Texana
Overreaching
Thank you all and, yes, I did see that and lots more over the past week since I first posted. Beginning with Madeleine McCann's disappearance I followed that thread toward a web of international intrigue which has led me on quite a journey, starting in Portugal, cruising through Belgium, with side trips to Morocco, and topping off the entire trip with a good dine on international right-wing conspiracies.
My initial impressions after digesting all of this a bit are:
1. The PJs, as a system, seem quite corrupt.
2. The McCann's have been thoroughly ravaged because of lapses in parenting.
3. It seems thoroughly plausible that Madeleine was carried off by an intruder on the night of May 3rd and ended up God knows where.
4. Pedophilia rings, quite to my surprise and horror, actually do exist and they precisely exist in Portugal.
5. It's very likely that Madeleine's abduction was organized.
And, finally, and this is just a personal feeling, nothing more, Madeleine is probably dead and none of this will ever be resolved.
Quite clearly this entire case is a tragedy for all involved and I think much of the anger directed at the McCann's rests on our belief that this would never have happened to our children, we would have been better parents, and the chaos in our lives is somehow manageable if only we are vigilant. The first may be true, but the latter is a only a comforting illusion.
Interesting that having gone through all the facts and theories and opinions for over a year, I drew no such conclusions that the PJ was corrupt.
I have no illusions that my children are safe from violence because I am a good parent. (if I am indeed a good parent; I prefer to err on the humble side, unlike the McCanns, who said they were comforted by the fact that they were responsible parents.) I knew people personally whose daughter was kidnapped and killed by a man now sitting on Death Row in California. (he kept her body for four years.) They were and are wonderful parents. It was a very brutal awakening to me that bad things do indeed, happen to good people.
On the other hand, I have no illusions that people who consciously made the decision to leave three young children alone in a resort apartment repeatedly, would necessarily show good judgment in everything else.
You seem to think that not believing the McCanns' story is somehow a personal reaction to their parenting decision.
It's not. It's a logical conclusion after seeing their parenting decisions that they, to this day, defend.