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Punished for putting family first???
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP)—An unapologetic Plaxico Burress rejoined the New York Giants on Monday, noting he didn’t lose any sleep after the Super Bowl champions suspended him for a game.
Burress missed a team meeting two weeks ago without bothering to telephone the Giants.
The receiver who caught the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl attributed his absence on Sept. 22 to a family emergency, which he described as having to take his son to school.
“It was just a situation I had to deal with that morning, and I made the right decision,” Burress said during a conference call that lasted about 20 minutes. “I don’t have any regrets about the decision I made at all.”
Burress said family would still come first next time, but that he would make sure he made a telephone call to let the Giants know about the problem.
“My emotions were that they suspended me,” said Burress, who sat out Sunday’s 44-6 win over Seattle. “That was the decision they chose to do. I’ll take it at that. I’m not going to lose any sleep over it. I got me some rest and was able to get away for a while and chill out and relax. Things like that happen. I’ll keep moving forward and get back to doing what I do: catching footballs, scoring touchdowns and get back to work.”
Along with the suspension, Burress was fined one week’s pay, or roughly $117,500. The Giants originally docked him $235,000, but the player and the team reached a settlement last week that cut the fine in half.
Burress, who caught a career-high 12 touchdowns last season, never explained why he did not report to Giants Stadium after dropping his son off at school. He indicated that there was more involved without getting into explanations.
“There are some things that you guys don’t know,” Burress said. “So you can’t say it wasn’t an emergency on my part because you don’t know everything that was going on.”
The nine-year veteran refused to be more specific.
“Coach said I was suspended because I needed to be more responsible. I was being responsible, I just put my child first,” he said.
Burress also refused to discuss problems with his wife. Police were called to his home twice this year in response to domestic problems.
“There is nothing to tell, he said.
Burress said he and his wife talked to the team on the night of Sept. 22, and he spoke with general manager Jerry Reese the next day. He was suspended the following day after a meeting with Reese and coach Tom Coughlin.
Burress said he did not argue with either Reese or Coughlin after being suspended, and that he respected their decision being for the good of the team.
“What was I supposed to do, cry?” said Burress, who admitted he let down his teammates by not being on the field Sunday. “They told me I was suspended. I didn’t argue with them. I took it, walked out and left.”
Burress said he watched the first half of Sunday’s game and felt the team was clicking, noting that halfback Brandon Jacobs ran the ball well and Eli Manning was efficient.
“We all celebrate each other’s success and that’s what separates us from a lot of the teams around the league,” Burress said. “We don’t care who goes out and catches the ball or scores or things like that. We want to see everyone do good. Because of me not being able to play a lot of guys got in and got action, which will make us a better team down the road.”
Burress said several teammates spoke with him during the suspension.
“I’m really, really not concerned about the way my teammates look at me as far as basing decisions on my family,” he said. “My family is my first priority. It doesn’t matter how people look at me. Football is the best temporary job I’m ever going to have in my life. My family is going to be here forever. I told them that. I’ll tell you guys that. I feel I made the right decision. I’m still living. I’m still walking around. I’m fine.” EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP)—An unapologetic Plaxico Burress rejoined the New York Giants on Monday, noting he didn’t lose any sleep aft... more -
'My ex-husband and I share joint custody of our kids--the way it should be�...
Tracy, a reader, writes:
I am a single mom of two boys. My ex-husband and I share joint physical and legal custody of our children. That is the way it should be. We are both parents to our children and he is a good dad.
On the other side I am currently seeing a wonderful man and father who the courts have seen fit to give minimum visitation. Even though several eye witnesses are willing to testify to his ex's inability to take care of the kids and she has been caught in several lies.
She was fired from a job she was making $17.00 an hour at so she could stay home. She has been living at her parents' house and getting $150.00 per week child support, food stamps and Medicaid. Her hope was to drag $2,000 a month out of my boyfriend, which is what her first attorney told her would happen. Luckily the judge saw through that.
