Friends, Fathers,
It has been a long, but very rewarding 2007. I will start with the news that we petitioned the IRS in July to move to 501(c)(3) status...non-profit. The fight needed to be fought at the front, so I put together a board of directors that have some of my most trusted friends and supporters, and we jumped in with both feet.
This has truely become a full time job that I never thought I would have the drive to do after so many years of giving up, and then I did it, and my whole outlook has changed. We have the power to affect lives. To give hope. To reunite fathers with the children in a way we never thought possible.
The IRS told us that we couldn't "influence legislation" and maintain any status as a non-profit, so we decided to drop that aspect of the cause, and focus solely on the day-to-day assitance to fathers. Don't' worry though, we'll be back with another branch to help fight the good fight in the future.
So where do we sit today?
Well, we are still waiting for the IRS to come back with approval. They came back in November with some questions...which we answered..and no we wait. Hoping to be February for approval.
Stay tuned...
Monday, December 31, 2007
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Pizza Box Protest
So check this story out (and the video clip).
This video is about a protest to the following story.
In Ohio, they have now started putting the pictures of dads who are behind in their child support payments on pizza boxes in towns.
Yes, that's right...no matter what the reason, if you are behind, you could end up on a pizza box. Imagine that kid in school the next day, when his/her friends ordered a pizza the night before and see their dad on the box. Unbelievable!!! This is ridiculous.
They dont' put child molesters on there. Or criminals. Or Murderers. But dads go on.
One other point of note in this story. Of the 380 folks who were behind in their child support...63 of them were women. Guess how many women are appearing on the pizza boxes? Yep, you guessed it. None.
Click here to see the video.
This video is about a protest to the following story.
In Ohio, they have now started putting the pictures of dads who are behind in their child support payments on pizza boxes in towns.
Yes, that's right...no matter what the reason, if you are behind, you could end up on a pizza box. Imagine that kid in school the next day, when his/her friends ordered a pizza the night before and see their dad on the box. Unbelievable!!! This is ridiculous.
They dont' put child molesters on there. Or criminals. Or Murderers. But dads go on.
One other point of note in this story. Of the 380 folks who were behind in their child support...63 of them were women. Guess how many women are appearing on the pizza boxes? Yep, you guessed it. None.
Click here to see the video.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Mum Jailed In Custody Battle
Great story...FINALLY a judge gets it right!
-----------------------------
for original story click here.
A MOTHER-of-two is behind bars for defying court orders in a tug-of-love fight with her ex-partner.
In what family law experts said was a rare case, the woman, 31, was given a heartbreaking choice by the Federal Magistrates' Court – let the father to see his children or go to jail.
Have you experienced a similar situation? Tell us via the feedback form below. We may not be able to publish some comments for legal reasons but we will read them all.
Magistrate Michael Jarrett adjourned the case for 15 minutes but when he returned to the bench, the woman, already on a good behaviour bond for refusing access to her ex-partner, remained unrepentant.
Mr Jarrett, sitting at Lismore in northern NSW, took the rare step of jailing her for four months.
She was last night in Grafton Jail and her children, a girl aged six and a boy aged eight, were with their father, 41, who was granted full custody.
Her new husband yesterday told The Daily Telegraph yesterday his wife was distraught.
"She has been crying," he said.
The families cannot be identified.
The father's solicitor, Steven Tester, said the magistrate had no choice after the mother refused a lifeline.
"No one wanted to see the mother go to jail. The point of these kinds of cases is that there are laws in place and they apply to everyone, Compliance is not optional," Mr Tester said.
"The Family Court heard evidence and allowed the father to have unsupervised access to his children.
"Despite the mother being warned about the likely result of her not complying with the order, she took matters into her own hands.
"The result is regrettable but ultimately it was the mother's choice."
Family law expert Michael Taussig QC said it was an extreme case.
"They are highly emotional cases and it has to be a blatant and flagrant breach of court orders before a magistrate will consider jail," Mr Taussig said.
It was the culmination of six years and 22 Family Court and Federal Magistrates' Court hearings since the couple split when the woman was a few weeks pregnant with their second child.
Her claim that her children would be in danger from their father, who has a number of criminal convictions, was rejected by the Family Court.
In December she was placed on a good behaviour bond by the Federal Magistrates' Court after she refused to allow supervised visits by the father and hid with the children for six months.
