Chapter 4 Drop

[morriswalters]

Well for the US, Maggie doesn't appear to have any documentation.  Like a Social Security Number or a Birth Certificate.  DNA testing could confirm paternity.  And all of that presumes court proceedings to establish the facts.

All it takes is a call to sic the Family Court on you, but we don't know why anybody would do that. Do we? /s  Harry wouldn't do well in family court.  Now I don't think that the that members of the Mafia ever had their children taken away from them, but they have ended up in prison. 

@Mira
In Blood Rites Eb pretty much puts the blame on himself for the way Maggie turned out.  But since Jim has baked in Choice as a primary plot device in the DF, Maggie always had one.  He also changed it up enough so that Harry turned out differently.

Also as an aside, if you were raised in a dysfunctional family like me, this dialog rings true.  You know everything that can make the other person bleed and when things get hot you start launching missiles at weak spots.

[123Chikadee]

Oh I think Harry's enemies would sic Family Court on him as a way to hurt him w/o reprisal, as Harry can't just set social workers on fire, and there are enough ways to have proxies and cats' paws to do the dirty work so that he won't know who did it beyond a vague idea. I mean he's got enemies for days. Double bonus points for keeping Harry stressed, wrong footed, and distracted. Probably enough so to make a stupid mistake that they can capitalize one w/o reprisal. 

[Dina]

Like I said, chance for duel citizenship down the road if she wants it.  Same here if you are born here you are American no matter what the parents are.  Now this question for you Dina, if you and your husband came here to visit and you had a baby, would it be Argentinian since I assume you are both citizens of Argentina or American since it was born here, or would it have a shot at both?

Well, I have my classes a little rusty but this is the thing. In theory, Argentina would consider a baby born in USA not Argentinian but there is a human right that is the right to have a nation. So, if we don't see the baby as Argentinian and you won't see them as from USA, what? Well, IIRC, that is when we have the figure of being "Argentinian by option". We as parents would probably need to go to the Argentinian embassy and have them registered as an Argentinian citizen. I don't remember exactly the law but I know there are many cases of "apátridas" (it is the name in Spanish, I don't know the English translation). My mom know a person who was born from Argentinian parents living in France (jus sanguini) and it was more complicated because that person had been born in a boat from a third country (I don't remember which one). It was decades ago, but the parents had to go to an international court.

Caveat: if hubby and I were just visiting USA when we had the baby, it would be easily accepted that the baby is Argentinian, because "place of residence" is a factor too.

[g33k]

... Well thing is, I think they'll take a look at Harry's history and decide that they do need to intervene.

Wait... a mundane child protection agency???       Trying to "intervene"? 

I ... honestly, I don't see that working out.   



 

[123Chikadee]

Well, it's not like Harry can just fireball a social worker(lol!) and he doesn't have any mortal in a position of power who can help him out.

[raidem]

My impression of the chapters is that Eb was a bit too emotional.  Having read the story with Mouse as the narrator, I realize more about Mouse's abilities and his littermates.  It seems to me that the black council may have used there dogs in some way to increase the pressure on Eb, to paint him with bad luck.  What we see in some of the intensity of the arguments between Harry and Eb may therefore be the result of an outside force acting against Eb. 

[g33k]

Well, it's not like Harry can just fireball a social worker(lol!) and he doesn't have any mortal in a position of power who can help him out.

<tries to imagine a social worker flashing their credentials and getting into a Svartalven secure site>



<fails>
 

[Dina]

My impression of the chapters is that Eb was a bit too emotional.  Having read the story with Mouse as the narrator, I realize more about Mouse's abilities and his littermates.  It seems to me that the black council may have used there dogs in some way to increase the pressure on Eb, to paint him with bad luck.  What we see in some of the intensity of the arguments between Harry and Eb may therefore be the result of an outside force acting against Eb.

What is Mouse's story? I think I totally forgot about that. I remember that it was announced but I don't even remember having read it

[Mira]

I'm also reasonably sure that any child agency will look at Harry living with his own biological daughter, and maybe issue a 'slap on the wrist' for the unorthodox way that ended up, but say "all's well that ends well" and move on to cases where they really do need to intervene.

 The thing is, Harry isn't abusing his daughter in any way... So the city/county/state isn't going to come between a father and his biological daughter in that case, they have too many real cases of abuse to deal with in an already over burdened system.  As it is, too many kids fall though those crack sometimes fatally.  Maggie isn't living under unhealthy conditions, she is living in a secure compound, technically since she is living on embassy grounds she doesn't fall under jurisdiction
of the state in the first place, that is sovereign territory of the country it belongs to.  Now is  Svartalven Embassy officially recognized? In short there is no reason for the state to remove Maggie from the home of her father, and I am not sure they can if they wanted to.

[Mira]

Well, I have my classes a little rusty but this is the thing. In theory, Argentina would consider a baby born in USA not Argentinian but there is a human right that is the right to have a nation. So, if we don't see the baby as Argentinian and you won't see them as from USA, what? Well, IIRC, that is when we have the figure of being "Argentinian by option". We as parents would probably need to go to the Argentinian embassy and have them registered as an Argentinian citizen. I don't remember exactly the law but I know there are many cases of "apátridas" (it is the name in Spanish, I don't know the English translation). My mom know a person who was born from Argentinian parents living in France (jus sanguini) and it was more complicated because that person had been born in a boat from a third country (I don't remember which one). It was decades ago, but the parents had to go to an international court.

Caveat: if hubby and I were just visiting USA when we had the baby, it would be easily accepted that the baby is Argentinian, because "place of residence" is a factor too.

 There is a law here that all babies born on US soil are declared American.. That is where the whole "anchor baby" controversy comes from that we hear from the anti-immigrant crowd.  They claim that women south of the boarder cross over onto US soil to have their children who are then automatically declared American by birth, then they can go on welfare etc.    The law exists, I am not going to comment one way or the other on what groups are claiming about it.

[forumghost]

What is Mouse's story? I think I totally forgot about that. I remember that it was announced but I don't even remember having read it

It's "Zoo Day" the story about Harry taking Maggie to the Zoo. It's perspectives are 1/3 Harry, 1/3 Maggie, and 1/3 Mouse.

Unsurprisingly, Harry is the most ignorant of the 3 about what's going on.

[123Chikadee]

@Mira: She wasn't born on US soil. Social Workers aren't always brought in for abuse cases. Any Svartelf jurisdiction probably won't be recognized by the US. That'd be an interesting thing to read to about. 

[Dina]

We don't know where Maggie Jr is born.

It's "Zoo Day" the story about Harry taking Maggie to the Zoo. It's perspectives are 1/3 Harry, 1/3 Maggie, and 1/3 Mouse.

Unsurprisingly, Harry is the most ignorant of the 3 about what's going on.

Ah thank you! I have not read it. That is the one including in the second short stories compilation,right? I did not buy it, as I had all the stories but that one, and USA books are very expensive for me now. Besides, I was not too desperate for reading a Maggie story.

Edited: Mira, I did not know that. In fact, I thought that Dreamers were people born in USA from foreign parents and not recognized as citizens.

[Mira]

Edited: Mira, I did not know that. In fact, I thought that Dreamers were people born in USA from foreign parents and not recognized as citizens.

Nope, the are born elsewhere then brought here illegally as babies and young children by their parents.  They grow up and know no other country, they look and sound American, however since they were not born on American soil to non-American citizens, they are considered as illegal as their parents.

[Dina]

Ah, all right, I misunderstood. Sorry.