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Penalties are endless for 'crime' of being divorced

Date published: 4/10/2009

Penalties are endless for 'crime' of being divorced

Thomas Savage's sneer at my college and my alleged political affiliations (and the inaccuracy of his facts) offers a small glimpse of the kind of personal attacks and unscrupulous methods used by his profession against parents in family court ["Baskerville bays nonsense on divorce and dads," April 4].

According to Mr. Savage, family court is so fair that defendants receive not one trial but two. And before being incarcerated over child support, parents are apparently tried twice more.

Surely Mr. Savage understates his case. In family court, parents can get dozens, even hundreds, of "trials," if we count, as he does, every time an innocent parent is hauled into court without having committed any legal infraction and issued with some "order" about how he must conduct his private life if he wants to stay out of jail.

Many parents are forced to appear in court on a regular basis, each time ordered to open their wallets to attorneys like Mr. Savage, even if they have not hired them, and pay other exorbitant "debts" they have done nothing to incur.

Indeed, family court has so many ways to criminalize parents that they can just keep "trying" them until they are found guilty of something.

Do any of these numerous trials involve a jury? Is there ever a formal charge? Are parents ever declared innocent and left in peace?

Or are these quickly improvised hearings, in which parents are barely permitted to speak before the judge takes away their children, confiscates their savings, seizes their homes, attaches their wages, and jails them without any semblance of what most Americans consider a fair trial or due process of law?

America's family courts are ideologically driven kangaroo courts. These feminist tribunals are the shame of American justice.

They are creating a police state that will only expand along with the federal funding that drives them until other media follow The Free Lance-Star and expose this appalling abuse of government power.

Stephen Baskerville

Purcellville

The author is associate professor of government at Patrick Henry College.



Date published: 4/10/2009



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He's right o the money....... (posted by Dharma41 , Apr. 11, 2009 11:47 am)    0 likes
the J&D judges and divorce lawyers are out to line their own pockets at the cost of the well being of everyone involved. They are incompetent at best and out right corrupt most of the time.

Sorry you feel that way, Fugged (posted by Ron_C , Apr. 11, 2009 10:03 am)    0 likes
Yes the numbers back you up, but I'd have to say that if a person pickes the right person to marry and does it for the right reason, then a long and happy marriage can be the result.

It is easy having never been in the (posted by dawgman , Apr. 11, 2009 9:23 am)    0 likes
situation and when a divorce is finalizd the father looses almost all rights as being the father. The courts are heavly favor the mother it is pathethic. WIth that being said, I am talking about the stand up fathers who actually pay child support and try to be an influence in their childrens lives. I have no room in my heart for those dead beat idiots who do not pay their child support. Not to get married is such a narrow point of view. Everyone needs to take accountability for their actions!

Don't think divorce is fair? (posted by All_Fugged_up , Apr. 10, 2009 3:25 pm)    0 likes
Then don't get married. Over 50% of married couples end in divorce. "till death do us part" is a nice sentiment but really doesn't mean anything.

Agree AtackDuck (posted by xanatos , Apr. 10, 2009 3:16 pm)    0 likes
I now have custody of my son. But at one point the family court had wanted his mother and I to go through mediation to determine child support. I was badgered by the mediators to basically "pay up" and they had written up the agreement that we both were to sign. Then his mother was arrested for child neglect when she left her youngest in the car while she shopped at WalMart. I called the mediators and let them know what was going on. Even then, they were incredulous that I had decided NOT to sign the papers

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