, in this day and age, that phrase needs to be defined.

[RockEnds]

Back to my reason for posting this case here, this family needs a little support. They're up against some pretty formidable opponents who are waging a major PR campaign against them. I've honestly never seen anything like it. If you see an article, and have some time....

[pcosmar]

I'm not talking about the "adoption industry"; I'm simply discussing this case and have provided facts and data for everyone here to consume. We probably wouldn't disagree about adoption industry issues. This case, however, is another matter involving a clearly irresponsible, deadbeat, absentee sperm donor.

Not from my reading.
From what I read,, he was wanting to marry her, and she left,, not wanting to marry. (been there myself)
and as soon as the child was born she put it up for adoption. At that point he did get involved.

As I said,, I don't know either of these folks.. But there is biological family that wants this child.
That trumps all.

[Anti Federalist]

What a cluster fuck.

[Anti Federalist]

Not from my reading.
From what I read,, he was wanting to marry her, and she left,, not wanting to marry. (been there myself)
and as soon as the child was born she put it up for adoption. At that point he did get involved.

As I said,, I don't know either of these folks.. But there is biological family that wants this child.
That trumps all.

Thanks for the thumbnail.

Barring any further revelations, yes, that trumps all.

[RockEnds]

The ICWA is a thorn in the side of the industry. In this particular case, the problem was that Brown would not have been recognized as the child's father according to South Carolina law without invoking the ICWA. This is as long and complex as the case, and I do not know if the previous poster has an understanding of the background here, but I'll try to explain. My apologies for needing to sleep last night.

Each state has different laws defining the circumstances under which the court will recognize the paternity of a child who is the subject of adoption proceedings. Yes, a different standard exists for those infants than for other infants. If the child is not being placed for adoption, the biological father can and will be required to assume certain duties (especially financial) once paternity is proven. If the child is placed for adoption, his money may not be green enough even if he wants his child desperately.

How did this happen? Well, way, way back when, unmarried mothers were brought before courts and required to identify the fathers of their children. Then the pendulum swung in the other direction, and unmarried fathers had no rights or responsibilities whatsoever. Then (by the 1970s) unmarried fathers regained some rights. In fact, they were contesting and winning some adoption cases. This, of course, wasn't well received by the adoption industry.

SCOTUS wrote an opinion outlining the Father's Registry, New York passed the model, and SCOTUS upheld the NY father's registry. (Lehr v Robertson)

http://adoption.about.com/od/legalfinancial/a/landmarkcases.htm

What is a father's registry? It's something every man should know about or risk losing parental rights forever.

http://www.fathersandfamilies.org/2013/03/29/national-putative-father-registry-a-bad-idea-promoted-by-adoption-lawyers/

If a single father has not registered in the state that is exercising jurisdiction over the adoption, he probably will not be recognized as the child's father. Since states do not honor the registries of other states, it's highly recommended to register paternity in each state that operates a registry. I mean, there's no way to predict which state may receive the child. The deadlines to register are different from one state to another. Feeling as if having your paternal rights recognized is a bit of an undue burden? Well, you wouldn't be the first. Good men lose children over these technicalities all the time. They are then accused of being deadbeats. The harder they fight for their child, the worse they are smeared in the press. Standard stuff. All in a day's work.

Father's registries and other state laws designed to eliminate fathers from adoption proceedings are not applicable to ICWA cases. You just need to be the dad. That's all. And there are some very good protections against termination of parental rights built into the legislation. There is momentum to have some of these protections applied to all adoptions. The industry is less than appreciative of that.

For instance, Brown is accused of signing away his parental rights because someone approached him in a mall parking lot, and he accepted service for paperwork without understanding its contents. That is not only morally reprehensible (on the part of the server), it is prohibited under ICWA.

http://www.nicwa.org/icwa/section_three/mod16/mod16_05.asp

In Adoptive Couple vs Baby Girl, et al. (a very appropriately named case), SCOTUS found that Brown did not qualify as a father. At all. They applied the standard laws governing paternity in cases of children with adoption paperwork in the state of SC. Due to their finding, Brown did not have the very appropriate parental protections written into the ICWA. This doesn't mean Brown is not a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. It doesn't mean his daughter is not a CN citizen and still protected by the ICWA. It simply means SCOTUS tried to apply the same unjust laws that govern every other father whose child is consigned to the adoption industry to Brown.

I probably left something out. But that's kinda the story.

[The Free Hornet]

Four months after the birth of the child and just days from deployment to Iraq, Brown was served with notice of the proposed adoption.[25] Brown signed the document, believing that he was relinquishing rights to Maldonado.[fn 4][25] Brown, once he realized what he was signing, immediately tried to retrieve the document, and failing that, contacted the Judge Advocate General at Fort Sill for assistance.[25] Seven days after being notified of the proposed adoption by the Capobiancos, Brown had obtained a stay of the adoption proceedings under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act[fn 5][25] and he deployed with his Army unit to Iraq.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adoptive_Couple_v._Baby_Girl


My inclination now is to side with Brown. Also, it seems undoubtably true that the Capobianos and their friend, are ramping up the PR on this:


It has also been alleged that the mainstream media has disseminated incorrect and false information that portrayed the Capobiancos in a good light and Brown in a bad light.

...

A friend of the Capobiancos, Jessica Munday, started a "Save Veronica" campaign, aimed at gathering grassroots support for the couple's efforts to overturn both the Charleston Family Court and the South Carolina Supreme Court decisions.[106] Munday, who runs a marketing firm in Charleston, South Carolina, is responsible for making the case well known,[107] Responses from the Native American community point out the irony in the campaign; they point to an editorial cartoon depicting "Veronica" asking if the backers of the campaign want to save her (an Indian child) from other Indians.

Too bad for them, people will side with the biological father and their mudslinging will fail - barring some horrible revelations. The SaveJessica website is so one sided, it makes me wish for the Capobiancos to die miserable and childless (regardless of any living, biological or adoptive children they may presently or in the future have):


June 2009 Christy decides adoption is best for her unborn child. She is already struggling financially as a single mother of two children and knows it would be even more difficult to provide for a third child without help from the birth father. Birth father responds stating he wants to sign his rights away (see text messages)

July 2009 Christy selects Matt and Melanie to raise her child. She feels an instant connection with them and knows in her heart these are the people to raise her unborn child. She continues to work double shifts to make ends meet for her and her two children. She hasn’t seen birth father in months.

http://www.saveveronica.org/veronicas-story/veronicas-timeline/

Here is another take on that:


Hui Mei

I think the mother had heard that one could make money by adopting a baby out. She knew that she would be able to get a huge lump sum from a well to do couple seeking adoption vs monthly child support of a smaller amount and the responsibility of raising a child. I believe she, the Capobiancos and their lawyers intended to take this child from the father from the beginning. This woman Christy, thought she was smart enough to make money by "producing" a baby and selling the baby. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so quick to cut the father out of her life. It's just not how relationships work. That's my opinion anyway. Babies should not be produced for sale. And bio fathers should have a say in adoption matters.

