November 17, 2008
Finally allowed contact with Sarah by a German court, Sarah was assigned a legal guardian
four letters were sent to Sarah (including one from her American grandmother); I received
three from her (2008-2009).

February 27, 2009
On this day, Sarah was expecting to see me for the first time since the abduction. The plane
ticket was purchased and the German court was prepared for my arrival.

However, inexplicably, the passport renewal (the previous one was issued in 1999 with the
expectation of seeing her at that time) was delayed by the US Passport Office for seven
months; as a Christian Native and Afro American, I was only interested only in the reunion of
my daughter and I. That the US Passport Office allowed someone "Posing as someone else
and using fake birth certificates and driver's licenses to get a U.S. passport..."(Eileen Sullivan,
Associated Press 7/29/10) just adds to the emotional pain and suffering that my family has
had to endure.
"For the second time in two years, government investigators exposed a gaping hole in the
country's security by deliberately using fraudulent material to obtain passports." But,
regarding wrongfully abducted Sarah denied access to her country and family since 1998,
they would not renew my passport without help from US Senator Feinstein's office, for almost
7 months, for no good reason.

(Note: In our opinion (my family and I), the US State Department's passport office made a
huge mistake and magnified an already extremely tragic incident - the severe emotional
trauma Sarah, my family and I have suffered because of the error is undeniable and
unconscionable.)

September 8, 2009
Still awaiting US Passport.

September 17, 2009
Passport received (intervention by the Honorable US Senator Dianne Feinstein's office).

June 2, 2010
Working with my German attorney through the Office of Children's Issues to convince him
(and the court) that the delay was not my fault, and will not happen again.

There's more about this on the web page Enrgy21.com/sarah

I'm seeking work, friendship, moral support or donations. The 12 year old has taken its toll, ruining my personal and professional reputation; many may have sympathy but almost no one will employ me or become more than Internet friends when they realize my ordeal is not yet over.

I have the passport now but am ignored by the government regarding the affect its actions have on my life.
All I need now is to pay my German attorney for his services (less than $3, 000.00), but I can't raise the money. I've tried earnestly to find employment, but cannot omit the past 12 years when giving my employment history, residences, and credit history. After providing that information, I am rejected. Except for minimum wage jobs, which will never be enough to pay the attorney and travel to Germany any time soon, there are no other opportunities.

Photographer, IT support specialist, educational film maker, salesperson, writer, formerly Pres/CEO of a small oil and natural gas exploration company and international trade consultant.

Even though I mention my needs, I'm not expecting help from this post. This IS a complaint post. I'm just giving details about how badly the US Passport Office and the current administration damaged my life, the life of my family and Sarah.

Thanks for understanding.

James

PS:
I don't tell my friends on the social sites all the details like I'm explaining here. The all know about Sarah but there's nothing they can do, and most wouldn't appreciate it if I complained like this - don't want to lose the few friends I have, even if they're only on the internet.
myspace.com/enrgy21
facebook.com/enrgy21

I send my passport for renewal over 10 weeks ago and I was told that there was plenty of time for my scheduled travel abroad. I am supposed to leave today and still no passport. I made countless phone calls and countless e-mail, but no answer. Where are the congressmen to ask some question from the authorities. There has to be some accountability. Why people who answer the phone can not help? The rep on the phone just tells that she/he will send an e-mail to the passport processing office. I was told today that passport processing office does not answer e-mail of rep either.

I think the site to track passport and send e-mail is an insult to us since no one responds to the e-mails. The phone calls are worse since they can not help either.

I wish news media would take this news and embarrass the Visa office and the people who run it. Instead of Paris Hilton, they can report on real news. Who cares what Paris ate in jail.

In a meanwhile the airlines are winning since we have paid for tickets that can not be used and are non-refundable. This is an insult. Where are the elected people? Of course, taking vacation...

My fiancé Katherine has been waiting for her passport for over 10 weeks. We are supposed to leave for our honeymoon on June 18, but it doesn't look like we will be able to go because of the passport chaos. She has tried to call the number posted on the State Dept. passport website, but it just says that the call volume is so high that she can't be helped, then it hangs up. She then went down to the passport office in Washington D.C. and it was utter chaos. She waited in line for over 5 hours. Some people where there from the day before. When she finally was helped she met with someone who said that her passport is in New Hampshire, but she can only E-mail the facility to ask them to send it. There was no phone call to the facility, no contact phone number or E-mail for Katherine, no type of accountability for getting the passport in time. We are hopeless at this point.

Katherine is going to go to the Passport office again. There are lines out of the door. Somebody needs to be held accountable and I think it should be Maura Harty, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Consular Affairs. She is in charge of this and it has become a large mess. Any help or attention to this matter would be greatly appreciated.