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Erectile
Dysfunction? Hair Loss? The Men's Renaissance
Health Centers Can Help
The Men's Renaissance Health Centers are
a specialty medical facility dedicated to
the treatment of Men's Sexual Health, Hair
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MRHC features the latest "Star Lux" Laser
technology for Facial Rejuvenation and Hair
Removal. Call (866) 398-6086 for
more info., and mention Glenn Sacks to receive
special rates.
Erectile
Dysfunction? Confidential Consultations,
Noninvasive Solutions
Men's Renaissance Heath Center specializes
in confidential consultations on Erectile
Dysfunction, Premature Ejaculation and Sexual
Potency. Unlike other clinics that focus
the patient on one invasive procedure featuring
constant injections, MRHC starts with a
thorough exam by a medical doctor and seeks
to find the most appropriate and least invasive
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medications and devices, the MRHC makes
the process of recovering youthful performance
levels comfortable and rapid. Call (866)
398-6086 for more info., and mention
Glenn Sacks to receive special rates.
Hair Loss? Follicular Unit Transplantation
is the New Gold Standard
Follicular Unit Transplantation is the
newest technique of permanent surgical hair
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patient's life. Call (866) 398-6086
for more info., and mention Glenn Sacks
to receive special rates.
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New
York State NOW Says Family Courts Are 'Awarding
Custody to Abusers'
Background:
Around Mother's Day the National Organization for
Women, the Family Violence Prevention Fund, and
a dozen other women's groups signed on to a complaint
filed against the United States with the Inter American
Commission on Human Rights. The complaint claims
that American courts victimize abused mothers by
"frequently awarding child custody to abusers."
The New York State Chapter of the National Organization
for Women recently announced its support for the
Mother's Day legal complaint. Marcia A. Pappas
(pictured), President of NOW-NYS, says New York
family courts are "awarding custody to abusers"
and that the problem is widespread. NOW-NYS says
for the past two years it has "co-hosted a national
Battered Mothers Custody Conference, attended
by over 400 people, the majority of whom are protective
mothers."
I've looked into the three most highly-publicized
cases featured by the
BMCC and NOW-NYS--the Genia Shockome case, the
Sadia Loeliger case, and the Bridget Marks case.
In each case, we were told that a fit, loving, protective
mother was stripped of custody by an abusive father.
When I first started looking into these cases,
I figured there probably were some where the mothers
really were mistreated. I still think those cases
are out there, but I haven't found them yet. Neither
the Shockome case, the Loeliger case, nor the Marks
case fit the NOW/BMCC "protective mother losing
custody to abusive father" model. None even came
close.
In the
Loeliger case, it was the mother who
had been found culpable of child abuse by a California
juvenile court. The father got custody not due to
family court machinations, as the mother's supporters
claimed, but because the juvenile court removed
the little girl from the mother's care because of
the physical abuse.
In the Marks case, all five judges who heard
the case, male and female, concluded that she had
coached her little girls into asserting that they
had been molested by their father.
In the Shockome case, the mother's absolute refusal
to co-parent with her ex-husband led the courts--eventually,
after giving her many chances--to transfer custody
of the kids from Genia to her ex-husband.
I explained all of these cases in more detail
in my co-authored column
Shockome Syndrome. Sadia Loeliger was featured
in the PBS film
Breaking the Silence, and the producers
of the film were
forced to apologize to Sadia's ex-husband for
their misportrayal of the case.
To read NOW-NYS's new statement, click
here. To learn more about these cases, click
here.
To discuss this issue on my blog, click
here.
The
American Coalition for Fathers and Children
The American Coalition for Fathers and Children
is dedicated to creating a family law system
which promotes equal rights for all parties
affected by divorce. Contact the ACFC at
1-800-978-3237 or visit them on the web
at www.acfc.org.
Parenting Plan Calendar Software
Shared
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|
The
Feminists Are Right This Time
Feminists
claim that the men's and fathers' movement is riddled
with woman-haters. They're wrong, but certainly
not completely wrong, and below is an excellent
example. It was posted on one of the major men's
sites. Out of respect for their founder and his
work, I won't name the site.
The news/blog entry was written by "MrReality"
and is called "Blood Diamonds: How women fund the
enslavement of black men and boys." MrReality bases
some of his assumptions on
this article, and writes:
"For years one of the biggest of fantasies for
women has been the wedding. A much bigger fantasy
though is what comes as a result of the wedding:
A large diamond ring. Let's be honest, how many
times have you seen women meet 'the bride' right
after the wedding and say 'Let me see the ring!'
