New information about the Cuban girl in the custody suit

[pnwmom]

has been provided by a woman who cared for her as a baby in Cuba.

http://www.nbc6.net/news/14085816/detail.html

SNIP

However, if state lawyers were allowed in, they may hear from the woman who raised the girl for the first year of her life.
In an exclusive NBC 6 and Telemundo 51 telephone interview, Ester Melendres said: "He said he did not have time, that he was dedicated to fishing and to raising pigs, and that he didn't have time to take care of Elizabeth."

Foster family lawyer Alan Mischael said, after Monday's testimony from Izquierdo, the state is still waiting for the case to develop.
"The judge is going to have to ultimately determine whether she finds him to be a credible witness," Mischael said. "In other words, whether she believes what he's saying."

Izquierdo described how he went to the U.S. interest section in Havana where he attempted to have his daughter returned to him. However, he said, he never asked for a passport.

SNIP

[Kagemusha]

1. This is becoming such a circus...

I don't know who's 'right' or who's 'wrong' in this, but the headline I saw earlier on DU was how the judge broke the father into tears on the stand by accusing him of being a liar. Class act, there.

[pnwmom]

3. The thing is,

the father did lie. And so did the mother, numerous times. And they've admitted it.

But that isn't as important to me as the fact that they're considering taking a 5 year old away from the only parents and the only home in her memory -- the one she's had since she was 3. And they'd be taking her away from her older brother, the only constant in her life -- all because our legal system and I'm sure Cuba's as well considers children to be chattal -- the possessions of their parents.

[Mika]

4. Actually, it is the Fla DCF (and the Joe Cubas family) treating the child as chattel.

They are, in fact, trying the take this child from the legal and biological father (and extended family), without any evidence of his being an incompetent parent. It was the DCF who allowed for the adoption of the sibling alone, in fact leading to their separation (if the Miami DCF gets its way).

Kids belong with their natural family including their extended family, and families belong with their own kids. For the DCF to argue otherwise is treating the child as chattel. If the very wealthy Cubas family is truly concerned about family separation, then they should offer to move 90 miles to Cuba, so the kids can grow up together.





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[pnwmom]

5. If children "belong" with their natural family, why didn't Izquierdo

make an effort to include the girl in his and his family's life when she lived near him in Cuba? Why did he never have her visit in his own home? Why did he allow her to emigrate to the US without him? After he'd been notified of the mother's suicide attempt, why did he wait 7 months before trying to see his daughter?

This looks to me like a father who didn't really care about this particular child -- he didn't want her until he found out that someone else did. Suddenly, she became precious to him.

[Mika]

2. New info? He's Cuban. Why would he ask for a passport from the US interests section?

Another red herring from Miami's exile pandering media.

Plus, the Fla DCF has never even sought testimony from anyone in Cuba. Yet another red herring put forth in a hypothetical by the judge (who faces election from an predominantly exile population in Miami), that the Miami media hungrily smeared around as truth.

The Cuban gov hasn't interfered in anyone's ability to travel to or from Cuba for any involved party in this case. (And they didn't interfere with any party in the Elian case either.) But the US gov has. The US state dept refused to grant the dad a travel visa so he could visit his child sooner, then when the custody issue came up the state dept refused again. Only at the pleading of the DCF would the US gov grant this farmer a travel visa to enter the USA legally.

New info? More like more propaganda and media lies.

This whole hearing, and the reporting of it, is whacked. :crazy: But, its in Miami, so, its all about some delusional "victory" against Fidel.