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July 2009

June 2009

Happy Fathers day from NubianGraphics.com

Obama Tells Young Men To Be There For Their Kids

Events To Launch White House Mentoring, Fatherhood Effort

Ben Feller, Associated Press Writer

6-19-09 -- President Barack Obama, who barely knew his own father, had personal advice Friday for young men who become dads: "Even if your father was not there, you can be there for your child." . . . Two days before Father's Day, Obama was spending the afternoon promoting the importance of mentors and engaged parents. . . . He spoke at Year Up, a nonprofit program that trains 18-to-24-year-olds from urban backgrounds for college or professional work. The students get training for high-tech professions but also learn personal skills, like how to communicate well and solve conflicts, to help them succeed in life. . . . At the site in Arlington, Va., just outside of Washington, Obama told roughly 50 young men and women that it is the role of their communities to help provide them with support and direction. He said he knows they are headed into a tough job market but can succeed if they are persistent. . . . Obama took a brief tour of the center before speaking. At one point he got a lesson on the components of a computer from two of the students. Surveying a table full of parts, Obama said: "It's about time I figure out what's going on." . . . He implored the men in the group to be present for their own children.

Celebrating Dad is worth the hoopla

Rebecca Montgomery: Dallas Morning News 

6-19-09 -- This weekend we pay tribute to our dads. Just once a year, they get a day to rest on their laurels, have lunch at the restaurant of their choosing and be gifted with items that will quite possibly gather dust in their closets. . . . But it is their day, and they deserve it. . . . This year is actually the unofficial 100th anniversary of the observance of Father's Day. In 1909, in a small church in Spokane, Wash., a young woman named Sonora Smart Dodd listened to a sermon on Mother's Day. Her own mother already dead, she was being raised along with her five siblings by her father. It seemed to Sonora that father's should be given the same due and be granted a day dedicated in their honor. . . . Sonora and those who supported her spent decades getting the holiday officially established, and in 1966, President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the third Sunday of June as Father's Day. And now we have Hallmark and retail stores across the nation reminding us how important it is to honor our dads. . . . I'm not a huge fan of the over-commercialization of the myriad holidays on this nation's official calendar. But fathers – and the role they play in their children's lives – are extremely important. And if a little hoopla is called for, then so be it. . . . As a child, I didn't even realize that there were kids without fathers at home, or fathers who weren't supportive or present in their children's lives. That is part of the innocent bliss of childhood – whatever your experience is, you tend to believe that it is universal. Obviously, as I grew older, I realized there were fatherless families.

CALIFORNIA

Court Denies Benefits to Child Conceived With Dead Father's Sperm

Courthouse News Service

6-19-09 -- A child conceived from the sperm of her deceased father cannot claim survivor Social Security benefits, the 9th Circuit ruled. The court rested its decision largely on the mother's inability to prove that the father had consented to the birth. . . . A three-judge panel upheld the district court's denial of benefits to Brandalynn Vernoff and her mother, Gabriela. . . .      Brandalynn was conceived after her father, Bruce Vernoff, died of accidental causes in July 1995. Shortly after his death, Gabriela directed a doctor to extract five vials of Bruce's semen, which she used to undergo in vitro fertilization in 1998. . . . About five months after giving birth to Brandalynn, Gabriela filed a claim for child survivor benefits on behalf of her daughter and herself, as the surviving child's mother. . . . The Social Security Administration denied their claim, and Gabriela appealed, claiming her posthumously conceived daughter had an equal-protection right to the benefits. . . . But the San Francisco-based federal appeals court emphasized that a child must be dependent on the insured parent to be eligible for benefits. Gabriela could not establish her daughter's dependence, the panel said, because she was unable to prove that Bruce had consented to the birth.

NEW JERSEY

Boy sides with Brazilian relatives in N.J. custody battle

By Rodrigo Muzell, Philadelphia Inquirer  Staff Writer

6-19-09 -- Sean Goldman, the focus of an international custody battle between his father, David Goldman of Monmouth County, N.J., and his mother's family in Brazil, has told a psychologist he doesn't want to return to the United States. . . . The interview, conducted in Brazil at the request of his mother's family, was filed in federal court in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday. . . . David Goldman's attorney, Ricardo Zamariola Jr., said in a Supreme Court hearing in Brazil last week that the 9-year-old was under pressure from his mother's family and was unable to decide for himself whether he wanted to stay in Brazil. . . . A Brazilian judge ruled this month that the boy would have to come back to Tinton Falls, where his father lives. . . . Joao Paulo Lins e Silva, Sean's stepfather, obtained a decision in a court of appeals in Brazil to delay the boy's immediate return to the United States. Sean's mother, Bruna Bianchi, died last year. . . . It is unclear when the court will issue a final decision on custody. . . . Arranged by the Brazilian family, the interview occurred in a hospital in Rio on Monday, and was witnessed through a one-way mirror by 13 people, including a family judge. The transcript, released by Lins e Silva's attorneys, revealed a boy upset with the possibility of leaving his Brazilian family.

