PrintApril 16, 2010
Return to Sender
Children who misbehave cannot be dropped off at the pound like puppies refusing to be housebroken or returned to the store like tight shoes. With kids, it's for keeps. Or at least it was until a Tennessee adoptive mother decided that she'd had enough of a little boy named Artyom from Russia. So with a one-way ticket and a letter of explanation stuffed in the pocket of a yellow jacket, a seven-year old child was returned to Moscow without original packaging or receipt.
Adoptive mother Torry Hansen claimed that Artyom Saveliev was mentally unstable, violent, and suffering from "severe psychopathic issues." Hansen felt "lied to and misled" by the Russian Orphanage workers and director "regarding [Artyom's] mental stability and other issues."
Eight months following the adoption of the boy she called Justin, Ms. Hansen was ready to renege on the obligation. "After giving my best to this child, I am sorry to say that for the safety of my family, friends and myself, I no longer wish to parent this child." Hansen defended what many view as abusive buyer's remorse on the contention that "information about [Artyom's] behavioral problems" was purposely withheld during the adoption process.
Russian president Dmitry Medevev called treating a little boy like returnable merchandise "monstrous." Yet the tale of Artyom Saveliev illustrates how ill-informed choices born out of emotion eventually wreak havoc when truth gives way to reality.
Take for example the state of affairs America presently finds itself in after the election of Barack Obama. The nation was sold a bill of goods, and it wasn't until shortly after the fact that the stark realization hit that Obama was not what voters thought they signed on for.
Americans were denied the opportunity to judge Obama's past history because, like Russian Orphanage workers in Partizansk, the media kept the truth -- his radical roots and associations -- secret. As a result, Americans benevolently embraced candidate Obama without a proper background check or consideration of less than one full term of senatorial experience.
Following a huge welcome-fest, the new president settled into the Oval Office. After an adjustment period of not more than one millisecond, like a roguish child, he began acting up. Having chosen charisma over skill, America was now in the worrisome position of being led by someone manifesting signs of instability, socialistic tendencies, and a propensity toward classic narcissism.
Though not a literal adoption, America found itself saddled with a badly behaved president who was quickly becoming cause for national concern.
According to Artyom's mother and grandmother, a few months ago, the orphan's behavior escalated from mildly unpredictable to outright intimidating. Obama displays immature conduct and acts out when denied his way. His temper tantrums include calling out detractors by name, defying traditional rules, and kicking the American people and the Constitution to the curb.
Surprisingly, Obama doesn't even have the wherewithal to feign good behavior. Even an orphan from Russia has enough insight to realize that in order to retain the bunk bed and that Fanboy & Chum Chum sheets, threatening to burn down the house has to be put on hold until child welfare officials leave the premises.
Obama blatantly disrespects the voters who put him in office and appears unfazed by the opinions of those needed to keep him there. Like an audacious scamp with stolen matches, Obama sets about "fundamentally transforming" America on a daily basis. Worse still, when the opposing party and public opinion reprimand the president for extreme behavior, he responds by brandishing a policy blowtorch.
To ensure that the inferno remains hot, Obama fans the flames by doing rambunctious things like ramming through health care reform, cutting nuclear arsenals, spending the country into bankruptcy, playing hopscotch with dictators, and paying no heed to foreboding national security threats.
In the end, towheaded, freckle-faced Justin's worrisome behavior had the Hansens fearing that the boy would do harm. Children's rights advocates argue that the family overreacted by viewing a boy merely in need of love and nurturing as a threat to personal safety.
On the other hand, America's favored son Barack Obama truly does pose a genuine risk. In ever greater numbers, United States citizens are beginning to adopt the sentiment of fearing for the nation's safety.
Little Artyom's story is heartbreaking, but it does present America with an enticing daydream where Barry is bundled onto a plane like an oversized UPS package and shipped back to Chicago.
If only an American president could be returned to sender. Then the nation would be rescued from a precarious political agreement which, like a Russian adoption gone badly, never should have happened in the first place.
Author's content: jeannie-ology.com
