Ah, Saturday - how I love you!

[kyburg]

I didn't have a chance to note it, but Thursday?

We got confirmation that the State of California has licensed our home for placement eligibility.

This means dick until the county of Los Angeles does the same, but it's a big step in the right direction.

Our home is satisfactory for sustaining life. Booyah.

We are now legal. How about that?

*scratches head* How long has this taken? I think it'll be in a year in June sometime. I should go back through the entries and see -

However. Florida - yet again - with the help of Utah - reassures me that all these procedures, cross-checks and inspections are necessary.



I can assure you, we've seen folks that look like this in our classes. Not many of them. But yeah.

Married.

Got a nice car - a gold, 2000 Lexus SUV.

Straight - obviously. And they like kids - hey, they have seven of them - holy cow!

And Florida, how could you go wrong? Jeb Bush, Disney and all the orange juice you can drink! How could you go wrong?

I'll tell you. When you look, judge and don't think or question authority.

These people starved and tortured their adoptive children to the point where - allegedly - '(pulled) out the children's toenails with pliers and (kept) them so malnourished they "looked like pictures from Auschwitz," according to authorities.

I'll firmly remind you in clear English -

My TIES class had five same-sex couples in it. FOUR of those were male partnerships. And they were asking for the hardest placements there are. TIES is for specifically for placements where the children are drug-exposed. Period.

The one couple who got their placement before the classes ended was one of those male partnerships. And of of those fellas was an elementary school principal. (Wish I could keep up with them - I'd like to stay in touch. We'll see.)

Not once - not ever - in all of the classes we took, the discussions we've had, nowhere - did we hear of children being removed from a placement because a same-sex partnership molested or took advantage of their children. I would think it would stick out like a sore thumb if it was common, or a concern. Front page news - considering the current trend in criminalizing homosexuality. (As if that ever worked. *rolls eyes*)

But a lot of those couples grew up in broken, abusive homes themselves.

I'm far more likely to believe what I can confirm for myself.

Florida thinks gays can't parent.

Frankly, they lose children in their care (which, is actually a nationwide problem) - but they think people like these winners are suitable? More than one, twice, three, four - how many times?

Don't ask me to think Florida knows who can and can't parent. Or why. (And Utah did the work for them in catching them.)

So there. *sticks out tongue*

(Who was it who thought folks who made the south look bad needed a specific "double whacking" for that purpose alone? These jokers SO qualify that that - )

Comments

upset

[hotcoffeecakes.livejournal.com]

very sad. can't help but think if florida opened up, those kids could have had a better chance of being placed in a safe loving enviroment. silly how the state of florida thought that couple would be better than gay parents because of what they do in their bedroom. with all the freaky foster parent cases florida has, you'd think someone would've gotten fired by now. good luck with your situation.

[squee4242.livejournal.com]

I almost used that Florida couple as a current event report in my child development class this morning. 14 year old boys who weighed less than 40 pounds? Horrifying.
Congrats on the licensing!

[turandot.livejournal.com]

I read the numbers too and I went through:
1. disbelieving it
2. picturing it
3. getting really angry about it

If there is any justice in this world, these people should go to jail for a very long time.

[sunfell.livejournal.com]

Arkansas doesn't think that unmarried or single people can foster kids, and just passed a law prohibiting these classes of people from doing so. That means gay people or unmarried couples living together, along with single people are now considered untouchable.

Basically, they just screwed over the foster kids in our state.

Sunfell

[bigbigtruck.livejournal.com]

Well, children aren't important after they leave the womb - they aren't anywhere as useful as political tools.

*nods*

[turandot.livejournal.com]

Sad but true.

It bears mention that according to the same people who use the unborn as a political football, another class of persons should as a result quietly resign themselves to a legal servitude of having no control over their own body for 9 months.

And when you consider stuff like this happening... you wonder exactly who (if anyone) wins out from allowing less choice.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

AUGH. A PERSON! WITH A MIND OF THEIR OWN. AUGH!

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Terrific. Who is doing the foster parenting, then?

Here, we hear about "agency foster homes" - businesses who have the foster parent licensure, and hire homes. We saw a couple of couples who had worked for an agency, and wanted the licensure for themselves - and it was made clear they had to start from square one, even if they were already working under an agency license. That's not comforting, either.

