To Maddy

Dear Maddy,

Today is your 4th birthday and all I wish is for you to be safe and soon reunited with your mum and dad. I firmly believe that you will and I really hope your mum keeps up her strength for your sake, as you'll need her to be well when you're finally reunited. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your parents, little Maddy. You are their greatest treasure just as my own children are mine. I just hope that whoever separated you in such a ruthless manner has a change of heart and sees to your safe return to your mummy and daddy.

God bless you, dear Madeleine.

http://www.bringmadeleinehome.com/

On British media

I feel that the coverage of Madeleine McCann's disappearance by British media is just short of appalling. The Portuguese authorities have been labeled clueless, Portuguese policemen have been compared to clowns, Portuguese investigation methods have been called inefficient, slow and right out wrong when compared to British ones and finally, to top it all off, Portuguese Law has been ridiculed because of the infamous secrecy of justice by which Portuguese police has to abide and which has been responsible for the news blackout that's starving the ever so eager British media.(*)

I can understand that when times are desperate, desperate thoughts and actions tend to surface but in my view there is no justification whatsoever for this aggressive and irresponsible campaign of defamation. And, by the way, weren't the ill fated investigations into Holly Wells, Jessica Chapman and Sarah Payne's disappearances wholly British?

Allegations have been made in major British newspapers that Portuguese authorities have failed Madeleine and her parents. Meanwhile in the Internet and in everyday conversation with normal people everyone seems to agree that the first to have failed - hugely and unforgivably - in this whole dreadful affair were Maddy's parents: it was their duty to put their children's well being and safety above their own need for leisure. It turns out there was even a good babysitting service available at the resort. Why on Earth didn't they use it? Why did they repeatedly leave a couple of tiny 2-year-olds and a wee 3-year-old on their own at night in a foreign country??

My heart cries for Maddy, poor innocent and trusting child, who probably went to bed and fell asleep with not a care in the world and woke up to find her unquestioning trust in her parents shattered and her life at the mercy of someone who's cunning and ruthless enough to plan and commit a crime like this.

I'm still hoping that she's alive and well... somewhere...

My heart is with you sweet, sweet Maddy.

Latest news links: Reuters, Guardian, CNN, BBC

(*) see this opinion article in the Telegraph, for example, written by the appaling journalist creature Jan Moir.

My heart is with you, Maddy McCann

My heart aches for you and I'm praying that you are safe.