Mon, 07/15/2013 - 13:25
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/07/15/baby-veronicas-birth-mother-finally-speaks-out-about-court-case-150417

Adoptive parents should take note and get the father involved early on, not just the mother. This scheme was hatched months before birth, they should have done a better job. It should be obvious to both parents that the decision is made with clear, uncluttered conscience and with full knowledge. They didn't even serve him adoption papers until the baby was already a few months old (or was he only served notice to renounce his parental rights?).

[The Free Hornet]

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/sites/default/files/article_media/babyveronica2.jpg

OMFG! That's not a petting zoo! They actually have goats at her biological and custodial father's home.

[oyarde]

What a cluster fuck.

Pretty much what I thought, I see no winners here , including the child .

[69360]

How sick, demented and selfish are these 2 people that want to take a child from her biological father who wants her? There will be a special place in hell for them. He's her father, he wants her and takes good care of her. None of this other bullshit matters.

[pcosmar]

How sick, demented and selfish are these 2 people that want to take a child from her biological father who wants her? There will be a special place in hell for them. He's her father, he wants her and takes good care of her. None of this other bullshit matters.

$$$$
It is a huge motivator

http://protectingourchildrenfrombeingsold.wordpress.com/


For us there have been many benefits to adopting “through the system”.

1. We had the protection of the court from the birth family members.

2. Our children all qualified for Medicaid–which will cover all medical care not covered by our insurance, including co-pays and preexisting conditions. This can be very important when adopting a child with many medical issues. Another important aspect of the medicaid coverage is that it will cover mental health treatment and hospitalization for mental illnesses.

3. Our children qualify for an adoption subsidy. The daily rate is typically $13.85-28.85 PER DAY until the child graduates from high school or is 18 and not in school. 2 of our children qualify for a much higher daily rate as they have intensive medical and emotional needs. This allows me the financial freedom to stay home full time and my husband to take a job working 35 hours a week, 40 weeks a year teaching auto mechanics to high school students. Daddy can now be home more and be more involved with the kids.

4. As part of the adoption medical subsidy the kids qualify for therapy–speech, OT, PT, and tutoring during the summer if needed. It also pays for a therapist/counselor. Our one daughter has attachment issues (among many other issues). We are working with a specially trained attachment therapist. Her sessions run 1-4 hours in length and cost $80-320 each. Most of that cost is covered.

5. Each adopted child can get a scholarship to a camp or camps of their choice for up to $300 total. This can include church camps, specialty camps, YMCA day sports camps, etc.

6. The children up to age 5 qualify for WIC and related services.

7. The adoptions were FREE. We had to pay about $100 per child for court papers but that was refunded back to us when we filled out a form with the state. All home studies, physicals, etc. were covered.

We currently have NO state involvement in our lives or the lives of our adopted children. The subsidy checks come once a month and I can just submit bills if needed. We have never had to report how we spend the money, etc. I know that some families do not wish to take money from the government and that is fine. I just want prospective adoptive parents to realize what services are available if they adopt a child that has been “in the system” versus a private adoption (some of those do qualify for the above benefits IF the child was in foster care).

[fr33]

This story was covered on the NPR show, "This American Life". They gave a slight favorable slant to the adoptive parents in their spin. According to them, a non-Indian could not have come back after signing away his rights like he did and even had a case. Apparently the system affords natives more rights over children given up for adoption than non-natives receive. If he wasn't an Indian this wouldn't even be a case. I understand the frustration the adoptive parents feel but I think they should observe that the biological father is capable of raising HIS daughter along with the rest of his family.

[RockEnds]

This story was covered on the NPR show, "This American Life". They gave a slight favorable slant to the adoptive parents in their spin. According to them, a non-Indian could not have come back after signing away his rights like he did and even had a case. Apparently the system affords natives more rights over children given up for adoption than non-natives receive. If he wasn't an Indian this wouldn't even be a case. I understand the frustration the adoptive parents feel but I think they should observe that the biological father is capable of raising HIS daughter along with the rest of his family.

I'm glad to hear their spin was only slightly favorable. The media doesn't do much fact checking, though. It's always spun that he surrendered his rights. He didn't. No court has ever found that he surrendered his rights. The C's PR machine has two points in which they claim he did. First, in a text message. That's not possible for anyone. Second, when he accepted service in a mall parking lot. That wasn't a formal surrender of parental rights, either, and no court has ever found that it was.

The possible progression of the case if he had not been Cherokee is irrelevant because he is Cherokee. If his identifying information would have been accurately submitted in the first place, the C's would have never been cleared to remove the child from the state of Oklahoma. Actually, I hadn't seen the wiki until it was posted here, but it's probably the most balanced summary I've seen so far. Not every detail is in it, but it's actually pretty good.

The reason the South Carolina court terminated Brown's parental rights two weeks ago was because, despite raising his child and proving all her support for the past 19 months, he didn't pay child support to the mother during her pregnancy which ended 4 years ago in September.

The C's team are pretty pissed that he wasn't arrested this morning. Munday herself left a less than polite comment on the facebook page of the Oklahoma National Guard. Here's the latest:

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/08/11/dusten-brown-returns-oklahoma-evades-south-carolina-150829

[RockEnds]

Some things should remain private. Mudslinging is never pretty, and parents should do their best to be respectful toward one another. But there is a line that shouldn't be crossed. When the line is crossed, and an appeal to sensibilities is unsuccessful, people get to hear the rest of the story. I know it is with a heavy heart that this information was published, and I wish it didn't need to be shared.


http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/08/12/selling-christy-maldonado-150831

The Selling of Christy Maldonado
Suzette Brewer
August 12, 2013

It was the end of a long, bizarre week in which the ongoing battle between Dusten Brown and Matt and Melanie Capobianco became even more contentious with accusations of bad faith, court orders and competing media interviews, capped off by the dramatic issuance of a felony arrest warrant. Late Friday night, as word of the warrant began gaining traction, Lori Alvino McGill, attorney for Veronica's birth mother, went on Facebook to argue with supporters for the Brown family.

In heated exchanges laced with name-calling and bad spelling, Ms. McGill again publicly excoriated Dusten Brown and vociferously defended her client's actions in turning her infant daughter over to Matt and Melanie Capobianco in September 2009.

