Here are some recent news article on the Romanian Orphan situation. The Washington Post did put a story in today's Metro section. We are having the children reapply for their visas so let's keep our fingers crossed! Deneen *************************** Last night's prayer vigil at the White House went extremely well (I could not send you any picture attachments but lookin today's Washington Post Metro section -- and you will see me....) The Reverend Patrick Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defense Coalition led the prayer and spoke eloquently. We left 55 roses one for each of the kids plus one for all kids left in the Romanian orphanages. Let's continue to lift this up to the Lord -- as only He can open doors that are seemingly impossible for us! Thanks for your support... and hopefully we will see our boy, Costel, in a few short days!! Deneen Here is today's (8/9) Free Lance Star Editorial Page and the Richmond Times Dispatch article of 7/31. Come camp with us August 9, 2002 1:02 am In Greater Fredericksburg, 'give me your tired, your poor' starts with 18 Romanian kidsSOMETIME BETWEEN shooting arrows at straw-backed bull's-eyes and jumping into cool lake water and roasting wienies at fireside sing-a-longs, 175 orphans at summer camps run by Project Hope are now learning a little English, getting their teeth checked, and spending time with American families who are giving them a few days--their first days--of normal, warm, non-institutional care. The orphans are from Russia and Kazakhstan. They also should be from Romania. They are not, which is proof that the world is imperfect and unfair.Unfortunately, it's the U.S. government, in the personage of the counsul general in Bucharest, that's supplying the proof. Eighteen Romanian children ages 4 to 13, who were to have arrived in Stafford County on July 15, are not now enjoying the pleasures of Grace for Kids Camp in Spotsylvania County because that official, Jay T. Smith, rejected their applications for non-immigrant visas. Besides imperfect and unfair, did we mention alarmist? Mr. Smith reportedly defends his decision on the grounds that the kids may (1) "jump ship" and/or (2) pose an unspecified security risk. Romania is the land of Dracula, but Mr. Smith's ruling suggests that there are other ways to go bats.As U.S. Rep. Tom Davis, a Fairfax Republican, notes in a letter to the diplomat, Project Hope has overseen hundreds of foreign children, and every one has returned to his or her country of origin within visa limits. From there most are adopted--Project Hope is an arm of the Southern California-based International Family Services (IFS), an adoption agency--but this is scarcely a bad thing.Perhaps Mr. Smith fears that a premature adoption attempt would disturb Romania's chances--bear with us--of joining the European Union, which pressed the country to shut down its scandal-ridden adoption system for one year. If so, he is being more Romanian than the Romanians, who approved the trip and enthusiastically invited American kids to their country. Besides, the ban expires in October, so why wouldn't adoption-minded U.S. host families simply wait it out rather than pull an Elian?Is Sept. 11 affecting Mr. Smith's judgment? On Sept. 10, says IFS chief Carol Mardock, the embassy granted visas to 20 Romanian orphans under the very same program to visit South Carolina. Even carefully profile-phobic bureaucrats should perceive that 18 children under age 14 are not likely to be an assault team from al-Qaida.Last night, several Project Hope host families from our region held a vigil outside the White House. There is reason to hope. On Monday, IFS representatives in Bucharest plan to resubmit the visa requests of the 18 once-denied children, along with those of 35 orphanage mates who hope to visit the Fredericksburg area later this summer. At Mr. Davis' suggestion, these applications will stress Project Hope's bona fides, perhaps allaying Mr. Smith's misgivings. If the answer is still no, the Romanian orphans may be allowed to come to America around Christmas, after the adoption suspension has ended.Finally, there is always next summer.But for children who have already missed the fun of so many summers, why wait? American embassies in Red-bullied Eastern Europe once were beacons of light; if this hope-dashing decision isn't reversed, to a lot of people the one in Bucharest will seem about as joyful as Castle Dracula.Copyright 2001 The Free Lance-Star Publishing Company. **************************** Orphans' U.S. visit snarled in red tape State Department rejects Romanians BY LISA HOPPENJANS TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Jul 31, 2002 Eighteen Romanian orphans were imagining their first glimpse of Virginia, and excited host families awaited their arrival, when news came July 11 that ended all preparations. The Department of State had rejected the applications for the children's tourist visas. The group is part of International Family Services' Project HOPE, an