Texas Lawmaker (R-Houston) Fights Ex-Maid for Her Son

[Nambe]

The Associated Press

A white Texas lawmaker and his wife are seeking to retain temporary custody of their former maid's 20- month-old son, who is black, on grounds she and the child's father are unfit parents.

State Rep. Talmadge Heflin and his wife, Janice, made their case Wednesday to a family court judge, accusing Mariam Katamba and Fidel Odimara, who are African immigrants, of not caring for their son or providing him with adequate medical care.

Heflin also told the judge he wants to help the child because of "the terrible problem that black male children have growing into manhood without being in prison."

Katamba and Odimara say they love their child, have never abused him and are being singled out because they are in the country illegally. ..

Ride Don’t Drive * * It’s Global Cool

[LauraK]

1. This clown testifies under oath to employing illegals.

Repugs are so above the law. What kind of a parent would this criminal be?

[PROUDNWLIBERAL]

14. Do a Google Search on this Asshole

He's a fat Repuke and Conservative!!!

[dorktv]

2. Um...is this the most racist thing we have heard of yet or what?

[shanti]

7. hells yeah, it's racist!

big rich white people come to save the poor little black children...:eyes: /sarcasm

i will take a stab at it and guess that they are fundies!

[dorktv]

9. I hope that judge throws the case out and then has those people

arrested.

[Joanne98]

18. Bingo

In 1995 I worked at a little store that went for hours with no customers. the only channel i could get on the radio was a Christian one. they had Randall Terry, the Gosemans (father + daughter team, three hours a day of fundie talk shows. one of the most shocking things I used to hear was white fundies plotting to take away black children from their families. Randall used to brag about getting over 300.00 a piece per month for his 7 foster children. he then put them to work at his vending machine business. They were big supporters of welfare reform. they would openly say that it would make it immpossible for single black women to take care of their children. they could then grab them out of the foster care system and get money for them too. Some of you won't believe this but i swear to God it's true. i wish I had taped these shows. the fundies are 100% EVIL.

[kimchi]

3. Racist, your damn right.

Let me give you a job; when you go to work for someone else I'll just take your child. It is for his own good, of course, 'cause we rich white people know best.

Backstabbing SOBs.

[truthisfreedom]

4. the real problem is that they employed illegal aliens. put the Senator in

jail!

[Norquist Nemesis]

11. Bingo!

Remember Kimba Wood and Zoe Baird?

[The Zanti Regent]

5. What don't Nazi RepubliKKKans get a pass on?

They ALWAYS get a pass for EVERYTHING they do!

[alittlelark]

6. But, y'all are missin' the point!!!!

They know what's best for the child. Really. Can't have him growin' up all uppity while when he could be growin' up understanding superiority, and righteousness!!!

He could make some family a great butler someday....so long as he doesn't get uppity... he needs to know who 'helps him be a better person'



In all honesty, I was so disturbed as I wrote that, that I sincerely hope I am paranoid, and thinkin' wrong.

[Tight_rope]

8. Let's see...the maid is good enough to scrub your toilets...but not good

enough to raise her own child.

"Accusing Mariam Katamba and Fidel Odimara, who are African immigrants, of not caring for their son or providing him with adequate medical care." Fucking hypocrits...If the gave her a raise with medical benefits maybe life will be better for the child. But nooooo...they would rather drag them into court. Of course they are too poor to afford a lawyer. So the little money they had for food, clothing and shelter will go to keep they child from going to these racist bastards.:spank:

I swear this city makes me fucking sick...And people wonder why I try to get outta here every chance I got. Houston sucks....and I'm glad these fucking racist repukes didn't get the Olympics contract...bitches didn't deserve it...hahahaha. The world saw through their racist bullshit.

[Swamp Rat]

10. Talmadge and Janice Heflin belong in jail. They broke the law.

Not only did they break U.S. law, but they treated Katamba and Odimara just like slaves. I hope they get the maximum sentence, a fine so large they'll never pay it off, and get sued for everything they own.

If there is a Hell, Talmadge and Janice Heflin belong in it.