Dig a bit. I'm curious.

[sunfell.livejournal.com]

If/when the bill is signed into law (it does have to go through the Senate first, but will probably breeze through, along with the Governor, who is a Baptist minister), it will mean that only legally married (hetrosexual) couples will be able to foster children.

[pywacket.livejournal.com]

James and I had exactly the same thought line yesterday when we read this. The same sex couples I know that have kids or want to adopt are better parent material than some straight couples I know.
Thanks Jeb, gotta keep those queers away from the kids huh?

[k-diddy.livejournal.com]

Seriously. It's all "OMG GOTTA KEEP THEM GAYS AWAY FROM OUR KIDS OOPS WHERE DID THIS ONE GO LOL!?"

[ecstaticlght.livejournal.com]

I have never yet asked if you ever checked in to signing up for private placement foster care agencies? Many of them are for therapeutic children, but some are not. We have several families that have or are adopting the children that were placed in their homes. If you are ever interested in finding out what the agencies in your area are let me know. I'm sure I can find the names of the nationally based agencies (one is SAFY).

Just a thought.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Since we are going strictly for adoption, that might not be the best option for us, but thanks!

Actually, I was planning to contact a number of agencies once DCFS finishes with us - including some international ones, if they'll have us. Think you could point to some you'd recommend?

[ecstaticlght.livejournal.com]

I'll see if there is a decent list somewhere that I have access to.

If you look at international adoption be very aware of the hidden emotional/physical issues that don't become apparent until the child is older. I know it would be wonderful to help and that sometimes it is faster to adopt outside of the US, but the adoption processes here with all of the laws regarding disclosure are set up for that very reason. No future surprises.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

*nods* I've never met anyone who didn't come with a hidden issue or two -

And I have adopted cousins, one of which went into adoptee activism, so I'm well provided for there!

[happyworld.livejournal.com]

Wow. Just wow. I sure hope that the rest of the country takes notice. That is awful.

I hope that you guys get to be parents very soon.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

And I hope it will just be very run-of-the-mill "AUGH I GOT KIDZ" kind of life after that -

[dudemungus.livejournal.com]

I think it's safe to say No cases of same sex couples abusing children have been reported, as if even one occurred, we would have seen it on all the front pages in all the world, and for all time.

I have a question...

[ionotter.livejournal.com]

While reading the CNN article, I came across this little gem:

Mathew Staver, president of Liberty Counsel, a conservative civil liberties legal group, hailed the decision. "In this age of judicial activism, it is refreshing to see a court assume its proper role and allow the people to set family policy," he said.

Pardon my French, but what the flock is "judicial activisim"? Oh, what, COULD it be that the judges in question are DOING THEIR JOBS AND UPHOLDING THE LAW?!? HUH?! HUH!?! Oh, when the judge lets a homophobic, unconstitutional law STAND, it's called standing up for "FAMILY VALUES". But when the judge uphold the Constitution, they're called an "Activist Judge".

Have I missed anything here?

Jesus, this country needs a frickin plauge to thin us out, our numbers are reaching critical mass for a Stupidity Implosion.

[cecerose.livejournal.com]

Congrats! on your certification by the Golden State...

Florida should stick to making OJ and not worrying about whether or not gays can parent. I knew a gay male couple who parented a brother and sister pair with all the love and care of any set of "natural" hetrosexual foster parents.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

I lost my taste for Florida orange juice with Anita Bryant.

*chuckles* I'm an orange juice snob, but there you go. I grew up in Riverside county, after all.

It used to be all orange groves, back then. *sighs*

[lorriejharris.livejournal.com]

Congrats on the licensing! That, at least, is good news!

[rozard.livejournal.com]

It's funny and sad to think that children like these have to suffer under foster caretakers like these, all because of the insane and bigoted notion that "gay parents raise gay children." It's disgusting.

I hate my state.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

I just want this to become a case study so that someone can tell me how it happened that these folks ended up with seven kids - I'll be lucky to get one, maybe two. Period.

[ms-hecubus.livejournal.com]

Congratulations!