The wife then flutters he hand around the misandric
circle of women showing off her blood diamond.
"The sad truth is that African MEN are forced
into slavery in order for the new wife (a member
of the royal sex) to walk around and showcase her
new diamond. Which many times means more to her
than the marriage itself.
"How many times have you heard women claim they
wish they could have 'kept the ring' once they divorced
the husband. It has recently been proven that all
diamonds are in-fact 'conflict diamonds' and thus
any woman that nags her soon-to-be schmuck husband
for one is a slave-master, just like her sisters.
I would advise that no man buy a woman a diamond."
There are so many anti-woman distortions in this
article that it's hard to know where to start. MrReality's
first assumption is that western women who want
diamonds are creating the horrendous conditions
in the diamond mines of Africa. But the consumer
doesn't create the conditions under which a product
is produced--the company producing it does. What
African diamond miners need is not a boycott of
diamonds but instead a strong labor union. In South
Africa, black labor unions--particularly the miners'
union--were powerful, improved conditions for workers,
and helped bring down apartheid.
In MrReality's mind, when a bride shows off her
ring it's a "blood diamond" and when a group of
women admire her diamond they are "misandric" (anti-male).
Women--whom MrReality dubs women "the royal sex"
and "slave masters"--apparently don't care about
their marriages, only their diamonds. These assumptions
are bigoted and unfair.
I wrote about the problem of misogyny in the
men's movement in my column
Confronting Woman-Bashing In the Men's Movement
(iFeminists.com, 4/2/02).
To discuss this issue on my blog, click
here.
Jeff Leving's New Book--Divorce
Wars
Jeffery M. Leving, one of America's
most prominent divorce lawyers,
has written a new book on how to
win any divorce fairly, even when
your spouse brings out the heavy
artillery.
Divorce Wars: A Field Guide to the
Winning Tactics, Preemptive Strikes,
and Top Maneuvers When Divorce Gets
Ugly provides essential advice
on everything from picking the right
lawyer and devising a winning settlement
strategy to getting the most from
your day in court and dealing with
an ex-spouse.
Divorce Wars is available
here.
Help, Resources for Dads
The
National Fathers' Resource Center
is a division of
Fathers For Equal Rights, Inc.
(FER), located in Dallas, Texas,
with offices in both Dallas and
Houston. In existence for over three
decades, it has services and resources
for dads nationwide and is one of
the largest and most active fathers'
rights organizations in the U.S.
www.fathers4kids.org
|
|
A
Crucial Point Missed in the Anne Heche/Coleman Laffoon
Custody Battle
As
so often happens, the media has missed a crucial
aspect of the Anne Heche (pictured)/Coleman Laffoon
custody battle. The story below explains that the
two are battling over custody of their five-year-old
son Homer.
I have no particular knowledge nor opinion of
either parent's character or of much else about
them. But there is a very important distinction
between the two's behavior here, even though the
media isn't saying much about it, and it's just
thrown in here at the end of the story.
Laffoon is asking for joint custody, Heche is
asking for sole custody. In other words, Laffoon
wants (or at least is willing) to co-parent his
kid with Heche. By contrast, Heche wants full control
and little or no role for Laffoon. There is a
massive moral distinction to be made between
the two positions, and the media misleads when it
ignores this in favor of cliches about "angry custody
battles" and "bitter divorces."
Anne Heche Battles Ex for Son
5/24/07
Jess Boettger
In the latest high profile custody battle, Anne
Heche is duking it out with ex-hubby Coleman Laffoon.
The couple's five-year-old son, Homer, is the top
prize. The embittered exes have begun to take the
Alec Baldwin-Kim Basinger approach to the matter:
bashing each other's credibility as a parent. Heche
has flung accusations at Laffoon that he made "heinous
false statements" in trying to wrongfully depict
her as a bad mother. Laffoon accused his actress
ex of leaving their son in the hands of a procession
of nannies while she traipsed off to Vancouver,
where her new TV show, Men in Trees, films.
In retaliation, the actress has done the only
sensible thing: sling mud right back. She accuses
her ex of carting the boy off to preschool or dropping
him into the hands of nannies and babysitters, so
that his busy hands are freed up to take up ping-pong,
poker, backgammon, and the occasional internet porn
site. She goes so far as to say that her ex-hubby
allows the five-year-old boy to join in when he
hosts his weekly poker game.
