Here's my response:
Posted on 12/03/2003 5:34:18 AM PST by RogerFGay
Fathers seize child agency office
20 November 2003
AMSTERDAM — A group of angry fathers, who are involved in custody battles over their children, took over an office of the Dutch child protection agency Kinderbescherming on Thursday, the International Day of the Child.
Between 15 and 20 men seized control of the building in Zutphen and effectively imprisoned five staff members, Kinderbescherming spokeswoman Annette van der Hoorn said.
The men, who have been denied visitation to their children, said they had taken the drastic action on World Child Day to highlight the injustice of their situations.
They have not allowed anyone in or out of the offices and hung banners from the window of the offices.
The men have demanded the child protection agency only give advice on how custody arrangements should be made. Present legislation means that parents who breach an imposed custody arrangement forfeit their custodial rights.
The fathers have also demanded a meeting with Justice Minister Piet Hein Donner, the mayor of Zutphen and Kinderbescherming director H. Pasman.
Van der Hoorn said the agency's staff members who were being held in the building did not appear to be in any direct danger. Staff were continuing with their work and the police were not called to the scene.
The UN designated 20 November as the International Day of the Child after the signing of an official convention on the rights of children in 1989.
Maybe the reason that men are allegedly more psychologically stable is because they are paid more. Financial instability is very stressful. Plus, more men than women are pedophiles and serial killers. Don't forget that. :-)
Me, I think kids need to grow up with a mom AND a dad. Married, stable couples are the ideal...and if the marriage doesn't work out, joint custody should be the default. That's just my opinion, though.
Why would that be wrong even if that's "all she does"?
If you have to ask, it's not worth my time to answer.
Here's my response:
I call it authority without responsibility--a perfect recipe for disaster.
I was looking for the original study, because I recall seeing it as well, but couldn't find it. However, I also recall the criticism of that study. Given the current biases in our Family Law system, a father needs to fight, and hard, to gain custody of the children. Those who are willing to put in that much of a fight are generally likely to be committed parents. So the problem came from the self-selection - custodial fathers are most likely highly committed parents, while custodial mothers may or may not be.
However, your second comment, about men being more likely to be pedophiles and serial killers, does deserve some comment. Basically, that women are the more likely to abuse or kill their own children. Obviously, in either case, the man or woman is both an exception, and very deeply disturbed. However, men are more likely to turn their perversions outward, women are more likely to turn them inward.
Drew Garrett
Fathers: tough love = well disciplined, well behaved. Kids who grow up without a father tend to have sex at an earlier age and get involved with drugs and generally disregard the law.
Mothers: tender love = well groomed, well mannered. Kids who grow up without a mother tend to be more sloppy, unorganized, and lazy.
Which is more important? Though this is obviously a stereotype since all parents have their differences, it is certainly reflective of today's society.
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