Truth Patrol, Tulsa (12/21/2008 5:19:09 AM)

I'm sure the libs will be on here soon to find something wrong with this - probably that they adopted a foreign child instead of one from America.

sky, (12/21/2008 8:51:09 AM)

I think this is a lovely story. However, Ethiopia is a majority Christian nation (in fact, it is the second-oldest Christian state in the world), and Ethiopia does not have a state religion. Therefore, I'm puzzled by the statement in the article that they were afraid to admit that Zegita would be raised as a Christian, and I would like to see this clarified. Otherwise, great article!

mollyr, (12/21/2008 1:59:51 PM)

Sky, I would love to clarify because this was an issue that we found so compelling as we learned about Ethiopia. As Zegita Marie's mother, we invested a great deal of time in this process. Often, the "official" process we identified through research turned out to be very different than the reality of the government institutions actually in place there. You are correct that Ethiopia is the second-oldest Christian state in the world although today the population is 60% Islamic. At the time of Marie's adoption, Ethiopia was ruled by two governments (one Islamic and one which was not religion-based), both of which laid claim as the primary government. Hence, we were required to receive approvals by BOTH of these governments as well as the United States government. The Ministry of Children, which held the final stamp of approval in the adoption process, was housed in the Islamic government. It was in that institution that the Christian discussion took place which is why Tekle was nervous. Every Ethiopian we encountered in this process was a special individual who truly cared about the well-being of each child. It is our hope that, through reading this article, families considering adoption may be encouraged to move forward. There are so many children-in-need, both in our country and in others. Zegita Marie is an extraordinary blessing in our lives. Thank you, Wayne Greene, for capturing Marie's story in such a special way! Molly, Jimmy, Jase, Luke, Jonah, and Zegita Marie Rapert.

Charles Darwin, Tulsa (12/21/2008 2:10:45 PM)

Oh, dang you, Wayne Green, you've done gone and spoiled my negative image of Jim Inhofe. Now you're making me feel all warm and fuzzy about him. Good story. Thanks for telling us about this heart-warming aspect of his family. Congratulations to the Inhofe family, and best wishes to the young lady.

sky, (12/21/2008 3:02:31 PM)

Thanks, Molly! It didn't surprise me to see that you and your husband had done this--I used to be one of your Young Life leaders. :)

TommyTelephone, Tulsa (12/21/2008 4:35:59 PM)

I've gotten to know Senator Inhofe in airports and on airplanes over the years. I'm very proud of our former mayor.

Last year we took our 12 year old to DC and after the private tour of the White House and the Senate, that Jim arranged, we got a chance to have a private meeting with Senator Inhofe in his office. Boy, was that a thrill for my son.

This story is no surprise to us. Jim pulled out family pictures and made a special point of showing Zegrita. Isn't she pretty? He's a very proud grandfather. We in "Every County - Pure Red" Oklahoma are very lucky to have a man like Senator Inhofe on our side.

Regarding Ethiopia. I've been there on business a few times. The people are more friendly than most African countries, but I never saw any indications that there was a Christian poplulation of any kind. But, that was in the 80s, and Communist symbols were prevalent. In fact, every time I arrived they seized the tapes for my Sony Walkman, fearing there might be some Christian propoganda on them. It was just Rock-n-Roll. They returned the tapes every time when I left. They might have been Communist, but they were friendly Communists.

johnboy51, Tulsa (12/21/2008 8:05:24 PM)

This article came close to home for our family. Ten years ago Sen. Inhoffe's office helped us with our adoption of a child from Romania.
Thank you for this wonderful story.

Jim the Democrat, Tulsa (12/21/2008 8:42:28 PM)

Charles Darwin: Thanks for your humble response. After all those hateful comments on the other Inhofe story (by other posters) I began to lose faith in the Democrats as being a truly liberal/moral bunch of people.

egmom, Tulsa (12/21/2008 9:37:31 PM)

Truth Patrol -
I'm a liberal (and wear the title proudly) as well as a mom to two children - 1 adopted from Guatemala and 1 from Ethiopia. I don't see how politics has anything to do with being an adoptive parent. I know many adoptive parents of all political stripes.
While I will never agree with Jim Inhofe's politics, it is obvious that he is a terrific grandfather and I have heard from many that he is a great advocate for adopting families in Oklahoma.
I'm sad for you that you have to put politics in here just because the story is about a politician.

David Deller, (12/31/2008 4:50:09 PM)

Yes, it's a great story, as stories of compassion always are.

But the fact is that it IS about a US Senator; that is why it is considered news, to some extent.

I'm happy for the girl and for the family.

My [next] response may be gratuitous in this specific forum, but Mr. Inhofe is characterized here as a tough fighter, etc., obviously a reference to his political persona and tactics - so even the personal context here has a political cast. I don't know about his character and toughness, but I saw him once in a congressional hearing, and frankly, I was embarrassed to be from Oklahoma. Politicians often sound stupid [like all of us, at times], but Mr. Inhofe was something special. He was listening to testimony on environmental issues, and couldn't understand repeated definitions of the word "nexus." I just couldn't believe it.

Yes, the article is about love and compassion, and that is wonderful. But you'd better not ask Sen. Inhofe about the geopolitics of the region that girl is from - the US has contributed to escalating violence there, in effect probably helping to create some orphans, in an extension of the regional war on terror - I wouldn't expect him to be able to understand it, or be willing to.

Again, great for the girl and family. But a senator needs commendation for intelligence, not just for being a good grandpa.

Sorry, egmom, to add to the sadness. You are right - this particular story is about adoption, and I am also glad Mr. Inhofe has been a good advocate for it. That might have been a proper broader context for the story.

Blessings on the family.