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The 'Elian Gonzalez II' Case--In Defense of the
Cuban Father's Right to Raise His Daughter

September 5, 2007

 
His Side with Glenn Sacks Radio Commentary: The 'Elian Gonzalez II' Case

My latest His Side with Glenn Sacks radio commentary for KLAA AM 830 in Los Angeles criticizes the Florida child welfare system for its handling of the "Elian Gonzalez II" case in Miami.

To listen to the commentary, click here.  In my commentary, I explained:

"There's been a lot of media attention focused on the 'Elian Gonzalez II' case in Miami. The battle over a 4-year-old Cuban immigrant girl pits her Cuban father, Rafael Izquierdo, against a wealthy Cuban-American foster family. Just as Elian's father Juan Gonzalez faced numerous unfair hurdles to get his son back, Izquierdo is being manhandled by the child welfare system, in part because of the system's anti-father bias.

"In 2005, the girl's mother brought the girl to Miami from Cuba. The Florida Department of Children & Families removed the girl from her mother's custody in 2006, after an investigation found that the woman's mental illness rendered her an unfit parent. She was placed with a foster family, and Izquierdo came to the US to bring his daughter home.

"Izquierdo has spent months in the US and is still being denied custody of his daughter--an outrageous violation of fathers' rights. Izquierdo should not have to fight to raise his own child. He is a fit father--how and where to raise his daughter is his decision."

To read my views on the original Elian Gonzalez case, see April 22, 7th Anniversary of Elian Gonzalez's Reunion with His Father.

To learn more about the Elian Gonzalez II case, click here.

To discuss this issue on my blog, click here.

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I Discuss the 'Elian Gonzalez II' Case on the Charles Goyette Show in Phoenix (Audio Available)

I discussed the "Elian Gonzalez II" case on the Charles Goyette Show on KFNX News-Talk AM 1100 in Phoenix, Arizona on August 28. We discussed the case in detail, including Florida's (failed) attempts to impugn the character of Rafael Izquierdo, the Cuban father who has come to Florida to get his little daughter and bring her home to Cuba.

The audio of the interview is available--to listen, click here.

To learn more about the case, click here.

 


I Discuss the 'Elian Gonzalez II' Case on the Maria Sanchez Morning Show (Audio Available)

I discussed the "Elian Gonzalez II" case on the Maria Sanchez Morning Show on KKZZ AM 1590 in Ventura, CA today. We discussed the case in detail, including Florida's (failed) attempts to impugn the character of Rafael Izquierdo, the Cuban father who has come to Florida to get his little daughter and bring her home to Cuba. We also discussed the Parental Alienation being practiced by the foster family against Izquierdo.

The audio of the interview is available--to listen, click here.

To learn more about the case, click here.

To discuss this issue on my blog, click here.
 

Erectile Dysfunction? Hair Loss? The Men's Renaissance Health Centers Can Help
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Erectile Dysfunction? Confidential Consultations, Noninvasive Solutions
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Hair Loss? Follicular Unit Transplantation is the New Gold Standard
Follicular Unit Transplantation is the newest technique of permanent surgical hair restoration. With FUT, hair is transplanted from the permanent zone in the back of the scalp into balding areas, using only one's own naturally occurring, individual follicular units. This unique procedure provides what we all want: hair that looks natural throughout, no matter what we do or which way the wind blows. Most importantly, transplanted hair will continue to grow for the rest of the patient's life. Call (866) 398-6086 for more info., and mention Glenn Sacks to receive special rates.


For Labor Day: 'I'm gonna work on these wires, and some of them are live. If I hit the wrong one and start to fry, you pull me out'

I recently stumbled upon an old column of mine which discusses the sacrifices that breadwinner dads--particularly blue collar dads--make for their families. In it, I included a few stories from when I did construction work in my mid-20s. They serve to demonstrate the special hardships that blue-collar men endure to provide for their families, and perhaps will interest the reader.

From my column The Price of Fatherhood--a Father's Reply to Ann Crittenden's 'Mothers' Manifesto' (Los Angeles Daily Journal, San Francisco Daily Journal, 1/10/02):

"[Many men are] financially trapped in a hazardous job--what men's advocate Warren Farrell calls the 'glass cellar of male disposability.' A construction job I worked at when I was young illustrates well the untold cost of fatherhood which many men pay.

"I worked at a nuclear power plant in the South. Every morning we strapped on our tool belts and hard hats, and made the long climb up the rebar skeletal frame of the building. Once we were 50 feet up, we hooked our hook belts around the rebar and then leaned back to work, with most of our weight on that hook belt. Leaving aside the blistering heat, the difficult reaches, and the danger of someone else's tools falling on you, the reality was that your life--minute by minute, hour after hour, day after day--was dependent upon that hook belt.

"One day a journeyman electrician called to me to climb down and help him. He had a rope in one hand and his tool box in the other. We walked over to a large room filled with immense electrical panels. He told me to stand 10 feet behind him and hold the rope. I had no idea why, but I did as I was told. He then made the other part of the rope into a harness, put it on, and said 'I'm gonna work on these wires, and some of them are live. If I hit the wrong one and start to fry, you pull me out.'