“Y'all should ask Dusten aka Dustin why his name is spelled 'Dustin Dale Brown' on a public court order requiring him to pay delinquent child support to yet another woman, for yet another illegimate [sic] child that he spawned,” she wrote. “The fact is that every court to have looked at this case has rejected the idea that Dusten was trying to do the right thing but was misled by his pregnant girlfriend.”

“And, FYI, absentee impregnanters [sic] are not entitled,” she later posted, “to information about the childcare plans made by the women whom they have knocked up.”

A return to the facts. The only two children Dusten Brown has, according to his ex-wife, Rachel Reichert, is Kelsey Brown, who was born two years after they were married in 2001, and Veronica, whose biological mother was Brown's ex-fiance. And it is a matter of court record that, in spite of the recent rulings against Dusten Brown, her client, Christy Maldonado, was never found to be credible in any of the court proceedings in South Carolina.

“It is rather unseemly for an officer of the court to be on Facebook at that hour—or any hour—arguing the facts on behalf of her 'client' who is not a party in this case,” observed a Washington, D.C.-based lawyer who works on Capitol Hill. “The serious practicing attorneys I know would never bother with that kind of thing. It's just not appropriate. But it is pure comic gold. You can't make this stuff up.”

Humor aside, the recent emergence of McGill as “a voice” for Veronica's birth mother, who has never spoken publicly save for a heavily-edited opinion piece for the Washington Post in June to advocate for the Capobiancos, has begun to raise questions about Maldonado herself. Over the years, Brown has never gone on the record about his ex-fiance and has never publicly spoken ill of his daughter's biological mother.

But a review of court documents in Oklahoma and in interviews with those who knew Maldonado prior to and during her engagement and pregnancy with Dusten Brown, reveal a portrait of a woman with a history of turmoil in her relationships, featuring restraining orders, lawsuits, Court Appointed Special Advocates and ongoing custody and child support disputes with her two older childrens' father.

“All along, she has been painted by the adoption team as this saintly, Thomas Kinkade-hued single mother who was raising two kids and selflessly gave her child to an infertile couple,” says a former friend. “That's been the narrative. But the reality is that it's common knowledge in Bartlesville that Christy Maldonado does not have custody of her two other kids. They are living with their paternal grandmother in Oklahoma. She's actually the one who pays child support and has visitation.”

Additionally, Indian Country Today Media Network has learned that Maldonado did not, in fact, receive any compensation for birth expenses from the Capobiancos. The birth of Veronica came at the expense of the taxpayers of the State of Oklahoma via the state's Medicaid program, SoonerCare.

In 2008, the year that she became pregnant with Veronica, Maldonado claimed $1,800 a month in income on a child support worksheet and had been working as a cashier at one of the Osage Nation casinos at the time of her pregnancy. As a full-time employee, she would have had access to health insurance through the tribe; or, alternatively, because Dusten Brown is a tribal member, she could also have received maternal health care at one of Oklahoma's tribal Indian Health Service facilities. Brown even encouraged her to have their baby at a military health facility.

Adoption attorneys also point out that many health plans provide for adoptive couples in covering the medical expenses for the birth mother and child, so the Capobiancos could have also used their own health insurance to help pay some of the costs for prenatal care, labor and delivery.

But, shortly after she became pregnant, Maldonado disappeared and declined any contact with Brown or his parents, all of whom testified in court that they had tried numerous times to reach out to help her, despite her claims to the contrary.

Maldonado had battled her ex-common law husband, Joshua Thompson, in court since their divorce in 2006, which was filed by Thompson as the petitioner. Since that time, the two have fought over custody and child support too many times to count.

In 2008, she reconnected with Dusten Brown though she had stayed with him off and on since her separation from Thompson, according to former friends. Although she was working, Maldonado was behind on her mortgage and other bills; she had been through yet another expensive, bruising legal battle with her ex, and she had been ordered to pay him $252 a month in child support and 63 percent of their children's medical expenses.

Brown, who had known Maldonado since they were both in high school, offered to help her get out of debt. In an interview last March, Brown told Indian Country Today Media Network that he knew she was stressed about money and said that he had saved about $7,500 and had offered to give all of it to her to pull out of her financial downward spiral. But she refused.

“She told me she 'had a plan,'” he said at the time. “But I didn't know that the plan was to put Veronica up for adoption. I offered to give her everything I had, but she didn't want it.”

Later, in 2009, friends noticed that the old Honda Civic that Maldonado had been driving courtesy of a family member who was making her car payments for her, was suddenly traded in for a large SUV that she began driving around Bartlesville. Additionally, she had mysteriously regained her financial equilibrium and was able to get caught up on her mortgage.

“Christy Maldonado is a piece of work,” said one insider. “Dusten's life in the military requires a lot of responsibility and time away from families and it comes with a lot of strings. She couldn't handle that and took it personally, like he was blowing her off. But he was working and she didn't like the demands of his job. So when she got pregnant, she had no intention of keeping the baby because the reality is that she didn't want to pay more child support and fight over another kid. And he blindly believed that she would never do something like this. But the irony is that here she is fighting over another kid and would rather seem him go to jail than have custody of Veronica.”

In court testimony, Matt Capobianco admitted on the stand in South Carolina that he and his wife had given Maldonado money, which accounts for the record time in which Maldonado pulled out of her financial chaos. Under Oklahoma law, however, there is a $1,000 limit to what birth mothers can be paid. Any more than that requires court approval, according to an Oklahoma adoption attorney. Those in the adoption industry say the state limit is often ignored when a desperate couple is seeking the assistance and cooperation of a birth mother who may be in financial straights.

The Capobiancos also testified that they paid for Maldonado's attorney fees and bought Christmas gifts for her and her two other children in 2009, as well as covering her airfare and expenses to travel to and from court hearings in South Carolina for trial. On the stand, Melanie Capobianco said that she and her husband had spent between “$30,000 to $40,000” for Veronica's adoption. But those expenses are now two years out of date, though no formal audit has ever taken place regarding the expenditures and receivables on either side. It is widely acknowledged, however, that the appellate and Supreme Court practitioners and their staffs worked pro bono for both parties in Adoptive Couple.

Additionally, it is unclear whether Maldonado claimed any of the funds or gifts she received from the Capobiancos or any of their supporters in the last four years as income, which may be taxable under IRS laws.

Last month, Maldonado, with a group of nine other women, filed a federal lawsuit in South Carolina seeking to overturn the Indian Child Welfare Act because of its “race-based” placement preferences. The litigation could have profound negative outcomes for Indian tribes across the country, including the Osage, from whom Maldonado has also benefited as an employee.

Officials for the Osage Nation of Oklahoma could not be reached for comment regarding Ms. Maldonado's extracurricular activities in filing anti-Indian litigation with far-reaching consequences.

For Maldonado, however, there is one bright spot.

