El Moldo very upset at this news.

[fleaflicker]

You all make this out like Hali had a choice. He was 8 years old, how do we know that his father didn't just grab him and say we're going to America? Maybe Hali didn't want to leave mom behind, but he didn't have a choice. Why do you assume that he had a choice?

[Pale Rider]

I'm not saying at age 8 he had a choice. I'm saying, why didn't the father , if their was any feelings for his wife, try to get her out until now, and what kind of stories did he tell his kid to make him believe his Mom abandoned him so he wouldn't want to see her till now? Can you say Elian Gonzalez? Different circumstances, similar story.

[The Ancient Enemy]

Pale Rider, Elian Gonzalez would kill you in a fight.

[El-Moldo]

What's with this choice crap? His Mom and Dad were NEVER even married. Where does choice enter in? He's still been in this country since he was 8. Why NO citizenship yet?????

[El-Moldo]

This whole situation is different than with Jan Jagla who played B-ball at PSU. He showed up at age 19 just for college. Hali has been here since 8. What is he now, about 22 at least? Mom or not, why hasn't he tried to be a U.S. citizen. If his dad isn't either, shouldn't they have had to go back home by now?

[El-Moldo]

This whole situation is different than with Jan Jagla who played B-ball at PSU. He showed up at age 19 just for college. Hali has been here since 8. What is he now, about 22 at least? Mom or not, why hasn't he tried to be a U.S. citizen. If his dad isn't either, shouldn't they have had to go back home by now?

[fleaflicker]

Well, since you're trying to say he abandoned his mother at age 8, then of course there's choice involved in that equation.

[The Ancient Enemy]

I know this is getting way broader than it should get, but let's say Old Man Hali works his "butt" (can't swear, too offensive) off and is the best employee at his job. Let's say there's Americans working there who are lazy and don't do half of what Hali does for the company. Does he deserve to be sent back to Liberia, a country WE set up and then watched fall by the wayside, and the Americans get to stay there and work? I would take 50 Mexicans who worked over 50 white guys who stand around.

We don't know the situation with Hali's mom. How do you know the dad didn't grab his kid and head to America because his mother was a crack addict or something? Maybe they have a love-hate relationship and the dad did what was best to get the kid out of her care. Is that wrong to do? Maybe Hali's mother had a lot of problems, and maybe was neglectful to her kid, and the dad couldn't take it anymore. Can you say to me with absolute certainty that she was not sexually molesting her kid? NO. Did that happen, probably not. But you're never going to know the truth. But don't you think it's kind of odd that he only talks to her once in awhile? That leads ME to believe that there's something "screwed up" going on within the family. Something is not right with that. And it's probably not that he just doesn't call her.

[El-Moldo]

What if?????? Hey, if Hali signs a big pro contract, where does he pay his taxes? Liberia? Is he a man without a country????? He's NOT a citizen here. So what happens?

[fleaflicker]

You can say with a straight face that if Hali signs a big Pro football contract that Hali won't become an American citizen? Wow.