Her new husband said she intended to appeal and was preparing the case herself after being refused Legal Aid.
-----------------------------
for original story click here.
A MOTHER-of-two is behind bars for defying court orders in a tug-of-love fight with her ex-partner.
In what family law experts said was a rare case, the woman, 31, was given a heartbreaking choice by the Federal Magistrates' Court – let the father to see his children or go to jail.
Have you experienced a similar situation? Tell us via the feedback form below. We may not be able to publish some comments for legal reasons but we will read them all.
Magistrate Michael Jarrett adjourned the case for 15 minutes but when he returned to the bench, the woman, already on a good behaviour bond for refusing access to her ex-partner, remained unrepentant.
Mr Jarrett, sitting at Lismore in northern NSW, took the rare step of jailing her for four months.
She was last night in Grafton Jail and her children, a girl aged six and a boy aged eight, were with their father, 41, who was granted full custody.
Her new husband yesterday told The Daily Telegraph yesterday his wife was distraught.
"She has been crying," he said.
The families cannot be identified.
The father's solicitor, Steven Tester, said the magistrate had no choice after the mother refused a lifeline.
"No one wanted to see the mother go to jail. The point of these kinds of cases is that there are laws in place and they apply to everyone, Compliance is not optional," Mr Tester said.
"The Family Court heard evidence and allowed the father to have unsupervised access to his children.
"Despite the mother being warned about the likely result of her not complying with the order, she took matters into her own hands.
"The result is regrettable but ultimately it was the mother's choice."
Family law expert Michael Taussig QC said it was an extreme case.
"They are highly emotional cases and it has to be a blatant and flagrant breach of court orders before a magistrate will consider jail," Mr Taussig said.
It was the culmination of six years and 22 Family Court and Federal Magistrates' Court hearings since the couple split when the woman was a few weeks pregnant with their second child.
Her claim that her children would be in danger from their father, who has a number of criminal convictions, was rejected by the Family Court.
In December she was placed on a good behaviour bond by the Federal Magistrates' Court after she refused to allow supervised visits by the father and hid with the children for six months.
Her new husband said she intended to appeal and was preparing the case herself after being refused Legal Aid.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Graduation and the End of Child Support Payments
This was on a website.
Contributed by: Michael Rule on 3/27/2007
A year or so ago I read a column in the Rocky Mtn. News written by a lady (I forget her name) who was attending her child's High School graduation. She overheard a father commenting something to the effect "No more child support payments!" She went on to say how terrible it was that this is what he was focusing on when it should be the child's graduation, it shouldn't be about the money, blah, blah, blah.
Well, guess what. My son graduates in May. I just wrote out my support check for April. His mom and younger brother are moving out of state soon after his graduation. He will most likely be staying with me until he goes to college. What all that means to me is this; one more check to write for May and no more child support payments!
In honor of that special occasion, I wish to show another angle about child support, possibly in defense of that anonymous man who was overheard by that forgotten woman. I am writing in support of every man who loves his children, pays his support, and can't wait until the last payment has been posted.
I have been paying child support for over 15 years now. At times I have been a little late, I'll admit, but I am current with my payments to date. I understand my child needs my financial assistance. I understand the court decides how much that should be, and I pay it. I even agreed with my son's mom to pay an extra $80.00 a month for health insurance.
Here is a point that should be understood. I have no say on how that money is spent. I don't decide if he has good food to eat or bad. I don't decide if he goes shopping for clothes at the thrift store or Park Meadows Mall. To make sure he at least has good shoes for track and cross-country I pay for those out of my pocket. I also paid for his braces out of my own pocket.
Now, before you get the wrong impression, this is not an attack on my son's mother.I think his mom does a reasonably good job of providing for him. If nothing else the woman can stretch a buck. Despite the fact she once accepted my additional $$ for insurance for 6 months while (as I found out later) he was uninsured. This is not a personal attack. As a matter of fact, it isn't an attack at all.
When my son gets to college, he will still need some financial assistance from me. At that point in time it will become an arrangement between him and I. No more middle-mom. At that point it switches from child support to help getting through college. Any checks I write will be filled out with his name on them. We will discuss together how that money is used.
Do I love my son? Of course! Do I mind supporting him financially? Of course not! Will I miss writing a check to my ex every month? No!
