Remember all the front page “news” stories that tried and convicted the conservative American Christians in Haiti at the time of the January earthquake of kidnapping?
Turns out Haitian justice is more committed to U.S. Constitutional values than the First Amendment protected American press corps.
The last of ten Americans held for trying to take 33 legally adopted children to a safe haven in the Dominican Republic in the aftermath of earthquake devastation, was freed by a Haitian judge yesterday:
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — The last of 10 Americans detained while trying to take 33 children out of Haiti after the Jan. 12 earthquake was freed Monday when a judge convicted her [of minor charges] but sentenced her to time already served in jail.
Laura Silsby, the organizer of the ill-fated effort to take the children to an orphanage being set up in the neighboring Dominican Republic, returned to her cell briefly to retrieve belongings before quickly heading to the Port-au-Princeairport.
“I’m praising God,” Silsby told The Associated Press as she waited for a flight out of Haiti.
She was originally charged with kidnapping and criminal association, but those charges were dropped for her and the nine other Americans who were previously released.
n AP investigation later revealed all the children had at least one living parent, who had turned their children over to the group in hopes of securing better lives for them.
Silsby and others in the group, mostly members of the same Baptist church in Idaho, insisted they had only come to Haiti to help.
Funny how I missed the release of the first nine. I suppose the USA Today’s other such stories, if covered at all, were hidden in the classifieds.
Maybe the worst sins of the press are in what they don’t report or under report. Shouldn’t the main lesson of the story be its outcome, rather than all the hype surrounding the false allegations?
I think so.
Mike DeVine’s Charlotte Observer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Examiner.com columns
“One man with courage makes a majority.” – Andrew Jackson
Cross-posted on Live Wire at The Minority Report
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You forgot the headline
SteveLA (Diary) Wednesday, May 19th at 10:12PM EST (link)Game
“U.S. missionary convicted in Haiti, but free”
Can you say “Plea bargain”, and who needs the bad press in Haiti ?
She may have been well intentioned, but she was breaking the law in Haiti in that the children she was “rescuing” had at at least one living parent. Can you help me out on which US Constitutional values where being upheld by the judge in Haiti? Maybe fair and speedy trial, I’ll give you that.
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Competency over ideological purity and litmus tests
Innocent until proven guilty and due process of law
Mike gamecock DeVine (Diary) Wednesday, May 19th at 11:04PM EST (link)Kidnapping can carry life in prisonment, and the Hatian justice system got it right with convictions only on minor charges.
Mike DeVine’s Examiner.com, Charlotte Observer and The Minority Report columns
“One man with courage makes a majority.” – Andrew Jackson
'LA, your suggestion that I "forgot" the Drive-by approved headline proves my point
Mike gamecock DeVine (Diary) Wednesday, May 19th at 11:08PM EST (link)The main point of the story is that the original demonization of the Christians was proven wrong. They had legal custody of the children and were taking them to a safe place in the aftermath of the earthquake.
That they were “convicted” of a minor offense misses the point.
The serious charges were dropped precisely because the Christians were doing the morally right thing to take care of the children first.
Mike DeVine’s Examiner.com, Charlotte Observer and The Minority Report columns
“One man with courage makes a majority.” – Andrew Jackson
You're making my point
SteveLA (Diary) Wednesday, May 19th at 11:32PM EST (link)Game,
If this group were Hell’s Angel’s on a mission to “Save Children”, would the press coverage or the legal outcome have been the same? Probably no, but if the group had been Hells Angel’s they still would have been guilty of the same crimes. Taking children from a country who still have parents based on your own self appointed moral superiority is wrong, Christian group or Hell’s angel’s.
The charges were reduced, not dismissed, because the judge found it in the interest of justice and the needs of Haiti to time served. Same outcome as if the Hell’s Angels had been at the center of this. I tend to like it when justice is blind, and not blinded by the supposed moral superiority of defendant. Christian groups, Hell’s Angles, breaking the law is the same.
You do have a small point about the MSM’s pile on of a Christian group, if it had been the Muslim brotherhood, not so much coverage, Hell’s Angles, Page 6 coverage.
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Competency over ideological purity and litmus tests
They had legal custody of the children via the consent of the parents, not "self-appointed" moral superiority
Mike gamecock DeVine (Diary) Thursday, May 20th at 1:16AM EST (link)The violation was of a Papa Doc law to abridge free travel. This was a technical violation akin to visa violations and having their papers in order. An earthquake intervened to make safety for the children more important than papers. The Hatian justice system affirmed the rule of law. The kidnapping charges were dropped due to the fact that they had legal custody, so your “moral superiority” line would seem to be either a function of a lack of reading comprehension or your own biases against Christians. The Hell’s Angel red herring analogy fails.