Laffoon filed for divorce on February 2, and
is asking for $30,000+ monthly in spousal support
and joint custody. Heche is not asking for spousal
support if she wins, and demands sole custody.
To discuss this issue on my blog, click
here.
Tell
Jennifer Roback Morse Your Story About What Dads
Do
From
Jennifer Roback Morse, Ph.D:
"Fathers do not get the credit they deserve in
the raising of children. The courts downplay them,
the feminists dismiss them, and they media diss
them. Even the social scientists who know from their
data that dads matter, often can't quite put their
finger on why. The kinds of things social science
can measure, such as time spent doing different
activities and parenting styles, don't necessarily
capture what dads do.
"Between now and Father's Day, I plan to publish
stories that illustrate the many, sometimes intangible,
contributions of fathers to child development."
Jennifer has asked me to ask my readers for stories
about "What Dads Do." If you're interested in submitting
stories to Jennifer, click
here.
 |
Online Dating Rights
Online Dating Rights
opposes the new federal
International Marriage Broker
Regulation Act, which requires
Americans who seek to meet
foreigners via the internet
to have a criminal background
check and an intrusive report
about intimate details of
one's life BEFORE any communication--the
first time in US history
that such checks have been
required.
www.onlinedatingrights.com
|
Experience the Book that Dares to
Scream the Inner Thoughts of Men
Author Tom Ellis unleashes his savage
wit on women's studies, gender norming,
implants, affirmative action, rape
hysteria, pornography, women's spirituality,
homophobia, and bad dates. Intended
for male readers, women also find
it shockingly insightful. Contains
adult situations and language.
The Rantings of a Single Male:
Losing Patience with Feminism, Political
Correctness... and Basically Everything
by Thomas Ellis -- $11.95 + shipping
from Amazon via direct purchase--click
here. |
|
Australian
Court Decides to Whom an Engagement Ring Belongs
I
think the Australian court made the right decision
here when asked to answer the question "Who gets
the ring when an engagement is called off?" The
answer is, of course, "him."
The story on the Australian engagement ring court
decision is below. I guess I should be surprised
that a woman had a $10,000 ring thrown away out
of spite, but I've been reading divorce stories
too long to be surprised over anything an angry
woman does during a breakup.
The woman's father, who was complicit in the
destruction of the expensive ring, also deserves
condemnation. Given his behavior, it's not hard
to see why the woman turned out the way she did.
Australian Court Rules Woman Must Pay for Tossed
Engagement Ring
Saturday, May 19, 2007
It was to be their big, fat Greek wedding.
It turned out to be his big fat compensation
after the ring ended up in a dustbin.
And a big fat, age-old question has been answered
by a court: Who gets the ring when an engagement
is called off? The answer: Him.
In early August 2005, Vicki Pappas and Andrew
Vacopoulos were blissfully in love. The couple,
in their late 20s, exchanged rings at their Sydney
engagement party.
Just 10 days later they were parting. The intended
bride removed her A$15,500 (£6,000) ring from her
finger and placed it on a coffee table in front
of members of her family, telling her distraught
fiance: "The wedding is off. Here, take the ring,
I don't want it."
Her jilted fiance responded: "I do not want the
ring. It is a gift for you. You can keep it."
After about half an hour he left.
Some six weeks later Pappas's former
fiance called
her at work, declaring his love for her and saying
that he wanted her back. Unimpressed, she called
her father and asked him to gather up and throw
away all the gifts Vacopoulos had given her--including
her engagement ring.
Her father obliged, prompting an anguished e-mail
to Pappas from her ex-fiance which said: "Your dad
said that he tore up my photos and threw the ring
in the garbage. Why is this happening? I don't want
it to happen."
Enraged by the disposal of the engagement ring,
Vacopoulos went to court, seeking orders that his
intended bride repay the cost of the ring.
Couples everywhere might take notice of the magistrate's
finding: If an intended bride rejects her fiance's
ring, she forfeits the right to claim the item as
a gift. And much less the right to put it in the
rubbish bin.
To read more and to discuss the issue on my blog,
click
here.
Fathers'
Rights Legal Help
If you need help with divorce, child custody,
child support, alimony and visitation issues,
The Law
Offices of Jeffery M. Leving, Ltd. is
one of the only law firms in the country
focused almost exclusively on fathers' rights
in divorce. Leving did heroic work on the
Elian Gonzalez case, helping reunite Elian
with his father. He also co-authored Illinois'
Joint Custody Law, and was named one of
"America's Best Lawyers" by Forbes Radio.