initiative that brings older orphans to the United States for five weeks to attend a camp and live with a host family. International Family Services is a nonprofit orphan assistance and adoption referral organization. The group's work with assisting adoptions appears to have created enough concern at the State Department for the government to reject the tourist visa applications. "These children are being denied a camping experience and the only opportunity they'll ever have to meet a family who may someday adopt them," said Joyce Schaller, the Virginia coordinator for the project. Schaller adopted her 12-year-old son, Artur, from Russia with the help of IFS. This is the first year Virginia has hosted the program. Schaller organized three sites across the state, including one in Chesterfield County. The 18 children were to arrive in Stafford County July 15, followed by 20 more in Chesterfield last week and 15 more in Stafford County in August. Chesterfield resident Bryan Wynn and his family, who had signed up to host a child, are having a hard time understanding why the group's applications were denied. "I know there's a need to be cautious, especially after Sept. 11, but you really need to weigh these kids' ages and situation into the decision," Wynn said. David Livianu, founder of the Foundation for American Assistance for Romania, was in Romania organizing the trip when the word of the visa denials came. Livianu, a Romanian native who was raised in the United States, has worked extensively with adoption and orphan programs throughout eastern Europe. "I've never run into a problem like this before," Livianu said. "I'm totally amazed - I was expecting problems from the Romanian officials." The offices of Sen. George Allen, R-Va., and Reps. JoAnn Davis, R-1st, and J. Randy Forbes, R-4th, have contacted State Department officials to inquire about the orphans' visas. In a letter to Allen, Consul General Jay T. Smith said initial information the embassy in Bucharest received about the trip suggested the primary purpose to be recreational camping activity. Visa applications indicating International Family Services as the trip's organizer, however, raised red flags for the State Department. "In this context, the proposed travel appeared to be designed to facilitate the identification of prospective adoption matches - a far cry from the rationale originally presented," Smith wrote. Smith's letter said adoption, which is currently subject to a moratorium in Romania, is a sensitive issue between the U.S. and Romanian governments. Program organizers, however, insist that the Romanian government lends its full support to the trip. Romanian officials could not be reached for comment. Smith also cited the Immigration and Nationality Act, which requires an applicant to overcome the assumption that he or she will immigrate. He noted: "The most usual means of overcoming this presumption, e.g. family and/or social ties, material ties, obligations, etc., were largely unavailable to these applicants. Given this, I concluded these cases would have to be refused . . . " Said Kelly Shannon, spokeswoman for the State Department's bureau of consular affairs: "It's unfortunate, but this is the law mandated by Congress and we carry out those laws." Project HOPE's national coordinator, Jennifer Lusk, said the program, which began bringing children over last summer, has had no problems securing visas in the past. This summer, children from Russia and Kazakhstan were granted visas to participate in Project HOPE. Schaller, the Virginia coordinator, said the group will continue to work to bring the children to the United States. "These are just kids who have the misfortune of not having families to love them," she said, "and we want to do all we can." Contact Lisa Hoppenjans at (804) 649-6350 or lhoppenjans@timesdispatch.com ***************************** another e-mail I sent out earlier..... Following is an article in Sunday's Washington Post. It's pretty self-explanatory. I'm asking for your prayers as I head to the White House tomorrow night (along with about 25-30 others) for a prayer vigil on behalf of these Romanian orphans. We were one of the host families and it's been pretty frustrating. The bottom line is that Ambassador Smith is openly gay. The Family Research Council wrote a pretty damaging article critizing the Bush Administration for it's apparent "seal of approval" of Smith's nomination, inspite of his openly gay lifestyle as well as his anti-family, anti-conservative views (see articles below). Because Project Hope is a church based organization we suspect his rejection goes beyond some long-burried/ignored government regulations regarding visa approvals. We have the Governor, Senator Allen, Congresswoman JoAnn Davis and Congressman Tom Davis as well as the number two guy at State working on this end. To date Smith has been adamant... FOX news did a story yesterday morning so things are heating up. Plain and simple: we need God's intervention if these kids are