"I thought he was joking.

"He wasn't.

"He began to work and every once in a while he would take a tool he was done with and throw it at my feet, saying "hey--you awake? I got three kids to feed and they ain't gonna go barefoot 'cause you aren't payin' attention."

"'No, no, I'm here,' I protested. 'Why don't they turn off the power so you can do this without being in danger?'

"'Company won't do it. Too expensive.'

"'More expensive than your life?'

"'To them.'

"'How come you don't just tell them 'no?''

"'Can't. Got kids to feed.'

"'You could do something else. Go to college.'

"'No money for it--got kids, a wife, a mortgage. Wait 'till you get married and have kids--you'll see.'

"Lunch time was often the time for 'scare the new guy' on workplace injuries and safety. Every man had a horror story to tell, either about what happened to him or what happened to his buddy. The guy who shot his nailgun into a knot in wood and the nail glanced off and nailed his hand to the wall--just before his ladder came out from under him. The guy who sliced his fingers off with a saw and stepped on one as he tried to pick them up one by one. The guy who repaired power lines and hit a live wire while working 20 feet up and is only alive today because his buddy kicked him off the pole..."

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 Ground (R) is an easy-to-use software program designed for divorced parents to track their parenting plan schedules over many years. Do-it-yourself or let us build your approved parenting plan into a multi-year calendar so that you can print, share, or modify the calendar later. Parents, attorneys, arbitrators and mediators can generate equitable parenting plans, which is especially useful for parents seeking fair division of their children's time. FREE ASSISTANCE TO OUR CLIENTS- $49.95 one-time charge, FREE TRIAL & MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE. Click here for more information.


For Labor Day: Mario Cuomo, on His Father

"I watched a small man with thick calluses on both hands work 15 and 16 hours a day. I saw him once literally bleed from the bottoms of his feet, a man who came here uneducated, alone, unable to speak the language, who taught me all I needed to know about faith and hard work by the simple eloquence of his example."

"I talk and talk and talk, and I haven't taught people in 50 years what my father taught by example in one week."--Mario Cuomo, governor of New York, 1983-1994.

To discuss this issue on my blog, click here.

Fathers & Families: Advocacy for the Child-Father Bond
Fathers & Families is a non-profit organization advocating for the right of every child to have two parents. Called by some a "fathers' rights organization," Fathers & Families is made up of men and women who believe that fathers are an essential part of a child's life and that divorce or separation should not change this. www.FathersandFamilies.org 
 
FALSELY ACCUSED IN TEXAS?
Domestic Violence. Child Sexual Assault. Child Protective Services Defense.
Contact the Law Office of Stuckle & Ferguson
www.PaulStuckle.com / falseaccusations@stuckle-ferguson.com

For Labor Day: The Sacrifices Fathers Make to Support Their Families--Billy Joel's 'The Downeaster 'Alexa''

One of the best songs about the sacrifices fathers make to support their families is Billy Joel's "The Downeaster 'Alexa'." The song is about a working-class fisherman who works hard and sacrifices at his dangerous job because "I've got bills to pay and children who need clothes...I've got people back on land who count on me."

The fishermen take pride in doing what needs to be done to take care of their wives and children--"I worked my fingers to the bone/So I could own my Downeaster Alexa/And I go where the ocean is deep/There are giants out there in the canyons/And a good captain can't fall asleep...Tell my wife I am trolling Atlantis/And I still have my hands on the wheel."

Alexa is Billy Joel's daughter. It's a powerful song and video--to listen and watch, click here. Joel wrote it in support of the struggling fisherman of Long Island, where he worked on an oyster boat when he was young.

The Downeaster 'Alexa'

Well I'm on the Downeaster Alexa
And I'm cruising through Block Island Sound
I have charted a course to the Vineyard
But tonight I am Nantucket bound

We took on diesel back in Montauk yesterday
And left this morning from the bell in Gardiner's Bay
Like all the locals here I've had to sell my home
Too proud to leave I worked my fingers to the bone

So I could own my Downeaster Alexa
And I go where the ocean is deep
There are giants out there in the canyons
And a good captain can't fall asleep

I've got bills to pay and children who need clothes
I know there's fish out there but where God only knows
They say these waters aren't what they used to be
But I've got people back on land who count on me

So if you see my Downeaster Alexa
And if you work with the rod and the reel
Tell my wife I am trolling Atlantis
And I still have my hands on the wheel

Now I drive my Downeaster Alexa
More and more miles from shore every year
Since they tell me I can't sell no stripers
And there's no luck in swordfishing here

I was a bayman like my father was before
Can't make a living as a bayman anymore
There ain't much future for a man who works the sea
But there ain't no island left for islanders like me

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


One Strike Against Murderess Mary Winkler Getting Custody of Her Children

Background: Murderess Mary Winkler--who shot her husband in the back and then refused to aid him or call 911 as he slowly bled to death for 20 minutes--walked away a free woman last month after serving a farcically brief "sentence" for her crimes.