Leving is the author of
Fathers' Rights: Hard Hitting and Fair Advice
for Every Father Involved in a Custody Dispute.
Call today for an initial consultation (312)
807-3990 or visit us on the web at
www.dadsrights.com.
|
Has Your Career Been Impacted by
Custody Issues?
After empowering people's careers
for over 20 years, I was duly initiated
into family law just like you--through
a 30 month, $520,000 custody suit.
I learned that a solid home-based
business could be the best option,
allowing one to shake the financial
shackles while still experiencing
a "no limits" career. More than
ever, our kids now need a free and
available parent. Be there for them...and
for yourself. Darrell W. Gurney,
www.EntrepreneurFromHome.com.
|
|
Marilyn Manson on his Ex-Wife: 'I was no
longer supposed to be a rock star...I was
someone who had to be apologized for'
"She
said she had tolerated the lifestyle because
she hoped I would change and threatened
to leave if I didn't. I was sleeping on
the couch in my own home. I was no longer
supposed to be a rock star. I was someone
who had to be apologized for."--rock singer
Marilyn Manson
I know very little about rock singer
Marilyn Manson, but the above quote typifies
something I've seen many times. A woman
marries a man and is determined to change
him. When he doesn't change, she's mad.
(And if he does change, she might not find
him attractive anymore, but that's a different
story).
This exemplifies several qualities not
uncommon in women which, when they arise
in men, are usually called "abusive." These
include: the belief that you and only you
know what's best for your spouse; the belief
that it's your spouse and only your spouse
who must change; and the belief that the
glaring spotlight should only be shined
on your spouse's faults and never on yours.
I discussed this issue in my co-authored
column
Men Blamed for Marriage Decline but Women's
Relationship Wounds Often Self-Inflicted
(Chicago Tribune, 1/21/07).
I might also add the following--Manson
beat out odds of a million to one to get
where he is. His ex-wife, Dita Von Teese
(pictured) is a model/burlesque dancer.
Why is he supposed to be ashamed?
Manson says the divorce left him emotionally
devastated but he doesn't know how lucky
he really is--at least they didn't have
kids.
To be fair, it is quite possible--if
not likely--that Von Teese has very legitimate
grievances against Manson, too. My point
is not that Manson is a saint and that Von
Teese is a witch. My point is that the overcritical
nature Manson accuses Von Teese of having
is a common problem for married men, and
often leads to divorces.
Manson is now apparently involved with
a young woman, and that often is interpreted
very differently by men and women. The woman
interprets it as "he's dumping me for someone
younger." The man interprets it as "I've
found someone who likes me as I am and isn't
so critical." Both views have legitimacy.
The Associated Press article is below.
S. Fla.'s Marilyn Manson says failed marriage
`destroyed' him
May 18, 2007
NEW YORK -- Marilyn Manson says he was
devastated over the breakup of his marriage
to model and burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese.
"I was completely destroyed. I had no
soul left," the 38-year-old glitzy goth
rocker says in Spin magazine's June issue,
on newsstands May 29. "I define myself as
a person, a human, an artist, as someone
who makes things -- writing, painting, music
-- and I couldn't do anything."
Manson, whose real name is Brian Hugh
Warner, grew up in South Florida and once
attended Broward Community College, married
Von Teese in November 2005. She filed for
divorce last December.
"She said she had tolerated the lifestyle
because she hoped I would change and threatened
to leave if I didn't," Manson says.
"I was sleeping on the couch in my own
home. I was no longer supposed to be a rock
star. I was someone who had to be apologized
for. I wasn't prepared to be alone. I came
out of this naked, a featherless bird."
To read more and to discuss this issue
on my blog, click
here.
The Business of Love
50% of 1st marriages fail,
the rate of marriage has
declined 48% in 40 years,
single households now outnumber
married households...if
there ever was a time for
a radical, new approach
to marriage, it's NOW.
The Business of Love,
by Dr. John Curtis, an organizational
development consultant and
former marriage counselor,
is the first book to show
how to take the same "best
practices" that build successful
businesses and apply them
to an intimate relationship.
Learn more at
www.TheBusinessofLove.org.