Women nowadays feel they are owed something when they divorce. This is not true. They are no better parents than the fathers.
Granted there are some circumstances where the mother or the father are not qualified to parent. But if both are good parent it should be 50/50 from the get go until all things are settled.
Women feel they can go in crying a sob story and be handed everything. To all women, wake up and smell the coffee! They need to take responsibility for their own lives and the lives of their children that they so desperately want all to themselves. Of course only because they love them.
I think it's time judges realize what is going on and that there are fathers out there that are just as good if not better than the mothers. Tracy, a reader, writes: ... more -
Official 2008 Presidential Election: Dr. Stephen Baskerville
Dr. Stephen Baskerville discusses the 2008 Presidential Elections. This is a must see video from a leading scholar on isues pertaining to the family and politics. Dr. Stephen Baskerville discusses the 2008 Presidential Elections. This is a must see video from a leading scholar on isues pertaining... more
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Why would the media lie??
Doesnt seem right as to why they would claim untruths about why the protestors came down.... I could guess they want people to think Paul and Don didnt know what they were doing???
read more in this link:
http://fishercase.savefatherhood.com/cartoons/mice.html Doesnt seem right as to why they would claim untruths about why the protestors came down.... I could guess they want people to think P... more -
Shockome Syndrome
The feminist movement is worried about the fatherhood movement. The California National Organization for Women recently issued a 95-page report called Disorder in the Courts: Mothers and Their Allies Take on the Family Law System, in which they warn "the fathers' rights movement has been gaining strength and legitimacy. Fatherhood groups are well-funded, well-organized and publicly supported through conservative mouthpieces in the media." In the report, many prominent figures in the Feminist Family Law Movement (FFLM) call for a "mothers' rights movement" to block the rising fatherhood movement.
The National Organization for Women attacked divorced dads in a resolution at its national conference in July. This spring several branches of NOW, including New York and Michigan, issued Action Alerts against moderate legislative attempts to help dads remain a part of their children's lives after divorce or separation.
One of the fatherhood movement's primary goals is to get family courts and family law to properly address the issue of parental alienation. Parental alienation occurs when one parent, usually the custodial parent, has turned his or her children against the other parent, destroying the loving bonds the children and the target parent once enjoyed.
The fatherhood movement has had some modest success in creating awareness of parental alienation, both in the courtroom and in the media. Now the FFLM is hitting back hard. NOW's July resolution denounced Parental Alienation Syndrome as a "defense strategy for batterers and sexual predators that purports to explain a child's estrangement from one parent, or explains away allegations against the estranged parent of abuse/sex abuse of child, by blaming the protective parent." According to NOW, the employment of this "unethical, unconstitutional, and dangerous" tactic is so common as to constitute "epidemic levels of abuse and dysfunction in our court system."
California NOW's report attacks the fatherhood movement and relentlessly assails PAS. CANOW Executive Director Helen Grieco calls PAS a "scam," and says, "As activists we must continue to expose the true agenda of the Fathers' Rights movement. We must eradicate the gender bias...that is rampant in our family courts." The annual Battered Mothers Custody Conference, which will be held January 12-14 in Albany, New York, espouses similar views.
Newsweek magazine, in a recent article called "Fighting Over the Kids: Why Parents Who Batter Win Custody," claims that "many parents nationwide…have lost custody due to a controversial concept known as parental alienation…Parental alienation is now the leading defense for parents accused of abuse in custody cases, according to domestic-violence advocates. And it's working."
Parental alienation was the leading topic at a recent Dallas, Texas domestic violence conference sponsored by the Dallas County District Attorney and numerous domestic violence groups. The Dallas Morning News reports that parental alienation is "an increasingly common defense in child-custody battles [which] is raising concerns among those who work with victims of domestic violence…Advocates of domestic violence victims say a growing number of batterers are using the tactic in court to gain custody of their children." Recent lopsided articles in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the Contra Costa Times, the Providence Journal and many others have expressed similar sentiments.