Winkler scammed the court with uncorroborated claims that Matthew (pictured with his wife and three daughters) abused her. According to the testimony from Matthew Winkler's nine-year-old daughter, Patricia, the dead father--who as he lay dying looked at his wife and asked "why?"--was a good man and did not abuse her mother.

Winkler at first claimed the shooting was an accident and that she panicked, but after her arrest, she switched to the "abused woman" defense that killer women employ so effectively. There was no evidence or corroboration of her abuse claims, but the jury found her guilty of the lesser crime of voluntary manslaughter. After her conviction, she served a mere week in prison, then two months in a mental health facility. Since Mary Winkler's arrest, the couple's three children have been cared for by Matthew Winkler's parents, who have filed court papers seeking to terminate her parental rights. To learn more about this horrendous injustice, click here.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has denied a request by Mary Winkler to intervene in her custody case, which apparently will make it more difficult for her to regain custody of her kids. The Associated Press article on it is below.

What's really amazing is the way Winkler sees herself as the victim of her murdered husband's parents. Her court pleading reads "The three minor children continue to be withheld from their mother without just cause." "Without just cause?" How about the fact that she shot the children's father in the back and let him slowly bleed to death for 20 minutes? If that's not "just cause" for withholding a child from a parent, what could ever be?

Winkler also whines that the children's "grandfather threatened to call the sheriff if Winkler tried to see the children." What a bastard--I guess he still holds a grudge against Mary for, you know, murdering his son.

State Supreme Court will not intervene in Winkler custody case
Associated Press, 9/4/07

JACKSON, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Supreme Court has denied a request to intervene in a case that will determine whether Mary Winkler regains custody of her three young daughters.

Winkler was hoping the court would the court to stop an attempt by the children's paternal grandparents, Dan and Diane Winkler, to adopt them over their mother's objections.

Winkler gave the grandparents temporary custody of the children in 2006 after she was arrested in the shooting death of her minister husband at the Selmer parsonage where they lived.

Winkler's attorney in the custody case, Kay Farese Turner, did not immediately return a call seeking comment on Tuesday morning.

She has asked a juvenile court in McNairy County to return the children and in April a court appointed guardian testified that the girls could go back to their mother.

But the juvenile court halted its proceedings without a ruling when the grandparents asked a chancery court where they live in Carroll County to terminate Winkler's parental rights and let them adopt the girls.

The filing before the Supreme Court said Winkler has seen her daughters only twice since March 2006 and not at all since September. It claims the grandfather threatened to call the sheriff if Winkler tried to see the children.

"The three minor children continue to be withheld from their mother without just cause resulting in substantial mental and emotional harm to mother and her children," according to the court petition filed last month.

Winkler was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in April. She was freed last month after spending 12 days in jail and about two months at a mental health facility.

The Tennessee Court of Appeals has declined previously to get involved in the custody battle, claiming it did not have jurisdiction over the case.

Help for Midwest Fathers
Cordell & Cordell is one of the largest domestic relations firms for men in the Midwest, representing fathers in Missouri, Illinois, Texas, Kansas, Indiana and Georgia. Men who come to Cordell & Cordell know that their interests and the interests of their children will be aggressively championed. www.cordellcordell.com

Civil War - A Father's Guide to Winning Child Custody
Joseph E. Cordell's Civil War - A Father's Guide to Winning Child Custody  gives fathers clear, easy-to-understand tips on how to achieve the best results possible in a divorce. Comprehensive chapters explain every step of the divorce process, the meaning of legal terms, how courts determine custody, and how to maximize chances of victory at every stage. Cordell is the founder of Cordell & Cordell


Glenn Quoted by Univision Network on Divorced Dads and Their Kids

For Spanish-speaking readers, I was quoted by the Univision network in their recent piece "El rol del padre divorciado--Como mantenerse cerca de los hijos" ("The Role of Divorced Dads--How to Maintain Your Relationship with Your Children").

I discussed the difficulties divorced dads face, in part because of mothers' interference with fathers' relationships with their children. I also discussed the importance of fathers' integrating themselves into their children's school and athletic activities, particularly as the kids get older. I cited the recent Boston College study on the importance of noncustodial fathers in inner-city, minority families.

Though my Spanish is deteriorating steadily as I age and get out of practice, I occasionally appear on Spanish TV or radio. One of the more interesting shows was a special Univision's Aqui y Ahora did on post-divorce move-aways in 2005. The show featured the story of Jose Ceballos, a reader of mine whose little son was moved 1,500 miles away against his will. To watch, click here.

The new Univision piece is El rol del padre divorciado--Como mantenerse cerca de los hijos.

To read more and to discuss this issue on my blog, 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
SAMSONLAW--Divorce Lawyers for Michigan Men & Fathers
If you're a Michigan man faced with divorce, you need SAMSONLAW on your side--SAMSONLAW defends men.
Smart Advocacy Means Stopping Oppression Now. INeedSamson.com

A Candidate for Father of the Year

Many of my readers are fathers who've been locked out of their children's lives after a divorce or separation. That's why we fatherhood/shared parenting advocates are always thrilled when some SOB father who does enjoy joint custody mistreats his children.

