ICWA is Hurting Families

Mother Wins Fight Against Tribe!!

2009-07-24T20:47:00.000-07:00

.Court: Mother’s custody wishes trump those of tribeSupreme Court rules agency can place child with non-American Indian familyBy Cy Ryan (contact) Las Vegas SunThursday, July 23, 2009 1:07 p.m.Beyond the Sun* Nevada Supreme CourtCARSON CITY – The Nevada Supreme Court has ruled that a licensed adoption agency in Las Vegas can place an American Indian child with a family, despite the objections of

Treaties that don't Exist

2009-07-06T19:45:00.000-07:00

From http://electriccityweblog.com/?p=4202#more-4202June 30th, 2009 by Rob Natelson"Government agencies and pressure groups campaigning for more taxpayer money can create a fictitious “history” almost overnight. First, they make some claim about how something has been recognized since (whenever), and before you know it, journalists are uncritically repeating it, and it is plastered all over the

Definition of Indian Child Welfare Act

2009-07-04T16:52:00.000-07:00

.To all the Congressmen and State legislators that believe the Indian Child Welfare Act is a "no-brainer" good thing:The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) is1) Making it harder for families of heritage to choose to keep their children off the reservation.2) Selling out my children and grandchildren to tribal government.3) An anti-family, pro-government justification for the taking of children for

Another Baby Dies.

2009-06-28T12:24:00.000-07:00

.The house where 9-month-old Tila died on June 21, 2009, was filthy. There were no clean dishes, and alcohol bottles and cans were strewn throughout. Two other children, dirty diapers sagging, were removed from the home.23-year old Lance Ballinger was taken into custody. He has been charged with two counts of felony domestic assault, four counts of neglect of a child, five counts of child

States Not Complying with ICWA - for Good Reason

2009-06-15T06:35:00.000-07:00

.The Second Appellate Court in California issued a partially published opinion in Justin L. v. Superior Court, and stated in part;“We are growing weary of appeals in which the only error is theDepartment’sfailure to comply with ICWA. (See In re I.G. (2005) 133Cal.App.4th 1246,1254-1255 [14 published opinions in 2002 through 2005, and72 unpublished casesstatewide in 2005 alone reversing in whole

ICWA Reaks. Reservation is Worst Place for Many Kids

2009-06-13T08:44:00.000-07:00

.Children messed up by drugs and alcohol need a safe, stable, therapeutic home - The LAST thing they need is placement back into the very garbage that they came out of.Two days ago I sat in the front seat of an ambulance transporting my 14-year old, unresponsive "son" (placed by ICWA) to the ER. His blood alcohol level was .35.We were not a bad home. But we were not a therapeutic home. The four

Two more families ask for help

2009-06-08T00:00:00.001-07:00

.We recieved two more letters this last week asking for help. One is from an aunt of an enrollable child. The other is a foster / pre-adoptive home. They both need lots of prayer and good legal advice.I am still having trouble finding time to update our website with letters. I don't think I've updated it in a year. But that doesn't mean the letters have stopped coming. It just means I'm

Reality of Taking in Kids With FAS

2009-06-05T06:25:00.000-07:00

.To the Foster and Adoptive Parents who are loving and in love with babies exposed to alcohol:Yes, all children need love and being loved does make a huge difference in the life of every human being.However, if you have other children in your home, you need to think this through very carefully. Especially if the children are around the same age.All the love you can give the child affected by

ICWA steals adoption option from Young Mother

2009-05-28T01:00:00.000-07:00

.My teenager is pregnant. Freshly graduated from high school, she had planned to go on to college in the fall. There is no argument, from her or me, that she made plenty of foolish decisions over the winter. But here we are, and what do we do now.We love children, and we love this child. We won't allow it to be hurt in any way. Abortion isn't even a consideration. It's not gonna happen.But

Tribe pretends to care about buried little boy

2009-05-25T23:42:00.000-07:00

.Make me sick. A stupid, selfish mother suffocated her baby, not once, but twice, because she didn't want to take care of him. Forget any of the excuses she or the tribe tries to give for what happened. This horrible woman purposeflully suffocated her baby - twice.Coincidentally, her little baby has the same name as my 2-year old grandson; Ty.Now the tribal government is standing up and using

Another Win Against ICWA

2009-05-15T05:28:00.001-07:00

.A child and his family won in court at 2 pm Friday May 8, 2009. The child won the right to be adopted by the family his birth parents had chosen. The tribe lost. Praise God. The child's grandmother by birth wrote, "Thanks to everyone for all the prayers and support during the past two years. It has been quite the battle and I know this is but one small victory over ICWA. Thanks again."

ICWA Continues to hurt Famlies

2009-04-13T05:24:00.000-07:00

.We get at least three letters a month at http://www.CAICW.org from families that need help. The Indian Child Welfare Act is hurting them and their kids. But we don't have much for staff at CAICW. It's a volunteer org made up of busy parents. We care, we pray, we encourage, we tell our stories. We try to connect people that can help each other.But the Tribes have the money and attorneys.