Last October PBS aired Breaking the Silence: Children's Stories on affiliates across the country. The film pointed to an alleged epidemic of loving, protective mothers losing custody of their children to abusive, molesting fathers after the fathers claimed parental alienation.
MORE IN LiNK The feminist movement is worried about the fatherhood movement. The California National Organization for Women recently issued a 95-pa... more -
Harvard Law article on Family courts.........
Alec Baldwin is on a roll - just recently, the affable actor won an Emmy Award for his role on the critically-acclaimed sitcom, 30 Rock. But the 50 year old Baldwin wasn't smiling when he entered Ames Courtroom last Thursday, September 25. He was making his second appearance at HLS to engage in a serious discussion with Professor Jeannie Suk on the problems of divorce courts and custody proceedings.
Baldwin's encounter with the world of family law began in 2000, when he and his then-wife Kim Basinger agreed to separate. The proceedings dragged on to 2004, when the two were awarded joint custody of their daughter, Ireland Eliesse. In 2007, when Ireland failed to answer a call from her father, Baldwin left a now-famous phone message deriding her as a "rude, thoughtless little pig". A recording of the comment was released to the media, and it immediately set off a firestorm. It also led to a messy lawsuit in which Baldwin accused Basinger of leaking the tape.
Against this backdrop, Baldwin's frustration with the family law system - which he saw extending far beyond courts and into the mindsets and attitudes of the public at large - was palpable throughout his discussion with Suk. Baldwin said his new book, which chronicles the experience of his divorce, was filled with "pain, regreat, and anger about the law," as well as his "frustration [and] confusion with the [legal] process". His custody battle, he reported, was "arduous, slow, glacial".
Baldwin reserved much of his consternation for the gender biases which he believes pervade family law. He was concerned when, from the outset, he was assured the specific custody officer his case had been assigned was noted as "good for fathers". "It was troubling," he observed, "that other [custody offices] might have been bad."
Professor Suk noted that Baldwin's experiences of gender bias had led him to become a pioneer of the fathers' rights movement in California. Baldwin, pointing out that this effort now went by the term "shared parenting", discussed his reasons for becoming involved.
Different genders, he noted, were tarred with different stereotypes by courts - men were seen, in particular, as "abusers". "Men walk into a courtroom with a cloud of male aggression overshadowing them," Baldwin said. Adversaries in custody proceedings could often reconstruct otherwise neutral events post facto, he claimed, by using courts' presumptions of male behavior to make them seem like episodes of abuse.
Professor Suk agreed at least that the definition of violence had expanded too far; any instance of "bad behavior" could be used to determine that custody by a parent might not be in the best interest of a child. "The pendulum has swung too far," Baldwin concurred, recounting an incident in which a representative of the National Organization for Women told him the group thought of wrongfully-convicted men as "collateral damage" as long as one abused spouse or child could be saved under the current legal regime.
As a consequence of such sentiments, Baldwin asserted, fathers were often alienated from their children throughout divorce proceedings, and sometimes for long thereafter. He emotionally recounted how the fathers of children's friends came to play more of a role in their lives than their own, and how fathers would wind up spending more time talking to lawyers than to their children. The actor characterized parental alienation as a form of child abuse itself.
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MORE IN LINK Alec Baldwin is on a roll - just recently, the affable actor won an Emmy Award for his role on the critically-acclaimed sitcom, 30 Roc... more -
False Domestic Violence Allegations Hurt Real Victimes. Alan Karmin on Get Off The...
Alan Karmin joined host Lary Holland on Get Off The Bench on October 1, 2008 to discuss Domestic Violence Awareness Month, RADAR, raising the evidentiary standards on Personal Protection Orders, and many other necessary changes to the Domestic Violence Programs in the United States.