Help for Michigan Dads
Michigan family law
attorney Mindy L. Hitchcock
has experience fighting
for noncustodial parents
against Michigan's abusive
FOC. Her
holistic approach to
divorce gets results for
her clients while avoiding
the scorched earth approach
to law that leaves families
emotionally and financially
devastated.
Lady4Justice.com
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As Usual, Feminist Blogger Amanda Marcotte
and Her Followers Are a Lot Smarter Than
Me...
Background:
In my May 8 blog post
Cadillac Thinks Humiliating Men Is Great
Revenge--and Adweek Agrees (Video
Available). I wrote:
"Another female 'revenge' commercial.
In the Cadillac commercial 'Khakis' a female
boss revels in humiliating and intimidating
her male subordinates--and only her male
subordinates. Adweek, one of the
two leading advertising industry publications,
evidently thinks it's great, naming the
commercial one of its Best Spots of the
Year 2006."
To watch the commercial, see my original
post or click
here.
Feminist blogger Amanda Marcotte criticized
my criticism of this Cadillac ad in a
blog post recently. She writes:
"Glenn Sacks thinks the ad is about humiliating
men, as well. Not sure what is supposed
to be so humiliating--that women with power
can be sexy or that a woman got a promotion
at all. It's a definite symptom of one of
the disconnects between MRAs and reality.
Ads like this are helping their cause by
minimizing the situation when a woman in
a workplace gets treated like she doesn't
belong, but they are so completely humiliated
by the very fact that the ad portrayed the
woman having power at all, they don't even
see it."
As usual, Amanda is far ahead of me,
deeply analyzing and rooting out my twisted
thinking and unconscious sexism. In my mind,
I had reacted against the commercial because
the ad applauds women who humiliate men.
Were the commercial to applaud a male boss
who humiliates his scared female employees,
I would find it just as offensive, except
that we all know that no commercial of this
type exists.
Marcotte writes:
"[For Sacks] Not sure what is supposed
to be so humiliating--that women with power
can be sexy or that a woman got a promotion
at all."
Again, Amanda roots out the deeper evil
in my heart. In my mind, the fact that the
woman is attractive is irrelevant--were
it an unattractive woman humiliating male
employees my reaction would be the same.
I've no problem with the woman who "got
a promotion" or with women in positions
of power in general. More power to them,
but that doesn't change their responsibility
to treat their employees humanely and fairly.
The woman boss in the Cadillac commercial
does neither.
Marcotte says that we are "completely
humiliated by the very fact that the ad
portrayed the woman having power at all."
No, it's her abuse of power which
I find humiliating. I've had male bosses
and female bosses and have generally gotten
along with both, and have never seen much
difference (positive or negative) between
the two. But any boss who enjoys humiliating
his or her employees deserves a comeuppance
(a function labor unions used to fill),
not applause.
On another note, much of Amanda's post
and the discussion surrounding it concern
an
article written by Henry Makow Ph.D.
a couple weeks after my blog post was written.
Makow writes:
"It's part of an ongoing Psychological
Operation waged by the London-based central
banking cartel designed to destroy heterosexuality
and the family. The bankers perceive real
men as a threat to their plan for world
government tyranny. General Motors and other
multinationals are all singing from the
banker's homosexual/lesbian songbook."
Love me or hate me, I certainly don't
want to be lumped in with Makow's views
on gays, and anyone even slightly familiar
with my work and Makow's knows that we're
oceans apart on this and many other issues.
I'm supportive of gay rights, though I don't
write about it very often. Some examples
can be found
here and
here.
To discuss this issue on my blog, click
here.
Dr.
Warren Farrell's
Shared Parenting
Evidence
Kit--What
You Need
to Win Shared
Physical
Custody
Dr. Warren
Farrell,
a top expert
on children
of divorce
now offers
a complete
evidence
kit to help
you win
shared custody.
The DVDs,
audio CD
and electronic
files summarize
the best
scientific
research
available
collected
over decades.
Scientific
research
has proven
that children
do far better
with near
equal time
with both
parents
with minimal
conditions.
This video
set was
developed
to educate
parents,
judges,
lawyers,
psychologists
and other
divorce
professionals.
Most judges
are doing
exactly
what is
worst for
children
with sole-custody.
Submitted
as evidence
this will
maximize
your chances.
