PING!
Posted on 06/29/2006 7:14:38 AM PDT by GMMAC
Disenfranchised dads
Barbara Kay
National Post
Thursday, June 29, 2006
A simple way to confirm that a particular ideology has captured mainstream culture is to monitor the political vigour or sluggishness around the causes that it deems "correct" and "incorrect."
Gay marriage, a "correct" feminist cause, affects 2% of the population and enjoys about 50% public support -- yet was passed into law at the speed of light, without meaningful consultation or debate. But decades-long appeals for reform to outdated custody laws, affecting 40% of the population (many more tangentially), languish in near-obscurity.
And though eight years have passed since a non-partisan, Canada-wide task force made up of MPs and Senators garnered wide support in recommending shared parenting as a default post-divorce arrangement, feminism still trumps gender equality in family court. That is, women are still awarded sole custody in 90% of disputed cases.
This reflects judicial acquiescence to reigning feminist orthodoxy: Children are essentially the possessions of women, women never lie (or are justified when they do) and men want access to children only to control women.
Objective research points to partner violence and child abuse as bilateral phenomena, with up to 85% of divorce-related abuse allegations manufactured by women (or urged upon them by venal advocates) to gain sole custody. Yet strategically whipped-up media hysteria around bogus data and presumed entitlement in lieu of evidence remains a successful formula for custody-bent women.
Anti-male bias is further entrenched when unsupported grievances on only one side of a divorcing couple are not held up to scrutiny by judges, politicians or journalists. (Voluntary professional delinquency is another symptom of a captured culture.) At the crux of family law's failure is a cynical tolerance for erratic courtroom decisions, with unaccountable judges routinely winking at perjury and child-access obstruction -- jail-worthy misdemeanours acknowledged by court players and observers to be systemically rampant. Indeed, one lawyer confided his intention to abandon family law, as he becomes physically ill anticipating the arbitrarily plucked ruling awaiting his male clients.
The remedy is to abandon existing family law. In its place, we should combine gender equity with the best interests of children by legislating default shared parenting -- the preferred option for child-focused women, virtually all fathers and most kids.
Numerous studies have concluded that children under shared parenting do significantly better on all adjustment measures than those in sole custody. Contrary to the claims of feminist consultants to family courts, peer-reviewed data shows that over time shared parenting decreases parental conflict, increases co-operation and boosts support compliance.
Most significantly, in all six American states with legislated default shared parenting, divorce rates have fallen markedly -- confirming a widely held belief in the field that expectation of sole custody is the main reason a large number of divorce cases are initiated by women. The positive economic and social fallout from fewer divorces is plain to eyes that see.
Recent benchmark studies have, for the first time, also culled the opinions of children -- up to now pawns in a "best interests" game that means something different to every stakeholder. University of British Columbia sociology professor Edward Kruk, a specialist in divorce and custody issues, analyzed all new research on the subject from 2000-2005. He found that 70% of college-age children of divorce believe equal time between parents is optimal, and that shared parenting creates better relations with both.
Along with other credible academics, Kruk recommends default shared parenting (rebuttable in proven cases of abuse by either parent) and maximum access to both parents. Thus, current scholarship echoes the report by the 1998 Canadian Joint Parliamentary Committee on Custody and Access report, whose "incorrect" conclusions were politically marginalized by relentless feminist lobbying.
In the course of my research, I have read many chilling testimonials by and about men unjustly "disappeared" from their families. Countless other fathers are exiled daily to the same degrading psychological gulag.
Legislators, throw off your ideological shackles. Disenfranchised fathers must be restored to their children, and their children to them. There is no possible restitution for a lost childhood. And all decent men -- which is to say most of them -- must be freed from fear of a lost fatherhood.
bkay@videotron.ca
© National Post 2006
PING!
When I went through my divorce in 2000 I asked my attorney (a woman) to help me get a joint custody/shared parenting agreement.
She told me that regardless of how much money I spent, it would never happen.
When I asked her why she said "You are a man".
Neither their Mother nor I are unfit parents and we live 15 miles apart.
There is no reason that joint custody should NOT be awarded except for the bias of the courts.
My attorney confirmed this in subsequent conversations.
I also believe that were it not for the guarantee that she would get the kids she would have taken counseling more seriously.
Believe it or not, California is one of the few states that DO have a presumption of joint custody unless one of the parents can be proven to be unfit.
I wonder why my state of Indiana is so bent in this regard.
My Dear Conservative Friends. I am calling for a National Boycott of this movie. Warner Bros. part of Time AOHell is pushing Superman the Metrosexual. Superman the Deadbeat Dad. Lois Lane a Single Mother Hoe who is having relations with several Men. The Sensitive self doubting, possibly Gay Male Actor portraying "The Man of Steel". Yet another Strong Female, weak Male, Single Mom is superior movie to trash Masculinity put out there by the Hollywood Studios. Is this the message culturally that we want for our Children??
What happened to "Truth, Justice, and The American Way"????
Now its Truth, Justice, and Hair Products. This shit is what Hollywood and its Leftists Scum bags want to sell you and your children to further weaken Masculinity at a time when we are at War. When we need Masculine Men, when we are threatened by North Korea. Please somebody burn down Hollywood. Lets export Susan Sarandon and all the idiots in Hollywood to Mexico City.