To listen or download this Episode of Get Off The Bench.
http://www.familycourtreports.com/serendipity/archives/...
http://recordings.talkshoe.com/TC-43507/TS-152162.mp3 Alan Karmin joined host Lary Holland on Get Off The Bench on October 1, 2008 to discuss Domestic Violence Awareness Month, RADAR, rais... more -
Daddy Activist Claims Family Court Lacks Due Process
paul fisher asks gov strickland for investigation into Ohio family court
“The family court system needs to be investigated,” says Paul Fisher, the Fathers 4 Justice Daddy Activist who recently spent three days 125 feet above ground on a crane in Ohio. Fisher was drawing attention to what he claims is family court corruption. “The mainstream media is ignoring this serious issue affecting a lot of people. We decided to take it to the next level,” he said, speaking of fellow crane sitter Daddy Activist Donald Tenn from California.
“I made the sign saying STOP THE WAR ON FATHERHOOD,” stated Fisher, “I believe there is a war in this country against fathers. In my case the judge was biased.”
“I took my case all the way to the Ohio Supreme Court, and won. Then the family court judge made changes and decisions without a hearing,” says Fisher, “after five years of day on, day off, equal shared parenting, she reduced my time with my daughter.
Fisher says he never expected to find gender bias in family court, “I’m of the generation that grew up believing in equality. I was raised by a single mom. She taught me the genders are equal.” Fisher had been sharing his daughter’s care since she was an infant.
When reminded that feminist groups claim women are discriminated against in family court, Fisher suggested, “Fathers claim gender bias. Mothers claim gender bias. Let’s do an investigation and learn the truth.”
He recalls having a lot of time to think about things during those hours in the air. He said even though men are victims most often, it can happen to any parent. He clarified, “What drove me to go up on a crane was the obligation as an American to defend the Constitution. The Constitution guarantees us due process.” paul fisher asks gov strickland for investigation into Ohio family court ... more -
The McCain/Fathers' Rights Incident: McCain Dismisses Fathers' Concerns ...
Many of you have asked me about the McCain/fathers' rights incident from last year. Below I reprint my blog post about the incident.
John McCain Testily Dismisses Fathers' Rights at Iowa Town Hall Meeting
Aspiring Republican presidential candidate John McCain contemptuously dismissed fathers' concerns over family law at a mid-day town hall meeting in Cedar Falls, Iowa today. Shared parenting activist Tony Taylor asked McCain if he "would be bold enough to address the issue of equal access to children for fathers that have gone through divorce." McCain testily replied:
I'm sorry to disappoint you, I am not going to overturn divorce court decisions. That's why we have courts and that's why people go to court and get a divorce. If I as President of the United States said this decision has to be overturned without the proper appeals process then I would be disturbing our entire system of government...
But for me to stand here before all these people and say that I'm going declare divorces invalid because someone feels that they weren't treated fairly in court, we are getting into a, uh, uh, tar baby of enormous proportions.
In other words, McCain is saying, "The family court issue is a mess. Given the power of the women's groups and the lack of power of fathers' groups, there's nothing for me to gain and much for me to lose in tackling the issue."
It’s unfortunate, but McCain's assessment of the politics of the issue is probably accurate at this point, and is one reason why we can’t get politicians to meaningfully act on our issues. And as unfortunate as McCain’s response is, to be fair, at least answered the question honestly. Whereas most politicians will give some vague, meaningless answer designed to appease the questioner into thinking he was going to do something about the issue, McCain made it clear he had no interest in the issue.
Also typifying the weakness of our movement, McCain's remarks have been very controversial, but not for the right reason. McCain referred to the issue as a "tar baby," meaning a sticky mess, which reforming family law certainly is. Yet "tar baby" also has a racist connotation, and Tony Taylor is black, perhaps the only black person in the room. McCain's use of "tar baby" is being widely reported, and McCain apologized for using the term. I very much doubt McCain had any racist intent. Many of you have asked me about the McCain/fathers' rights incident from last year. Below I reprint my blog post about the incide... more -
Woman breaks glass on boyfriend's head, swings sword at him--but don't c...
If it's domestic violence and it's committed by a woman, it's not domestic violence. In stories of women attacking their husbands or boyfriends, it's rare for the media to use the term "domestic violence."
