Screw Matt Gaetz. I feel sorry for Nestor. I don't blame the internet for the reason why.

[crickets]

Okay, I admit it. I had way too much fun reading George Takei's "This is my son..." twitter thread last night. It's hilarious and all, but the more the tweets piled up, the more I felt sorry for Nestor.

There is a story coalescing about who Nestor really is:
Once upon a time, Matt Gaetz was dating a woman from Cuba. This woman had a little brother, Nestor. Their mother passed away, so the sister wanted to legally adopt Nestor. Gaetz helped her do this. The end.

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8437979/Florida-Republican-Matt-Gaetz-reveals-Cuban-immigrant-son-19-raised.html

Gaetz did not adopt Nestor himself, there's no indication he's still dating Nestor's sister, now adoptive mother, and he has gone to great lengths to keep his relationship with Nestor a very private secret. From pictures and videos it's apparent that Gaetz is still in Nestor's life, but he never acknowledges the kid in the pictures/videos as his son. Still, he's claiming to be as active in Nestor's life as any father. Whatever, Matty.

If Matt Gaetz kept Nestor a secret all this time for Nestor's sake, he blew that kindness to bits a couple of days ago.

It's clear Cedric Richmond is talking about black men and police brutality. Nobody mentions children until Gaetz asks Richmond to yield time, which he graciously does. Gaetz uses that time to immediately ask, out of nowhere, "Are you certain that none of us have non-white children?"

This from the man who worked so hard to keep his own 'son' a secret for years. Has anyone ever heard Matt Gaetz so much as peep about racial injustice before now? Because it would be a nice warm fuzzy feeling to think Gaetz cares about that kind of thing. When it comes to someone close to him, Nestor for example, I'm sure he cares. But, in general, in a systemic sense, does anyone really believe Gaetz gives a damn about racism?

Did he bring the conversation forward in any constructive way? Did he add any useful information to the discussion about the bill at hand? Gaetz could have introduced Nestor in a conciliatory fashion, he could have said, "I do have some experience in this, I do have some understanding, and I do want to help in making this the best bill it can be."

Gaetz had that opportunity. That's not what he chose to do. It's not his way.

Richmond even says that he is concerned about black males in the streets who are getting killed "...and if one of them happens to be your kid, I'm concerned about him too. Clearly I am more concerned about him than you are."

Gaetz immediately proves Richmond is right. In order to score cheap political points and distract everyone from listening to Cedric Richmond's discussion of how black men have to deal with police aggression and oppression, Gaetz went into manipulative POS mode and threw a tantrum. Later he tweeted this little gotcha:

Link to tweet

Matt Gaetz turned his own 'not really, but yes really' son, the one he loves sooo much, into an object of worldwide internet ridicule.

Way to go... dad.

[ibegurpard]

1. It's an extremely weird and convoluted version of

"I can't be racist because i have a black friend"
He is not Gaetz's son. For him to claim that family is about who you love is typical Republican irony and hypocrisy considering he won't afford that to people of whom he disapproves.

[crickets]

3. I know. Add in another layer of hypocrisy:

Richmond's point was that he cared about everyone's black son. Gaetz only cares for the one he claims in his own personal circle. Extending that to everyone, to every parent, just doesn't occur to him.

He was too busy trying to please trump to even think about Nestor's feelings. Poor fellow was going to go off to college with his privacy intact, as just another guy in the freshman class. Not anymore.

[bluedye33139]

2. I hate this whole thing. But I get why it happened

Gaetz whipped himself into a frenzy and tried to do some kind of weird PR stunt, and now he and the kid are attacking Richmond? It's absurd.

It stinks to high heaven that he was able to swing his privilege to nab a child when he was an alcoholic, with an arrest record, living alone, spending no time at home. The whole thing is weird.

[crickets]

4. Gaetz didn't adopt Nestor. He just helped Nestor's sister adopt him. nt