Reality - Kids are being put just anywhere -

2009-04-02T06:34:00.000-07:00

.Several of the tribes don't really care whether they place the kids in bad homes. They do it all the time. You can't tell me any different - I've seen it first hand. I wouldn't leave my dog in some of the homes I've seen the tribe place children in.Further, they placed four children with us for a good year or more before they bothered to come out and do a home visit. They never once even

Tell Your Representatives to Make These Legislative Changes! Part Three

2009-01-03T05:56:00.000-08:00

.7. Finally, if tribal membership is a political rather than racial designation, (as argued) than is it constitutional for the definition of an Indian child to include "enrollable" children, rather than "enrolled" children? 25 USC Chapter 21 § 1903. Definitions: (4) ''Indian child'' means any unmarriedperson who is under age eighteen and is either:(1) member of an Indian tribe or(2) is eligible

Tell Your Representatives to Make These Legislative Changes! Part Two

2009-01-02T05:50:00.000-08:00

.4. United States citizens, no matter their heritage, have a right to fair trials.a) When summoned to a tribal court, parents and legal guardians, whether enrolled or not, have to be told their rights, including 25 USC Chapter 21 § 1911. (b)"Transfer of proceedings [to tribal jurisdiction] ...in the absence of good cause to the contrary, [and] objection by either parent..." (ftn5)b) The rights of

Tell Your Representatives to Make These Legislative Changes!

2009-01-01T05:36:00.000-08:00

Protecting children and the families they love...1. Children of tribal heritage should be guaranteed protection equal to that of any other child in the United States. (ftn4) (ftn5)a) Children should never be moved suddenly from a home that is safe, loved, and where they are emotionally, socially and physically comfortable simply because their care-givers are not of a certain heritage. The best

Are Indians Protected by the Constitution?

2008-12-30T05:23:00.000-08:00

.Reflections on the Chocktaw Decision (1998) (emphasis by Blog author)By Dr. William AllenIn a major decision delivered earlier this month, the Supreme Court held that Indian parents have no rights over their offspring that the federal courts will protect. The case was Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians v. Holyfield, and considering its significance, it is shocking how few people have paid

THE NEW RACISM: William B. Allen's thoughts on ICWA -

2008-12-27T05:01:00.000-08:00

.Excerpt from Dr. William Allen's article "The New Racism." (emphasis is Blog Author's)Dr. Allen is a Professor of Political Science, Department of Political Science; Michigan State University as well as the former Chairman, United States Commission on Civil Rights, August 8, 1988 to October 23, 1989 "...while Congress has the power to alter Indian law and practice, it also has the power to

Grandparents, Hurt by ICWA, write:

2008-12-24T04:45:00.000-08:00

."We are in a situation where we have a daughter-in-law who is 1/8 (tribal) —and one grandchild 1/16 (not eligible per blood quantum), who have been become part of the Department of Human Services system.We are the closest blood kin, as paternal grandparents, and want to provide for our 10 month old granddaughter while our son and his wife meet the requirements and hopefully reunite their family

"ICWA for Dummies" - Illegality of ICWA for Those That Can't Think

2008-12-21T05:17:00.000-08:00

.Okay, some people can't wrap their brains around why what happened last week to the tiny baby who was taken away from a safe and loving home, the adoptive home of Clint and Heather Larson, and given to a foster family on the dysfunctional and dangerous Leech Lake Reservation was totally and utterly wrong.Let me say it very slowly and clearly for those with brain dysfunction....My husband's

Campbell Brown, you were RIGHT about Leech Lake. Stay Strong!

2008-12-20T12:50:00.000-08:00

.Campbell Brown, please don't bow to the negative comments you have been recieving. I am the mother of several enrolled children of the Leech Lake Tribe, and what you said was correct!However, whenever anyone speaks out against the obvious happening on the reservations, they are tore limb from limb. They are bullied to make them shut up, and that is exactly what is happening to you. I know

To Clint and Heather Larson

2008-12-19T00:54:00.000-08:00

.Clint and Heather -I don't want to devastate you further. I wish I could assure you that your baby will be okay, but I can't. The Leech Lake Reservation is so bad, that even my husband, a member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe from Leech Lake, took our kids far from it and wrote in his will that he did NOT want the grand kids that he had legal custody of (through ICWA, of course) to go back

Leech Lake Tribal Government Steals Child from Utah Family

2008-12-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

,On Sunday, December 16, 2008, in South Jordon, Utah, Clint and Heather were forced to give the baby they had adopted and cared for to one of the worst reservations in the United States.In the Spring of 2004, the Minneapolis Star and Tribune had done a series called the "Lost Youth Of Leech Lake." In it, the reporter described the horrible environment children are being raised in on that

Possible Incentives for ICWA -

2008-12-18T04:41:00.000-08:00

.Congressional Indulgence of Tribal Government?In 2002, Senator Max Baucus wrote in reference to a bill concerning federal recognition of tribes, "I am forced to disagree…this amendment…requires the implementation of…adversarial hearings at the request of any interested party."In other words, Senator Baucus, a top recipient of Indian Gaming funds at the time, wasn’t interested in hearing any

Possible Incentives for ICWA -

2008-12-15T04:14:00.000-08:00

.Tribal Government Funding? Ms. Scott Kayla Morrison, a member of the Mississippi Choctaw Tribe as well as an attorney specializing in Indian law, wrote in 1998, “ICWA is a money-driven program for the tribes from three perspectives: 1) federal funds generated by tribal membership; 2) federal income to fund program jobs; and 3) federal funds to administer courts adjudicating ICWA cases.- "First,