From Woman faces charge after dishwashing dispute (Associated Press, 9/15/08):
Police say a 20-year-old woman faces an aggravated assault charge after she bit her boyfriend, broke a picture frame across his face and swung at him with a sword during an argument about him not doing the dishes.
The woman was arrested Thursday afternoon at the couple's apartment, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported on its Web site.
The 21-year-old man told police that he became involved in an argument because the woman was upset that the dishes were not clean. Police Lt. Paul Henderson said the woman told the man to leave the apartment, but he refused.
Henderson said the woman then tried to physically remove the man. During the ensuing struggle, the woman bit the man's right shoulder and broke a picture frame across his face, causing visible cuts, Henderson said.
The woman then grabbed an approximately 2-foot sword and swung it at him, but missed, police said.
The woman was released from a Mansfield jail after posting a $10,000 bond, jail officials said.
Henderson said the man and woman had lived together for four months. If it's domestic violence and it's committed by a woman, it's not domestic violence. In stories of women attacking thei... more -
Glenn Sacks debates Geraldo Rivera on PAS
I appeared on Fox's nationally-syndicated Morning Show with Mike and Juliet Thursday to debate Geraldo Rivera and Dr. Joy Silberg over the issue of Parental Alienation.
Rivera puts the blame for post-divorce strife squarely on fathers.
Silberg is Vice President of the Leadership Council, an organization which is in the forefront of fighting against fathers' access to their children during custody disputes. The Leadership Council believes that Parental Alienation is a "batterers' tactic" and "junk science."
Also on the show were Bill and Sam Sears, a father-son combo who have dealt with Parental Alienation. Only 17, Bill was credible and remarkably even-handed. I'll be discussing Bill and Sam and some of the other aspects of Parental Alienation in posts throughout the week.
Silberg said that fathers blaming mothers for being alienated from their children is like a bank robber who denies robbing a bank, blaming it on "bankteller delusional syndrome."
I replied, "Separating a father from his children and not allowing him to him see his children and telling them that the father is bad and that you shouldn't want to be with him, that's really a very serious thing. It's not like 'bankteller delusional syndrome.'"
The most heated moment of the day came when Geraldo Rivera told me:
What you're not talking about is how many of these fathers stopped paying child support...It's always financial 95% of the time [after divorce]...the husbands' stop paying, the woman is desperate...it's about the money...you should really call it 'Parental Stiffing Alienation Syndrome' because that's what it is.
I shot back that the child support establishment's own studies show that the overwhelming majority of men who are behind on their child support are low income fathers.
I do have to give Geraldo credit for one thing. On the show he said "It's always financial...95% of the time it's the husband leaving the wife or the wife leaving the husband."
He said the part about the wife leaving in a lower voice so I thought he said that 95% of the time it's the husband who abandons the wife -- a common view among chivalrous males like Geraldo.
It wasn't until I watched this video back in Los Angeles that I realized that he had not meant that it was almost always the husband leaving the wife. During the show I jumped on him for that, explaining that the vast majority of divorces are initiated by women. I now realize that what I said there was not fair.