McGill, in her midnight chat with Brown's supporters on Facebook, helpfully pointed out the she is working pro bono on Maldonado's behalf.

[69360]

I'm glad to hear their spin was only slightly favorable. The media doesn't do much fact checking, though. It's always spun that he surrendered his rights. He didn't. No court has ever found that he surrendered his rights. The C's PR machine has two points in which they claim he did. First, in a text message. That's not possible for anyone. Second, when he accepted service in a mall parking lot. That wasn't a formal surrender of parental rights, either, and no court has ever found that it was.

The possible progression of the case if he had not been Cherokee is irrelevant because he is Cherokee. If his identifying information would have been accurately submitted in the first place, the C's would have never been cleared to remove the child from the state of Oklahoma. Actually, I hadn't seen the wiki until it was posted here, but it's probably the most balanced summary I've seen so far. Not every detail is in it, but it's actually pretty good.

The reason the South Carolina court terminated Brown's parental rights two weeks ago was because, despite raising his child and proving all her support for the past 19 months, he didn't pay child support to the mother during her pregnancy which ended 4 years ago in September.

The C's team are pretty pissed that he wasn't arrested this morning. Munday herself left a less than polite comment on the facebook page of the Oklahoma National Guard. Here's the latest:

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/08/11/dusten-brown-returns-oklahoma-evades-south-carolina-150829

It's not possible to terminate parental rights for non-payment of support. They are two separate and distinct issues. A parent can not pay support to the other parent and still see their child or even gain custody. The back support judgement would survive the change in custody.

Looks like the military did right by him, good.

[RockEnds]

It's not possible to terminate parental rights for non-payment of support. They are two separate and distinct issues. A parent can not pay support to the other parent and still see their child or even gain custody. The back support judgement would survive the change in custody.

Looks like the military did right by him, good.

There are different rules for adoption. I know it sounds crazy and unbelievable, but it's true. Once an adoption is proposed, all the rules change. It's as if people aren't real people anymore. They're obstacles to be overcome. I posted about this yesterday, but here's a link from one of those links. The article is humorous. IRL, men get this really glazed look over their eyes and stammer a bit until it sinks in.

I promise you, this man's rights were terminated two weeks ago because he did not pay the mother child support during her pregnancy four years ago.

http://www.adopting.org/adoptions/the-ohio-putative-father-registry-the-what.html

[RockEnds]

BTW, he is in custody in Oklahoma now. It's being reported that he turned himself in.

And now word is he's free on bond.

[C4talyst]

Can you not read? The state didn't take this kid away from him, he abandoned her. He later decided he was "ready to be a dad" and abused a law to remove her from a good home, and causing her emotional harm because he allowed for no transition period, and disallowed her any contact with the only parents she had known from birth to age 2. A real class act you're throwing your support behind there.

What if a biological father had their kids removed due to a child abuse conviction...should he get the kids back simply because "he's her daddy"? I don't understand your logic there at all...btw, the scenario I just mentioned happened once a couple years ago due to this horribly written Indian Child Welfare Act law.

[belian78]

This man is not a threat in anyway to his daughter, he is the biological father and wants custody of her, period end of story. Take your PR and spin elsewhere.

[C4talyst]

Not from my reading.
From what I read,, he was wanting to marry her, and she left,, not wanting to marry. (been there myself)
and as soon as the child was born she put it up for adoption. At that point he did get involved.

As I said,, I don't know either of these folks.. But there is biological family that wants this child.
That trumps all.

Mr. Brown knew the due date, yet he made no effort to contact the birth mother, or inquire into the girl's well being until 120 days after she was born. That's confirmed in court documents. He had already signed his rights away to contest the adoption, and when he received word that the adoption was happening, that's when he changed his mind. He never wanted to raise this kid, (or his other kids for that matter), and the grandparents likely supplied all the pressure here.

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt since you likely don't know much about this case, but many of Brown's actions have bordered on child abuse, and if you knew his immediate family and their history, you might reconsider.

BTW, that indian news site is a journalism catastrophe; they actually have the most biased articles I've seen on this case, which is why Rock chose to post their take.

[C4talyst]

This man is not a threat in anyway to his daughter, he is the biological father and wants custody of her, period end of story. Take your PR and spin elsewhere.

By your incredibly flawed logic, anyone should have their kids simply because they are a biological parent. Do you include murderers, rapists and child abusers in that opinion? Do you also not hold criminals accountable for their actions?

This is not PR spin, if you're resistant to data, then that's ok, but at least attempt to explain why I'm wrong. Dusten Brown is a deadbeat who abandoned both his children...he harmed Veronica when he took custody in 2011, according to over 100 child psychologists.

I kind of expected to find a more intellectual crowd on this forum...not "emotional thinkers" who can't approach a topic with critical thought and objectivity. If I wanted that I would've visited Democratic Underground.

[belian78]

Mr. Brown knew the due date, yet he made no effort to contact the birth mother, or inquire into the girl's well being until 120 days after she was born. That's confirmed in court documents. He had already signed his rights away to contest the adoption, and when he received word that the adoption was happening, that's when he changed his mind. He never wanted to raise this kid, (or his other kids for that matter), and the grandparents likely supplied all the pressure here.

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt since you likely don't know much about this case, but many of Brown's actions have bordered on child abuse, and if you knew his immediate family and their history, you might reconsider.

BTW, that indian news site is a journalism catastrophe; they actually have the most biased articles I've seen on this case, which is why Rock chose to post their take.

I personally know how easy it is to get roped into signing away parental rights. I had one of those shoved in my face by my son's mom years ago. Her and her attorney both pooh-poohed me saying that it just makes me less financially obligated and I'd still be a part of my son's life if I wanted. I had to ask a ton of pointed questions to find out they were duping my into signing away my rights. From what I read, the father initially did sign but immediately wanted to recind his signature once he realized what it was. I can understand that, as I was inches away from that position myself. All that matters is that he is the biological father, he wants to be the father and have custody. He is not a threat to that girl, and can provide for her. Period, end of story. Spin your tripe elsewhere.

[pcosmar]

I kind of expected to find a more intellectual crowd on this forum...not "emotional thinkers" who can't approach a topic with critical thought and objectivity. If I wanted that I would've visited Democratic Underground.

Oh yeah,, that is going to win you points, :rolleyes:

You obviously have never participated in discussions here. (2008 before this thread)




I believe a one-world government could greatly benefit the planet...


It is the critical thinking that is raising questions about your spin on the story.

[RockEnds]

Can you not read? The state didn't take this kid away from him, he abandoned her. He later decided he was "ready to be a dad" and abused a law to remove her from a good home, and causing her emotional harm because he allowed for no transition period, and disallowed her any contact with the only parents she had known from birth to age 2. A real class act you're throwing your support behind there.