Hey is anyone in Bollywood Listening? If you start making movies for the US Market I would rather send you my money than the idiots in Hollywood. M. Night Shamaylan is doing very well. He is Indian born in the US. There is film making talent in India. Lets outsource Hollywood and their Leftist crap.
Men have yet to catch up to the speed of light changes that have overtaken them. It reminds me of Chuck Yeager's comment when attempting to break the sound barrier - "I can't get out in front of it..." Such is the predicament of men. Civil Rights legislation, with good intent, has open pandora's box to every, repeat every, disenfranchised minority with any grievance. Feminist are in the vanguard of these vanities and are intent on a zero sum game of dominance - not equality. What we as men have to acknowledge is that we now live in an age of the "tyranny of the minority" and understand it is the machinery of government that makes this possible. All forces are now aimed at destroying the male spirit and its rightful place in our society. For every advance of this shrill and hateful group, males retreat. I can only hope men wake up and see the light; it is time.
From superMAN to Superp***ywhipped.
We had some viral promotions her on FR pushing the special effects and trying to say the story line does not matter.
PC superman is PC propaganda.
btt
A friend of mine just got Shared Co-domiciliary custody - YESTERDAY.
It can happen - you just have to work hard and persevere.
I am happy for him! This is as it should be.
May I ask what state he is in?
There seems to have been some progress since my divorce about 7 years ago.
The other question is did his ex oppose this?
Louisiana...
She fought him tooth and nail, for about two years.
There does seem to have been some progress in the last seven years. Certainly since I got divorced twelve years ago.
A lot of hard work went into making that change.
While we have not had much success in passing any legislation, the efforts do seem to have started a sea change in judicial decisions for the better by applying the existing laws.
We did manage to beat of a fierce counter attack by several determined women over the last three years. The Reps bill almost made it through the legislature last year being stopped in the Senate committee by a 2-1 vote. This year we stopped it in the House.
In fact, the last five guys that we helped all ended up with shared, co-dom. Wooo Hooo.
So join the party and help make the change.
"So join the party and help make the change."
I would like to do that.
I was shocked to find out that the state could essentially say I'm not really their Dad anymore. Except of course you better pay!
What Fathers rights group do you work through?
Very glad to here of your successes!
What state are you in?
Indiana.
Great. I am down in Louisiana. www.ladads.org
We are linked to: www.acfc.org
Hmmm... That's the home of the nation wide class action group.
http://www.indianacrc.org/
They list the following groups to link up with.
Indiana
http://www.miracles-of-hope.com
The Miracles of Hope Network
Denise Marhoefer, Director
Media
Publicity & Promotions
765-853-5903 phone/voicemail
270-716-5903 fax
media@miracles-of-hope.com
Coalition for the Restoration of Parental Rights
1306 South 300 East
LaPorte, IN 46350
Parent & Children's Equal Rights
228 1/2 East 4th St.
Brookville IN 47012
317-647-2473
Indiana Fathers' Network
3668 West Astor Dr. Terre Haute, IN 47802
812-238-1172
462 South 17th St., Terre Haute, IN 47807
812-238-1172
5509 Orchard Ave., Portage, IN 46368
219-884-1514
Post Office Box 1606, Marion, IN 46952
317-668-7359
Fathers United
Post Office Box 1312
Evansville, IN 47706
812-473-0064
National Coalition of Free Men
1301 Council Ct.
Kokomo IN 46902
317-453-9481
South Central Fathers' Rights
Rt 4 Box 300
Seymour IN 47274
812-522-2911
Fathers United of Henryville
7210 Bethany Rd.
Charlestown IN 47111
812-256-2745
Grandparents United for Children's Rights
4122 Cottage Ave
Mishawaka IN 46544
219-255-8527
http://www.geocities.com/divorceddads
Divorced Dads of Central Indiana
divorceddads@yahoo.com
http://www.indianacrc.org
Indiana Civil Rights Council
Mr. Torm L Howse, President
President@indianacrc.org
Parent's and Children's Equality (PACE Indiana)
Bob Monday
540 Crestpoint Lane
Plainfield, IN 46168
Hotline: 317-685-4656
pace_indiana@yahoo.com
Meetings held 7:30pm on 3rd Mondays at Marot Apts
(downtown Indianapolis, Meridian & Fall Creek Pkwy)
Stepfamilies & Beyond
Ms Patricia Work-Bennett
8716 Pine
Gary, IN 46403-1441
219-938-6962
Grandparents Rights in New Strength (GRINS)
Kay and Ray Berryhill, Co-Directors
689 Country Rd 5
Corunna IN 46730-9760
219-281-2384
http://hometown.aol.com/FamTogetherUSA
Families Together USA, Incorporated
P.O. Box 1727
Portage, IN 46368
Phillip S Grigalanz, President-CEO, p_grigalanz@familiestogetherusa.org
Michael Grigalanz, Vice President-COO, m_grigalanz@familiestogetherusa.org
503-217-5529 fax
http://www.kiddosfirst.org
Children Hostages in Lifes Derangement (C.H.I.L.D.)
Carole Davis
P. O. Box 15806
Evansville, IN 47716
812-477-0660
kiddosfirst@kiddosfirst.org
http://www.in.gov/fathers
Indiana Fathers & Families
IMPACT Program - FSSA/Division of Family and Children
402 W. Washington St., Rm. W363
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-232-4924
IMPACT@fssa.state.in.us
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