Heat Lightning Strikes Three Times: Ariel Ayubo, Robert Skelton & Karl Hindle

Ariel Ayubo's son was abducted from the US to Brazil several years ago - I met him at the Sean Goldman rally in Washington DC and was struck by his quiet reserve. On Friday last, Ariel flew to Brazil under close protection (or observation) by the Brazilian Federal police to finally have contact with Lorenzo.

It's a small world as Ariel lives in Edgewater, Florida a few short miles from Daytona where Emily's appeal was filed last Friday.

On Thursday night, I met up with Ariel and Robert Skelton, another Volusia County father who has his daughter, Marissa Joy Kvistad missing after being abducted to Spain and then Switzerland.

A balmy Florida evening descended with a fantastic display of heat-lightning courtesy of Hurricane Bill out in the Atlantic. We meandered along Flagler Avenue of New Smyrna Beach enjoying seafood (it was the local Shrimp Festival that night)as well as each other's company demonstrating that laughter is good medicine.



Thoughts unspoken were on Ariel as he had his flight to Brazil the next day. Rob and I both know what it feels like to be so keyed up at the prospect of seeing your child, if only for a brief few moments and maybe not at all but the hope is there - making sure Ariel was distracted from what lay ahead was the priority and from the smile on his face, I think we can say we succeeded.

Good luck Ariel!

Florida Bound ... Again!

Frantic packing to get ourselves ready to get down to Florida in anticipation of Monday.

I have a final brief to complete but I am more concerned on the recent developments regarding the admission Florida did not have jurisdiction at the time of the Hague Convention hearing in London which wrongly sent Emily to Florida.

Of necessity things will have to be quiet for a while as London talks to Washington DC and meanwhile I have business in Florida.

Oh what a tangled web we weave,
When first we practise to deceive!
Sir Walter Scott, Marmion, Canto vi. Stanza 17.

Appeal Update: Emily's Mom Admits Florida Did Not Have Jurisdiction

I received the brief from Sheila's attorney, Kim Banister a couple of days ago and had a flip through.

Within the brief, it is conceded that Florida was NOT the home state when the British High Court sent her to Florida but after 6 years, Emily should stay in the US now - my efforts are nothing more than sour grapes.

SIX years of legal conniving and gymnastics and after so much time has been wasted while Emily has been allowed to go blind in her eye, the argument from the mother is, she's been here too long so she should stay, oh and we can't send her back to the British High Court and tell THEM they made a mistake.

First off - the British High Court did not make a mistake - Barbara Greig, the US Government official tasked with filing Hague Convention applications deliberately misled the British authorities claiming Florida held jurisdiction over Emily - she knew or ought to have known that it did not. The mother also lied about Florida being where she had been living for 6 months as did Barbara Greig - this is fraud.

Second - I am interested to see what Sean and David Goldman's supporters and the Congress of the United States have to say about this argument. After all - if an American court is going to find that Emily has to now stay here, what about Sean Goldman in Brazil?

What about all the rest of the children taken out of America and held for so long - is the principal going to be established that it is OK to abduct children to America and as long as you hang on long enough you win?

If it works this way it works for all those abductors stealing children out of America too.

There is a post script - Sean Goldman has not been given to a pedophile - he has not been denied medical treatment and allowed to go blind and his father has not been arrested by the Brazilian authorities or been banned from entering Brazil.
Here in America, all this things and more have been done to Emily Rose and that is simply not right.