The audio of Sunday's His Side--"Schlafly on VAWA, Fathers' Rights, and Conservatives' Failure to Defend Fatherhood & Families"--can be heard by clicking here.
Hearings on the Violence Against Women Act began in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, July 19. In this statement the Family Violence Prevention Fund, one of America's leading domestic violence organizations, actually brags that at the hearings, "opponents of VAWA attended...the American Coalition for Fathers & Children issued an open letter signed by 13 leaders asking Congress to significantly modify VAWA. No Senators acknowledged the opponents or their materials."
Avoiding or stifling debate is a sure sign of weakness and intellectual insolvency, whether in the case of governments or of organizations. As Lenin accurately noted, "only weak governments need strong measures," such as repressing opposing views.
Avoiding open, fair debate is not new for the FVPF and its president, Esta Soler. After Soler attacked me in the San Francisco Chronicle in April (see my Chronicle column Domestic Violence Series Substitutes Emotion for Facts, 4/8/05, as well as her response letter), we offered her the chance to come on His Side and discuss the issue but she declined.
The FVPF proudly notes that "Men's Resources International released a pro-VAWA declaration signed by more than 800 men from 44 states." A lesser man than I might be tempted to write that the MRI, given its reflexive, enthusiastic endorsement of a feminist law which has led to the victimization of so many innocent men, reminds one a bit of the ARVN. However, I try to stay on the high road...
One might also note that the MRI says it has only 630 signatures, not 800. Even at 800 the MRI, which had five years to prepare for VAWA's renewal, garnered less than half as many participants as a garden variety Sackson Horde campaign.
The American Coalition for Fathers & Children has just issued an action alert on the Violence Against Women Act. The ACFC correctly notes that the bill "destroys families, violates constitutional rights, politicizes law enforcement, and funds feminist and other extremist groups," and that once it has passed, we are stuck with it in its current form for another five years. To join the ACFC campaign, click here.
To learn more about how it violates constitutional rights, see the His Side shows Restraining Orders: Saviors of Abused Women or Child Custody Tactic? (2/27/05), Father Spends 3 Months in Jail for Returning Phone Call (9/7/03), and Liz Taylor's Son-in-Law Says Taylor, Daughter Kidnapped His Two Year-Old Son (4/11/04).
To learn more about how it funds feminist political advocacy, note the role of VAWA-funded feminist groups in the LaMusga move-away case in the California Supreme Court here. Also, domestic violence organizations, many of them funded by VAWA, were responsible for killing the California Shared Parenting Bill AB 1307 in May.
As for problems with VAWA, I would also add gender bias and a stubborn refusal to acknowledge the existence of and provide services for male victims of domestic violence. For this reason I supported the National Coalition of Free Men Los Angeles' gender discrimination lawsuit--see Plaintiff in Suit Against LA DV Shelters is Right to Demand Services for Abused Men (Los Angeles Daily News, 6/12/03).
In addition, the VAWA-funded domestic violence industry overstates the prevalence of domestic violence and promotes anti-male, anti-father hysteria. For an example, see my column New Report on Maternal Homicide Crisis: Myth-Making and Manbashing (Lexington Herald-Leader, 1/3/05).
I discussed the renewal of the Violence Against Women Act and my new column VAWA Renewal Provides Opportunity to Stop Destruction of Innocent Cops' Careers (Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, 7/19/05) on American Family Radio on July 20.
After publishing an article sympathetic to boy bashing T-Shirts--Sticks and stones: Fashion trend aims for laughs, but raises some eyebrows (Boulder Daily Camera, 7/19/05), the Daily Camera heard from the Sackson Horde over the article's "Boy bashing is payback" angle. In response, the paper's editorial board came out with an editorial condemning the shirts--see Sexism sells: 'Boys are stupid' fashion trend not quite innocent (Boulder Daily Camera, 7/22/05). The editorial specifically condemns the idea of "payback," and also notes that "sexism cuts both ways" and "Boys face as many--if different--problems as girls do, and bad behavior is hardly the exclusive province of boys."
The Camera also printed a letter from campaign supporter Yaakov "Jim" Watkins--see BOYS: Trashing them is about self-esteem? (7/22).
Feminist Professor Complains About Mail from Sackson Horde but Admits She Has no Evidence for Claim about Boys' 'Bullying'
Feminist professor Linda Scott of the University of Illinois supports "Boys are Stupid" T-shirts as payback for what she calls boys' "bullying," saying that "'Little boys bully little girls in school yards all over America every day" (See Sticks and stones: Fashion trend aims for laughs, but raises some eyebrows, Boulder Daily Camera, 7/19/05).
After the article came out I noted "I'd be interested to know where she gets her feminist factoid that 'Little boys bully little girls in school yards all over America every day'--it certainly doesn't conform to anything I saw in my years of school or of teaching."
It turns out that as far as evidence goes, she has none. Scott said her evidence consists entirely of the fact that both of her daughters were (allegedly) bullied by a boy. No studies, no data, no surprise. She also complained that the Sackson Horde was sending her "a lot of hate mail."
To write a Letter to the Editor of the Boulder Daily Camera, click here. To write to Ms. Scott, click here.
The Florida Sun-Sentinel cited the His Side Campaign Against 'Boys are Stupid' Products in its article `Happy Bunny' T-shirt is hopping out of Sears (Sun-Sentinel, 7/23/05). To write a Letter to the Editor of the Florida Sun-Sentinel, click here.
