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Local
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Fathers-4-Justice
to Hold Rallies Right
before Fathers Day |
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The
US chapter of Fathers-4-Justice,
the British fathers'
group that has made
its presence felt
in America in the
past year, is scheduling
rallies across the
US for the near
future. Despite
recent happenings
in England, the
US chapter of F4J
remains unaffected
by problems in the
UK chapter. The
US chapter of the
group will have
demonstrations on
what they are calling
"Fatherless
Day" this coming
Fathers Day weekend.
The rallies, which
are scheduled for
Friday the 17th,
will be held in
Boston at 11:30
and in Concord,
NH later that afternoon.
F4J hopes to raise
public awareness
on issues concerning
divorced dads. |
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Fathers
& Families Testifies
before Massachusetts
Judiciary Committee
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This
past Tuesday, Fathers
& Families attended
the public hearings
held by the Judiciary
Committee of the
Massachusetts Legislature.
Ned Holstein, President
of Fathers &
Families, testified
on 4 of the 77 bills
heard by the committee
and opposed all
four. Two of the
bills would further
the scope of the
already overly-broad
209A restraining
orders. Another
bill would have
made the officer
on scene the judge
and jury in domestic
disturbance calls
while the last bill
would allow a custodial
parent to change
the name of the
child without even
giving the non-
custodial parent
notice. |
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Regional
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Behind
the Scenes Deals Hurting
Fathers and Children
in New Hampshire |
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Several
fathers' groups
in the New Hampshire
area are reporting
that special interests
hostile to fathers
and children are
going behind the
scenes to undermine
good legislation
in the Granite State.
An amendment to
Senate bill HB 640,
regarding mediation
of cases involving
children, was added
behind closed doors
after the public
hearing recently.
Similarly, special
interests railroaded
Senate bill HB 450,
regarding child
support reform,
without a public
hearing. Please
let your legislators
know their constituents
prefer that bills
are discussed in
the open, so that
both sides may be
heard. |
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Man
Wins Punitive Damages
in Alienation Case |
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A
New Jersey judge
recently awarded
a man $30,000 in
damages after he
sued the mother
of his children
for unjustly alienating
them from him. In
his decision, the
judge noted that
the father "can
never replace the
years he lost with
his children."
Unfortunately, the
man's wife still
received custody
of the two children.
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National |
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Nevada
Compromise on Amendment
to Adoption Bill |
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Nevada
lawmakers reached
a compromise on
a bill concerning
joint custody this
past week. Controversy
followed when one
lawmaker attached
an amendment to
the adoption bill
that would have
said that joint
custody of a child
should be awarded
as the first preference
if both parents
agree. The compromise
preserves the idea
of joint custody
as the first preference
among custody options
insofar as both
parents agree to
the arrangement.
However, judges
maintain the final
decision as to whether
joint custody is
ultimately in the
"best interests
of the child."
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Bill
Proposed to Help Military
Dads in California
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The
California state
senate is considering
a bill that would
give divorced military
fathers flexibility
with their child
support payments.
Senate Bill 1082
would ensure that
fathers on active
duty would not be
taken advantage
of when it comes
to unreasonable
child support standards
and custody disputes
back home. Currently,
military dads overseas
are quite defenseless
when it comes to
these matters. Update:
We have learned
that the bill has
just been passed
unanimously in the
senate! |
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Op/Ed
Piece on Problems
Facing Divorced Dads |
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Dr.
Paul C. Robbins,
over at mensnewsdaily.com,
offers a witty analysis
of the problems
facing divorced
fathers in the US
and even offers
a few options that
stressed out and
hopeless fathers
can take to ensure
that their rights
are recognized.
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Troubles
Still Exist in Iowa
despite Shared Parenting
Law |
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In
a letter to the
editor of River
Cities' Reader,
a divorced dad talks
about the problems
that are still a
part of the reality
of family court
in Iowa. If you
remember, Iowa was
one of the first
states to have what
was thought to be
a true shared-parenting
law. The author's
complaints seem
to be in line with
those of fathers
across the country.
The author also
shares the same
sentiment as fathers
across the country:
"Your relationship
with your child
is worth far more
than any lawyer's
fee or any amount
of personal sacrifice."
Litigation is likely
to follow. |
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PBS
to Air Documentary
on Father-Daughter
Relationship |
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PBS
will be airing a
Linda Nielson documentary
entitled "Fathers
and Daughters: Journeys
of the Heart"
throughout the month
of June. Dr. Nielson
is a professor of
adolescent psychology
and author of the
book, Embracing
Your Father: Building
the Relationship
You Always Wanted
with Your Dad. It
promises to be a
good program. Check
your local listings
for dates and times.
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Silent
No Longer: Sherry
Orbach Speaks Out
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Sherry
Orbach, the grown
daughter of anti-father
feminist and author,
Amy Neustein, recently
wrote an Op/Ed piece
in The Jewish Press
in response to continued
(baseless) allegations
put forth by her
mother about her
father. Sherry refutes
all allegations
of sexual abuse
made by her mother
over many years.
Sherry says she
has no malice toward
her mother, but
decided she must
take action because
she and her father
have not regained
the privacy they
expected to have
back after years
of scrutiny and
unwarranted coverage
by the press. |
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Australian
Government Considers
Fairer Rules for Child
Support |
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The
Australian government
has been coming
under ever-increasing
pressure to adjust
the laws surrounding
child support calculations.
Under the current
law, a divorced
father has little
chance to start
a new life by taking
on overtime or a
second job because
that extra money
would still go into
child support calculations,
as in most of the
United States. Some
MPs are now proposing
to allow the non-
custodial parent
to keep all the
money from overtime
or a second job
to help them rebuild
their lives after
divorce. |
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