The custody case involving 9-year-old Sonya presents some interesting questions, such as:
McCaul and his supporters have tried to cast him as a victimized hero, a dad who unfairly lost custody of his daughter and spent the last nine years trying to get her back. It's a good story, if you don't let the facts get in the way. Fortunately there's an ample record available with which to judge his actions and behavior -- and maybe even his intentions too.
- When does a parent disqualify him/herself from custody of his/her child as a result of prior behavior?
- How long should a foster child wait for a biological parent to be rehabilitated before he/she is afforded the permanency and stability of a loving, stable, adoptive family?
- While we all like to burnish our own image and gloss over faults, at what point do white lies and omissions turn into outright deception and fraud?
McCaul and his supporters have tried to cast him as a victimized hero, a dad who unfairly lost custody of his daughter and spent the last nine years trying to get her back. It's a good story, if you don't let the facts get in the way. Fortunately there's an ample record available with which to judge his actions and behavior -- and maybe even his intentions too.
Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.
John Adams, 'Argument in Defense of the Soldiers in the Boston Massacre Trials,' December 1770
We'll start our examination with McCaul's most recent stint in prison, as it ties together threads from his past and present -- and gives a fabulous glimpse into the real John McCaul. More to come.