Wednesday, March 23, 2005

Defending Your Right...to get screwed

California...I love that state...takes a deployed Seal to the hoop...


Gary has unsuccessfully battled the family court system in California, which has jurisdiction over the divorce, for almost two years in order to gain some access to SS (his son, my parens). After all, that same court demands he pay hefty child support.

"I am paying $2,100 a month not to see my son," Gary told Fox News in 2003.


This is the new face of father's rights, a face men's rights activists are determined you will see in coming months: the military man who is 'processed' by the family courts during his tour of duty or upon his return. A father who returns 'home' to children he cannot see and, often, to support payments he cannot make.

"Sometimes I wonder what I risked my life for [in Afghanistan]," Gary told fathers' rights activist Glenn Sacks. I went to fight for freedom but what freedom and what rights mean anything if a man doesn't have the right to be a father to his own child?"

Unfortunately, this is all too common. Yes, being married to a serviceman/woman is tough, but how do we allow these fathers to get screwed by the system while they are away defending our rights and freedoms? Are our servicemen and women perfect?...no, but do they deserve this kind of treatment? Leave it to California to decide that a fair child support payment, for which the state will do nothing to enforce his rights, will cost him a mere $2100 per month. How much do they think he makes? For that kind of money, he should be provided several round-trip tickets to Israel, where his ex-wife took his son.

Our states often screw our servicemen in this way. Our states should be fighting for the rights of these fathers, and quit looking at them as checkbooks for insincere women who take advantage of the system. Fair is fair...visitation (enforced) for a reasonable amount of child support, but abandonment by a wife, during a deployment, should count against the mother, and the state should step in to argue for the absent husband.

I won't hold my breath though. It warms my heart to see how well we "support our troops." Not.

3 comments:

74 (William Powell) said...

It seems to me that our legal system has become so "parsed" by new laws and precedents that justice has taken a back seat. The letter of the law is apparently more important than the spirit of the law. Getting involved with the courts is kind of like being fed into a shredder. I much prefer doing anything in my power to avoid that situation to begin with.

Anonymous said...

maybe i should move to california? i only get $1100 for 3 kids here on the east coast

Papa Ray said...

Its no better for the civilian who has the money to pay. Once they leave the country nothing can be done.

He can just not pay, in civilian life.

If he goes to the other country, most likely he will be arrested.

Bad deal all the way around.

Papa Ray

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