Divorce
Reform groups
call(508)
381-1450
to use as
fundraiser.
www.BestInterestofChildren.org |
|
|
Help for Los Angeles/Ventura County
Dads
Certified Family Law Specialist
Peter M. Walzer was one of the key
figures in our successful legislative
struggle to preserve the LaMusga
move-away decision. As Chair of
the State Bar of California Family
Law Section Executive Committee,
Walzer lobbied the state legislature
to improve California laws on child
support and child custody. He's
an American Academy of Matrimonial
Lawyers Fellow who has authored
numerous articles on custody issues,
business valuation in marital dissolutions
and spousal and child support.
www.California-Divorce.com
|
|
Boys and the Boy Crisis--Third
National Men's Equality Congress,
July 13-14 in Washington D.C.
Boys and the Boy Crisis, the
Third National Men's Equality Congress,
will be held July 13-14 in Washington
D.C. The speakers list is great--perhaps
the best I've ever seen at a conference.
Speakers include:
1) Matt O'Connor--leader of the
English fathers' group
Fathers 4 Justice. O'Connor
has done more than anybody to raise
awareness of the terrible social
problem of children being separated
from their fathers after divorce
or separation.
2) Christina Hoff Sommers--author
of the books
The War Against Boys: How Misguided
Feminism Is Harming Our Young Men
and
Who Stole Feminism?.
In
The War Against Boys,
Sommers asserts, "It's a bad time
to be a boy in America," and takes
a hard look at the boy crisis and
the misguided policies which have
helped create it.
Who Stole Feminism?
is a devastating expose of the way
feminists have disseminated misinformation
about men and gender issues via
the media and academia, and helped
poison our popular culture against
men.
3) Warren Farrell--the intellectual
wellspring of the men's movement,
and the author of
Father & Child Reunion,
the
Myth of Male Power,
and others. Farrell is also an expert
on shared parenting--to watch Warren
speak, click on
Warren Farrell's Case for Shared
Parenting (Video).
4) Paul Nathanson and Katherine
Young, co-authors of
Spreading Misandry: The Teaching
of Contempt for Men in Popular Culture
and
Legalizing Misandry: From Public
Shame to Systemic Discrimination
Against Men.
5) Stephen Baskerville--president
of the
American
Coalition for Fathers and Children
and author of the soon-to-be
released book
Taken into Custody: The War
Against Fatherhood, Marriage, and
the Family.
6)
Glenn Sacks--men's and fathers'
issues columnist, commentator, talk
show host and blogger.
To register for the conference,
click
here.
There will also be three 2+ hour
pre-conference workshops, one conducted
by Matt O'Connor, one by Warren
Farrell, and one by Glenn Sacks.
The workshops will start Friday
morning and conclude prior to the
conference opening that evening.
These workshops will allow the
speakers to go into greater detail
and allow participants to spend
more time with our speakers. The
pricing for early registrants will
be $33 for each workshop. Attending
these workshops is extra and separate
from the conference. People can
choose to go to none, one, two or
all three.
To sign up for 'early bird' prices
for these workshops and/or to register
for the conference, click
here.
The mover and shaker behind these
conferences is Tom Golden, LCSW,
a Washington DC-area men's activist.
Golden does an excellent job--both
of the previous conferences he's
held were well-attended and well-organized.
To discuss this issue on my blog,
click
here.
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Help for Colorado Dads
As someone who has personally experienced
the heartbreak of divorce and family
breakup,
Brett W. Martin, Esq. works
to advance the interests and concerns
of fathers in domestic and family
law litigation. Personal attention
is given to clients to help them
through a very difficult time in
their lives.
www.brettwmartin.com |
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Once
Again, the Female Criminal Justice Sentencing Discount
Background:
I've discussed the
kid
gloves treatment the criminal justice
system gives women on numerous occasions. The most
recent example is the Lisa Nowak case--to learn
more, see my co-authored column
Scott Peterson in a Space Suit (Philadelphia
Daily News, 2/26/07) and also click
here and
here.
Both the man and the woman in the story
Lovers' 30-year murder sentence (BBC,
5/18/07) deserve little more than a rope and a tree,
but I can't help but notice the gender bias in sentencing
here.
The husband and his lover plotted to kill the
man's wife. The husband urged his girlfriend to
commit the crime, but physically played no role
in the murder. The girlfriend stabbed the man's
wife 16 times with a knife. Yet the husband got
an 18 year sentence and the girlfriend--the one
who actually committed the murder--got only 12 years,
partially because she cooperated with prosecutors,
but also because she's a woman, and women are treated
with kid gloves by the criminal justice system.