Today's case in point, Lucien Hoffman, who (allegedly) left his two year-old daughter in a hot car for two hours while he was.....in a whorehouse. Nice job, pal.

Apparently Hoffman never learned what most dads who have daughters understood the moment our daughters were born--dads are their little girls' protectors.

I'm not sure what Hoffman's punishment will be. (I might suggest a rope and a tree). Fortunately the girl is ok and is now with child protective services--let's hope she's reunited with her mother, ASAP. The article is below, a video of the news report can be found here.

Two Year Old Left In Car While Dad Is In Brothel
September 3, 2007

A two year old is in protective custody Monday after being left in a burning hot car while authorities say her father was in a brothel.

The Storey County sheriff's department said, Lucien Hoffman, was inside the "Mustang Ranch" when deputies arrived Sunday evening.

Security guards were the first to find his daughter, paramedics who then arrived treated her for dehydration.

Authorities say she'd been left, unattended, for about two hours in 95-degree heat.

Hoffman was arrested for child neglect.

He is being held at the Storey County detention facility on 40-thousand dollars bail.

The sheriff's department says Hoffman who's from Bend, Oregon has joint custody of the girl.

To discuss this issue on my blog, click here.

Happily Un-married! Living Together & Loving It!
Living together is becoming widely accepted among all ages. Happily Un-married! is the first book to take a serious & non-judgmental look at helping these couples improve the fitness of their relationships. The rate of cohabitation is skyrocketing--10 million couples, 40% of whom have children. Happily Un-married! helps unmarried couples stabilize and strengthen their relationships. www.cohabitating.org
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

Tim McGraw: 'You've had me wrapped around your finger since the day you were born' (Music Video)

"I remember I thought you looked like an angel wrapped in pink so soft and warm / You've had me wrapped around your finger since the day you were born...

"When you were in trouble that crooked little smile could melt my heart of stone / Now look at you, I've turned around and you've almost grown...

"Sometimes you're asleep I whisper 'I Love You!' in the moonlight at your door / As I walk away, I hear you say, 'Daddy Love You More!'"

Country & Western singer Tim McGraw performs many songs about fatherhood and family, and his words and observations are often dead-on. One example is his song Grown Men Don't Cry--see my blog post Tim McGraw: '...my little girl says 'I love you dad'.

Another is his 2006 song My Little Girl. McGraw has three young daughters. As I'm sure is true for many of you, McGraw's lyrics above are pretty much a perfect description of my relationship with my little daughter. "You've had me wrapped around your finger since the day you were born"--yup, that's about it.

To watch the music video to the song, which was part of the soundtrack to the 2006 movie Flicka, click here. The full lyrics to the song are below.

My Little Girl

Gotta hold on easy as I let you go.
Gonna tell you how much I love you,
though you think you already know.
I remember I thought you looked like an angel wrapped in pink so soft and warm.
You've had me wrapped around your finger since the day you were born.

Your beautiful baby from the outside in.
Chase your dreams but always know the road that'll lead you home again.
Go on, take on this whole world.
But to me you know you'll always be, my little girl.

When you were in trouble that crooked little smile could melt my heart of stone.
Now look at you, I've turned around and you've almost grown.
Sometimes you're asleep I whisper "I Love You!" in the moonlight at your door.
As I walk away, I hear you say, "Daddy Love You More!".

Someday, some boy will come and ask me for your hand.
But I won't say "yes" to him unless I know, he's the half
that makes you whole, he has a poet's soul, and the heart of a man's man.
I know he'll say that he's in love.
But between you and me. He won't be good enough!

To read more and to discuss this issue on my blog, click here.

Alicia M. Crowe's Real Dads Stand Up!
Alicia M. Crowe's new book Real Dads Stand Up! explains what every single father should know about child support, rights and custody. Learn how to exercise your legal rights, avoid 'baby mama drama', navigate the child support system, gain and maintain access to your children, and settle issues without going to trial. www.realdadsstandup.com

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.

Are you or someone you love being abused?
The Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men and Women provides crisis intervention and support services to victims of domestic violence and their families in order to help survivors recover from the trauma of domestic violence. Contact them by clicking here.

When Dad Does It, He's a Deadbeat and a Deserter, When Mom Does It, She's a Hero

"Child advocates on Wednesday hailed the actions of a teenage mother who left her 8-month-old baby girl at a fire station -- even though [the girl] was too old for Florida's so-called safe haven law, which allows parents to leave newborns up to three days old at a hospital, fire station or emergency medical complex anonymously and without the fear of a criminal investigation...

"'I think it was pretty courageous that she recognized that somebody could take care of the baby better than her,' said Scott Lindeman...'[the mother] is very brave,' said Nick Silverio...'She did the right thing.'"

The Orlando Sentinel article below sings the praises of a mother who abandoned her baby at a fire station. I don't exactly fault the mother--she's young and probably distraught and confused--but I think the labels of "bravery" and "courageous" are a little absurd. If it were a father who had abandoned a baby at a fire station, even a young father, the words for him wouldn't be nearly as kind.

