public boolean nodeAlreadyPresent(LWComponent node) {

    if (DEBUG_LOCAL) {
      System.out.println("nodeAlreadyPresent -- getParent() " + node.getParent());
    }

    // also need to check if parent *will* be visible
    // if(! (node.getParent() instanceof LWMap ) )
    if (!node.atTopLevel()) return true;
    if (node == null) {
      return false;
    }
    // if(node.getParent() instanceof LWNode && (LWNode.isImageNode((LWNode)(node.getParent()))) )
    //     return true;
    //        Iterator<LWComponent> i = this.getAllDescendents(ChildKind.PROPER).iterator();
    //        Iterator<LWComponent> i = this. getChildList().iterator();
    for (LWComponent c : getAllDescendents(ChildKind.PROPER)) {
      if (Util.getMergeProperty(node) != null && Util.getMergeProperty(c) != null) {
        if (Util.getMergeProperty(node).equals(Util.getMergeProperty(c))) {
          if (DEBUG_LOCAL) {
            System.out.println(
                "LWMergeMap - returning true in nodeAlreadyPresent - for (node,c) ("
                    + Util.getMergeProperty(node)
                    + ","
                    + Util.getMergeProperty(c)
                    + ")");
          }
          // TODO: not sure why this code is here and what it is doing. should be refactored.
          String sourceLabel = node.getLabel();
          if (sourceLabel == null) sourceLabel = "";
          edu.tufts.vue.metadata.VueMetadataElement vme =
              new edu.tufts.vue.metadata.VueMetadataElement();
          vme.setType(edu.tufts.vue.metadata.VueMetadataElement.OTHER);
          vme.setObject("source: " + node.getMap().getLabel() + "," + sourceLabel);
          c.getMetadataList().getMetadata().add(vme);

          return true;
        }
      }
    }
    return false;
  }