What if a biological father had their kids removed due to a child abuse conviction...should he get the kids back simply because "he's her daddy"? I don't understand your logic there at all...btw, the scenario I just mentioned happened once a couple years ago due to this horribly written Indian Child Welfare Act law.

Now wait. I thought these charges were brought about because he REFUSES to abandon her. There is no child abuse here. No doubt the spin machine is working overtime to try to find some, but to date, no one has even hinted toward child abuse, hence the felony charges. And you can't change the fact that the child looks infinitely happier with Dusten than she ever looked with the C's. They're using her pics with him now because she's so sullen in the majority of their pics. Felony charges are a two-way street, and the court record already reflects wrong doing on their part, the part of the mother, and their legal representatives. So far Oklahoma hasn't made that a criminal matter. But, the game sorta changed, didn't it? I anxiously await the response from the State of Oklahoma. I don't know how much it cost them to reschedule National Guard training, but I would imagine they're not all that happy about the inconvenience. And if they really did foot the bill for this birth as reported in the article, that may not be well-received, either.

The industry has bullied family after family for decades. Personally, I think they've pushed it too far in this case. Normal people don't understand how not paying child support during a pregnancy should cost a man a child he has been actively raising for nearly two years. I think it's the industry's turn to take the fall this time.

We'll see.

[RockEnds]

By your incredibly flawed logic, anyone should have their kids simply because they are a biological parent....

What about the the state of South Carolina allowing anyone to be a family court judge? Daniel Martin is the judge causing all the fuss in this case:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RFtJAAAAIBAJ&sjid=MQoNAAAAIBAJ&pg=1271%2C6025140&dq=judge+daniel+martin+south+carolina&hl=en

[mosquitobite]

Threads like these make me sad for fathers. I am a woman and it disgusts me how much power women think they have over the children they birth. So many victims because of society taking such a "who cares" approach to unprotected sex.

Entire industries flourishing because of it (adoption and family courts)

[RockEnds]

Threads like these make me sad for fathers. I am a woman and it disgusts me how much power women think they have over the children they birth. So many victims because of society taking such a "who cares" approach to unprotected sex.

Entire industries flourishing because of it (adoption and family courts)

I'm a woman, too. And the mother of sons upon one of whom service was attempted a few days before he deployed this summer. I've been around the block, though. I did what grandparents are supposed to do (we grandparents do encourage our children to do the right thing, and this other person can float a boat if he doesn't like it)--I told him to call his lawyer, and the papers were delivered there, reviewed, and SSRA was invoked. He pays child support, has joint custody, visitation, and all that, but I am smart enough to understand that his ex is the type to play games. That's why she had him served days before deployment. It was just for an increase in child support. She'll have to wait. Hope he lives. All that.

[69360]

Can you not read? The state didn't take this kid away from him, he abandoned her. He later decided he was "ready to be a dad" and abused a law to remove her from a good home, and causing her emotional harm because he allowed for no transition period, and disallowed her any contact with the only parents she had known from birth to age 2. A real class act you're throwing your support behind there.

What if a biological father had their kids removed due to a child abuse conviction...should he get the kids back simply because "he's her daddy"? I don't understand your logic there at all...btw, the scenario I just mentioned happened once a couple years ago due to this horribly written Indian Child Welfare Act law.

Not true. He was ok with her in the custody of her biological mother, not some strangers so he got custody when the mother gave her up. Why is that bad?

[Pericles]

They hired no one; they have a large group of supporters because most people are smart enough to see the truth. I didn't mention anything about the cell phone because it's irrelevant. You mentioning it only hurts your case more. The fact is, Dusten Brown signed away his rights...legally. It's right in the court document I linked to. The text message has nothing to do with that. It's obvious you have not researched this case at all, and unless you've read that entire document I linked to, you're in no shape for a debate on this.

I listed a lot of facts; when you are able to respond to them, I'll answer your questions.

I will say this, the worst thing Brown has done to this child surrounds his horrific decision making when he took custody. His actions were outright harmful to her, and were in no way conducive to being a competent, caring parent. It was those actions that confirmed my opinions about the guy.

I absolutely support the arrest because he has thumbed his nose at the US Supreme Court, law enforcement, and a family court order. He's in the National Guard and violating their uniform policy by giving interviews on national television. It's time for him to put the big-boy pants on and face the music. He continues to make horrible decisions at every turn, but in his defense, he's been given the worst legal advice I've ever witnessed.

Lastly, if he had made the decision to be an adult and a parent, from day one, none of us would be here discussing this issue now. The Capobiancos would have never met the little girl or even heard of her.

How about your side following the law and stopping all action as required by the Soldier's and Sailor's relief Act? Even if the father is in a title 32 status rather than title 10 status.

[RockEnds]

This is not PR spin, if you're resistant to data, then that's ok, but at least attempt to explain why I'm wrong.

Okay. Here's some data:

http://www.newson6.com/story/23118722/nowata-authorities-wont-take-baby-veronica-without-order-from-ok-courts

The sheriff doesn't seem to think your side has its ducks are in a row. And he made mention about kidnapping charges against the C's if they acted on their threat to come to Oklahoma and forcibly take the child. Huh. So it turns out that Oklahoma really DOES have to recognize the judgment first. Well, ain't that a thing.

[The Free Hornet]

This is not PR spin, if you're resistant to data, then that's ok, but at least attempt to explain why I'm wrong. Dusten Brown is a deadbeat who abandoned both his children...he harmed Veronica when he took custody in 2011, according to over 100 child psychologists.

Source this! Specifically, I'm interested in degreed, practicing psychologists that have evaluated the child and have come to that conclusion.

[catfeathers]

...he harmed Veronica when he took custody in 2011, according to over 100 child psychologists.


If her father taking custody of her then harmed her then don't you think moving her now that she's older and has memories of her family in OK would be even more harmful?

[mosquitobite]

If her father taking custody of her then harmed her then don't you think moving her now that she's older and has memories of her family in OK would be even more harmful?



Yes, and especially if they require police officers to do so.

I agree with the others who say it makes perfect sense for him to be ok with allowing the mother of his child to raise her but then not wanting strangers to. Duh.

[RockEnds]

It was a SCOTUS case. It's not unlikely that 100 child psychologists wanted in on some briefs. However, if these 100 people exist, I would like to know:

1) How many of these child psychologists, if any, met the child?

2) If any did meet the child, how many of them have evaluated her since the transfer and are basing their opinion on actual observations of the child?

3) How do respond to the latest revelations that this same attorney is said to have transferred another Indian child from the state of OK to SC, this time without any paperwork at all? None.

