[ggman]

OKay, I HAVE to gripe here for a second...

So you've probably read that Madonna and Guy are planning on adopting a little boy-- here's the text of the article from People.com

*****

The 13-month-old Malawian boy Madonna is hoping to adopt arrived in London Tuesday en route to be reunited with the singer.

David Banda arrived at London's Heathrow airport at about 6:20 a.m. aboard a British Airways 747 from Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. With him were one of Madonna's bodyguards and a female aide, described by the BBC as the singer's personal assistant, who upon arrival shielded the baby from photographers with a coat.

Inside Heathrow, three armed police officers, along with airline and airport officials, escorted the party to the baggage-claim area, an observer tells PEOPLE. Some 10 minutes later, the group was led out through a back door, where they boarded a silver Mercedes SUV and drove away.

On Monday, David was flown via private plane from Malawi to South Africa, PEOPLE confirmed.

Earlier this month a Malawi court granted Madonna and husband Guy Ritchie granted temporary custody of David for 18 months. The couple arrived in Malawi on Oct. 4 and went home to England on Friday without boy, who did not have a passport.

Madonna's publicist, Liz Rosenberg, confirmed Monday that David had been granted a passport and visa, the BBC reports. "It is expected that the family will be reunited within the next few days," Rosenberg said in a statement, adding that Madonna was "going to do her best to not make it a public circus."

During the temporary custody Madonna and Ritchie "will be evaluated by the courts of Malawi per the tribal customs of the country," the statement said.

A consortium of human rights organizations is protesting the adoption, charging that the Malawi government bent the rules to allow Madonna to foster David outside the country.

The Human Rights Consultative Committee had planned to seek an injunction Monday halting the adoption, but postponed the move, saying it wanted to interview an uncle of David's who opposed the adoption, the BBC reports.

****

Okay, I have been waiting OVER A YEAR for my son from Haiti. He's stuck in an orphanage while we work through the red-tape.... obviously this is celebrity "special treatment". It kind of makes me sick.

Anway, I guess I am just saying that the rules should be the same for everyone... what do you think???

[loveajax]

I totally agree....It leads to this image of "buying" babies too which really galls me....Good luck...I hope you get the "star" treatment soon!

[tyiakoum]

UGH. There aren't any other words. She can afford to adopt from anyplace on the planet. She can afford the best attorneys to fight her fight.

She's just another famous person, making it look all too easy (like "Saint Angelina", Meg Ryan, Sharon Stone, etc.) when all of us here know how horribly difficult it is, how expensive it is, how hard it is to find the right agency, how the wait sucks.

Just another case of the haves vs. the have-nots and how life is just not fair.

[dadfor2]

I guess if you have the money, you can also open a new orphanage and donate lots of money.

do i think they should cut corners, not really sure. the child could not enter into england without a passport.

the woman is trying her best not to make this a 'circus' but its the press, yet again, making a mountain out of a mole hill.

Im sure, even if it was domestic, that if i gave money to DSS to give foster parents 1000 dollars a week for being foster parents, im sure that DSS would bend over backwards to 'speed' up our homestudy.

so if we just stop and think for a minute, on what really is going on with this, we might actually might give madonna more credit then panning her on some of these posts that i have read on this.

a family has alot of money, and alot of time, they have used their money to help the children of another country. They want to adopt a child from that country.

so the country, grateful grateful grateful for them helping out with getting food to these kids, decides to waive the 'living in the country for 1 yr first'

not sure what the big deal is?.....im not sure what a year would prove anyway.

better conditions for all the kids, another child finding a forever family....

i dont know....kinda gives me warm fuzzies vs bad bad madonna, how dare she..

putting things in perspective here...thats all.

as for the image of buying babies in foreign countries, i think out of all the celebraties, madonna was the only one who thought about all the kids and giving them better living conditions.

its just a shame that the press has taken this way too far, and i wonder how many others might not want to adopt because of it.

how many celebraties would say 'nope, wont go there'

so i just find it a shame that it is getting this much headlines.....if anything, the press yet again, have ruined yet more lives...

i dont think madonna is the one making it look that easy, she has not done an interview, she has not done anything but try to make her adoption a personal thing and not a circus like some other celebs have done.

if anyone who isnt afraid to speak out, thats madonna, and where is she? she hasnt said a thing yet, she clearly at this point have more important things to think about then what the press has to say and what others have to say.

shes probably just too busy being a mom.

[joskids]

I'm with you guys. The rules should be the same for everyone. But we've all gotten so used to that NOT being the case that we tend to accept everything a celebrity does because it's big news. I know many, many adoptive families that deserve a lot more recognition than Madonna or Angelina or any of those that make the news for their goodness. I'm not denying that these children need good homes and it was brought up to me when I protested about Madonna that I wasn't going to Malawi to adopt a child. But I've fostered many and adopted 4 minority children and, not to pat myself on the back at all because WE are the gifted ones, but geesh, a little consideration here for the general public who does SO MUCH for SO MANY. At least move these adoptions more quickly for those here who live normal lives and have to wait for their bonding to begin. So for those of you still waiting -- you, at least, have MY admiration!!!! Madonna's likely too busy . . .