Any man can be a father.  It takes someone special to be a dad. 
~Author Unknown~

Dad Commits Paternity Fraud, Goes to Prison

By Robert Franklin, Esq. | Men’s News Daily

6-18-09 -- We've seen plenty of paternity fraud before, but always done by a woman.  Usually she tells a guy - or allows her husband to believe - that the child is his, when it's not.  That way, she gets to choose who she wants to be the dad.  If she prefers Tom to Harry, she tells Tom the baby's his whether it is or not. . . . The other way a woman commits paternity fraud is to disappear from the man's life once she's pregnant.  Or, if he asks her whose it is, she tells him it's someone else's. . . . However it's done, I have only seen two cases in which a woman paid any type of price for her deceit.  Back in 1990, a West Virginia woman, Anne Conaty, became pregnant with her boyfriend's (John Kessel's) child.  He made it clear to her that he wanted to be a hands-on father, but she had other ideas.  She fled to California and placed the child for adoption in Canada, fully aware that Kessel had gotten a temporary injunction against the adoption.  The adoption was completed, but Kessel successfully sued Conaty, winning a judgment for $7.85 million against her and her California attorney. . . . In one other case, a Georgia man successfully got a judgment for return of child support he had paid for a child who was not his and about whom the mother had lied.

OHIO

Child support law enforced equally, area officials say
By Ryan Carter, Herald Record Staff Writer

6-15-09 -- "Why don't women who owe child support go to jail?" . . . Two local men who pay child support recently made claims that the mothers of their children (who both have been ordered to pay child support) are treated with more leniency when they fail to make their child support payments. . . . "My ex-wife is supposed to be paying child support on three of my kids," said a Fayette County man who requested anonymity. "I've been paying child support to her mother who has custody of the kids. I've already been locked up a couple of times for not paying." . . . The man also claims that his ex-wife hasn't paid any child support since 2003. . . . "She lives in (another state) and when I ask the child support agency why she can't be arrested, they tell me it's hard to enforce it when she's out of state," he said. "I just don't think it's right that they don't arrest her. I'm taking care of my business now and she isn't. It's not right." . . . Another local man who has custody of his youngest child said his ex-girlfriend is also chronically late on child support payments, yet nothing has been done. "I'm perfectly fine taking care of my child and I like this setup," he said. "But if the shoe was on the other foot, I would most likely be in trouble. If you have a court order to do something, and in this case it's to pay child support, you should have to do it or pay the consequences." . . . However, a look at the records in Fayette County Common Pleas Court shows that women who are charged with felonies for non-support are punished with the same severity as men. Just last week, Judge Steven Beathard sent a Fayette County woman, Tina Snyder, to prison for six months for non-support after she violated her community control. . . . A comparison of men and women who have the same amount of non-support violations showed that they were treated by the courts nearly identically.

Men In Power

By: Dean Tong, NewsWithViews.com

6-6-09 -- We have seen literally scores of men's rights groups pop up globally over the past 40 years. From MEN International to the National Organization for Men to the National Coalition for Free Men, most of these well-intentioned and well-meaning groups were not organized, funded well enough, or politically backed to compete with the rise of the feminists and the National Organization for Women. That said, it is important for everyone - men, women, and children - to ascertain the significance of The Men's Movement and that men are not just "paychecks and biological necessities." . . . We have heard of The Promise Keepers and of the 1995 Million Man March. Even Mel Feit from the National Center for Men recently appeared against feminist love Gloria Allred on Dr. Phil. Now, a brand new college born group from the University of Chicago called Men in Power has surfaced. And the president of the advocacy group, Steve Saltarelli, has just been interviewed on National Public Radio. . . . Saltarelli's group is the first men's group at the University of Chicago compared with nine women's advocacy groups at the same. Men in Power was started to raise awareness of men, professionally speaking. Saltarelli, who desires to become an attorney, believes men need help with respect to the fields of medicine, law and business. He wants to bring in speakers to address these issues and garner media attention, too. According to Mark Perry, an economist at the University of Michigan in Flint, in April, the national unemployment rate for men was 10 percent compared 7.6 percent for women. In addition, he said women hold three out of every four jobs in health care and education. As a still licensed laboratory medical technologist who worked in hospitals for twenty-odd years, I can tell you firsthand women outnumbered men in the labs big time. And Perry said future employment for men is an issue, too, because since 1981 women hold more bachelor's and master's degrees than men do.

NEW JERSEY

Brazilian judge suspends order to reunite boy, American father

CNN

6-2-09 -- A Brazilian supreme court judge on Tuesday suspended a lower court's order that would have given custody of a 9-year-old boy to the U.S. Consulate in Rio de Janeiro, where he was to be reunited with his American father. . . . Judge Marco Aurelio argued against taking Sean Richard Goldman from what has been his home for almost five years to the United States "in an abrupt manner." . . . Doing so, he wrote in his order published on the court's Web site, could subject the boy to psychological harm. . . . The decision, which means the entire Brazilian supreme court will take up the case, comes a day after a superior court justice ordered Sean taken Wednesday to the U.S. Consulate in Rio and handed over to his father, David Goldman, who arrived Tuesday from New Jersey to pick up his son.

