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Letters to the Editor
New York Times
229 West 43rd Street
New York NY 10036
December 31, 2001
Dear Sir :
Your editorial, "How to try a terrorist,"(December 29) is among a
flood of writings anxious that murderous terrorists will suffer injustice
in tribunal courts. The irony is that tribunal "justice" already is the
lot daily for tens of thousands of American fathers in the so-called
family courts.
In these fascist institutions there is for men no right to trial by
jury, no equal justice, no equal treatment, vicious gender
discrimination, little due process, and the right to be considered
innocent till proved guilty is violated hourly. On this last point, I
cite the protection-from-abuse laws which empower judges to throw a man
out of his house on no more evidence than the woman’s testimony : "I’m
afraid of him!"
Even though the "best interests" of the children supposedly come
first, kids blindly are awarded to mothers. 1996 statistics from the
Pennsylvania Department of Health disclose that she wins ten times for
every father’s win. Isn’t it remarkable that women invariably should be
such superior parents, and men, so deficient ! Mostly, fathers gain
custody only when mothers don’t want the kids. So much for equal rights.
As poor as the record is for physical custody awards, it is worse when
fathers must sue vindictive women blocking them from the kids in
violation of joint custody orders. In such circumstances, judges
universally are guilty of misfeasance and nonfeasance. Invariably, in
answer to a father’s contempt action, they do nothing beyond perhaps
wagging a finger. The situation is so bad that the federal government
has provided millions to set up so-called access programs designed to
bring fathers into their children’s lives.
Discrimination also is rampant in court handling of child support. If
judges truly were concerned with children’s best interests, they would
strive to assure that the money is preserved for children. They never
do. When a mother diverts child support to herself and the courts don’t
stop her, the father, in effect, has suffered violation of his
constitutional right to due process. The court, in other words, may
have legally ordered him to support his child, but he had no hearing for
the money taken from him that the mother spends on herself. In
comparison with noncustodial men, noncustodial women customarily pay no
or less child support. And unlike men they rarely go to jail for
nonpayment
Missing also is respect for human dignity. Fathers calling the
Fathers’ Rights Hotline spontaneously say, I was treated like a criminal.
I felt like a criminal. In truth, we commonly tell fathers going to
family court that they may as well be in Nazi Germany.
This is a time of national concern about the destruction of
families and absent fathers. In truth, the family courts carry heavy
responsibility by making it a pushover for women to obtain custody of
children, child and spousal support, and a lion’s share of family
assets.
Presently, there is a considerable noise about fathers abandoning
families and not wanting to be involved with the children. The reality
is that fathers wanting to be involved are driven away by vindictive
mothers and do-nothing courts.
Sincerely,
Donald J. Middleman
FATHERS' RIGHTS HOTLINE
Post Office Box 713
Havertown PA 19083
(215) 879-4099
Dadrights@Juno.com
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