Mike DeVine’s Examiner.com, Charlotte Observer and The Minority Report columns
“One man with courage makes a majority.” – Andrew Jackson
GC- Here is a link
Scope (Diary) Thursday, May 20th at 12:06PM EST (link)showing that the children were given to the Baptists by parents that could no longer feed or care for the children.
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/faith/2010/02/haitian_parents_say_they_gave.html
The argument that they had a living parent or two falls flat. There are “parents” in the US that give their children up for adoption, or to foster homes, sometimes because they can’t afford them either.
It seems that the leader of the Baptist group is the one that lied, and said that the children came from orphanages or distant relatives. The parents came forward and most likely told the truth. The leader of the group is probably the one that was just released. He/she was found guilty, of what I don’t know, but the Haitian Judge released him for time already served. I thought the rest were released soon after the incident.
exactly right Scope, and thx for that info and emphasis - nt
Mike gamecock DeVine (Diary) Thursday, May 20th at 12:58PM EST (link)Mike DeVine’s Examiner.com, Charlotte Observer and The Minority Report columns
“One man with courage makes a majority.” – Andrew Jackson
Mike, I did see stories about the other nine
civil truth (Diary) Thursday, May 20th at 1:13AM EST (link)…but they were released fairly early on, so perhaps you don’t recall seeing them. No media conspiracy there.
Nonetheless, you’re correct about the early “piling on” of sensationalistic “guilty until proven” innocent coverage. But there were articles that backtracked as more facts came out.
Overall, a story that fell victim initially to the media’s hostility to conservative Christians denominations, but better than usual efforts (by today’s debased standards of journalism) to publish corrections as developments clarified the situation. At least that’s how it came across to me.
The greatest evil…is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried, and minuted) in clean, carpeted, warmed, and well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voice. Hence, naturally enough, my symbol for Hell is something like the bureaucracy of a police state or the offices of a thoroughly nasty business concern. -C.S. Lewis
http://www.gmsplace.com/
As I implied, I vaguely recall some earlier stories of release on pages buried deeper than 8A, but
Mike gamecock DeVine (Diary) Thursday, May 20th at 1:43AM EST (link)vividly recall several front page stories demonizing the Christians and assuming they were child kidnappers. Never claimed a conspiracy. The left thinks alike. No conspiarcy is required. I agree with your last paragraph as well.
Mike DeVine’s Examiner.com, Charlotte Observer and The Minority Report columns
“One man with courage makes a majority.” – Andrew Jackson
Agree that there's no need to label as conspiracy that which is shared bias
civil truth (Diary) Thursday, May 20th at 2:01AM EST (link)I was a bit too loose in my terminology. This story was just one brick in the media wall of shame that rivals in size what should be our border fence with Mexico.
The greatest evil…is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried, and minuted) in clean, carpeted, warmed, and well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voice. Hence, naturally enough, my symbol for Hell is something like the bureaucracy of a police state or the offices of a thoroughly nasty business concern. -C.S. Lewis
http://www.gmsplace.com/
amen CV. We have no southern border. ObamaDems have abandoned it to a Mexican war zone and democrat voter registration line - nt
Mike gamecock DeVine (Diary) Thursday, May 20th at 10:11AM EST (link)Mike DeVine’s Examiner.com, Charlotte Observer and The Minority Report columns
“One man with courage makes a majority.” – Andrew Jackson
GC Had you ever read
Scope (Diary) Thursday, May 20th at 12:16PM EST (link)the “conspiracy theories” from a few years back where it was claimed that there was a push to enjoin Canada, Mexico and the US? Supposedly Bush went to Canada for some kind of meeting, in which Vincente Fox also participated, and the leftists and anarchists went nuts saying the meeting was to further those plans?
It is true that Bush never enforced the immigration laws, or finished the border fence. Obama certainly has no intention of closing the southern border. Perhaps the O is taking that conspiracy theory, and trying to make it come true. I’ll take my tin foil hat off now.
I remember that conspiracy theory, saw the JFK movie bet never spotted Elvis except at his last 70s concert tour. Bush was finally
Mike gamecock DeVine (Diary) Thursday, May 20th at 12:57PM EST (link)forced to build the fence and it was being built (incl in AZ) when Obama took office. Obama halted the construction as the dem congress bill Bush signed contains vague language. But Bush, after being chastised along with McCain, after trying to get amnesty, did listen to the people and was building the fence and greatly increased arrests of illegals.
ObamaDems will not listen to the people, unless its the Mexican people…
Mike DeVine’s Examiner.com, Charlotte Observer and The Minority Report columns
“One man with courage makes a majority.” – Andrew Jackson