Military Author/Columnist Calls for Action on Reservists/Child Support Issue, Quotes Glenn's Army Times Column
Military family issues columnist Captain Gene Thomas Gomulka, author of The Survival Guide for Marriage in the Military and Marriage and Military Life, called on the military to address the child support/reservists issue in his column "Reservist call for adjustment in child support while deployed " (The Globe, 7/20/05). Gomulka responded to a letter from a father who wrote:
"Five years after leaving active duty, I was recalled as a reservist and am now having a hard time while deployed getting my child support payments reduced that are based upon what I was earning as a civilian. Frustrated by the lack of support I am experiencing in resolving this matter, I feel betrayed by the military and our courts."
Gomulka wrote that "Unless Department of Defense wants to exacerbate its already growing recruiting problem," it needs to address the issue and concluded:
"Reservists have a hard enough time fighting terrorists without having to expend energy and funds in battling the courts and their states. It's time DoD, military and governmental leaders work to ensure that their child support payments are adjusted accordingly without bankrupting them or sending them to prison when they return after serving in harm's way."
In the article, Gomulka quoted from my co-authored column "Laws Must Protect the Rights of Military Dads (Army Times, Marine Corps Times, 3/28/05). Lobbyist Michael Robinson and the Military Parents Alliance are moving a bill through the California legislature that would address this issue--to learn more visit militaryparents.org or see my column California's Military Reservists Need SB 1082 (Riverside Press-Enterprise, 4/14/05).
As I've noted, I would also like to see the military address the child custody issue in a meaningful way. As I the noted in the Army Times column.
"Military service sometimes costs men their children. The Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act provides that if a parent moves a child to a new state, that new state becomes the child's presumptive residence after six months. With the long deployments necessitated by the war, a military spouse can move to another state while her spouse is deployed, divorce him, and then be virtually certain to gain custody through the divorce proceedings in the new state.
"Given service personnel's limited ability to travel, the high cost of legal representation and travel, and the financial hardships created by child support and spousal support obligations, it is extremely difficult for fathers to fight for their parental rights in the new state. For many, their participation and meaningful role in their children's lives ends--often permanently--the day they were deployed."
The Army Times column also discusses the case of Gary S., a Navy SEAL whose little boy was abducted internationally with the complicity of a California family court while he served in Afghanistan in the wake of September 11. To learn more, see my column The Betrayal of the Military Father (Los Angeles Daily News, 5/4/03) and the His Side show Two Years into Iraq War, Little Has Been Done to Protect the Rights of Military Fathers (3/13/05)
My latest column, VAWA Renewal Provides Opportunity to Stop Destruction of Innocent Cops' Careers (Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, Tallahassee Democrat, Daily Breeze [Los Angeles], LewRockwell.com, 7/19/05) details the way current federal domestic violence policies have caused many police officers to lose their livelihoods over flimsy, unsubstantiated domestic violence charges. The article suggests reforms for the Senate Judiciary Committee to consider during its hearings on the Violence Against Women Act which began July 19.
To learn more about the issue, see the His Side shows Police Officers Unite to Defend Their Livelihoods Against False DV Allegations (4/10/05) and Seattle Press Brands Cops as Batterers (8/3/03).
Mark Huddleston, who appeared on His Side last week--see "Father Fights Adoption Agency for Right to Raise His Son" (7/17/05)--said this week that the judge and the adoptive couple in his case are trying to gag him and prevent him from speaking with the media. Huddleston says the judge may soon sign an order stating he has to ask the judge for permission before he can speak to the media about certain issues in his case. We'll keep you informed as the case progresses.
As previously mentioned, I spoke at the 2005 Men's Equality Conference July 15 and 16 in Washington D.C., as did Warren Farrell, Carnell Smith, Stephen Baskerville, Dave Burroughs, and other men's/fathers' movement leaders. The conference was well-attended and well organized, largely due to the extraordinary efforts of men's activist Tom Golden.
If you're tired of working long hours away from home and are interested in starting a home based business, check out www.EntrepreneurfromHome.com. Many people are earning good incomes working from the comfort of their own homes, while also being there for those special moments with their children. To learn more, go to www.EntrepreneurfromHome.com or call 1-800-705-0528. Don't your kids deserve to have a happy parent at home?
Trial and appellate lawyer David A. Sibley handles handle divorces, adoptions, child support, and child custody. He normally accepts only cases where he feels real injustice exists and his client is the victim of the injustice. He handles both large and small cases. He often represents the "small guy" against the "large guy." You can contact David Sibley at (361) 882-2377 or at david@davidsibley.com. To learn more, click here.
Blair MacRae's Operation Gender War answers the question: "what's gone wrong today with heterosexual relationships?" Operation Gender War exposes the distortions of the gender feminists who have hijacked the woman's movement. Operation Gender War is the antidote to politically correct but dysfunctional living. It calls to both genders to find the bottom line and the means to move on. To buy Blair MacRae's Operation Gender War, go to culturebuster.com. That's culturebuster.com.
For decades conservatives and conservative Christians have claimed that they are fighting to "defend the family," when in reality they have wasted an enormous amount of time focusing on trivial issues like gay marriage. At the same time they have ignored the forces which are hurting children, destroying fatherhood, and tearing families apart. These are the family law system, the federal financial incentives which help shape and drive that system, and the shortsighted mothers who place their emotions or convenience above their children's needs for their fathers.
During the past six months a major conservative has finally begun to confront the issues generating mass fatherlessness. Conservative writer, commentator and activist Phyllis Schlafly is urging fellow conservatives to re-examine the Violence Against Women Act currently up for renewal in Congress, and is sounding the alarm over the harm misguided feminists have done to fathers and the children who love them and need them.
Schlafly joined Glenn on His Side with Glenn Sacks on Sunday, July 24. To listen to the show, click here.
A comprehensive discussion of the both the politics and practical aspects of dealing with false allegations of domestic violence can be found in The Father's Emergency Guide to Divorce-Custody Battle by Robert Seidenberg and William Dawes, Esq.