4) What do you suppose happened to the rule of law in this new case?

https://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/08/13/sold-oklahoma-second-indian-infant-adopted-south-carolina-150856

[RockEnds]

Oklahoma will not send Brown to South Carolina at this time.

http://www.live5news.com/story/23125272/sc-requests-ok-extradite-cherokee-girls-father



OK governor will not sign extradition warrant for Dusten Brown
Posted: Aug 13, 2013 1:03 PM CST Updated: Aug 13, 2013 4:48 PM CST

Veronica with Dusten and Robin Brown. Veronica with Dusten and Robin Brown.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP/WCSC) -

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin's office released a statement Tuesday afternoon stating that the governor will not sign an extradition warrant for Dusten Brown and will wait for a court hearing on Sept. 12 before taking action.

"As governor, my job is to ensure the law is upheld. My legal staff and I are currently reviewing the request for rendition of Mr. Brown to South Carolina," said Gov. Fallin in a press release."Should that request adhere to the letter and spirit of the law, I will sign it. My hope, however, continues to be that sending Mr. Brown to face criminal charges in South Carolina is unnecessary."

(more at link)

[The Free Hornet]

Oklahoma will not send Brown to South Carolina at this time.

http://www.live5news.com/story/23125272/sc-requests-ok-extradite-cherokee-girls-father

Awesome. Maybe Matt and Melanie Capobianco will finally win in both states when Veronica is 17 and can travel alone to give them the business in person.

From the article:


"As a mother, my heart goes out to Veronica, who has been placed in a terrible situation. I can also imagine the pain that both her adopted and biological parents are feeling," Fallin said in her statement Tuesday.""To be clear, the legal system cannot deliver a happy ending in this case. Only Mr. Brown and the Capobianco family can do that. For Veronica's sake, I urge them to reconcile and to come to an agreement that best serves their child and grants all parties some measure of peace."
-Gov. Fallin


http://images.politico.com/global/news/110414_fallin_ap_328.jpg
vs
http://media.salon.com/2012/04/nikki_haley.jpg
[thank you MSM for crazy-eyed photo, I knew you wouldn't disappoint]

That's code for "Back off, Cappuccinos!".

Hey Jessica Munday as you're trolling/optimizing the internets:


We recognize that Brown is her biological father, but the fact remains that he abandoned her.

http://www.saveveronica.org/statement-from-the-capobiancos/

Ponder that - per lore - Jesus Christ himself was abandoned by God on the cross to suffer for mankind's sins. You'll only get so much mileage from Brown's willingness to let the biological mother raise the child (who conspired to have her adopted without involvement of the father, who refused a marriage proposal from Brown, also she conspired to do this not just because she was paid by the Cappuccinos but also because her history is paying child support to the fathers, 'fool me once...'). Consider that your clients/friends took about a half-year to get any paperwork to or from the father. Perhaps they got bad advice from their adoption lawyers or they believed whatever lines Maldonado sold them.


Must reads if anybody hasn't seen 'em yet:
http://www.northkitsapherald.com/opinion/219332291.html
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/08/12/selling-christy-maldonado-150831

[RockEnds]

So the C people are in Oklahoma tonight.

http://www.newson6.com/story/23130219/baby-veronicas-adoptive-parents-arrive-in-Oklahoma

I don't see how any good can come of that move. Honestly, I don't know how they think this is making them look like anything other than half a bubble off plumb.

[fr33]

Time for them to start over in the adoption process. I understand that it's not easy, but that's just another govt creation.

[RockEnds]

Time for them to start over in the adoption process. I understand that it's not easy, but that's just another govt creation.

Yeah, I think they're pretty focused on "winning". And given the history of their associations and internet advocates, they're with Troy Dunn. Well, I'm guessing they're with Dunn.

[angelatc]

Lastly, if he had made the decision to be an adult and a parent, from day one, none of us would be here discussing this issue now. The Capobiancos would have never met the little girl or even heard of her.

You have to be a pretty cold hearted individual not to know how a baby can change hearts and iminds post-birth. Mothers change their minds about adoptions all the time. No reason that a father can't do the same.

Children belong with their parents. The End.

[angelatc]

By your incredibly flawed logic, anyone should have their kids simply because they are a biological parent. .

O

M

F

G

[RockEnds]

Yep, it's being reported that the C's, Munday, and Troy the Locator are in Tulsa and will have a press conference tomorrow morning at 10am.

C4talyst, whoever you are, know this. This case is about a preschooler who has a family who loves her. It may be about a crusade against Native Sovereignty and the ICWA for you, but you are affecting a real child who likely doesn't even care that you exist. It's about reality, not reality TV. Here's a secret: the reason you're having pr problems outside of your home state is because you are not behaving like parents. Or civilized human beings. This whole fiasco would be highly entertaining if it didn't come at the expense of a little girl.

I see you've begun to count the days you've been deprived of a child that you believe you've won. First of all, she's a person; not a prize. Secondly, you are well aware that IF your paperwork is as perfectly aligned with 'the rule of law' as you profess, there won't be many more days to wait. Please, for the sake of a child whom you publicly profess to love, act like adults. You are representative of neither adoptive nor natural families. I say that as someone who is a member of both.

And consider readjusting the dosage on the C's meds.

[belian78]

Yep, it's being reported that the C's, Munday, and Troy the Locator are in Tulsa and will have a press conference tomorrow morning at 10am.

C4talyst, whoever you are, know this. This case is about a preschooler who has a family who loves her. It may be about a crusade against Native Sovereignty and the ICWA for you, but you are affecting a real child who likely doesn't even care that you exist. It's about reality, not reality TV. Here's a secret: the reason you're having pr problems outside of your home state is because you are not behaving like parents. Or civilized human beings. This whole fiasco would be highly entertaining if it didn't come at the expense of a little girl.

I see you've begun to count the days you've been deprived of a child that you believe you've won. First of all, she's a person; not a prize. Secondly, you are well aware that IF your paperwork is as perfectly aligned with 'the rule of law' as you profess, there won't be many more days to wait. Please, for the sake of a child whom you publicly profess to love, act like adults. You are representative of neither adoptive nor natural families. I say that as someone who is a member of both.

And consider readjusting the dosage on the C's meds.
They have to realize that if they try to forcefully take that child, they'll be seen as the kidnappers at this point right? Not only that, but it's a needless escalation of the situation that very well could lead to violence. I know that if I lived in OK, I'd be reaching out and seeing how I could help for sure.

[RockEnds]

They have to realize that if they try to forcefully take that child, they'll be seen as the kidnappers at this point right? Not only that, but it's a needless escalation of the situation that very well could lead to violence. I know that if I lived in OK, I'd be reaching out and seeing how I could help for sure.