Lawyer: NJ man wins custody of son taken to Brazil

By Bill Newill • The Associated Press

6-1-09 -- A federal court in Brazil has ruled that a New Jersey father should get custody of his 8-year-old son, whose mother took him to the South American nation after their divorce and died there, the man's lawyer said Monday. . . . Attorney Patricia Apy, who represents David Goldman, said she was notified of the decision Monday afternoon. The ruling calls for the boy to be turned over to his father on Wednesday, Apy said. . . . The boy's Brazilian mother took him to Brazil in 2004. She remarried and never returned to the United States. She died last year of complications from the birth of another child. . . . Eight-year-old Sean Goldman was being raised by his stepfather. . . . A Brazilian lawyer for the mother's family said he will appeal the decision to return the boy. . . . "Many times the boy has expressed his desire to stay in Brazil," attorney Sergio Tostes told local Globo TV. "We are doing everything we can to see justice prevail." . . . A telephone for David Goldman, of Tinton Falls, rang unanswered Monday night. . . . U.S. Rep. Christopher Smith, a Republican from New Jersey, intervened in Goldman's case in February and traveled to Brazil with him. While Smith was there, Goldman was able to meet with his son for the first time in nearly five years.

May 2009

TEXAS

Child support: Texas fathers with sole custody of children growing in numbers

Chris Taylor, Star-Telegram Editorial

5-31-09 -- The Texas attorney general’s office recently released its list of top child-support evaders, and there was something notable that was never mentioned. . . . It’s not called the list of deadbeat dads anymore. Of the top five worst evaders, two were women. Did you read any news stories on this? . . . I know I didn’t. . . . Granted, I’m more sensitive to this matter. . . . Until a few months ago, I was a single father with full custody of my son. . . . While this often made me an anomaly at school functions, soccer games and child birthday parties, it gave me a unique perspective on how this world treats men who want to be involved in their children’s lives. . . . Let’s just say it is not very positive. . . . When my son was taken from me across state lines, there was no help; certainly not from the law. . . . In the tradition of the American and Texan spirit, I went and got him on my own. . . . After we returned, I sought some assistance to get him in day care and make sure he had food. . . . Imagine my shock when a state-appointed worker told me that she would not help me with my child, but if the mother came in they would help her.

'Deadbeat Dads' an insult to reality

By Fatimah Ali , Philadelphia Daily News

5-26-09 -- JUST WHEN I thought TV couldn't sink any lower with some of its toxic programming, yet another new reality show is poised to hit the lineup - "Deadbeat Dads" on Lifetime. . . . The show targets fathers who refuse to pay child support, and features businessman Jim Durham's collection agency, called National Child Support. . . . My first "primal thought" was darn, they got here 15 years too late to help me. But my more spiritually evolved side knows better, and I realize those evil thoughts are just wrong. Durham and the Lifetime producers who created the show are the ones who should be flogged - for using the woes of single mothers and their children to boost ratings. . . . Unfortunately, my evil twin rears her ugly head from time to time, and recaps the unpleasant memories of what it was like not getting child support from my ex-husband. When I was a single mother, he accrued more than $150,000 in unpaid court-ordered child support, which kept me in a tizzy for years. . . . He made enough money, yet he neglected his obligations because he was angry at me, not because he didn't love our kids. . . . Despite the fact that I worked two jobs, my children and I were always struggling without his contribution. But I was a wimp and never petitioned the courts to issue an arrest warrant for his blatant disregard of our children's needs. His sudden demise made the judge's order moot. It can be almost impossible to collect back support from a dead man with a tangled-up life.

Editorial: Anti-Dad bias

Why is the father always the villain on American TV?

By The Washington Times 

5-18-09 -- Strong families need strong fathers, but American television has come a long way from the 1950s series "Father Knows Best." . . . Now Lifetime TV, a network known for its movies about women being endangered by men, has sunk to a new low - a reality program called "Deadbeat Dads." . . . In the beginning of gotcha TV, viewers enjoyed watching the police bust down a door and haul away the bad guy on a show like "Cops." That same format migrated over to Animal Planet, where the cops bust down the door and arrest the man who has been starving his dogs or kicking his cats. Now Lifetime is doing the same thing to divorced fathers. . . . Lifetime TV's new reality show, "Deadbeat Dads," centers around National Child Support founder Jim Durham, who finds and confronts dads who do not pay their child support. Reuters news agency reports that Mr. Durham "functions as sort of a 'Dog the Bounty Hunter' for tracking deadbeats ... it's ambush reality TV." However, the reality show, originally developed at Fox as "Bad Dads" and later dropped, is Lifetime's attempt to take cheap shots at men while ignoring the damage the show can cause children, wives and other family members. . . . The Lifetime TV program ignores the numbers. More than 90 percent of fathers with joint custody paid the support due, according to a Census Bureau report (Series P-23, No. 173). So deadbeats are in the minority. Also, most so-called deadbeat dads actually are dead broke. Two-thirds of men who fail to make child-support payments earn poverty-level wages, according to the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement. Most of the others are unemployed.

