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Family Forum / Parenting / Adoption / December 2006[Iowa Governor] "...Vilsack learns about his past..."
Thursday, December 21, 2006 Vilsack learns about his past, grapples with whether to learn more WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Tom Vilsack, the first candidate of either party to announce he is running for president in 2008, is now grappling with another decision -- whether to learn more about the circumstances of his birth. The outgoing Iowa Democratic governor, who launched a presidential run three weeks ago, told Iowa's Quad City Times that he received a letter last weekend from an orphanage administrator in western Pennsylvania who said Vilsack was born there and that he has certain non-identifying information about the politician's birth mother, the newspaper reported Thursday. "I'm 56 years old, I didn't know where I was born until Sunday," he told the newspaper's editorial board. Vilsack, orphaned at birth in Pittsburgh and adopted in 1951, told the board that the orphanage administrator said he had learned of Vilsack from a newspaper article. Asked if he would search for more answers about his past, Vilsack told the Times he was still weighing what to do. "This is not something where you make a snap decision," he said. -- CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney ________________________________________ Reprinted for educational purposes only. Mr Vilsack can forget about any run for President. How will he ever prove he's a natural born American wtthout an original BC? J. > Thursday, December 21, 2006 > [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > ________________________________________ > Reprinted for educational purposes only. Good point. Wonder what he's going to do about that? I wonder if a sworn affidavit by the orphanage administrator would serve, or if a judge would consider this sufficient reason to open up the OBC. > Mr Vilsack can forget about any run for President. How will he ever > prove he's a natural born American wtthout an original BC? [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > > ________________________________________ > > Reprinted for educational purposes only. Excellent idea, Rupa. >From this point forward, anyone who wants good cause for release of an OBC can simply announce a run for the presidency. J. > Good point. > Wonder what he's going to do about that? [quoted text clipped - 36 lines] > > > ________________________________________ > > > Reprinted for educational purposes only. Iowa governor gets lead on birth mother By Mike Glover Associated Press Published December 23, 2006 JOHNSTON, Iowa -- Gov. Tom Vilsack said he has received a letter with details of his birth that could help him track down his birth mother. Vilsack, who has been open about his adoption in Pittsburgh, said he has not decided what to do with the information and will ponder the matter over the holidays. "You have to have time to think about things like this," Vilsack said Friday after the taping of a public affairs show on Iowa Public Television. "This is a decision nobody else can make." The matter could focus greater attention on Vilsack's personal history as he prepares to leave the governor's office and pursue the Democratic presidential nomination. Vilsack, 56, was adopted shortly after birth and has spoken of growing up in a family where his adoptive mother struggled with alcoholism and his adoptive father had financial setbacks. He has used his past as an example of rising above adversity, but the latest development could add detail to the story. He said the letter arrived at his presidential campaign offices in Des Moines and he almost discarded it, thinking it was yet another holiday solicitation. "You get a lot of solicitations this time of year," Vilsack said. Instead, he opened it and read a letter from a nun who had served at a home for unwed mothers. "It was a place for young women to go to have their babies and then decide whether to leave them there," Vilsack said. Vilsack's mother decided to leave her son at the home. In the letter, the nun told Vilsack that the records of his birth still were available should he choose to find out details. Vilsack said his adoptive mother had told him the records were destroyed by fire, probably as a way of protecting him from the past. Despite knowing nothing about his parents, Vilsack said he never has been haunted by questions about his past. But he acknowledged that learning about his family history could be useful for medical reasons. The choice has left him conflicted. "You have loyalty to the family who raised you," said Vilsack, whose adoptive parents have died. Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune ________________________________________ Reprinted for educational purposes only. >Thursday, December 21, 2006 > [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] >________________________________________ >Reprinted for educational purposes only. |
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