I've often wondered why women who give their children up for adoption are often considered heroic ("they gave the child life and then allowed it to go to a good home"), but fathers who feel unequipped to take care of their children are vilified as "deadbeats" and "deserters." I discussed this double standard some in my co-authored column Respect a Man's Choice, Too (8/1/06), written for the left-wing website AlterNet.

The Orlando Sentinel article even expresses sympathy for a mother who called a Florida child welfare agency to ask if they would take her son--who was 12! Imagine a father wanting to dump his 12-year-old kid on the state being treated sympathetically.

Mom praised for leaving baby at fire station
Orlando Sentinel, 8/30/07

Child advocates on Wednesday hailed the actions of a teenage mother who left her 8-month-old baby girl at a fire station -- even though the law designed to save abandoned babies didn't apply to her case.

The little girl, apparently well-fed and cared for, was too old for Florida's so-called safe haven law, which allows parents to leave newborns up to three days old at a hospital, fire station or emergency medical complex anonymously and without the fear of a criminal investigation.

So detectives with the Orange County Sheriff's Office were called in to investigate the 17-year-old mother and the events that led up to her decision to surrender her child before sunrise Wednesday.

"I think it was pretty courageous that she recognized that somebody could take care of the baby better than her," said Scott Lindeman, Orange County coordinator of Safe Haven for Newborns.

Read the full article here.

To discuss this issue on my blog, click here.

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
The LaMusga Company
The LaMusga Company provides customized solutions to assist individuals and business owners in reaching their financial goals. The LaMusga Company is committed to helping you accomplish your long-term financial objectives. LaMusgaCo.com

The Equal Parenting Party in Suffolk County, Nassau County, New York

An announcement from Stuart Meltzer, Esq. of Nassau County, New York:

As a result of my over 18 years experience in the Family, Matrimonial and Criminal Courts in the New York area, I have witnessed a steady decline in Equal Protection and Due Process rights afforded to litigants. Most disturbing is the fact that those people who have the smallest voice and least amount of power in our society, our children, are losing most. Thus, I view as most important, based in law and forensic study, our children's right to liberal access to both a father and mother.

In New York and especially here in Nassau County, I have witnessed corruption as Judges delay cases in order to generate excessive attorney fees. Similarly, I have witnessed Judges use "equitable" distribution as an excuse to engage in outright stealing of marital estates by sequestering and levying on the "monied" litigants assets in order to effectively enrich favored lawyer cronies. These same lawyers are contributing to their Judge benefactors election campaigns. This pattern and practice is being done at the expense of our children. Judges maintain this status quo of unjust enrichment because few litigants have the financial, physical and emotional reserves necessary to fight this injustice.

Moreover, since the Bar Association and Judges protect their own, nothing is done about the destruction of our Constitutional rights or the systemic corruption that underlies this fact. Nearly all of my colleagues acknowledge what is going on but few wish to rock the boat. After all, their own economic livelihoods depend on maintaining the status quo.

To read more and 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 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

Feministing's Jessica Valenti Pushes the Myth That Women Have Always Worked Harder Than Men

In feminist author Jessica Valenti's recent Feministing.com post Clorox's history of women's unwaged labor, she criticizes a Clorox ad which shows generations of women doing the laundry. Jessica (pictured) writes:

"Clorox does end up unintentionally showing how women have been doing household grunt work for generations. The worst line in the commercial says that 'even a man or two' has done the laundry. As if all the women watching are supposed to have some little laugh to ourselves about the inequitable division of labor. 'I do shit work for free, tee hee!'"

When I read feminists say things like this, I wonder where they think the men were. What about the tens of millions of male blue collar workers who put their bodies on the line in the coal mines and steel mills so their wives and children could live in safety and comfort?

What about the tragedies of millions of American men who were killed or maimed on what German socialist Rosa Luxemburg called the "battlefield of labor?" The miners who died in cave-ins, explosions, or of black lung disease. The sailors and fisherman who died at sea. The oil refinery workers killed in explosions. The factory workers killed in industrial accidents. The construction workers who died carving train tracks and then highways through majestic mountain cliffs or the scorching desert. The construction workers who died building our bridges, dams, high rises, stadiums, and apartments.

Feminists (and our popular culture) have forgotten (or buried) all of them. Instead, we pretend that in the old days men had everything and women had nothing.

In the pre-feminist era, women certainly had many legitimate grievances, and some of those grievances remain today. However, men have always sacrificed and suffered for their families and their wives, and there were plenty of wives who had better, easier lives than their husbands did.

Valenti's post can be seen here. The Clorox ad she's unhappy about can be seen here.

To discuss this issue on my blog, click here.
 

