Deal or No Deal

The first time the Assistant District Atty. offered me a "Deal" was when Athena was 18 months old. Now I'm jumping ahead so bear with me. I had finally allowed both the children to be adjudicated, which essentially means stipulated to the petition and I plead guilty. Let me back up a bit, after they took Athena I went to court the following Monday assuming it would be dismissed due to the absurdity of the charges.

1. Abuse/neglect due to Athena testing positive (they changed it from addicted) for benzodiazapines (valium prescribed by my Dr.)
   
2. Abuse/neglect due to domestic strife

The later charge enabled CPS to include Al on the petition, although they left him in my custody. Something I have learned in highly out of the ordinary, as a rule when they take one, they take the other. They used this as a blackmailing technique multiple times throughout the course of five years, threatening to, and then carrying out a 'pick up' of my son to force my hand. The later also allowed CPS to charge Al and Athena's father with a "Crime", insuring Athena would not be returned to him. No one has ever been able to give me an adequate definition of "Domestic Strife", but apparently it qualifies you for losing your baby. And the Dr. who prescribed the valium, who had been prescribing the valium for the previous two years, well all of a sudden he had amnesia. All of a sudden, he claimed he had no idea I was pregnant, even though my last visit to his office had been a month before I delivered, according to his records. The thing about the Juvenille Justice System in Oklahoma is this: The courts are so swamped because of all these unethical pick ups, it drags out month after month after month until irreparable damage has been done to the very children these people are enlisted to 'protect'.
So as I began, the first "Deal" I was offered came the very day I was talked into pleading guilty. My pathetic court appointed lawyer convinced me if I stipulated we could get it pushed through, and I'd have Athena back by Christmas. At recess the ADA approached me with her deal: Voluntarily relinquish my parental rights to Athena, and allow the foster mother to adopt her, and she would personally see to it that all charges were dropped regarding Al. Time for a quiz.

• What foster mother went to the same church as the Dr. who delivered Athena?
• What foster mother had a friend on the Post Adjudication Review Board?
• What foster mother had never been a foster mother before?
• What foster mother used her parents as child care while she was working?
• What foster mother attended, or had her mother attend, every single supervised visit Bio mom had with daughter for the first two years per case workers orders?
• What foster mom had a personal relationship with Athena's Court Appointed Special Advocate?
  
• What foster mother had a 'Business' relationship with said case worker?
• What foster mother wrote numerous letters to the judge, giving her "Opinion" of the Bio mom, per case workers request?
• What foster mom repeatedly refused Bio moms request to attend Transition Counseling with her?
• What foster mom made bogus referrals on Bio mom as directed by case worker, detailed in court documents?
• What foster mom adopted my daughter after I was forced to relinquish my rights in order to get Al back?

The really tragic part is that the judge never saw the stacks of proof I had pertaining to the referrals that lead to Al's removal. Never. In one day my children's lives were forever altered because these people were so desperate to obtain my rights. They had no way of legally preventing my daughters return. The only fair and impartial person in this case was the judge, but when he had a case worker, CASA, ADA, foster mother, and foster grandmother all screaming "Do something!" what could he do? He had no choice but to issue the emergancy pick up order for Al. I would have done the same thing in his shoes. After that the state moved for temination of my parental rights to both of my children.