Also, when a man and a woman commit a crime together,
the state is more likely to offer a deal to the
woman to testify against the man than vice versa.
A cheating husband and his lover have
been jailed for a total of 30 years for
plotting and murdering his wife.
Stephen Marsh, 36, was sentenced to 18 years
for persuading Rebecca Harris, 30, to stab his wife
Jaspal to death at the marital home in Gorseinon,
Swansea.
Harris was given a 12-year sentence for carrying
out the July 2006 murder.
Passing sentence at Swansea Crown Court, Judge
Roderick Price said: "It was a well-planned killing
- I'm tempted to say an execution."
To read more and to discuss this issue on my
blog, click
here.
Disabled
Man Pays Most of His Disability Check in Child Support
for Kids Who Aren't HisFathers' rights
activists and divorced fathers are often stereotyped
as angry, "mad dads," and there's certainly truth
to this stereotype. What many fail to ask, however,
is why these men are so angry. I receive
horror stories from screwed-over fathers all day
long and have become pretty jaded, but the one below,
from Bill, struck me.
Is there anyone who can honestly say that Bill
was treated anything but unfairly? Is there anyone
who can honestly say that, were they in this man's
position, they wouldn't be "angry"?
From Bill:
"I have been paying child support since 1986
on TWO children who are not mine, both of which
were proved to be not mine by blood tests. The problem
is that in Wisconsin (where I divorced) - and, I
have no doubt, most other states - [in most cases]
the man she is married to when she gives birth is
legally obligated to pay child support, regardless
of whether he is the father or not. And if (as in
my case) she was sleeping around with anything male
whenever the husband wasn't home...the husband is
stuck with paying full support on children he had
no part in fathering.
"Thanks to her promiscuous behavior, I can no
longer get a passport, cannot get any occupational
license I might have otherwise qualified for, and
am trying to subsist on a little over 2/3 of my
disability pension - but at the same time, my FULL
pension is used to calculate my eligibility for
other benefits, so I am not eligible for any of
the support I would be eligible for if the amount
I receive after child support were my full disability
pension."
And just because of this, Bill is "angry"--what
a mean-spirited little man...
To discuss this issue on my blog, click
here.
Attention California Child Support
Obligors
Under the
Compromise of Back Child Support
Program, when money is owed
to the government (not the mother),
the government may compromise on
back child support for up to 90%
off. This law was passed in recognition
of the fact that there have been
many inequitable child support judgments
that can no longer be appealed.
We operate anywhere in California--to
learn more about this program, contact
family law attorney Robert Ackermann
at (310) 442-8240 or at
ChildsupportLA@aol.com.
My Family Has Two Houses...and I'm
Okay
A workshop for children of separation
or divorce in a workbook! In the
privacy of your own home, you can
provide your child with a safe way
of looking at their thoughts and
feelings and help to open
discussion of relevant issues for
them with you. This workbook can
make the difference between your
child surviving your divorce and
thriving despite it! To learn more
about My family has two houses
...and I'm Okay! and to order,
click
here.
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If
the Person Is a Lazy, Over-Consumptive Pig, It Must
Be a Man...

If the person in an editorial cartoon is a lazy,
over-consumptive pig, you can bet 100% that it's
a man. Reading our newspapers, one would think that
only men consume, pollute, or act selfishly.
The cartoon is from Stuart Carlson of the
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
To discuss this issue on my blog, click
here.
How to Stop a Dirty Divorce
Many fathers are very naive
when they walk into family court,
and the results can be disastrous.
Family Law Attorney A.J. Comparetto's
Ultimate Guide to Stopping a Dirty
Divorce teaches you the Dirty
Divorce tricks before they
are played on you. It's a series
of cassettes and videos which teaches
you what judges really want to hear
from you in court, how to keep your
words from being twisted by attorneys,
and how to keep your kids from being
caught in the middle.
www.divorceproblems.com
Help for North Carolina Dads
Steve Monks and
the Monks Law Firm helps North
Carolina dads with all their family
law needs, from preparation of a
simple separation agreement to a
full-blown custody case. The Monks
Law Firm offers a guaranteed fixed-rate
fee upon evaluation of your case--without
the burden of hourly rates hanging
over your head, you can concentrate
on solving your legal problems instead
of worrying about the bill.
www.monkslawnc.com
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Some
Thoughts on Mary Cheney's Baby and the Christian
Right's Hypocrisy
Mary
Cheney's controversial baby (how could a baby be
controversial?) has been born. It's a boy, named
Samuel David Cheney, and his parents are Cheney
and her lesbian partner Heather Poe.
