ucs-2 server - yes. usc-2 client - no. What the ....?

[Randy]

Please forgive my shock, but
how can mysql support usc-2 in the server, have a jdbc
client (java->utf16), but not support it as a client
character set? What's the point of even supporting
ucs-2 other than space saving rationale? Having to
convert between utf-8 and usc-2 seems like a major
pain in the ass.

What am I missing here?

Also, are there plans to support usc-2 or utf-16
anytime soon?

Thanks,
-randy