From: russ@alliant.com (Russell McFatter)
Subject: Re: 10MOST WANTED
Organization: Alliant Computer Systems Corp.
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1992 21:22:46 GMT

In article <17810@oasys.dt.navy.mil> 154s@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Mona Hatfield) writes:
>I heard this on my son's radio last night as I was "checking on him".
>(Too old to tuck him in he says) (12 yrs).
>
>Somewhere (I forgot which state), they are in the process of taking
>the top "ten most wanted" ***fathers***, publishing their names, pictures,
>etc., just as in the T.V. show America's Most Wanted (or something like
>that).  It *REALLY* burned me up that it will be the non-paying FATHERS,
>what about the non-paying MOTHERS???!!!  #@!^(*(*&(*^%#  (Sorry for
>the outburst).
>
>Mona Hatfield

That state would be, of course, the Bastian of Equality, the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts.

The "Delinquent Father Roundup" involved pasting thousands of "Wanted"
posters on buses, bus stops, bulletin boards, and such of the top
1000 or so delinquent NCP fathers.

They made their first successful, and highly celebrated "catch" on the
second day when a man owing $73,000 in back child support was turned in.
He was brought to trial immediately and asked, in a televised court
hearing just hours after his arrest, if he had any explanation for his
failure to pay.  He had none.

Why only delinquent fathers?  Simple.  There are few (if any) delinquent
mothers, for Massachusetts Law states that the mother always be given
custody in a divorce unless the woman has been convicted (repeatedly) of
child abuse or neglect.  In those rare cases where the father has custody,
there's likely to be no child support mandate.

What irks me:

	1: Murderers get buried in a stack of pictures in the Post Office.
	   Delinquent fathers' are plastered on the sides of buses.

	2: Strange how a delinquent father gets not only a speedy hearing,
	   but a televised one.

	3: Strong suspicions (on my part) that this case was carefully
	   selected, or is entirely propaganda.  Reason: Given the
	   publicity, election-year hype, and media "circus" surrounding
	   the event, suppose the first person "snared" turned out to
	   be a homeless man who lost his high-tech job two years ago?
	   Odds of this happening must be extremely high right now, given
	   the number of unemployed people here.  (To give you an idea:
	   in this area, at least, the commercial vacancy rate exceeds
	   50%).  I'll tell you what would happen:  The "delinquent father"
	   witch hunt would be getting the same kind of media coverage
	   as the civil forfeiture laws are.

	4: This guy had NO explanation?  NONE?  In front of the reporters,
	   there were dozens of possible (and likely true) sympathy-evoking
	   things to say.  Surely there is a reason for the delinquency,
	   if only an emotional one; but that's better than NOTHING.
	   (Hint: Why else would he be allowed almost no preparation time
	   before the hearing?).  This is not a case of lawyer-induced
	   "no comment", but instead a blatant admission of inexcuseable
	   guilt (exactly what the "witch hunters" wanted to hear!).

	5: No corresponding "witch hunt" for custodial mothers who deny
	   visitation rights.

This might not have gotten an article out of me, except that the atmosphere
is so... "circus-like".  This isn't an application of justice, but an
entertainment event worthy of "A Current Affair" or "Geraldo".  I get
suspicious anytime there's such sudden, urgent interest in a crime which
has been around for decades.

--- Russ McFatter [russ@alliant.COM]
std. disclaimers apply.