I believe children need both a mother and a father,
so I can hardly be considered a fan of fatherless
parenting, but I'm sure that both Cheney and Poe
will be good, loving parents, and I oppose some
of the anti-gay bigotry that they've endured.
I also oppose many conservative Christian leaders
for whom "family values" means little more than
fighting and/or bashing gays and gay marriage, and
who refuse to "defend the family" by defending fathers
and fatherhood in any meaningful way. To the extent
that the Christian Right does deal with family breakdown,
most prefer to take the easy way out and pretend
it's all men's fault. They are scared to confront
the politically incorrect fact that it is women
who initiate the vast majority of divorces, sometimes
with little compelling reason.
I criticized James Dobson, leader of
Focus on the Family,
over this issue in my blog post
Look
Who's Defending Fathers Now.
To discuss this issue on my blog, click
here.
Help
for Los Angeles/Orange County Dads--Because
They're Your Kids, Too
If you're a dad facing a divorce or separation
and you need quality legal representation
in Los Angeles or Orange County, the Law
Office of David Stone can help. Remember,
they're your kids, too.
www.help4dad.com |
Help
for Georgia Dads
Georgia attorney
Edwin M. Saginar has 36 years of experience
in family law and criminal defense, including
domestic violence. He has seen many spouses
falsely accuse their significant others
of family violence, and knows how to defend
your rights.
www.edwinsaginar.com
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Man
Held in Prison Beyond SentenceI've no
sympathy for William DeCato, a convicted rapist,
but I have a real problem with the extended confinement
law that is now targeting him. These laws--which
allow states to hold people in prison beyond their
sentences if they're deemed dangerous sexual predators--are
becoming more and more common.
Despite what courts might say, to be held in
prison without trial or conviction simply because
the state thinks you might do harm is a violation
of the constitution. Prohibition of such acts goes
back centuries, and is reminiscent of some of the
grievances which led to the English Revolution in
the 17th century.
As despicable as DeCato is, he served his sentence
and should be freed. As a side note, I can't help
but notice the gender bias in these laws, which
seem to disproportionately target men who have committed
crimes against women and/or girls.
The Associated Press article is below.
Rapist fights detention extension
May 17, 2007
CONCORD, N.H. -- Lawyers for a convicted rapist
being held beyond his prison term under a new state
law have asked a judge to dismiss his case.
William DeCato is scheduled for trial on June
4 under a law that allows sexually violent people
to be held beyond their prison sentence if they
suffer a mental abnormality that makes them likely
to commit more sexual violence.
"In the end, this case is nothing more than an
effort ... to extend Mr. DeCato's confinement in
violation of his constitutional rights," public
defender Mark Larsen said.
If a jury finds DeCato guilty of posting an ongoing
threat, he will be held at the prison for treatment
for up to five years at a time.
Larsen told Judge Philip Mangones on Tuesday
that DeCato faces a similar ongoing confinement
in violation of his rights and on thin evidence.
Mangones also heard arguments from William Chapman,
attorney for the Concord Monitor, to postpone DeCato's
trial until the state Supreme Court can settle questions
about public access allowed under the new law. Mangones
has sealed nearly every proceeding in the case,
saying the law requires him to protect DeCato's
right to privacy. The Monitor, Valley News and New
Hampshire Union Leader are challenging that decision
at the state Supreme Court but have been told that
the high court won't rule before DeCato's trial.
DeCato, 51, finished an eight-year prison sentence
in January for attempting to rape an exotic dancer
in Pembroke in 1998. A second sentence for raping
and kidnapping another dancer was deferred, so DeCato
expected to be freed in January because he served
his time.
Instead, DeCato was moved to another part of
the prison under the state's new sexual predator
law, which took effect in January, just before he
was to be freed.
The county attorney's office cited DeCato's refusal
to undergo the prison's sexual offender treatment
during his incarceration.
Larsen told Mangones that the treatment was never
ordered or even recommended as part of DeCato's
sentence and, therefore, should not be a requirement,
since DeCato has served his full sentence. Particularly
unfair, Larsen said, is that the law wasn't in effect
when DeCato refused to participate in the treatment.
To read more and to discuss this issue on my
blog, click
here.
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