TEXAS  

Whistleblower claims Texas unfairly targeted judges who defend fathers' rights

Barbara Thompson, Single Parenting Examiner, Examiner.com

5-25-09 -- Ginger Weatherspoon, a former Assistant Attorney General in Texas, has filed a lawsuit in Dallas County District Court claiming that she was fired for refusing to sign a false affidavit accusing Judge David Hanschen of wrongdoing. . . . Judge Hanschen has been at odds with the Texas Attorney General's office for several years over what he claims are unfair and deceptive practices used to award and collect child support.  Some staff in the Attorney General's office had been collecting affidavits accusing Judge Hanschen of threatening the AG's office or issuing prejudicial rulings against AAGs.  Presumably their intent was to file a complaint of judicial misconduct against Hanschen. . . . Several lawyers in the AG's office claim that they were encouraged or coerced into signing the affidavit's against their will, but Weatherspoon says that she was fired for refusing to cooperate. . . . Ongoing conflict between Judge Hanschen and the Texas Attorney General's Office. . . . The Texas Attorney General's office prides itself on its relentless pursuit of deadbeat parents and portrays itself as an advocate for children. The office's Child Support Division has been nationally recognized for leading the country in child support collections. Critics point out that since the office receives federal funds based on the amount of child support it collects, there is a financial incentive to close as many cases as possible without regard for the rights of the parties involved.

TENNESSEE  

Child custody case to study constitutional protections

Fathers frequently left without significant contact

By Bob Unruh, © 2009 WorldNetDaily

5-12-09 -- A court hearing is scheduled tomorrow on arguments that allege the basic child custody procedures used by judges in Bradley County, Tenn., are unconstitutionally biased in favor of one parent. . . . WND previously reported on the case stemming from a divorce dispute that attorney Stanley Charles Thorne believes could impact custody decisions nationwide, because it calls down the authority of the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause to help fathers who are good parents. . . . According to Thorne, the case before Circuit Judge J. Michael Sharp is testing the court procedures used in the child custody case of 3-year-old  Kate Hopkins, which began in 2007. . . . After more than two years in court and five different judges, the case is set for trial beginning May 27 in Sharp's courtroom. But Sharp is hearing the constitutional issues before the rest of the case is heard. . . . Attorney Jeffrey Miller will argue on behalf of fit Tennessee parents and their children, and an attorney from the Tennessee attorney general's office, Warren Jasper, is expected to argue on behalf of the standard procedures. . . . According to a statement from Thorne, one of the procedures that will be challenged is the "80-day rule" created by local judges. It automatically takes effect as soon as a child custody case is filed, allowing one parent only 80 days a year with the child while the other parent is allowed 285 days – regardless of circumstances. . . . The rule, Miller argues, discriminates against one parent, violating the principle of equal protection as well as due process, since it is imposed without a hearing. . . . Such procedures would be banned if Sharp rules the practices are unconstitutional, Thorne's statement said. . . . Hundreds of divorce cases are filed daily across the U.S., and according to the Children'sJustice.org website, custody dispute cases leave nearly 38 percent of the fathers with no access or visitation rights to their children. In addition, four in 10 mothers report they interfered with the father's visitation to punish him at least once, half the mothers see "no value" in the father's continued contact with his children and 70 percent of the fathers wanted more time with their kids. ******* Thorne questioned the legal system ordering a child taken from one parent "when the child is in no danger … and the child has never been abused, neglected, or harmed" and given to another parent absent a court order. . . . The 14th Amendment states: "No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." . . . "This case affects not just the people of Tennessee," Thorne said. "This is huge." . . . Numerous organizations are working for the rights of fathers in disputes like the Tennessee case, including FathersCustody.org, LongDistanceParenting.org, Fathers False Charges Helpline, Fathers National Lawyers Referral, WinningCustody.com and FathersRights.org.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA   

Court Suspends License of D.C. Madam's Lawyer

Mike Scarcella, Legal Times

5-4-09 -- In a rare opinion addressing allegations of attorney misconduct, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Friday ordered the law license of Montgomery Blair Sibley, the civil attorney for the late D.C. Madam, suspended for three years. Sibley is vowing to fight on to clear his name. . . . The reciprocal discipline imposed by the appeals court stems from action in another jurisdiction. In 2008, the Supreme Court of Florida suspended Sibley from the practice of law for three years for contempt of court for failure to pay child support and for filing frivolous claims and appeals. . . . Sibley, a D.C. solo practitioner, failed to pay $4,000 a month to his ex-wife after he moved from South Florida in May 2000, court records show. Sibley challenged the sufficiency of the Florida proceedings and argued, among other things, that he was not given a proper chance to be heard. He also contends there was an insufficient record on which to base the allegations against him. He was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1987 and the D.C. Bar in 1999.

