For two days I did not have the time to blog or even read the news due to being away at a family wedding in Las Vegas. This morning after seven good hours of sleep (we arrived home at 2:30 AM) I quickly turned on my laptop before "Sleeping Beauty," aka Ella Paola, awoke from slumber land. I was eager to see any good news about Guatemalan adoptions, including the eagerly awaited announcement from Guatemalan President, Oscar Berger in which he would formally declare his support for the amendment to the Ortega Bill that would have all "in process adoptions" (abandonments and relinquishments) officially and legally grandfathered in before the Hague Treaty on International Adoptions takes effect.

It wasn’t to be, and instead I found this information on the JCICS (Joint Council on International Children's Services) Guatemala 5000 Initiative website. Apparently at the Adoption Ethics and Accountability conference in Washington DC during a panel discussion that included but was not limited to the JCICS and UNICEF Guatemala, this statement was made:

“It was indicated by UNICEF representative Manuel Manrique both at the conference and subsequent interview with National Public Radio, that the announcement attributed to President Berger (noted in Joint Council’s Guatemala 5000 initiative) did not actually occur… [The] Joint Council firmly stands by our statement…..”

Here is the link to the statements I think the JCICS is referring to; I say “I think” because it is getting downright confusing in this “he said...she said...they said” world of adoption politics.

Apparently several interesting conversations and panels transpired at the Ethica Conference. Unfortunately, to my knowledge none of the adoptionblogs.com bloggers were invited to participate, while there was a substantial representation from the anti-adoption (domestic or international) faction. “Rumor” has it that Adam Pertman was apologetic when this was brought to his attention, but it was already too late to do something about it. C’est la vie!

Continuing on in the mess that is now the Guatemalan adoption scene, it appears that the feisty, caring and proadoption lawyer Susana Luarca, has had a run in with PGN in Guatemala and ended up in the hospital after kicking through a glass door in a room where she was locked against her will.

The daily Guatemalan newspaper, Prensa Libre gives a whole different take on the incident and you can read it here if you'd like yet another dose of unreliable and twisted newspaper reporting. If I’m not mistaken, the editor of Prensa Libre is Wendy Berger’s brother – yes, President Oscar Berger’s brother-in-law.

Moving on to something that tickles me pink, Focus on Adoption has organized a “March on UNICEF” in protest against their position on all international adoptions, and in particular, Guatemalan adoptions. The “March on UNICEF” will take place on:

DATE: OCTOBER 30, 2007
TIME: 10:00AM-1:00PM
LOCATION: UNICEF HOUSE
3 UNITED NATIONS PLAZA
44th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues
NEW YORK, NY 10017
ALL ARE INVITED.

Focus on Adoption has been able to obtain a permit for four hundred people so you need to RSVP by October 27th, 2007. Please include your name and email address. You can RSVP to SAVEGUATEMALANADOPTIONS@YAHOO.COM May I suggest you wear your anti-UNICEF t-shirts that you purchased at Café Press? And no, I get no "kick backs" from Cafe Press; I have no idea who owns it!

And on a more personal note, my amazing little Guatemalan Princess turned two today! I give you a photo of her clapping as her father and I sing "Happy Birthday" to her, and a moment before she blew out the candles and stuck her face in the cake. I love this little girl!

ps: The third candle is for the "next year." This is an Israeli tradition.