going to get to come over. PLEASE pray to that end and I'll keep ya posted. Deneen Click here: Washington Post Archives: Article Orphans Denied VisasRomanians Planned to Spend a Month With Va. Families, Some Hoping to Adopt William BraniginWashington Post Staff Writer August 4, 2002; Page C1 For weeks, Deborah and Mark Trocchi, with more than 20 other Northern Virginia families, have been planning to welcome 18 orphans from Romania for a month-long visit. They obtained permission from Romanian authorities and underwent background checks. They bought clothes and toys for the children, prepared bedrooms for them in their homes and arranged vacation time to take them to camp in Fredericksburg. For the children, ages 4 to 13, it was to be a respite from the bleakness of three Bucharest orphanages and, possibly, the beginning of a new life. Some of the families hoped to adopt -- after the children returned to Romania and a moratorium on foreign adoptions was lifted. But on July 12, three days before the children were to arrive, those hopes were dashed -- not by one of Eastern Europe's notorious bureaucracies, but by the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest. Jay Thomas Smith, the U.S. consul general there, refused to issue tourist visas for the orphans, citing a law that denies such visas to "intending immigrants."The denial bucks a growing trend in international adoptions. In recent years, hundreds of older, difficult-to-place orphans have come to the United States for summer camps, allowing prospective adoptive families to spend time with them here instead of making brief visits to orphanages abroad.State Department officials said the consul's decision reflects the specter of Sept. 11 and a more rigorous adherence, at least in Romania, to visa requirements.But it has devastated the host families from Stafford and Fairfax counties and Fredericksburg. They have beseeched Smith to reconsider, knocked heads with the U.S. Embassy in Romania, complained to the State Department and asked Virginia's congressional delegation to help -- to no avail."We saw this as a real gift," said Deborah Trocchi, 45, of Mount Vernon, who runs a small advertising business with her husband. "Maybe if these children were looking for a permanent situation, it would be a gift for us."The Trocchis and their 6-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, whom they adopted in Russia as an infant, had planned to host 4-year-old Georgiana. "I have her picture, and she's adorable," Trocchi said. "It's so disappointing and so sad, especially for the kids. . . . It was even more devastating to find out it was the U.S. that was not cooperating."The Fredericksburg camp was organized as part of Project Hope, sponsored by International Family Services, a nonprofit agency with offices in six states that helps arrange foreign adoptions.In 2000 and 2001, nearly 200 children from Russia and Kazakhstan came to Project Hope camps in seven states, and all but five were adopted by U.S. families after returning to their countries as required by law, according to International Family Services. This summer, camps were planned for about 180 Russian and Kazakh children. The first group has gone home.A Summer Miracles program, organized by Washington-based Kidsave International, has brought about 800 Russian and Kazakh children to the United States in the past four years, including 163 who are here now. Nearly 90 percent of the orphans in previous groups were adopted, said Terry Baugh, president and co-founder of Kidsave.Besides the initial group of 18, Project Hope planned to bring 35 additional Romanian children to Virginia this month. Those plans also are on hold."How can you deny a child the experience of summer camp on the possibility they may later be adopted?" asked Joyce Schaller, a Stafford High School teacher and local coordinator of the Project Hope camp. "The refusal to grant the visas is basically condemning them to an orphanage for the rest of their childhood."When she called Smith, Schaller said, "he was very dismissive. . . . I sat and cried after speaking to him."In a letter to Sen. George Allen (R-Va.), who had written to Smith on behalf of a constituent, Smith said the embassy was told about the trip in early June by the Foundation for American Assistance for Romania, a private group in New York. The purpose was presented as "traditional camping activities," the letter said, but documents showed that the organizer was International Family Services.The trip "appeared to be designed to facilitate the identification of prospective adoption matches -- a far cry from the rationale originally presented," Smith wrote. Citing Section 214(b) of immigration law, he said he denied the visas because the orphans could not demonstrate the "family and/or social ties" to Romania required to "overcome a presumption that [the applicant] is actually an intending immigrant to the United States."Smith noted that foreign adoption is "a very sensitive issue here in Romania." A