April 2009

NEW YORK

State program helps Onondaga County men become better fathers

by Delen Goldberg / The Post-Standard

4-15-09 -- Perry Rouse says he'd probably be in jail if not for the Parents Success Initiative of Onondaga County, a state pilot program aimed at making men better fathers. . . . Seven months ago, Rouse, a Desert Storm veteran, owed large amounts of child support for his two daughters but was unable to make payments. He had no job and no lawyer. . . . "I was sick. I was dejected. Then, I found a program to help me," said Rouse, 43, of Syracuse. . . . Today, Rouse is rebuilding his relationship with his 21-year-old and creating new bonds with his 3-year-old. . . . "I relate better to them, I call more often," Rouse said. "Every minute I have free, I'm with my 3-year-old. My 21-year-old, I was surprised she actually listens to what I say." . . . "I thought I was a good father at the time," Rouse continued, "but I took classes and learned it's more than just financial support. I need to be a hands-on dad."

INDIANA

Helman Sent Letter Day Before Shooting
Daniel Riordan, Times-Union Staff Writer

4-13-09 -- The Times-Union received a letter Wednesday morning from the Cromwell man who had a nine-hour standoff with police Thursday night. . . . Gary Helman, 50, was shot twice, once in the hip and once in the leg Thursday night after a standoff with Indiana State Police near his home in the Enchanted Hills Subdivision. . . . Helman allegedly refuse to accept warrants that ISP attempted to serve. . . . Two Whitley County warrants charge Helman with violation of a protective order. A third warrant from Kosciusko County charges him with pointing a firearm. . . . In the letter sent to the Times-Union, Helman claimed his rights had been violated by state police and that two state troopers attempted to murder him with a vehicle. . . . State police had been at Helman's property a month ago in an unsuccessful attempt to serve warrants. . . . Police said Helman reportedly has a history of anti-government, anti-law-enforcement behavior. Helman reportedly refused to accept warrants unless served federal officers, police said. ****** In another letter sent to the Times-Union, a man who identifies himself as Dr. Amir H. Sanjari, claims the issues with Helman result from a divorce and custody issue. . . . Sanjari also claims that Helman's mother was "roughed up" after her son was shot Thursday night. Sanjari quotes an unnamed source, who was allegedly at the scene of the accident. ****** The letter by Sanjari alleges wrongdoing by judges and prosecutors on both county and state levels. . . . Sanjari's letter states that "no doubt the local media will perform their long-standing rule of ignoring the facts regarding such corruption and crimes by the judges and their henchmen and duly ignore and/or cover up the fact and put on the official spin."

MICHIGAN

Girl, 4, may go from foster care to father

Supreme Court: Local court, DHS erred in terminating his parental rights

Patti Klevorn - Ludington Daily News Editor

4-6-09 -- A four-year-old Mason County girl — and just who should raise her — is at the heart of a Michigan State Supreme Court ruling filed in the Lansing court Thursday. . . . The girl has been living with a foster care family for three years, and now may begin the process of assimilating to life with her biological father — although she has not seen him since before she turned 2. She’s now nearing her fifth birthday. . . . The process has already begun to give the father, Darroll Rood, supervised visitation, then he anticipates non-supervised visitation and eventually getting custody of his daughter. The Supreme Court affirmed a Court of Appeals opinion: Mason County Trial Court was wrong in terminating Rood’s parental rights.

NEW YORK

New York State Fatherhood Program Highlighted at National Conference

Urban Institute Study of OTDA's Fatherhood Initiative Released

readMedia

4-6-09 -- The State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) today released the initial findings of the Urban Institute's study of New York State's "Strengthening Families Through Stronger Fathers" initiative, the most comprehensive study of fatherhood programs yet conducted. The study was presented as part of a panel discussion during the American Public Human Services Association Spring conference in Washington, D.C. Monday. Among the report's findings is that there is an overwhelming demand for services provided through the initiative - particularly among minority men with a criminal record. . . . "This analysis by the Urban Institute will help us to shape the future of fatherhood programs in New York State and across the country," said OTDA Commissioner David A. Hansell. "Fatherhood programs allow us to build on the success of welfare reform, whose primary beneficiaries have been single moms, to enhance the economic prospects of low-income men, and to increase their chances of achieving self-sufficiency for themselves and their children." . . . New York's fatherhood program, launched in 2006, funds five pilot programs to provide intensive employment services and other supportive services to low-income noncustodial parents, and provides a refundable tax credit for low-income noncustodial parents who remain current in paying child support. Pilot sites are located in Erie, Chautauqua and Onondaga counties and two are in New York City.

MICHIGAN

Girl, 4, may go from foster care to father

Supreme Court: Local court, DHS erred in terminating his parental rights

Patti Klevorn - Ludington Daily News Editor

4-6-09 -- A four-year-old Mason County girl — and just who should raise her — is at the heart of a Michigan State Supreme Court ruling filed in the Lansing court Thursday. . . . The girl has been living with a foster care family for three years, and now may begin the process of assimilating to life with her biological father — although she has not seen him since before she turned 2. She’s now nearing her fifth birthday. . . . The process has already begun to give the father, Darroll Rood, supervised visitation, then he anticipates non-supervised visitation and eventually getting custody of his daughter. The Supreme Court affirmed a Court of Appeals opinion: Mason County Trial Court was wrong in terminating Rood’s parental rights.