So if you see me at the local pub sometime next month toasting my last child support payment, please don't give me a lecture on misplaced priorities. Especially if you are someone who has never paid a child support payment in their life.
Contributed by: Michael Rule on 3/27/2007
A year or so ago I read a column in the Rocky Mtn. News written by a lady (I forget her name) who was attending her child's High School graduation. She overheard a father commenting something to the effect "No more child support payments!" She went on to say how terrible it was that this is what he was focusing on when it should be the child's graduation, it shouldn't be about the money, blah, blah, blah.
Well, guess what. My son graduates in May. I just wrote out my support check for April. His mom and younger brother are moving out of state soon after his graduation. He will most likely be staying with me until he goes to college. What all that means to me is this; one more check to write for May and no more child support payments!
In honor of that special occasion, I wish to show another angle about child support, possibly in defense of that anonymous man who was overheard by that forgotten woman. I am writing in support of every man who loves his children, pays his support, and can't wait until the last payment has been posted.
I have been paying child support for over 15 years now. At times I have been a little late, I'll admit, but I am current with my payments to date. I understand my child needs my financial assistance. I understand the court decides how much that should be, and I pay it. I even agreed with my son's mom to pay an extra $80.00 a month for health insurance.
Here is a point that should be understood. I have no say on how that money is spent. I don't decide if he has good food to eat or bad. I don't decide if he goes shopping for clothes at the thrift store or Park Meadows Mall. To make sure he at least has good shoes for track and cross-country I pay for those out of my pocket. I also paid for his braces out of my own pocket.
Now, before you get the wrong impression, this is not an attack on my son's mother.I think his mom does a reasonably good job of providing for him. If nothing else the woman can stretch a buck. Despite the fact she once accepted my additional $$ for insurance for 6 months while (as I found out later) he was uninsured. This is not a personal attack. As a matter of fact, it isn't an attack at all.
When my son gets to college, he will still need some financial assistance from me. At that point in time it will become an arrangement between him and I. No more middle-mom. At that point it switches from child support to help getting through college. Any checks I write will be filled out with his name on them. We will discuss together how that money is used.
Do I love my son? Of course! Do I mind supporting him financially? Of course not! Will I miss writing a check to my ex every month? No!
So if you see me at the local pub sometime next month toasting my last child support payment, please don't give me a lecture on misplaced priorities. Especially if you are someone who has never paid a child support payment in their life.
Monday, March 26, 2007
"Deadbeat" Dads on Pizza Boxes
For original context, click here.
CINCINNATI - Customers at some suburban pizza parlors are getting something extra with their pepperoni and mushrooms — wanted posters for parents accused of failing to pay child support.
The idea came to Cynthia Brown, executive director of the Butler County Child Enforcement Agency, while she was ordering pizza.
"It suddenly dawned on me that most people running from the law don't eat out, they order pizza," said Brown, whose county is north of Cincinnati.
Enforcement agencies across the country use a variety of methods to locate support scofflaws and collect past-due payments. Virginia has issued subpoenas to cellular phone companies seeking addresses and phone numbers. California's Kern County seizes and auctions parents' vehicles, with proceeds going to the children, said Kay Cullen, a spokeswoman for the National Child Support Enforcement Association.
State child support agencies collected more than $23 billion in child support for 17.2 million children in 2005, but the cumulative past-due child support since the agencies were first formed more than 30 years ago is $106 billion, Cullen said.
"While we have made progress, putting the wanted posters on pizza boxes is an example of the innovation and commitment that we need," she said.
Other Ohio counties put posters on their Web sites and work with local Crime Stoppers programs, and a few contract with companies that can track people through rental and cell phone records, according to the Ohio Child Support Directors Association. Some include fliers in water and sewer bills.
Butler County has printed posters with mug shots of its 10 most-wanted parents, placing them in post offices and other government buildings and sending them to Ohio's 87 other counties. The lineup, chosen by prosecutors, is changed twice a year.
The Butler County sheriff's office served 1,224 nonsupport warrants last year, said sheriff's Sgt. Todd Langmeyer. The county has about 350,000 residents.
Brown approached several restaurants and chains with her idea of affixing the posters to pizza boxes, but so far only three pizzerias are participating.