[allalone]

12. this is so bad

on so many levels. How on earth can a white repub raise a black child to know who he is. They'll totally mess him up. Or do they just want to get him young to raise him to be a "proper butler". Something tells me they aren't doing this out of the kindness of their hearts. And what are they doing employing illegals. Or maybe he's the kids real father. so many things awful about this.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

13. Opportunists. And did they pay SSI taxes? . . . nt

[Dover]

15. From the Houston Chronicle - Heflin is chairman of House Appropriations

...But the parents, Miriam Katamba and Fidel Odimara Sr., say their son belongs with his biological family. They say that Heflin, a Houston Republican who is chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, is using his political power to bully them.

Family District Court Judge Linda Motheral (Lol! Appropriate name!) heard about five hours of testimony before saying she would issue a ruling no sooner than Friday on who will be awarded primary custody.

"This is a very serious case," she said. "I really do not believe that I have everything I need in front of me."

Motheral said she wants to study the legal issues more closely and may order an evaluation of both couples.

Wednesday's testimony also dealt with the immigration status of the parents — who are seeking green cards granting them permanent residency in this country — and the relationship between the couples.


Relationship in doubt
Katamba says she was the Heflins' maid, but they say she was a houseguest...cont'd

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/2745438

LOTS of people COULD offer a higher class of living to any number of less financially advantaged children everywhere. SO WHAT?! If they really want to make things better for children who have less than them there are numerous ways, many of which the Republican Party have tried to dismantle or left unfunded. They would prefer to own these children, than give them and their families the help needed to better their lives. It's pure classism.

[shanti]

16. a "houseguest", not a maid??

omigod, that is RICH! cover your ass time!~

[FlaGranny]

17. Maid or houseguest?

That's interesting, isn't it? Do you think perhaps that's his way of getting around hiring an illegal alien, claiming she was a houseguest? Do you pay houseguests? Do you make houseguests clean your bathrooms? Why would a wealthy white family have poor African "houseguests" anyway? I don't imagine they frequented the same social gatherings.

[Dover]

19. Sounds like this could be a career-changing case for the judge

for better or worse.....as I'm sure the political clout of Mr. Heflin is not lost anyone involved.

[Ghetto_Boy]

20. Let's see... Money & Power vs. a maid....

[Gothmog]

21. Family courts here in Harris county are very political

I have been following this case in the Houston paper and am also outraged. This case is frivolous on its face but here in Harris County, there is a strong probability that this bozo will win. There are no Democrats on any of the courts here in Harris County.

[noonwitch]

22. There are a lot of different issues in this case

1. The parents may or may not be illegal immigrants. This needs to be determined.
2. The parents are not eligible for medicaid, but their kid is if he was born in this country. If they worked for the legislator, there are labor laws about providing insurance to people who work 40 hours a week or more.
3. The legislator and his wife are not interested in adopting this kid, they don't want the parents' rights terminated. If this is a situation where the parents' situation is preventing them from providing for the child, then the legislator is taking the legal action for some good reasons, possibly, like being able to sign medical consent for the kid's treatment, and having legal guardianship status.
4. The legislator did make a racist comment, so his suitability as caretaker is somewhat suspect.


I work in children's services in a different state. Proving abuse and neglect and deciding where the child is placed are two separate issues. My guess is that the legislator is using his position to get around state policy and law. I hope the parents have good lawyers.

[Classical_Liberal]

25. Don't you see that he is responsible for this women's poverty

He is taking her child away because he wouldn't pay her decent wages to take care of it.

[Classical_Liberal]

23. So this rich racist fundy fuck doesn't pay the women enough to afford

health insurance, or child care. So she gets another job, then the rich fundy fuck takes her child away because she is poor, and black.


He should be thrown in jail for bringing back slavery.


Asshole!

[Catherine Vincent]

24. JESSE, KWEISI, SHARPTON, COSBY, OBAMA....

SOMEBODY BETTER GET ON THIS CASE!

[Gyre]

26. Slaveowner mentality

in Amerikkka in the 21st century. Ain't that nice. How surprising it's a repuke!

Gyre

[Gothmog]

27. Ruling expected today on temp custody

The Houston paper noted that the judge is expected to make a ruling today as to who will have temporary custody of the child. There was a good discussion in the article about the law favoring the biological parents. Given that this judge is a repug, I am very afraid that the GOP legis member will prevail.