NEW YORK

New York State Fatherhood Program Highlighted at National Conference

Urban Institute Study of OTDA's Fatherhood Initiative Released

readMedia

4-6-09 -- The State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) today released the initial findings of the Urban Institute's study of New York State's "Strengthening Families Through Stronger Fathers" initiative, the most comprehensive study of fatherhood programs yet conducted. The study was presented as part of a panel discussion during the American Public Human Services Association Spring conference in Washington, D.C. Monday. Among the report's findings is that there is an overwhelming demand for services provided through the initiative - particularly among minority men with a criminal record. . . . "This analysis by the Urban Institute will help us to shape the future of fatherhood programs in New York State and across the country," said OTDA Commissioner David A. Hansell. "Fatherhood programs allow us to build on the success of welfare reform, whose primary beneficiaries have been single moms, to enhance the economic prospects of low-income men, and to increase their chances of achieving self-sufficiency for themselves and their children." . . . New York's fatherhood program, launched in 2006, funds five pilot programs to provide intensive employment services and other supportive services to low-income noncustodial parents, and provides a refundable tax credit for low-income noncustodial parents who remain current in paying child support. Pilot sites are located in Erie, Chautauqua and Onondaga counties and two are in New York City.

Sole custody harms kids: Report

Children "robbed of love" in divorce cases

Susan Pigg, Torstar News Service
4-3-09 -- Family court judges are misguidedly harming children by granting sole custody to one parent – usually the mother – in bitter divorce battles, says a comprehensive new report. . . . Too many children are being "robbed of the love of one parent" by a legal system that is out of touch with the needs of children and treats them like property to be won or lost, says Edward Kruk, an expert on child custody issues. . . . "The system is set up to polarize parents, to make them enemies, to set up fights over custody and exacerbate conflict rather than reduce it," says Kruk, an associate professor of social work at the University of British Columbia, whose three-year study is now in the hands of Canada's justice minister. . . . He calls what's happening in Canada's divorce courts "a national shame" that leaves families bankrupt from legal fees and pushing parents, especially fathers, to suicide. . . . Especially devastating are the long-term effects of court orders that essentially cut one parent out of children's lives – usually the dad – in a misguided effort to foster peace between warring parents, the report says.

March 2009

NEVADA  

Court tells Mack to pay divorce settlement

By Martha Bellisle • rgj.com

3-27-09 -- The Nevada Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling Thursday ordering Darren Mack, convicted of killing his estranged wife and shooting their divorce judge, to pay her estate almost $1 million under an agreement they had made verbally. . . . Before the May 2006 verbal order by Washoe District Family Court Judge Chuck Weller was drafted and signed, Mack fatally stabbed Charla Mack in the garage of his townhouse on June 12, 2006, and hours later shot Weller, who survived his injuries. . . . Mack, at the time a wealthy pawn broker, pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder charges and was sentenced in February 2008 to life in prison with parole possible after 36 years. . . . Mack has appealed, saying his guilty pleas were made under duress, and arguing that the stabbing was self-defense. . . . Egan Walker, who represented Charla Mack's estate on the appeal but now is a family court master, could not be reached for comment. . . . Mack's brother, Landon, said he wasn't surprised by the ruling and blasted Nevada judges, saying the family looks forward to pursuing this and other cases in federal court. / You can access ruling at this link.

VERMONT

Stay-at-home Dad Wins Online Education Scholarship from GetEducated.com for Unique "Humane Leadership" (Animal Welfare) Degree

A 41-year-old stay-at-home dad in Vermont wins Online Education Scholarship from GetEducated.com for a unique "humane leadership" online bachelor's degree, aimed at future animal welfare workers. Online education's growth and stability has allowed colleges to offer narrowly specialized, unusual degrees, providing flexibility for consumers seeking new or better careers, says GetEducated CEO Vicky Phillips.

(PRWEB)

3-19-09 -- You don't have to leave home to get a degree in animal welfare. Ask Paul Kopulos - a 41-year-old stay-at-home dad living in Vermont, who is finishing his bachelor's degree in humane leadership from Pittsburgh's Duquesne University. . . . Kopulos, like all other students in the unusual program (which is co-sponsored by the Humane Society of the U.S.), is earning his degree completely online, while caring for a two-month-old baby, a two-year-old toddler, and three shelter pets (two dogs and a cat). The degree is aimed at people who wish to work in animal welfare or advocacy positions. . . . GetEducated.com is rewarding Kopulos' efforts with a $1,000 Excellence in Online Education Scholarship. . . . For Kopulos, going to school online worked perfectly with his hectic lifestyle. . . . "With the kids and everything else going on in my life, I can do my school when I need to," says Kopulos. "I can take an exam at midnight or 1 a.m." . . . Online education is appealing to nontraditional, older students like Kopulos, who are turning to the Internet for maximum flexibility in training for new careers. Internet learning has broadened to include a variety of unique degrees. . . . Vicky Phillips, GetEducated's founder, says that "a decade ago, a narrowly specialized degree like this one -- leadership in the animal welfare sector -- would have been impossible to find. One physical college could not have found enough students within commute distance to sustain such a narrow career specialty."