Another aspect of this is the use of the term "syndrome," which is controversial in and of itself. In general I simply refer to "Parental Alienation," but many in the media and the opposition refer to "Parental Alienation Syndrome." Alienating behaviors are harmful, whatever name you want to use. I appeared on Fox's nationally-syndicated Morning Show with Mike and Juliet Thursday to debate Geraldo Rivera and Dr. Joy Silberg... more -
Dr Phil to do a show on PAS
"Brainwashed by My Parents"
It’s being called the ultimate form of child abuse -- brainwashing your children against an ex-spouse to win custody. Could you be harming your child emotionally and not even know it? First up, Ken is a successful surgeon who says he’s the victim of parental alienation syndrome (PAS). He says he hasn’t seen his 14-year-old son since last October and claims his ex-wife destroyed what was once a loving father-son relationship. Mel Feit, director of the National Center for Men, says Ken’s situation is a classic case of kids being turned against their father, but family law attorney Liz Kates says PAS is a phony tactic used by some men to get out of paying child support. What does Dr. Phil think? Then, Karen lost custody of her children after she was accused of parental alienation syndrome by her ex-husband. Karen maintains her innocence, so why were her parental rights terminated when her daughters accused her ex of sexual abuse? Plus, 19-year-old Demi joins the show via Web cam and says her father verbally abused her mother during their divorce. Now, she fears that her 15-year-old sister is caught in the middle. Find out what you can do if you’re caught between sparring parents. And, meet a father so desperate to see his young children, he kidnapped them from his ex-wife and went on the lam for two years. "Brainwashed by My Parents" ... more -
Loyal Daughter Defends Her Dad's Reputation Against Biden's Slurs
"Since his vice presidential nomination, Joe Biden's 2007 statement that a 'guy who allegedly ... drank his lunch' and drove the truck that struck and killed his first wife and daughter has gained national media traction...since Barack Obama tapped Biden to be his running mate on Aug. 23, The New York Times, National Public Radio and The Economist have run stories that characterized Dunn as a drunken driver.
"Alcohol didn't play a role in the 1972 crash...The senator's statements don't jibe with news and law enforcement reports from the time, which cleared driver Curtis C. Dunn, who died in 1999, of wrongdoing.
"'To see it coming from [Biden's] mouth, I just burst into tears,' Dunn's daughter, Glasgow resident Pamela Hamill, 44, said Wednesday. 'My dad was always there for us. Now we feel like we should be there for him because he's not here to defend himself'...
"Hamill, one of seven children, was 8 years old at the time of the accident. She remembers her father watching news reports of the crash while wearing a sling to support a shoulder injury he suffered in the accident.
"She said Dunn was always 'solemn' around the Christmas holidays. Years later, when her brother planned to get married on Dec. 18 [the date of the accident], Dunn told the family 'I don't celebrate on that day,' Hamill said."
Senator Joe Biden has been falsely attributing his former wife's and infant daughter's tragic deaths to a drunk driver, and the now-deceased truckdriver's loyal daughter is fighting back.
I don't know if Biden's statements are due to carelessness, his flair for the overdramatic, or his pronounced tendency to cast men as villains. Whatever the cause, his statements have been enormously unfair to former truck driver Curtis Dunn, who is remembered fondly by his daughter as a loving father.
From 1972 crash still haunts driver's family (News Journal, 9/4/08):
Since his vice presidential nomination, Joe Biden's 2007 statement that a "guy who allegedly ... drank his lunch" and drove the truck that struck and killed his first wife and daughter has gained national media traction.
Alcohol didn't play a role in the 1972 crash, investigators found. But as recently as last week, the syndicated TV show Inside Edition aired a clip from 2001 of Biden describing the accident to an audience at the University of Delaware and saying the truck driver "stopped to drink instead of drive."
MORE IN LINK "Since his vice presidential nomination, Joe Biden's 2007 statement that a 'guy who allegedly ... drank his lunch'... more -
Super Heroes Charged with Felony Vandalism?
Ohio NBC 4 Contines Updates on Fathers 4 Justice Crane Protest. There have been unconfirmed reports that police agencies may be mobilizing to take the crane by force to remove Donald Tenn, the last remaining father from a Crane in Columbus Ohio.
Paul Fisher was arraigned earlier this morning after climbing down from the Crane Monday evening for Felony Vandalism, under the accusation that bolt cutters may have been used to gain entry to the crane site where two Fathers 4 Justice members climbed atop a 100ft Crane.
According to Ohio Revised Code 2909.05 under Section (E) the applicable Felony could a be fourth or fifth degree offense brought against the protesters. These technicalities affect the severity of punishment. Along with other overriding provisions of ORC 2929.11 there can be a fine of up to $2500.00.