Josie

[Leigh131313]

Personally, I don't really care. This just is not on my list of concerns for the day, kwim?

The one thing that concerns me about all this brew-ha-ha, is that everyone is grabbing their torches and pitchforks without really knowing the whole story. When did we all of a sudden become a group of people who trust so blindly in our media?

I dont trust the information that has been given...so I chose not to be upset by it.

[Birth4Mom3]

A just released statement from the Madonna camp says that she's been "pushing papers for months" and that this didn't just happen yesterday.

Not defending any of it - just saying.

[ggman]

Originally Posted by dadfor2

a family has alot of money, and alot of time, they have used their money to help the children of another country. They want to adopt a child from that country.

so the country, grateful grateful grateful for them helping out with getting food to these kids, decides to waive the 'living in the country for 1 yr first'

I do not have a lot of money-- however, I have done a lot of work for orphans in Haiti. I have spent a lot of time and money and effort as a (volunteer) staff member for an orphanage in Haiti that raises, cares for and educates older orphans.

However, I don't have $3 million to give to the country-- the country hasn't done anything to bend over backwards to help me...

Adoption is a long diffficult journey for most-- it just seems it's not as tough for the very rich... I just think the same rules need to apply to EVERYONE. I am not ragging on Madonna because I think she shouldn't adopt-- that's not how I feel at all-- I am just irritated that celebrities can buy their way out of the wait...

[glastonburystar]

I think the best part of these celebrities adopting internationally is that is makes it more "normal" in our culture- both to adopt and to have families of different races in the community. So many people have this insistance on biological children or same race children that is based on nothing but fear and prejudice and I'm glad that international adoptions are in the limelight. I'm also glad that those kids are no longer growing up in poverty and without hope- now they will have amazing opportunities to realize their potential.

[tyiakoum]

Originally Posted by glastonburystar

I think the best part of these celebrities adopting internationally is that is makes it more "normal" in our culture- both to adopt and to have families of different races in the community. So many people have this insistance on biological children or same race children that is based on nothing but fear and prejudice and I'm glad that international adoptions are in the limelight. I'm also glad that those kids are no longer growing up in poverty and without hope- now they will have amazing opportunities to realize their potential.

If you are adopting because you want to emulate a movie star or famous person... you are taking away someone's true dream of being an advocative parent just so you can have the latest accessory on your arm. Here is an example.

Since Angelina adopted from Africa, the agency she used is inundated w/apps for that country. Who is to say that these people have serious motives? Or are they adopting simply so they can get empathy, sympathy, or kudos from their peers?

[rtsmom]

That news story doesn't make any reference to how long Madonna and Guy Ritchie have been waiting to adopt from Malawi so I don't know how anyone can come to the conclusion that this adoption has been fast-tracked. I think it's wonderful, because they have the blessing of little David's father and have apparently agreed to an open adoption. How many internationally adopted children have that bonus?

Janet

[sadiegirl]

Originally Posted by rtsmom

That news story doesn't make any reference to how long Madonna and Guy Ritchie have been waiting to adopt from Malawi so I don't know how anyone can come to the conclusion that this adoption has been fast-tracked. I think it's wonderful, because they have the blessing of little David's father and have apparently agreed to an open adoption. How many internationally adopted children have that bonus?

Janet

Janet,

Maybe not fast-tracked but laws were certainly "bent" for them; you cannot adopt from Malawi unless you LIVE WITH that child IN MALAWI for 18-24 mos as a foster parent.

It's rather obvious that Madonna did not do that.

[ajjhmf]

JUst a couple of thoughts....

Since when is life fair. Adoption is a unique experience for everyone. No one persons journey is going to be the same as the next. So, Madonna may or may not be getting a couple breaks in the process, but so have many people. Beside the fact that no one really knows the facts in the case anyway. It's all speculation. We aren't their CWs, so how do we know how their process has gone.

In the end, a child who needs a home is going to have one. Why get all worked up over it?

[momraine]

I think we honestly don't know the facts. The news sources can't even agree. One says she has been working on doing the paperwork for months, another says she had not planned to adopt at all till she got there. So we really don't know. We don't know if they have had a homestudy and all that stuff or not. If she did not, and just decided when she got there to adopt, then yes I have a problem with that because of the precident it sets for people who have money to get kids without going through the channels (I am sure there are some pedophiles out there who have enough money to try to get things fast tracked too if it's going to be allowed). However, I also think that this little boy is way better off being raised by Madonna's nanny than by living in the orpahange. As for the boys birth father, the father has said different things to different news organizations as well. Some that he is happy and others that he had not wanted him adopted but had planned to go back for him when he got another wife. So again who knows what is true? Now I hear the uncle wants the right to go visit the boy in England. Of course he could just be wanting to spend time in an English mansion and really who could blame him, LOL. Anyway, my point is we still don't know the whole story since it seems to be changing almost daily.