GEORGIA

Student fought long for right to be a father

By Gracie Bonds Staples, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

3-18-09 -- You may or may not remember Rashad Head, the 17-year-old father who a few years ago was waging a fight to see his son. . . . It seemed a small thing to ask, but five months after his birth, the court was still siding with the infant’s mother even though Head had done everything the law required. **** Just days after Rashad’s ex-girlfriend gave birth, an adoption agency called Rashad’s father, Geoff Head, requesting consent to let his grandson be adopted. . . . Geoff Head refused. He wanted Rashad to do what he’d always tried to do, take care of his son. . . . Indeed, from the moment Rashad learned his girlfriend was pregnant, he had stood by her. When they told their parents, the Heads supported Rashad. . . . “What we did was a mistake, but I don’t look at my son as a mistake,” Rashad said then. “I don’t ever want him to feel he doesn’t have a real place in this world.” . . . The Heads decided to fight. Leslie Graham took their case pro bono and on Feb. 24, after almost three years of legal wrangling, got some good news. . . . Gwinnett Superior Court Judge George Hutchinson awarded Rashad joint legal custody of his son, three consecutive weeks of summer visitation plus every other weekend and the right to change the toddler’s name to Trey Rashad Head.

ILLINOIS

Father seeks custody of baby rescued from toilet; mother remains jailed

The father of an infant rescued from a toilet is seeking custody while the mother remains jailed in southwestern Illinois on attempted murder charges.

Seattle Times

3-18-09 -- The father of an infant rescued from a toilet is seeking custody while the mother remains jailed in southwestern Illinois on attempted murder charges. . . . Edward Goodrich of Belleville appeared with his attorney at a custody hearing Tuesday, but no action was taken and the child remains in a foster home. Another hearing is scheduled for April 7. . . . Authorities say 23-year-old Elyse Mamino (MAM'-ih-noh) delivered a baby girl in a Columbia home's bathroom during a family party in November and tried to drown her in the toilet. . . . After her arrest, authorities found the remains of an infant in Mamino's Belleville home. The cause of that infant's death remains unclear, and no charges have been filed in that case.

February 2009

Reporter Apologizes After Fathers & Families Bombards Sacramento Paper over Anti-Father Article

February 19th, 2009 by Glenn Sacks

In a Fathers & Families Action Alert last week, I explained that journalist R.V. Scheide of the Sacramento News & Review, a prominent California weekly, labeled Parental Alienation a “discredited, pseudoscientific malady” in his article Down by law (2/5/09). I wrote “The author of the article, R.V. Scheide, probably means well but…doesn’t know any better–write him (politely).” . . . Hundreds of you wrote Scheide and/or Letters to the Editor. Today, Scheide publicly apologized and wrote a (mostly) classy article in response. Below is his article in italics, interspersed with my comments –to read the full article without my commentary, click here.

Fathers' rights campaigner jailed for abusing young child

2-18-09 -- A FATHERS 4 Justice campaigner has been jailed for sexually abusing a young child. . . . Lee Doyle, from Sea Mills, was known for his involvement with the civil rights group and its protests calling for better rights for caring dads. . . . Having sexually abused the youngster, he denied any wrong-doing, leaving the child to face the traumatic consequences of giving evidence in court. . . . Doyle,  26, was convicted of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity as well as engaging in sexual activity. . . . Judge David Ticehurst imposed the maximum jail term of four years. . . . He told Doyle: “You were convicted on clear evidence and the aggravating feature is that your victim was very young. . . . “The child was forced to give evidence at a very young age. . . . “It’s abundantly clear having to give evidence has had a regrettable impact on the child. . . . “You continue to maintain your innocence when it’s abundantly clear you were guilty.” . . . The judge, who said he thought that potentially Doyle posed a serious risk of harm to young children, made him the subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order keeping him away from youngsters for 10 years. . . . Doyle was ordered to register as a sex offender indefinitely.

NEW JERSEY

After bitter 4-year fight, he finally sees his son again

Dad has ‘beautiful’ reunion with boy whose mother abducted him to Brazil

By Mike Celizic TODAYShow.com contributor

2-10-09 -- Choking back tears that had been building up for more than four and a half years, a New Jersey father tried to describe the emotions he felt at finally being able to hold and hug his son and tell the boy how much he loved him. . . . “It was the most beautiful thing I’ve seen since his birth. It was incredible. Amazing. I got to see my son,” David Goldman told TODAY’s Meredith Vieira Tuesday by phone from Brazil. . . . The previous day, accompanied by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey, Goldman had finally reached the end of a nightmare that began in June 2004 when his wife, Bruna, left with their son, Sean, for a two-week trip to visit family in her native Brazil. She never came back. . . . In all the years since, Goldman had traveled to Brazil numerous times hoping to see his son, but all the contact he was allowed to have consisted of a few brief phone calls. . . . International dispute / A New Jersey court ruled that Bruna had to return Sean to New Jersey for a custody hearing. But despite international law and treaties between the United States and Brazil that upheld the court ruling, Bruna refused to either return or to give up custody of the boy. Instead, she divorced Goldman in a legal proceeding that violated international law, and married an influential Brazilian attorney.