Are You the Target of Parental Alienation?
Parental alienation cases are among the most difficult and complicated in family law. J. Michael Bone, Ph.D., is an expert on parental alienation. If you're a target parent, he can help you get back into your children's lives. Bone has worked as a custody evaluator and as a therapist and knows how to help the court find the truth. His services are available throughout the U.S. Dr. Bone can be reached by phone at (407) 645-0662 or by email by clicking here. www.jmbconsulting.org
 
  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

Stop the Presses--Child Support Official Admits the Obvious: 'Deadbeats' Don't Pay Their Support Because They Don't Earn Enough Money

I've been hard on child support officials in the past for their ridiculous pretense that when fathers don't pay their child support, it means that they have the money but are being stingy with their kids. Research shows just the opposite--the fathers who can pay, usually do so. Most who don't pay, can't.

I want to commend child support enforcement in this blog post, so I won't belabor the point. To learn more about the problems with the child support system, see my co-authored column When Beating up on 'Deadbeat Dads' is Unfair (Houston Chronicle, 1/7/07),  or click here.

In this article, David Engle, director of the Washington County Department of Social Services, explains that one of the biggest barriers to paying support is unemployment. He says:

"The No. 1 reason why people can't pay their support is they're not able to find a job, or a job doesn't give them sufficient funds to pay the support," he said.

In another positive, according to this article, "The Hamilton County Juvenile Court and the Child Support Enforcement Agency [in Ohio] is offering a one-week amnesty program where warrants will be dropped if parents appear in court...The appearance erases the warrant, which means they are not subject to immediate arrest. The parents still must appear in court and deal with whatever child support issues were facing them when they did not appear for the original court hearing, but they can start the process fresh, said Brian Gregg, spokesperson for the Hamilton County Job & Family Services, which includes the support agency.

"'They can go out and find an job and start paying,' he said. 'A lot of people show up with a payment, but they don't have to. This is a fresh start.'"

I commend both David Engle and Brian Gregg.

Thanks to child support expert Jane Spies of the National Family Justice Association for the first article. Jane discusses problems with the child support system in her recent article The Myth of the Successful Child Support System.

To discuss this issue on my blog, click here.

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.

How to Win Shared Custody
If you are an active, engaged, committed, dedicated, loving parent facing a divorce, family law attorney Nicholas Palermo's The Ten Essential Elements to Winning Joint Shared Physical and Legal Custody can help you protect your relationship with your children. www.TenEssentialElements.com

Think of Your Light Switch as an ATM Machine
Wouldn't you like to get paid every time you turn on the power?  Find out how you can get paid on thousands of electric bills each month at www.jjsparks.igniteinc.biz


FOX News: Men and Only Men Steal from Their Spouses & Cheat on Them

"Infidelity is nothing new. But more and more women are finding out, when their guys cheat, they also empty out the family bank account. The spouses find out that they are not only alone, but also broke."

The report below from FOX News 11 in Los Angeles is unbelievably gender biased--almost to the point of sounding like a parody. We're given the tales of victim after victim whose husbands allegedly emptied out their bank accounts and deserted them for mistresses.

Interestingly, I hear from men all the time whose wives have siphoned off their money or emptied out their bank accounts in preparation for their divorces. When the men try to explain this to the family court judge, they say usually the judge has no interest in it, and the theft stands.

Listening to this nonsense one would imagine that infidelity was a vice owned exclusively by the male of the human species. In reality, research estimates that for every five unfaithful husbands, there are four unfaithful wives.

To watch the report, click here.

I suppose there could be one element of truth to this report--men probably are more likely to spend money on "The Other Woman" than women are to spend it on "The Other Man." This isn't because the men are more vile, but instead because in most romantic relationships, men--not women--are expected to pay for the vacation, the hotel, the weekend in Vegas, etc.

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
Parental-Alienation-Awareness.com
Stop Parental Alienation--a terrible form of Child Abuse. Eight states have now officially recognized Parental Alienation Awareness Day. To learn more, go to Parental-Alienation-Awareness.com.

'My mom has never been married and I would like a dad'

Background: Charlotte Hardwick's Dear Judge (Kid's Letters to the Judge) is a fascinating collection of letters which children caught in divorces have written to family law judges.

In the letter below, a fatherless young girl writes a judge asking, "If a good dad that is getting kicked out of his family needs a new one, please make sure he sees our picture."


Dear Judge,

I heard on the television that half of the people who get married are getting divorced. I think about half of those people are dads.
 
Some must still be good. My mom has never been married and I would like a dad.
 
Could you put this picture of me and my mom on the front of your desk in the court? If a good dad that is getting kicked out of his family needs a new one, please make sure he sees our picture. If a bad dad sees our picture and asks about us tell him we are not home.
 
I am pretty and a good girl. My mom is pretty and a good mom. We have a house and will get a dog if you think it will help.
 
Thank you, Trish P.

To discuss this issue on my blog, click here.
 

Expose False Allegations with Technology
Don't let the anti-male bias in criminal law victimize you. If you could be falsely accused by an angry woman, be prepared! Use technology to expose the real aggressor. DontMakeHerMad.com



Steven Carlson, the Custody Coach, has helped thousands of parents with child custody.

