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Washington Times Slams Lifetime’s Deadbeat Dads
 “[N]oncompliance with court-ordered visitation is three times the problem of noncompliance with court-ordered child support. In short, lousy moms outnumber deadbeat dads 3-1.”–Washington Times editorial, 5/18/09
In a new editorial, the Washington Times gets it right on Lifetime’s Deadbeat Dads and on the divorce wars in general. Fathers & Families communicated with a couple of the members of the Washington Times editorial staff concerning our Campaign Against Lifetime TV’s New Reality Show Deadbeat Dads, and it is to the paper’s credit that they picked up on it and wrote such a fine editorial.
I suggest you write a Letter to the Editor to the Washington Times about Anti-Dad bias–Why is the father always the villain on American TV? (Washington Times, 5/18/09) by clicking here.
Fathers & Families Commends Bristol Palin for Deciding to Co-Parent with Teen Father Levi Johnston
 Levi Johnston, the teenage father of Bristol Palin’s 4-month-old son Tripp, has fought to be a father to his child, taking his case to the media via the Today Show, Larry King Live and others. Johnston claimed (and the Palins backhandedly acknowledged) that his access to his son was restricted, and that the Palins weren’t allowing him to take his child out of their home for visitation, effectively requiring all visitation to be supervised by them.
Now People magazine and others have reported that Bristol Palin has changed her mind, saying, “I’d love for Levi to be a part of [Tripp’s] life,” and following through on her commitment. Todd Palin, Tripp’s grandfather, says, “They’re working out a schedule…I know both of them will love and care for their son together.”
Bristol Palin should be commended for her decision–research shows that father involvement is critical for children.
Levi’s dad, Keith Johnston, told People that his son is a devoted and “proud father.”
Levi said his son means “everything” to him.
“He’s my little boy. I don’t know what I’d do without him,” he said. “When I hold him, it’s an amazing feeling. I just shake.”
Judge Judy Rails Against False Accusers
 “It’s so infuriating to me because there are women who worked very hard for decades to create a system where domestic violence is serious business and people respond to it in a serious way, and when women use it as a weapon not a shield it’s offensive.”–Judge Judy
Many activists have emailed me about a recent incident on Judge Judy where Judy criticizes a female litigant for “manipulating the [domestic violence] system” against her former fiancée, the father of her child.
We’ve often discussed the widespread problem of women making false claims of domestic violence as custody maneuvers against innocent fathers. Yet as much as I planned on watching gleefully as Judge Judy ripped into a false accuser, I wind up disappointed in her.
Judge Judy may well be right that the woman is lying, but she never gave the woman a chance to present the evidence to back up her claim that her fiancée had physically abused her. The way Judge Judy berates the woman and cuts her off reminds me of the way many fathers report that judges treat them.
The woman litigant is certainly no angel, and I’m skeptical about her DV claim since she was the one who went over to her ex’s at 4 in the morning to confront him. Regardless, she should have at least been listened to and allowed to present her case...
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