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July 2009

June 2009
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.
|

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celebration of Faith, Family & Fun, with music,
speakers, and so much more, centered around the
official [36 USC § 135] federal holiday of
Parents Day, Sunday, July 26th
Sponsored by the faithful families of
United Civil Rights Councils of America
Similar to the "Tea Parties" - but even
better, all as is provided by
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town, village and hamlet, all across America,
should take full advantage of the golden
opportunity to have their own local free Parents
Day celebration, by simply using
the ready materials, easy 1-2-3
instructions, and contact information
provided.
Are you a REAL go-getter for better Family
Values? Then, you should be listed as the local
Coordinator for the ParentStock 2009 event in
your area. Please see the comprehensive USA list
of County Seats linked below, and check if your
faithful service is needed. If so, please do not
hesitate to submit your immediate request, by
clicking through to
your respective UCRCoA Regional Membership
Director, to let her know today, or, by
emailing your details to
events@parentstock2009.com
Click here to see the USA Master ParentStock
2009
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|
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.
|

Get Your Justice Live
Every Wednesday and Sunday Night at 8PM
Lary Holland, Get
Your Justice Live
Get Your Justice Live
is an interactive internet talk radio show that
focuses on reforming our government, with an often
special focus on the anti-family courts within the
United States.
. . .
To Call In Live During
Show Time: 724-444-7444 TALKCAST ID: 39517. . . .
Together our voices do count. Be sure to join in
during our live broadcasts and become a part of real
change. We are leading the way for others to
participate fully in the governmental decisions that
affect our children, our privacy, and our lives. . .
. I know together we can make a difference for our
children and their children, but it starts with
being a good citizen. Being a good Citizen starts
with engaging in the discussion of government
policies affecting our well-being on a daily basis.
That is what we are doing, engaging in the
discussion every day! Spread the word. |
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.
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