I am not sure if they have any idea how they are seen by others. They all seem preoccupied gazing at their own reflection in the water. The press conference this morning was a piece of work. They did tone down the rhetoric, but it's just not possible to keep a dog from barking. It was especially endearing at the end when Matt was asked if this should deter others from adopting. He started rambling something about how wonderful it was to give a home to a child in need.

Right now, Gov Fallin's office is being flooded with calls from adoptees who nearly vomited. The receptionist is an adoptee. She's being very patient with us. :)

[RockEnds]

Oh and, when asked, Mrs C refused to recognize the right of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma to exist. She wouldn't go so far as to affirmative claim they didn't have a right to exist, but it's generally a good idea when one is asking to initiate negotiations that they at least recognize all the parties to the negotiation.

And Dunn wants some one on one time with Brown.

[RockEnds]

The internetz have been so quiet since the C's crew packed up and moved to Oklahoma. They've graduated to trolling elementary schools. No kidding. The C's filed a writ of habeas corpus presumably alleging the child is being held against her will, but likely asserting she's being held against theirs. Nothing screams, "fit parent," quite like having your 'adoption negotiator' admit he's there with a camera crew filming a documentary. This whole ordeal is sickening. I'm praying for the Browns this morning, but frankly, I have little faith in the courts.

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/08/16/capobiancos-send-locator-tv-star-take-veronica-school-150907


Capobiancos Send 'The Locator' TV Star to Take Veronica From School
Suzette Brewer
August 16, 2013

On Thursday, Matt and Melanie Capobianco declined several offers to visit with Veronica and quietly discuss her future with the Brown family. They instead filed yet another petition in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, demanding that the girl be brought to the courthouse by 9 a.m. this morning, where they have already alerted the media to attend.

Brown and his family have been residing in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, with round-the-clock security so that the family can maintain their privacy and safety while Veronica attends preschool without media intrusion.

But as they continued their Oklahoma media tour yesterday, a large black SUV with blacked out windows was spotted trolling the Sequoyah Indian School campus in Tahlequah, the capital of the Cherokee Nation. Troy Dunn, star of the hit tv show "The Locator" and Capobianco spokesman, had brought a camera crew with him in an apparent attempt to track down Veronica and confront Dusten Brown in person on school grounds. The school is located on federal Indian trust land with hundreds of students and faculty ranging in age from pre-K through high school.

The Capobiancos, who have pointedly ignored several offers to see Veronica in spite of Governor Mary Fallin's veiled threat to extradite Dusten Brown, sent Dunn with their permission to mediate on their behalf.

Instead, Dunn's vehicle was stopped and surrounded by half a dozen Cherokee Nation Marshal vehicles and escorted off the school premises. The Cherokee tribal complex and the school, which are adjoining, are off-limits to television camera crews without prior consent of the tribe.

“He is neither a counselor, nor a mental expert, although he perpetuates that illusion on TV,” said Cherokee Nation Attorney General Todd Hembree late Thursday afternoon. “Furthermore, in his more than year-long involvement with the Capobiancos, he has proven himself not to be a neutral party in this matter; he has made inflammatory statements to the media and has publicly posted degrading comments about Veronica's real father, Dusten Brown.”

Dunn had dominated the Capobianco's press conference on Wednesday, dramatically challenging Brown to meet with him privately, with no others present. Legal experts say that not only was Dunn's presence at the press conference a “distraction” and “sideshow,” but also that his behavior raises serious ethical questions regarding his role—with the Capobiancos approval—in attempting to assert himself in brokering a deal in one of the most contentious custody battles in U.S. History.

“My concerns of [Dunn's appearance] yesterday were well founded in that today, Troy Dunn and his hired TV cameras were asked to leave Cherokee Nation school premises by Cherokee Nation Marshals,” said Hembree. “His antics are inappropriate and dangerous. The safety and well-being of our children is our first priority.”

The couple's spokeswoman, Jessica Munday, told news outlets that the Capobiancos did not accept Brown's offer to see Veronica because there is “anxiousness, when you're this close and not five states away.”

Rather than accept Brown's request to meet quietly to discuss Veronica's future, however, the Capobiancos instead turned to what has now become what insiders are calling “desperate and chilling” attempts to use the media to argue their case.

“While publicly pleading for a visit and a compromise on custody, now the Capobiancos refuse to respond to reasonable offers for both of those things, while they allow and condone a reality TV crew to stalk and harass the Browns,” said a local lawyer. “It is unclear what exactly the Capobiancos want, but it is clear that they are not at all concerned about what is best for Veronica.”

As the Capobiancos head to court this morning, Indian Country Today Media Network has learned that in her testimony in South Carolina Family Court, Melanie Capobianco testified that she was previously charged with underage drinking as a teen and later as an adult with Driving Under the Influence in South Carolina. As well, both charges were mentioned in the replacement report that was filed with Greenville, South Carolina-based Nightlight Christian Adoption Agency, owned and operated by attorney Ray Godwin and his wife, Laura.

RELATED: Second Indian Infant Whisked to South Carolina for Quickie Adoption

Court watchers and social workers say that given the previous issues with alcohol, combined with ceaseless media interviews with no real effort to see or speak to Veronica and the bizarre attempt to send a reality star and camera crew to speak on her behalf as a “parent,” that Dusten Brown's case is only gaining momentum for the best interest determination hearing that he and his lawyers have been seeking in the last several weeks.

“The general public is only now beginning to learn what those of us who have dealt with them for the last four years have always known,” said another insider to the case. “These people are more addicted to attention-seeking and drama than what's best for this little girl and makes you wonder what kind of life she would have with them. They can't boil water without calling a press conference and it's time to put the microphones away and get down to business for Veronica's well-being because their behavior has now crossed a line and is extremely concerning.”

[RockEnds]

By your incredibly flawed logic, anyone should have their kids simply because they are a biological parent. Do you include murderers, rapists and child abusers in that opinion? Do you also not hold criminals accountable for their actions?

This is not PR spin, if you're resistant to data, then that's ok, but at least attempt to explain why I'm wrong. Dusten Brown is a deadbeat who abandoned both his children...he harmed Veronica when he took custody in 2011, according to over 100 child psychologists.

I kind of expected to find a more intellectual crowd on this forum...not "emotional thinkers" who can't approach a topic with critical thought and objectivity. If I wanted that I would've visited Democratic Underground.

I wasn't previously acquainted with Indian Country Today, but they do seem to know how to actually investigate a story. Unlike CNN. Or NBC. Or well, ya know. This media outlet decided to interview one of the experts, and the results are a little disturbing. The woman's website is listed, and if a certain someone wants to take issue with the validity of the report, the individual giving the interview can be contacted directly.

