Hit the Haiti link at the top right of The Daily Bastardette to go to my complete collection of Haiti blogs.
Mainstream media reported Thursday that charges against nine of ten TeamSilsby members have been dropped. Then the Haitian Attorney General said, hmmm…no, they haven’t.
I’m working on other projects and don’t have the time to comment. Baby Love Child, though, has. Her Charges not dropped against American Baptist missionaries despite Thursday’s reports reviews the latest Silsby (in this case government-media complex) faux pas.
You’d think by now the State Department would figure out its not the arbitrator nor interpreter of Haitan law. Since MSM, does believe State is, however, reporters failed to follow a very basic rule: verify verify verify. And so did TeamSilsby and its legal team who rushed to their keyboards with the great news.
BLC’s blog includes a link to Topeka Silsbyite Drew Culberth’s 14 minute TV interview made after he got the good news, but before he got the bad news. The interview doesn’t reveal anything new about the group’s venture in Silsby’s heart of darkness, but it is valuable in detailing their jailhouse life.
Culberth still doesn’t “get” that the group did anything wrong. They just wanted to give “orphans a better life.” Still drinking Silsby’s kool-aid, Culbreth says there will be no closure until Miss Laura, who “deserves to have her name cleared” is released.
No regrets. No questions about the note slipped to MSNBC; No opinion about Silsby’s stateside “problems.” But nobody really asked either.
Well there you go when god’s on your side all is well.Remember those quotes “Love is never having to say you’re sorry”?
Thanks for linking again.
Just two minor quibbles- the “news” of the charges “being dropped” hit on Thursday not Friday, though the video interview was from Friday.
Also, I wouldn’t call this “the latest Silsby faux pas” so much as simply the latest faux pas relating to this case.
The media repeating not reporting is very key to the entire story. Most news outlets continue to claim the charges stem from ONE busload of kids in the export attempt, when in fact there were at least TWO separate export attempts with two separate busloads of kids.
Bastardette said
You’d think by now the State Department would figure out its not the arbitrator nor interepreter of Haitan law.
By Friday, according to CNN there was at least some semblance of deference to it being a Haitian decision, but by then the calls had been made and the media storm had hit.
A senior State Department official told CNN Friday the charges were dropped, but deferred questions to Haiti’s government, saying “this was a Haitian decision.”
Clearly someone jumped the gun, whether it was Ted Coley the chief chief of the western hemisphere affairs office at the Department of State or somewhere further down the line.
But it’s indicative of the entire case: TeamSilsby (both in Haiti and the Dominican Republic) did what it did clearly ignorant of Haitian law, and now we have nothing short of the American State Department also acting before prior to verification, and clearly ignorant of Haitian law.
Thank you for staying on top of this, BD. I have “Laura Silsby” in my Google Alerts, so I get the latest. But, most people are under the impression The Idaho 10, except for Silsby, have been cleared. That kind of news travels faster for some reason. For one thing, the Southern Baptist press and religious blogs pick it up.
I was doubtful about the Nine being cleared because the report did not come from Judge Saint-Vil, or even the court. Sen. Risch has ignored the seriousness of the charges and tried to bully the Haitians all along. So, anything he puts out should be taken with a grain of salt.
Another giveaway is that Pastor Clint Henry claims he was told no new charges would be filed against The Idaho 10. Prosecutors rarely do that. When charges are dismissed, it is nearly always without prejudice, meaning the dismissed charges can be refiled, or new charges can be filed. Furthermore, three countries are involved – Haiti, the Dominican Republic and the U.S. None can speak for the others.
Fundies are for the death penalty, shouldn’t that apply here? This is child molestation. Even the state Dept. is not getting involved. She’s on her own now