moratorium, due to expire in October, was declared last year so the government could root out corruption in the system.The letter left the Project Hope families perplexed about why U.S. consulates in other countries have issued tourist visas to orphans in the same age range. Nor did it explain why Smith had granted visas to the group's three Romanian chaperons or for 20 orphans sponsored last year by Small World Ministries, which runs an adoption program. Those children arrived Sept. 10.The offices of Smith and U.S. Ambassador Michael Guest referred questions to embassy spokesman Mark Wenig, who said the orphans lack the "stable residences" in Romania needed to qualify for nonimmigrant visas. He also cited the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks."The whole environment now, with the war on terrorism, has consular officers paying attention to the exact intent of the law," Wenig said. He added that the embassy "can't be doing anything to facilitate international adoptions because of the moratorium."A spokeswoman for the State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs, Kelly Shannon, said these Romanian orphans could not be compared with those from other countries or with earlier Romanian visitors because visa decisions are made case by case and "there are always different circumstances." She said she could not explain those circumstances because visa records are confidential.If children travel to the United States in hopes of adoption -- even if the adoption occurs later in their homeland -- "they're still intending immigrants," Shannon said.Schaller said that makes no sense, especially in view of the Citizenship Act of 2001. It allows a child legally adopted abroad to obtain automatic U.S. citizenship, making immigration status irrelevant, she said.If the visa decision were reversed, the orphans could start camp as late as Aug. 15, because school in Romania doesn't start until mid-September, Schaller said, but that prospect is fading."At this point," she said, "we don't know what to do." ******************************************** Ambassador criticized for taking partner to ball by Lou Chibbaro Jr. The Family Research Council, a conservative group that opposes gay rights, has charged that the openly gay U.S. ambassador to Romania has offended employees of the American embassy in Bucharest as well as citizens of Romania by "flaunting" his relationship with his same-sex partner. An article appearing on the FRC’s Internet site said an American embassy worker who recently spoke with FRC alleged that several embassy employees and their families have expressed concern about Ambassador Michael Guest’s "living arrangement." At least one embassy employee and his spouse "will no longer bring their children to embassy social events because they do not want them exposed to the examples set by Guest and his ‘partner,’" the article said. The article did not identify the embassy worker. President Bush nominated Guest for the ambassador job last June. The U.S. Senate voted unanimously to approve the nomination. Guest, a career U.S. Foreign Service officer, departed for Romania in September after Secretary of State Colin Powell acknowledged Guest’s partner, school teacher Alex Nevarez, during a ceremony in which Powell administered the oath of office to Guest. Nevarez has joined Guest in Bucharest and is living with him in the embassy’s residential quarters. A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department in Washington said the department has no knowledge of any problems associated with Guest. "I have not seen any reports on this," said spokesperson Frederick Jones. "We are not aware of any complaints." A spokesperson for the Romanian Embassy in Washington said Romanian officials, press commentators, and political leaders have praised Guest for his knowledge of and interest in Romania and Eastern European affairs. "This is not an issue," said Romanian Embassy spokesperson Geta Juverdeanu. "He is judged on his professional qualities, which are considered the best." Although Guest was a member of a gay employees group at the State Department, his sexual orientation did not surface publicly until his swearing-in ceremony. Several anti-gay groups, including the FRC, criticized Bush for nominating Guest for an ambassadorial post, saying Guest would likely try to use his position to advance the "homosexual agenda." Guest has said he would not interject gay issues into his job. But the FRC article said "his mere presence in Bucharest is already having that effect." The FRC article said some U.S. embassy workers were upset when Guest and Nevarez "escorted one another as a couple at the embassy’s annual Marine Corps Ball, a highly formal event." "It’s causing me to have to compromise the values I raise my family by," the article quoted the unnamed embassy worker as saying. Jones, the State Department spokesperson, said the contingent of U.S. Marine Corp guards assigned to all U.S. embassies overseas sponsors the annual