The War Against Fathers Continues

An article from the current issue of Touchstone Magazine: Divorced from Reality
"We’re from the Government, and We’re Here to End Your Marriage."
by Stephen Baskerville

2-8-09 -- The decline of the family has now reached critical and truly dangerous proportions. Family breakdown touches virtually every family and every American. It is not only the major source of social instability in the Western world today but also seriously threatens civic freedom and constitutional government. . . . G. K. Chesterton once observed that the family serves as the principal check on government power, and he suggested that someday the family and the state would confront one another. That day has arrived. . . . Chesterton was writing about divorce, and despite extensive public attention to almost every other threat to the family, divorce remains the most direct and serious. Michael McManus of Marriage Savers writes that "divorce is a far more grievous blow to marriage than today’s challenge by gays."

OHIO

Judge Browne Is Taking My Kidney

Commentary by Scott L. Hibbs -- posted in North Country Gazette

2-6-09 -- I have been involved in what I describe as a trip down Alice’s rabbit hole.  . . . More than two years ago I filed for divorce in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations Division in Ohio.  My case was assigned to Judge Kim A. Browne.  Judge Browne happens to be the lowest ranked judge in Franklin County, per a Columbus Bar Association poll.  It didn’t take long to discover why. . . . I require surgery to prevent my kidney from failing.  My ureter is blocked from inflammation caused by a kidney stone.  Judge Kim A. Browne holds the keys to my surgery and she’s not opening the door.  . . . My story follows;  Affidavits in my divorce were submitted by the parties in February 2007 and temporary orders were cut based on those affidavits.  At the beginning of my divorce my wife claimed domestic violence and obtained a temporary civil protection order.  I was not allowed to return to my home after Jan. 1, 2007.  I operated a home based business where all my personal and business financial documents were kept.  My wife has not permitted the retrieval of these said documents since New Year’s Day 2007.  [more]

January 2009

TENNESSEE

Divorced father seeks equal protection

Custody challenge cites discriminatory decisions

By Bob Unruh, © 2009 WorldNetDaily

1-28-09 -- A case is developing in a Tennessee divorce dispute that one attorney believes could impact custody decisions nationwide because it calls down the authority of the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause to help fathers who are good parents and want to remain involved in their children's lives. . . . The attorney, Stanley Charles Thorne, told WND the issue in the case at hand will be significant, since there are 3,000 divorce or custody cases in courts across the U.S. daily. . . . And according to the Children'sJustice.org website, those cases leave nearly 38 percent of the fathers with no access or visitation rights to their children. In addition, four in 10 mothers report they interfered with the father's visitation to punish him at least once, half the mothers see "no value" in the father's continued contact with his children and 70 percent of the fathers wanted more time with their kids. . . . Thorne told WND he is serving as a consultant in the case of Jeremy Hopkins, a successful lawyer, in his attempts to be treated the same as his daughter's mother, Elisabeth, also a successful lawyer, in their custody of Kate.

FLORIDA

Dad Accused Of Avoiding Child Support Faces Judge

By Mark Douglas

1-20-09 -- "OK" was all David William Earley said when he faced a judge in Pasco County dressed in jail stripes today, charged with violating his probation and failure to pay $165,000 in child support. . . . On the other hand, his wife and ex-wife have plenty to say about the consequences of his arrest, the reason for it and what it means to them. . . . Ex-wife Sharon Earley said she's been trying to collect child support for her four kids from Earley for the past 19 years. Three of them have reached adulthood, but Earley still owes child support. . . . "We've had to do without a lot of things," Sharon Earley said. . . . Earley's current wife Christina Earley disagrees. . . . "She [Sharon} lives in a nice house in Palm Harbor and has more jewelry than God," Christina Earley told News Channel 8 in a phone interview. "She's not suffering." . . . Christina Earley owns a hair salon and lives on an acre of land with Earley and their two daughters. A horse grazes in the pasture, but she said they bought the property with no money down and finances are tight because Earley can't find work as a tile installer. . . . "He's tried, he's looked around," Christina Earley said. . . . Sharon Earley said her ex-husband has voiced countless excuses over the years for not supporting the four children they had together, and judges have heard most of them.

ILLINOIS

Custody Awarded to Stepfather: 10 Month Old Child Now to Have Open-Heart Surgery

SOURCE Law Offices of Jeffery Leving,  PRNewswire/

1-13-09 -- -- In a groundbreaking case that could affect one-third of American families, Cook County Circuit Court Judge John Thomas Carr transferred custody of a 10 month old child with a severe heart condition to the child's stepfather from the mother. Judge Carr also gave the father custody of his 3 year old biological child by the same mother. This decision is highly unusual because most courts have not recognized stepfathers as having any rights whatsoever. . . . The temporary order of protection was in response to the alarmed stepfather's claims that the mother cancelled the 10 month old's life-saving open heart surgery and also beat the 3 year old child. . . . The court agreed with the stepfather's attorneys, Jeffery Leving and Maureen Gorman, who proved that custody of the stepchild should be placed with the stepfather when necessary to protect the child. A case status review is scheduled for Feb. 9, 2009.