Steven Carlson's How to Win Child Custody
Are you contemplating divorce or separation but are unsure about how child custody will be determined or what you can expect from attorneys and the family court system? Knowing these things can help you win custody. Steven Carlson is the author of "How to Win Child Custody" and the founder of Child Custody Coach in Orange County, California. Don't get caught unprepared, download your copy of "How to Win Child Custody" today. If you need Steven's Custody Coach services, click here.

'My Violent Ex-Wife Destroyed My Career, then Complains that Her Support Payments Are Insufficient'

Dear Mr. Sacks:

Here's a little parental-alienation horror story you may use as you see fit.

I was married in 1960 and soon had two children. I had a newspaper job in Virginia, but my wife (a New York girl) applied unremitting pressure for us to move back to Manhattan.

It was tough going. I worked a full-time job and did freelance work half the nights in order to keep my children in a private pre-school, then a series of private elementary and secondary schools in Manhattan.

My relationship with my wife got worse and worse, and I finally moved out and sought a divorce. I made every effort to see my children until my wife (who was later diagnosed with psychiatric problems) started physically attacking me on sight. I took the matter to Family Court in Manhattan, but they could/would do nothing to stop the attacks. I saw less and less of my children, who by then were in secondary school.

My wife started calling my employers to tell them of my evil ways. Finally, she started appearing at my work to create scenes. I lost my last job because of this and was unable to find equally remunerative employment for years.

In the meantime, my wife--who was always able to afford legal talent--managed to have my support payments jacked up in a series of ex parte hearings that I never knew about. Worse yet, she was successful in having her and the children's names changed, and I was unable to locate them. (Although I suppose I could have if I had had the money for private detectives.)

[All this reminds me of the classic example of chutzpah: the man on trial for murdering his parents who begs mercy from the court because he is an orphan. In this case, an ex-wife who destroys my career, then complains that her support payments are insufficient; two otherwise rational children who can't understand why, living in Manhattan and having had their names changed, their father doesn't get in touch with them.]

Time went on, and my health declined. After a bad second marriage in which I lost nearly everything, I found myself totally dependent on my Social Security. I moved to China where I have friends and where food, housing, and medical care are cheaper . . . and where, by scrimping, I was able to live on my Social Security.

That is, until I tried to get my passport renewed two years ago . . . and found that I couldn't because of the Bradley Amendment. Still living in China, I used the last of my savings to hire a lawyer to file a petition in Manhattan Family Court to have the support orders vacated, which, of course, can't be done.

Needless to say, this petition was denied--my supposedly knowledgeable lawyer apparently was unaware of the Bradley Amendment.

But at this hearing, my children suddenly showed up (my ex-wife died soon after)...

To read more and to discuss this issue on my blog, click here.

Help for Boston Dads
Boston family law attorney Nick Palermo is a shared custody advocate who believes that divorced dads are parents, not visitors. The Law Offices of Nicholas Palermo is a dedicated and committed trial law firm which has worked to make shared custody for all fit parents the law of the land. LAW OFFICES OF NICHOLAS PALERMO

Los Angeles Dads--Free Legal Consultation on Your Case
If you are involved in a divorce, domestic violence, paternity, child custody or support case in the greater Los Angeles area, call Stephen A. Gershman to schedule your FREE initial one hour consultation at (888) 295-1756 or (818) 990-6505. Gershman is certified as a Specialist in Family Law by the Board of Legal Specialization of the State Bar of California. He is an experienced attorney, over 25 years, who will competently and aggressively defend you against unjust domestic violence restraining orders or unfair financial obligations. When Parental Alienation or custody is an issue, he will help you protect your relationship with your kids. www.losangelesfamilylawyer.com


'Today's dads have a complete inability to discipline their kids...Mom is the primary disciplinarian while Dad treats their kids as equals rather than children'

Martha, a Florida reader, didn't like my column The Price of Fatherhood--a Father's Reply to Ann Crittenden's 'Mothers' Manifesto' (Los Angeles Daily Journal, San Francisco Daily Journal, 1/10/02). The article details the sacrifices that breadwinner fathers make for their children. Martha's letter is below.

Price of fatherhood article

I don't know this "father" you speak of in your article. Most of the dads I know are unemployed or under-employed (not by choice) and if they are working, they sure aren't working a 60 hour work-week. Those who are unemployed aren't picking up the childcare role or even looking for work, but rather expect the mother's salary to cover daycare so the men can "find themselves" during the day.

If the kids are school-aged, they are latchkey kids even though Dad is unemployed. These kids come and go as they please around the neighborhood, with their own key to the house and cell phone. Half the time the parents don't even know where they are and will often call all the homes of their child's friends (if the parent is even aware of who these friends are) and ask you if their child is there.

Today's dads also, for some reason, have a complete inability to discipline their kids, especially their sons. Mom is the primary disciplinarian (if there is any discipline at all in the home), while Dad treats their kids as equals rather than children. This brings disastrous results when these kids become teenagers--I know because this is what we are currently living with in our household and many of my friends as well.

Martha

To discuss this issue on my blog, click here.