This illustrates not only the lack of contact some of these experts have with the child, but the degree of bias in the information they are receiving from the GAL:



http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/08/19/baby-veronica-case-capobianco-attachment-and-bonding-expert-recants-150938

Baby Veronica Case: Capobianco 'Attachment and Bonding' Expert Recants
Suzette Brewer
August 19, 2013

In the Summer of 2011, Jan Hunt received a request for a letter from a guardian ad litem working on a custody case in South Carolina. Hunt, who lives in Oregon, had been asked to write a letter on “attachment and bonding” in a contested adoption in which the biological father was seeking to reclaim his daughter.

Apart from the fact that the father was Native American, Ms. Hunt was given no other names or identifying details in the case—only that he had “come out of nowhere to overturn an adoption” after the child had lived with her adoptive parents for two years. From the beginning, the guardian ad litem operated on absolute secrecy and insisted on numerous rewrites of Hunt's work.

Hunt is a family counselor with a focus on attachment parenting and child advocacy. With a master's degree in counseling psychology, she is the author of three books on parenting. Additionally, she operates the website www.naturalchild.org.

“He was a loser and a terrible person to the birth mother, that's how she presented it. [Prowell] told me [Dusten Brown's] family was out of their minds and that this poor adoptive couple [the Capobiancos] were being treated terribly,” says Hunt. “But she wouldn't give me any of the names, or the name of the attorney she was working with or even the name of the baby. And as I was working on my letter [regarding attachment], whenever I asked about the father, she said that he 'was out of the picture,' and that the only reason he was contesting the adoption was because his tribe had put him up to it. She said that his mother would probably be the one raising the child because he didn't really want her.”

Hunt fell for Prowell's story hook, line and sinker, believing what the guardian had told her in maligning Dusten Brown's character and his family's and tribe's intentions toward Veronica.

“Jo Prowell said it was about money,” says Hunt. “And everything she said about the tribe was very negative. She said that the only motivation [the Cherokee Nation] had toward the child was money—that 'they get money for every tribal member they have.'”

So for approximately two weeks, she and Prowell revised and edited her letter to the South Carolina Family Court in favor of the Capobianco's position as the adoptive parents of Veronica and her bonding with them over the previous two years.

RELATED: Capobiancos Send 'The Locator' TV Star to Take Veronica From School

“She kept asking me to reorganize my paragraphs in a very specific way and was very persistent and demanding,” says Hunt. “I've written lots of letters to judges, but I was just so motivated to help this baby. My son and I were on vacation scanning and faxing the letter and she just kept changing it to the point where I thought it was really strange. No one had ever done that before.”

In truth, Dusten Brown had tried numerous times to reach out to his ex-fiancee, who had cut off all contact and refused his financial help, which is a common tactic in South Carolina adoption law in terminating the parental rights of unmarried fathers. Additionally, he had been fighting virtually from the beginning of his daughter's life for custody, and the adoption had never been finalized—the Capobiancos were at that time still in pre-adoptive placement. All of which had been left out of the discussion with Hunt.

RELATED: Inseparable Sisters: Adoption Order Exacts Toll on Baby Veronica's Family

In his brief to the Supreme Court that was filed in January, Dusten Brown made it clear that Prowell had not acted objectively in her role as an officer of the court, and had asked for her removal after she visited his parent's home in Oklahoma for their homestudy.

During that homestudy visit, Brown's mother, Alice, later testified that Prowell was dismissive and not interested in seeing the room they had decorated for Veronica or any of the things they had bought for her.

In fact, Prowell asked the Browns “if they prayed.” The Browns replied that, yes, they did. Prowell then remarked that they should “get down on their knees and pray that they make the right decision” in keeping Veronica with the Capobiancos.

Prowell, who is not a lawyer, has worked as guardian ad litem in numerous adoptions for attorney Raymond Godwin and Nightlight Christian Adoptions based in Greenville, South Carolina. In this capacity, she testified in favor of the Capobiancos at family court that Veronica should stay with Godwin's clients.

RELATED: Second Indian Infant Whisked to South Carolina for Quickie Adoption

It was only recently that Hunt says she realized just exactly who she had written the letter about and the enormous implications in being involved in Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl, perhaps the most important American Indian legal case in three decades.

“I was duped and lied to,” says Hunt. “And I am shocked and angry to have learned the truth about this case. [Dusten Brown] had been lied to and tried since the child was born to reclaim her—not two years afterward, which is what I was told. And he's not some terrible ogre or deadbeat, as I had been led to believe, but a father sincerely trying to be with his daughter.”

Several weeks after Hunt had sent the final version of the letter to Prowell, she received an odd phone call.

“As soon as I picked up, she said, 'Don't say anything. You are not to talk to anybody but me. You cannot talk to anyone about this letter,'” says Hunt. “It was all very mysterious and very strange.”

Hunt said the human impact of the story hit home when she saw pictures of Dusten and Veronica together in the media. It was then that she put two and two together in realizing the truth.

“I literally felt ill when I realized who this letter was for,” says Hunt. “I never had any idea that Veronica was the child in the letter, I just knew it was a child in South Carolina. I have felt angry with myself for not pushing and asking more questions, but [Prowell] kept it from me for a reason. How could anybody think that taking this child from her biological father who obviously loves her very much is a good idea?”

In other news, no one knows exactly what happened in court Friday. There is a gag order (thank the gods), an order for proper conduct, and an order for mediation. Both sides appeared in Cherokee County court as well as Cherokee Nation court. No one was imprisoned.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/article.aspx/Baby_Veronica_case_Victory_unlikely_for_either_sid e/20130818_11_A1_CUTLIN728431

[RockEnds]

Word is that armed federal marshals are on their way to forcibly remove the child from Cherokee land.

[RockEnds]

The child has lost her family. Reports are that an ambulance was called for her grandfather.

Only evil, heartless, monsters would puff themselves up to the point that they think they can compare to a child's real family.

[angelatc]

The child has lost her family. Reports are that an ambulance was called for her grandfather.

Only evil, heartless, monsters would puff themselves up to the point that they think they can compare to a child's real family.

Sorry to hear that's how this worked out. I always hated to make my kids leave a playdate when they were having fun. I could never have the heart to do this a little girl. What a terrible person that adopter woman is. (Im not using the word Mother.)

[fr33]

The adoptive family* in this case should always have an asterisk when mentioned.

[RockEnds]

Sorry to hear that's how this worked out. I always hated to make my kids leave a playdate when they were having fun. I could never have the heart to do this a little girl. What a terrible person that adopter woman is. (Im not using the word Mother.)

:) I'm right there with you.

The grandfather had a heart attack during the exchange. Reports are that he is still hospitalized, and the people who took her just kept right on driving away. I am glad I cannot understand people like that.