Soldiers seek families for Iraqi orphans

[Lone_Star_Dem]

Source: AP

MILWAUKEE - Having overcome great obstacles to adopt an Iraqi orphan with cerebral palsy, Scott Southworth is spearheading an effort to find families to care for another 21 disabled children from that unhappy land.

Soldiers found the boys in June in a government-run Baghdad orphanage, naked and emaciated on cement floors in their urine and feces. Swarms of flies covered some. Others were tied to the outside of their cribs.

"It was just gut wrenching," Southworth said.

<snip>

"Feeling sorry for them on our end isn't enough," Southworth said. "We need some action."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071223/ap_on_re_us/saving_orphans

[babylonsister]

1. That's very touching; I wish them all the success in the world in helping

these Iraqi orphans, and I know there are many more where they came from.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

2. a childhood friend was adopeded by a navy doctor out of Vietnam

she was already seperated from her family due to illness and was swept up in the evacuation of South Vietnam. The Navy doctors and nurses couldn't figure out what to do with her and there was no way in hell they were going to send a sick child off with the rest of the refugees to god knows where, so the doctor who had been caring for her adopted her.

[jwirr]

3. I think the problem of finding homes for these people would be a lot

easier if it were done in a cooperative way - for instance find a family who is willing and able to care for the child and then develop a contract with others to help support the cost of their needs. It is certain that they will not be eligible for the programs we have for our own children. One of the things that you promise when you adopt a child from another country is that said child will not end up on welfare. This shuts out poorer families from the adoption process.

[Zorra]

4. That's nice. It's heartening to see that they have more compassion

than our current misadministration does towards its own disadvantaged.

But I totally question if this current mis-administration considers disadvantaged American citizens to be of its own.

It seems like the only people this mis-administration considers disadvantaged is any wealthy person facing legal prosecution, or in need of a few extra million dollars in tax cuts,and that the super wealthy "disadvantaged" are the only ones deserving of compassion or actual aid.