Legal Help for Fathers in New Jersey
If you're a New Jersey father facing a divorce or separation, the law firm of Pitman, Pitman, Mindas, Grossman & Lee can help. PitmanLaw.com

Help for Florida Dads
Neil Leavitt, PA helps Florida dads defend their relationships with their children during divorce or separation. Leavitt specializes in family law and has practiced law for nearly three decades. The Law Office of Neil Leavitt can be contacted by phone at (954) 989-5858. 


But If They Break Up I Bet She'll Still Get Custody...

Davidson Howe, whose girlfriend Jessica Sandoval hurled rocks at him as her held their baby, had better make sure he keeps Jessica happy. If not, she'll dump him and--I bet--win custody of the baby.

Men often have to appease angry or violent women if they want to stay in their kids' lives. In my co-authored column Can Abolishing Sole Custody Curb Divorce? (New York Sun, 10/2/02), I wrote:

"I walk a tightrope every day, just so I can stay a part of my young daughter's life," says Jerry, a 38 year-old engineer from San Diego, California. "If I have an argument with my wife, she spreads the divorce papers out on the living room table and begins to fill them out. There's no compromising with her--I either accept her decisions or she threatens to divorce me. If she does, she'll get custody of my little girl and I doubt she'll even let me see her, much less play an active role in raising her...

"The problem is that my wife knows that the family court system puts her in complete control," Jerry says. "She feels she has nothing to lose in a divorce, so she has no incentive to work our problems out. But I'll lose the most important thing in the world to me--my little girl."

The Sandoval/Howe incident also shows the role substance abuse often plays in domestic violence. Too often truly abusive men are given batterers' treatment based on the Duluth Model (which says that men batter because of the patriarchy), as opposed to what they really need, which is substance abuse treatment.

At the same time, abusive women in need of substance abuse treatment are often not held accountable for their violence at all, but are instead mislabeled "victim-defendants." I discussed these issues in my column Domestic Violence Treatment Policies Put Abused Women in Harm's Way (Daily Breeze [Los Angeles], 11/7/05).

Police: Woman arrested for tossing rocks
Arizona Republic, 8/27/07

A Mesa woman was arrested Saturday after she threw rocks at her boyfriend because he did not defend her in an argument with neighbors, according to police. Jessica Sandoval, 26, was watching her son outside when another child asked Sandoval to have him stop name-calling, according to police records.

Sandoval went to the child's apartment and got into an argument with the parents and the children.

Davidson Howe, Sandoval's boyfriend, went to the apartment to calm down Sandoval and told the neighbors that she was drunk and to ignore her, according to police.

Sandoval was upset that Howe did not take her side in the argument and threw rocks at him as he held their 9-month-old baby, according to witnesses.

Howe was struck by the rocks, but no one was injured. Sandoval admitted to drinking 10 beers and a few shots of alcohol that day, police said.

To discuss this issue on my blog, click here.

Lisa Scott's RealFamilyLaw.com
Shared Parenting Advocate/Family Law Attorney Lisa Scott's RealFamilyLaw.com exposes the truth about what is happening in our family law system. Lisa, the all-time leader in appearances on His Side with Glenn Sacks, says that she was "tired of having her stuff rejected by elitist bar publications and politically-correct newspapers" and decided to start her own website. RealFamilyLaw.com

The Secrets of Happily Married Men
How can a man achieve a long and happy marriage? If you've been checking out advice columns or seeing a therapist, you may have been looking in the wrong place. Despite all the advances in brain technology, and all of that we have learned about developmental psychology--men and women are given the same advice about solving problems. But when we ask men what works for them, we hear a different story. www.SecretsofMarriedMen.com

Legal Help for Fathers
If you live in Los Angeles, Riverside or Orange counties and you're facing a divorce, separation, or a child custody issue, the law firm of Oddenino & Gaule can help. www.OddLaw.net


A Father-Positive Ad from Sprite

This father-positive Sprite commercial shows a nice interaction between a father and his little girl. To watch, click here.

To learn more about how men are portrayed in TV commercials, click here.

Thanks to Bob Barker, a reader, for sending me the ad. Ironically, it was Bob's mother Betty who wrote to me to complain about an anti-father Verizon commercial in 2004, which led to our successful, highly-publicized Verizon campaign.

To discuss this issue on my blog, click here.

How Does Sex Discrimination Affect Men and Boys?
The National Coalition of Free Men Los Angeles is a non-profit educational & civil rights organization that looks at the ways sex discrimination affects men and boys. NCFM-LA helps provide men a unified voice on important political and social issues. www.NCFMLA.org

File Taxes Online with  Professional Help
MENstax.com allows you to file your taxes, check your refund status, and have your return reviewed by an experienced tax professional--all online.


Ambrose Bierce on Love, Marriage and Gender (Part I)

The writer Ambrose Bierce (1842 -- 1914?) had some interesting thoughts on love, marriage and gender in his famous Devil's Dictionary.

HUSBAND, n.
One who, having dined, is charged with the care of the plate.

BAIT, n.
A preparation that renders the hook more palatable. The best kind is beauty.

LOVE, n.
A temporary insanity curable by marriage

To discuss this issue on my blog, click here.

Best Wishes,
Glenn Sacks
GlennSacks.com

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