Marine Balls as fundraisers for various charities. He said attendance is not mandatory and that the event is for adult embassy employees and their adult guests. INFO "All embassy employees are entitled to their own opinions," Jones said. "To the best of my knowledge, there have been no complaints lodged against Ambassador Guest. The State Department has no complaints against this ambassador." Juverdeanu said Guest stood at Powell’s side in Bucharest in early December as Powell joined foreign ministers from nearly 50 European countries who attended a conference of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe. "Ambassador Guest is very highly approved in Romania by the government and by the media," Juverdeanu said. "We feel what is important is how well you are doing your job, not your personal life." E-mail The Washington Blade Copyright © 2002 The Washington Blade Inc. This article appeared in the issue of: January 18, 2002 Family Research Council 801 G St., NW Washington, DC 20001 202-393-2100 U.S. State Department Public Communication Division Bureau of Pulic Affairs Rm. 5827 Washington, DC 20520-6810 202-647-6575 ******************************** Right-wing groups blast Bush’s picks Romanian foreign ministry praises appointment of gay ambassador by Lou Chibbaro Jr. The Romanian government issued a statement Oct. 1 praising President Bush’s openly gay U.S. ambassador to Romania after conservative political groups in the U.S. and Romania criticized the president’s decision to appoint a gay person to the diplomatic post. The anti-gay Family Research Council and three other U.S. religious right groups joined the Romanian Cradle Union and the League for Combating Anti-Romanian Manifestations, both based in Bucharest, in denouncing Bush’s appointment of gay foreign service officer Michael Guest to the ambassadorial post in Bucharest. "The Romanian authorities greeted Mr. Guest’s presence in Romania as the representative of the greatest democracy in the world," said a statement released Monday, Oct. 1, by the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The statement praises Guest for "his excellent and well-known professional capability as an expert in NATO issues, his outstanding knowledge of Central and Eastern Europe, and, last but not least, his friendly attitude towards Romania and its people." Guest assumed his duties as ambassador Sept. 18 when Secretary of State Colin Powell administered the oath of office at a State Department swearing-in ceremony. Powell recognized Guest’s parents and domestic partner of six years, school teacher Alex Navarez, as they stood beside Guest during the ceremony. Powell also noted during the ceremony that Navarez would be joining Guest in Bucharest. A State Department official said Guest departed by plane for Romania on Sept. 25. Bush nominated Guest for the ambassadorial post in June, and the Senate approved the nomination by unanimous voice vote in August. In a statement released Sept. 27, Family Research Council President Ken Connor called Bush’s appointment of Guest another in a series of actions by the president that demonstrate he is embracing a "homosexual political agenda" and is "imparting legitimacy to the homosexual political cause." Connor noted that the Guest appointment follows Bush’s appointment of gay Republican activist Scott Evertz as director of the White House National AIDS Policy Office and follows Bush’s appointment of gay real estate developer Donald Cappoccia to the U.S. Commission on Fine Arts. Connor also pointed to Bush’s decision to allow openly gay U.S. Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.) to speak at the Republican National Convention in July 2000 and Bush’s appointment earlier this year of former Massachusetts Gov. Paul Cellucci, whom Connor called a "militant advocate of homosexual rights," to the post of U.S. ambassador to Canada. In addition, Connor credited the Bush administration with giving tacit approval to a decision by the House of Representatives on Sept. 25 to allow D.C. to implement its domestic partners law. "The cumulative effect of these presidential actions, like a sports superstar endorsing a breakfast cereal, have enormous influence," Connor wrote in his statement. "We urge President Bush to reconsider his embrace of this destructive, anti-family political strategy, and reject the advice of those advisers who would undermine marriage and family for the sake of illusory political benefits." FRC spokesperson Heather Cirmo said Connor’s statement was sent by fax and e-mail to 600,000 FRC members and supporters. Officials with the Traditional Values Coalition, the Family Policy Network, and the Concerned Women for America’s Cultural and Family Institute issued separate statements criticizing Bush for the Guest appointment. The White House did not return calls seeking comment on the criticism by the religious right groups. Kevin Ivers, a spokesperson for the national gay group Log Cabin Republicans, said the groups’ harsh criticism of