Since the first pizza posters appeared in August, they have led to one arrest, Langmeyer said. "It's a good idea any time you can put the faces out there," he said.
The owner of Karen's Pizzeria hasn't heard any complaints about her participation in the poster program.
"Some customers joke about it and say they're glad they aren't on it," Karen Willis said. "Most seem to think it's a good idea."
An attorney who focuses on fathers' rights cases called the tactic "horrible."
"It's just a way of shaming people," said Maury Beaulier, whose firm is in Eden Prairie, Minn.
Many circumstances can cause people to get behind in support payments, but that doesn't make them deadbeats, he said.
Widespread public shaming also can devastate the children, said Michael McCormick, executive director of the American Coalition for Fathers and Children.
"Think how children feel to see a parent on a wanted poster and know their friends might see it," he said.
Brown said her agency tries to work with parents by trying to help them find work and seeks most payments through civil court. Criminal charges are a last resort. Conviction on a felony count of failing to pay child support brings a prison sentence of up to 18 months, with fines usually set in the amount of the support owed.
"We aren't trying to penalize these people," Brown said. "We are just trying to help the kids who have a right to be supported."
CINCINNATI - Customers at some suburban pizza parlors are getting something extra with their pepperoni and mushrooms — wanted posters for parents accused of failing to pay child support.
The idea came to Cynthia Brown, executive director of the Butler County Child Enforcement Agency, while she was ordering pizza.
"It suddenly dawned on me that most people running from the law don't eat out, they order pizza," said Brown, whose county is north of Cincinnati.
Enforcement agencies across the country use a variety of methods to locate support scofflaws and collect past-due payments. Virginia has issued subpoenas to cellular phone companies seeking addresses and phone numbers. California's Kern County seizes and auctions parents' vehicles, with proceeds going to the children, said Kay Cullen, a spokeswoman for the National Child Support Enforcement Association.
State child support agencies collected more than $23 billion in child support for 17.2 million children in 2005, but the cumulative past-due child support since the agencies were first formed more than 30 years ago is $106 billion, Cullen said.
"While we have made progress, putting the wanted posters on pizza boxes is an example of the innovation and commitment that we need," she said.
Other Ohio counties put posters on their Web sites and work with local Crime Stoppers programs, and a few contract with companies that can track people through rental and cell phone records, according to the Ohio Child Support Directors Association. Some include fliers in water and sewer bills.
Butler County has printed posters with mug shots of its 10 most-wanted parents, placing them in post offices and other government buildings and sending them to Ohio's 87 other counties. The lineup, chosen by prosecutors, is changed twice a year.
The Butler County sheriff's office served 1,224 nonsupport warrants last year, said sheriff's Sgt. Todd Langmeyer. The county has about 350,000 residents.
Brown approached several restaurants and chains with her idea of affixing the posters to pizza boxes, but so far only three pizzerias are participating.
Since the first pizza posters appeared in August, they have led to one arrest, Langmeyer said. "It's a good idea any time you can put the faces out there," he said.
The owner of Karen's Pizzeria hasn't heard any complaints about her participation in the poster program.
"Some customers joke about it and say they're glad they aren't on it," Karen Willis said. "Most seem to think it's a good idea."
An attorney who focuses on fathers' rights cases called the tactic "horrible."
"It's just a way of shaming people," said Maury Beaulier, whose firm is in Eden Prairie, Minn.
Many circumstances can cause people to get behind in support payments, but that doesn't make them deadbeats, he said.
Widespread public shaming also can devastate the children, said Michael McCormick, executive director of the American Coalition for Fathers and Children.
"Think how children feel to see a parent on a wanted poster and know their friends might see it," he said.
Brown said her agency tries to work with parents by trying to help them find work and seeks most payments through civil court. Criminal charges are a last resort. Conviction on a felony count of failing to pay child support brings a prison sentence of up to 18 months, with fines usually set in the amount of the support owed.
"We aren't trying to penalize these people," Brown said. "We are just trying to help the kids who have a right to be supported."
Monday, March 5, 2007
Awful Book
This book is horrific.
I cannot believe that they are this openly blantant about it. The words they use etc are disgraceful.
Click here to see.
I cannot believe that they are this openly blantant about it. The words they use etc are disgraceful.
Click here to see.
Monday, February 26, 2007
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