According to Ohio Revised Code 2909.11 pertaining to felony sentencing ..."The overriding purposes of felony sentencing are to protect the public
from future crime by the offender and others and to punish the offender. To achieve those purposes, the sentencing court shall consider the need for incapacitating the offender, deterring the offender and others from future crime, rehabilitating the offender, and making restitution to the victim of the offense, the public, or both."
Additionally, no matter the outcome of either trial, a conviction, or restitution assignment, nothing in these statutes prohibit the bringing of a civil action for additional damages against any of the alleged suspects or their associates which has been expressly preserved in the Ohio Revise Code under pertinent and numerous sections.
Two quotes come to mind immediately after reading some of the information are these: "In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act" according to George Orwell, but that is quickly followed up by the philosophy of Voltaire in his statement that "It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong." Ohio NBC 4 Contines Updates on Fathers 4 Justice Crane Protest. There have been unconfirmed reports that police agencies may be mobili... more -
Single moms by choice
VIDEO IN LINK
There are options to have a child with an anonymous donor.
Meanwhile People (like myself) arent anonymous, but are left out of their children's lives. But then again theres no Child Support with an anonymous donor....... VIDEO IN LINK There are options to have a child with an anonymous donor. ... more -
Why good dads make moms jealous
Jealousy is one of the main reasons why Parental Alienation happens. People need to get over themselves and think of the children first.
\VIDEO IN LINK Jealousy is one of the main reasons why Parental Alienation happens. People need to get over themselves and think of the children firs... more -
Former same-sex partner gets parental rights
MISSOULA, Mont. - A judge ruled in favor of a woman who sought parental rights to a boy and girl adopted by her former same-sex partner, a decision described as a first for Montana.
Michelle Kulstad sought joint custody of two children — an 8-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl — adopted by Barbara Maniaci. In his ruling Monday, District Judge Ed McLean agreed.
"To discriminate further against Ms. Kulstad because of her sexual preference in this day and age is no different than telling a person to go to the back of the bus because of her skin color," McLean wrote.
Attorneys for both sides have said the same-sex parental rights trial was a first for the state, whose voters in 2004 rejected same-sex marriage by about a 2-to-1 margin.
McLean said Kulstad was a legal parent, even though Maniaci adopted the children — the boy in 2004 and the girl in 2006. The judge said Kulstad must receive joint decision-making authority in the children's lives, including their health care and spiritual upbringing.
Kulstad and Maniaci lived together in the Missoula area for 10 years, raising the children in tandem before ending the relationship in 2006, according to evidence presented at the non-jury trial in May.
Maniaci, who is now married, argued that she and her husband should be able to raise the children as they see fit. She said Kulstad was neither their adoptive parent nor a biological relative.
Austin R. Nimocks, who represented Maniaci, did not return a phone call seeking comment Monday. Nimocks also is senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative legal agency.
Kulstad said she was not listed the adoption records because it is illegal in Montana for same-sex couples to adopt. MISSOULA, Mont. - A judge ruled in favor of a woman who sought parental rights to a boy and girl adopted by her former same-sex partne... more -
The Justice League needs YOUR help... NOW!
Please contact Arnold Schwarzenegger, last action hero, superdad, and governor:
http://gov.ca.gov/interact
URGENT ACTION ALERT -
F4J SUPERHERO Paul Fisher has returned to earth after several days of sky high vigilant advocacy for TRUTH, JUSTICE AND EQUALITY in Family law. Will his noble crusade be foiled by evil dooers, and enemies of freedom and liberty? Please contact the Columbus Jail and ask for the Justice League political prisoner, and how long he will be persecuted for his noble loitering.
At this point the construction site contractor has indicated no enmity toward the F4J Superheros, however we must all act fast, before the crane is once again needed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nJGi3ygZTg
All supporters of F4J and the Justice League's Superhero fathers are urged to contact another superhero and father and ask for his immediate support. Only the LAST ACTION HERO and superdad Arnold Schwartzenegger can save the day for SpiderMan F4J Superhero DonalD Tenn, who has vowed remains lurking above Columbus keeping a watchful eye on injustice and tyranny,and is asking for Arnold to investigate bias and injustice in Family Court in California.
