Father Torches Car in Protest Over Child Support

Anchorage Daily News ^ | October 18, 2002 | Tataboline Brant

[RogerFGay]

CHILD SUPPORT: Officials say suspect had threatened staff before.

Two floors of the 19-story Atwood Building were evacuated Thursday morning after a man parked his blue Mercedes near the building's entrance, doused the car with gasoline and set it ablaze.

[RogerFGay]

Doesn't change the fact that torching your car is ineffective and a stupid form of protest.

An act of deparation. I have predicted that things will get worse. What's more, as a matter of fact, they've been a lot worse than you realize for more than a decade. After the laws changed in late 1989, a whole series of desparate acts took place, but there has been a media blackout on such events. Another Man Down in the War Against Fathers

[Tall_Texan]

BTW - Not only will you have your driver's license revoked, but any other license issued through the state as well (attorney, doctor, nurse, hunting/fishing license, etc.). Very comprehensive.

Don't you just love government logic?

Too much teen sex? Pass out free condoms.
Drug users getting AIDS? Pass out free needles.
Can't pay child support? Make sure they can't work then put them in jail.

"I like what they do to homosexuals. They arrest them and put them in jail with a bunch of other men. Real smart." - Dustin Hoffman from the movie "Lenny".

[Roscoe]

The dog shat in his cage.

Shyster:
Your honor, my client didn't torch his car on the public street. He was merely shatting in his cage. [sob, weep]

Jury:
Guilty!

[RGSpincich]

Man, that father is living high on the hog.

That explains it. He torched the old one. The new one is safe.

[RogerFGay]

There's no evidence he was abused by the system

As I said, it is reasonable to assume that he is abused by the system because the system is corrupt and designed to be abusive. It would be illogical to conclude from that information that he is a rare acception who is not being abused by the system, but still felt the need to engage in protest.

[Rebelbase]

My statement was extreme and written in passion rather than clarity.

If this guy torched his car in front of the IRS over tax problems, then most folks here would be cheering for him.

[cornelis]

The law is severrisimos

. Have you read of Solzhenitsyn's nostalgia for when people feared the judge rather than the law?

[rolling_stone]

I am fully aware of steps some people take in divorce, including misstating income and assets and have even seen a case resulting in a $ 750,000 settlement for the ex wife, where the ex husband misstated assets that had to be uncovered.

Husband undervalued his business and the ex wife got next to nothing, years later the husband apparently applied for a loan, and valued his business in the millions...somehow the ex wife became aware of this and sued to recover IF IRC they settled out of court as the husband was caught either lying in the divorce or the loan documents about the value of the business one or the other was probably perjury....had he not screwed up or had she not found out about it, no one would be the wiser or wealthier....except the ex husband...oh it happens all the time...ask any P.I. or divorce attorney...

[Tall_Texan]

What we can reasonably assume is that Jed Magby has been denied effective due process, that the state is acting outside its legitimate interest and powers by enforcing the order, and that there have been horrific personal consequences for Jed Magby.

What we can also reasonably assume by the child support orders in two states where he no longer resides, that Jed Magby and his Mercedes Benz appear to run away from his problems until they find him. I sympathize with many men in his situation but this guy sure sounds like a lout.

[GWfan]

Man, do I feel empathy for you.

My brother was married to a demon and she harasses him for every little thing. One judge ordered him to pay $500/month on top of about $2000 for 'lessons'. The kids didn't even go. He hasn't been able to see them for normal visitation in months.

I am a woman, but I have a lot of empathy for any Dad who cares about his kids and is stuck in this ridiculous system.

[sinkspur]

If this guy torched his car in front of the IRS over tax problems, then most folks here would be cheering for him.

You're right. But he'd still be stupid, and would still have to pay his taxes.

[Rebelbase]

True, but how else to you bring change to a system unless you make extreme protests?

[rolling_stone]

Well I can't assume he lives anywhere but Alaska and attended High School there in the 70's, one court order is from Alaska the other from New Mexico. We don't know if the order from New Mexico is because his co-parent left him and lives there or he left her, do we?

[RGSpincich]

why anyone would take such a risk

Quite clearly some should not. But they should, also, subdue their reproductive urges because marriage is not the determining factor in all of this.

[Roscoe]

"I regret that I have but one car to torch for the sake of my protest."

Magby ain't no Nathan Hale.

[GWfan]

I'm not a man, but I can tell you that my bro would get married and have the kids again.... though he might have chosen someone other than a demon to be his wife.

[glory]

I really do start to wonder if the Democrats have been right about conservatives all along as anti-woman, anti-children, and anti-government to the point of insanity.
>>

I wonder this myself sometimes too friend. Let's face it, there are two sides to every story. For every man who is being taken advantage of by a cheating, oh, I think I've changed my mind on this whole marriage and family thing, but I'll take the kid anyway because my lawyer says that way I'll get a nice compensation B*tch(we know a male friend dealing with a woman like this firsthand, minus the cheating--had a baby about a year ago, she's decided now she's not interested in the baby, but a career--they are split, daddy has baby, until, I'm sure, lawyer encourages her to keep baby(even though she is not interested in raising her) for the steady income.) Anyway, for every man involved with this, there is a woman like my mother who got duped by a man who was a cheat and then begrudged giving her a bare minimum check to support ONE of his sons(he split my brothers up and remarried as soon as possible after the divorce was final). He's a controlling, manipulative A$$ who really pulled one over on my mother(I was 19 at the time, I knew what was going on) who thought this committment was for life. (ps I was not disenchanted by my mother, my dad did a good job of that and still does)

Personally, I think the answer is to get back to fault divorce. It seemed like this nightmare really began to take hold when we absolved adults of their responsibility in the ending of a marriage with no fault divorce.

[RogerFGay]

Well, I suppose the appropriate postscript for your comments is, "shit happens." So far as I know, the situation that started this discussion didn't come about because the guy tried to hide assets and didn't get away with it. I'm also sure that the majority of divorced and never-married fathers who go through the system never had $750,000 in assets to hide and never will, and don't see that there would be any logical reason for someone with $750,000 in assets in a child support case if the child support laws made any sense. I'm also sure that the vast majority of divorced fathers have historically and currently been both good about paying court ordered child support and generous in the support of their children. And I have no doubt that the child support system is corrupt and designed to be abusive. I do think it would be nice if we could convince at least some of the people with IQ's greater than 70 to stop labeling men as "deadbeats" whenever they lodge a complaint against the system. Honestly, you can't blame a guy for protesting in whatever way he sees fit to protest.

[TruthWillWin]

As I said, it is reasonable to assume that he is abused by the system because the system is corrupt and designed to be abusive.

It is reasonable to assume that this guy is a deadbeat dad.

[rockfish59]

Sounds like the 'dead beat Dad' wants somebody dead!