the president over the Guest appointment would further isolate them from the White House and the "mainstream" Republican Party. Charles Francis, a friend and longtime supporter of President Bush and the founder of the Republican Unity Coalition, which bills itself as a "gay-straight alliance" of GOP activists, said Bush chose Guest as ambassador to Romania because he was the most qualified person for the job. "The president has told us that a person’s sexual orientation is a non-issue when it comes to appointments," Francis said. The statement from the Romanian Foreign Ministry says the Romanian government was surprised and disappointed when it learned that the two Romanian groups -- the Romanian Cradle Union and the League for Combating Anti-Romanian Manifestations -- sent a letter to Bush and the U.S. Congress criticizing Guest as the U.S. ambassador. "Displays of intolerance, with direct manifestations of interference in the private life of any human being, irrespective of race, sex, ethnicity, [and] social status, are not at all characteristics of the Romanian people," the statement says. It says the criticism of Guest by the two groups comes "in total contradiction with Romania’s aspirations to consolidate the state of law, to promote the values of democracy and to respect human rights and individual freedom." Guest’s arrival in Romania also comes at a time when the Eastern European nation is grappling with a requirement by the European Union that it repeal its existing anti-gay laws as a condition for admittance into the EU. Human rights groups have said Romania has one of the worst records on the treatment of gay people in the European Continent. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the Romanian Senate voted in late September to repeal Article 200, a statute that made homosexual acts a crime. The Chronicle said the Romanian president was expected to approve the repeal in the next few weeks. Joe Glover, president of the Family Policy Network of Forest, Va., said Guest’s appointment promotes "global homosexual activism." Glover said he was especially concerned that the Bush administration kept Guest’s sexual orientation a "secret" until after his confirmation by the Senate. "It’s very disconcerting to see a president who calls himself a Christian hiding grossly immoral conduct of a nominee, so Senate members aren’t able to ‘advise and consent’ with full knowledge," he said. Ivers of Log Cabin Republicans said Guest’s sexual orientation was known at the State Department, where he held various foreign service positions for the past 20 years. A Senate source said a full disclosure of Guest’s background, including his affiliation with a gay employees group at the State Department, most likely was provided to members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which voted to approve Guest’s nomination. "We’re disappointed the president would appoint anyone who is known to be gay," Traditional Values Coalition spokesperson Steve Aiken told the San Francisco Chronicle. "The only saving grace in this appointment is that he doesn’t wear his homosexuality on his sleeve." INFO Aiken was comparing Guest’s appointment to President Clinton’s appointment of San Francisco philanthropist and gay civil rights advocate James Hormel as U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg. Hormel, a longtime Democratic Party contributor, was selected for his post through a longstanding tradition through which U.S. presidents reward supporters by appointing them as ambassadors. Clinton administration officials noted that Hormel, an attorney and former law school dean, was highly qualified for the position. Guest, a career foreign service officer who has not been involved in politics and is not a gay activist, was picked by Bush for his expertise in Eastern European affairs, according to a White House statement in June that announced his appointment. Francis, noting that the president is devoting most of his time developing the nation’s response to terrorist attacks, said social conservative groups such as the Family Research Council should have "more important things to do" than to attack Bush over his appointment of Guest. "I just can’t imagine taking up the president’s valuable time to respond to such small, petty attacks at this moment, when we need national unity," Francis said. "In times like this, you judge people by their character or courage, not by their race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. To nit pick on someone’s sexual orientation is just plain wrong." E-mail The Washington Blade Copyright © 2001 The Washington Blade Inc. This article appeared in the issue of: October 5, 2001 Embassy of Romania 1607 23rd St., NW Washington, D.C. 20008 202-232-3694 www.roembus.org Family Research Council 801 G St., NW Washington, D.C. 20001 202-393-2100 www.frc.org U.S. Embassy in Bucharest, Romania Consular Section (ACS) Str. Tudor Arghezi 7-9 Bucharest, Romania 40 1 210 4042 fax 40 1 212 3604 http://www.usembassy.ro