All we are asking of Arnold is for him to support TRUTH, JUSTICE and EQUALITY in family law, and to help get our superhero dad back down to earth to be with his kids.
Spread the word far and wide, please contact Arnold at:
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-445-2841
Fax: 916-558-3160
http://gov.ca.gov/interact Please contact Arnold Schwarzenegger, last action hero, superdad, and governor: http://gov.ca.gov/interact ... more -
Ohio Supreme court lacks due process
The Ohio Supreme Court Fisher Case
Should equal shared parenting be denied simply because the parents hate each other but are otherwise equally fit?
What defines a change in circumstance that would justify denial of equal shared parenting?
Paul’s victorious Fisher Case of the Ohio Supreme Court determined that termination of co-custody requires the same standards as terminating sole custody. While winning the case helped Ohio, it did not help Paul and Demetra. After overturning the judges decision, she simple took away more visitation on the remand as punishment.
On his website Paul writes, “Judge Zitter has issued a new judgment on this case, without holding a new hearing. Mother is awarded full custody, father has visitation for 48 hours every other weekend.
In all her wisdom, Judge Zitter has upheld her previous findings and appended a “change of circumstance” section to comply with the mandate of the Ohio Supreme Court. She also removed incriminating statements against the mother and added new opinons detrimental to the father.
Her choosen change of circumstance is that the father “Apparently changed his intentions.”
Judge Zitter has determined that is in my daughter’s best interest to only have time with me 27 hours a week, on average. Interestingly, she reached this conclusion without a new hearing, using the exact same evidence as her previous determination that 50% parenting time with both parents was in my child’s best interest.” The Ohio Supreme Court Fisher Case ... more -
Man braves thunderstorm while sitting atop a crane
Donald Tenn is a California father who says he “had to take action” for his young daughter Madison. He started his fourth day this morning on a wet construction crane in Columbus Ohio alone. Last night police warned of thunderstorms. John Fowler, national coordinator for Fathers 4 Justice was able to talk activist father Paul Fisher down.
Tenn refused. “I have nothing to lose”, he said through a walkie-talkie. Earlier he told me, “I’ve followed the law, been bounced back and forth between states, and been falsely accused of domestic violence. I finally won visitation in Illinois. The judge even reprimanded her mother. I had one visit. That’s it. She’s able to use services funded by the Violence Against Women Act to illegally keep me from my daughter.”
Until Madison’s mother illegally abducted her to Illinois, Tenn was her stay-at-home parent. It’s Madison he worries about, not himself. He says she’s being hurt by the family court system and he has to protect her. A member of Fathers 4 Justice, the gender-neutral civil rights group fighting for equal parental rights, he says he won’t come down until Governor Schwarzenegger agrees to a nonpartisan investigation into the family court system. Calls to the Governor’s office have yet to be returned.
Tenn’s Sacramento phone rings off the hook at all hours of the day. Friends say he always makes time to listen to parents trying to avoid or recover from the devastation of losing contact with their children. When he isn’t grieving for his own little girl Madison, he says, his heart aches for the thousands of other parents he knows who are experiencing the same thing.
Tenn has been sending Madison packages in the mail about 3 times a week. “I’ve probably sent over 300 packages so far,” he told me recently, “they include books, healthy snacks, small toys and stickers. She loves stickers”
When asked if he wants to keep Madison away from her mother when this is resolved, he says, “no.” “I’ve always wanted equal custody, equal parenting and equal responsibility, for each of us.” Asked if his case was unique he replied,”I’ve traveled the country talking to other parents. And what I hear all the time, from mothers and fathers, is that they want equal parental rights, equal physical and legal custody.” Donald Tenn is a California father who says he “had to take action” for his young daughter Madison. He started his fourth day this mo... more
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Parental Rights
