Letters to the Editor – A Forum for Father's

“Debtors Prison is Alive…in America” 

My sympathy is going out to the mum who has been it appears separated from her kids and, as a result of unemployment due to incarceration, not able to pay criminal charges.   Concern for the youngsters need to be sufficient to attract sympathy from the courts however, as I’ve come to comprehend firsthand, an establishment will also be dispassionate in such issues – even under the title of justice and such notions as “innocent until proven guilty”…   

Specifically in regards to the feedback of Wallace:  “There’s no such thing as debtor’s prison”, my letter is to tell the readership that there's…in America, jail for individuals who can't or haven't paid kid beef up.   Before you soar to conclusions, learn on…

Non-custodial oldsters – mostly men – are subjected to debtor’s prison because they have not or will not pay child support…and are in arrears.   Publicly portrayed as “Deadbeat Dads”, a majority of these males have persisted a few stage of loss during the bias and coverage of divorce courts:  so much males getting into a court (for divorce) are the defendants and, traditionally, will probably be decreased to a non-custodial (if kids are concerned, in fact); debtor’s jail places them in a Catch-22 the place employment is interrupted by way of incarceration and so forth.   

The tragedy of shedding your proper to be discern will also be crushing – as males are oldsters too.   Your rights are misplaced – now not on account of any possibility to your kids – however as a result of bias and coverage of the courts that regulates your visitation and strips any authority in your kids’s lives.   It is a tragedy of which I am individually conscious…as is my kids.    Consider that suicide amongst males is no less than seven occasions higher in publish-divorce…

No-fault divorce has been the impetus for the surge of the divorce fee in America and, whilst divorce charges are down (so much lately implemented to financial stipulations), the wedding fee may be in decline.   Some say that marriage is a demise establishment; others say that divorce is by way of a ways the most important risk to marriage as an establishment. I imagine each to be precise.           

Speaking of establishments, our courts methods are essentially accountable (for this surge…).   Besides No-fault divorce, Child Support enforcement is any other federally sponsored device that imputes the non-custodial – stripped in their proper to be a discern – to monetary tasks that are sometimes untenable for purposes past their regulate.   

The bias and coverage of the so-referred to as device of justice has perpetuated divorce (and the dying of the circle of relatives) thru unfair scales and a blindfold lifted for the wishes of the only over the wishes of the numerous.    To finish a wedding for comfort is rarely result in for the prices born by way of the youngsters; but, No-fault divorce contains the day…with Child Support ready within the wings as a benefit heart for the state.   One establishment is destroying the opposite establishment and the spine of a unfastened Democracy…     

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Regarding article on April twenty fifth, “Fatherless boys want function fashions to show them learn how to be males” by way of Carol Hagan, Jacksonville, AL

“The Cry of the Fatherless…and the Fathers” 

Thank-you Carol for the submitted article on April twenty fifth.  I agree wholeheartedly that boys want male function fashions – and that the absence of fellows in households is correlated to delinquency and an entire host of different issues of our boys…and kids.   

I were a father, a step-father, a Big Brother, and a scout chief; but, in each and every and all of those cases, stay deeply inquisitive about the woes of the fatherless.    Recent reads by way of David Popenoe (Life with out Father) and David Blankenhorn (Fatherless America) were each enlightening and disheartening when it comes to the significance and severity of this social concern.  

What I could make of the concern is that there's extra at result in than the willful abandonment or denial of fathers; however to boot, a winning stigma and remedy of fatherhood.  

David Popenoe describes it in this fashion: 

• The culmination of many cultural, social, and financial traits…is a society             unusually unsupportive of fatherhood.  Indeed, if one have been in particular to  layout a tradition and a social device for the explicit function of undercutting   fatherhood and males’s contribution to the circle of relatives lifestyles, our present society may  be just about what may outcome. 

Similarly, David Blankenhorn signifies: 

• Men, basically, and fathers particularly, are more and more seen as superfluous to circle of relatives lifestyles:  both expendable or as a part of the issue. Masculinity itself…is usually handled with suspicion or even hostility in our cultural discourse.   

I come with those observations best to carry to mild that the fatherless have suffered partially as a result of devaluing of fatherhood.   Whether during the media, the courts or tradition, the erosion of the daddy has cleared the path for the dilution of the circle of relatives – and the kid undergo the entire extra.  

Believe it our now not, there are fathers out-there that wish to be oldsters to their kids; however were decreased to one thing less on account of mal-remedy and discrimination by way of the courts; and there are males who need to supply management and function modeling to kids – however are scared to demise of a few unwell-conceived allegation or pretense that is sure imprisonment and perpetual profile.       

Fatherhood is an integral part of the traditional circle of relatives, and males are wanted as function fashions to boys (and ladies); and our society is unfortunately lacking them each….Perhaps it’s time so as to add a line to the Pete Seeger track:   “Where have all the fathers gone…” 

Perhaps it’s time so as to add a line to the Pete Seeger track:   “Where have all the fathers gone…” 

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 “Unanimous Underwriting of Families Ties” 

 Much way to the House for balloting unanimously to beef up grandparents’ rights to be a “stabilizing force” to their grandchildren; possibly the Senate has (or will) proportion an equivalent level of fervor in aiding the households of our state—to incorporate the ones broken by way of divorce.   

I should imagine that grandparents are deeply thankful for this piece of regulation, the “Paw Paw bill”—in mitigating the numerous terrible results of marital dissolution.   I recognise of grandparents (and clan) that experience had to just accept the unlucky and unjustified lack of such relationships by way of affiliation to the non-custodial circle of relatives. 

In the vintage case look at, Judith Wallerstein describes the potential cases for youngsters (Second Chances: Men, Women and Children a Decade after Divorce): 

• Children really feel excessive loneliness.  It amazes me how little beef up they get presently, even from grandparents.  Divorce is an acute, painful, lengthy-remembered revel in that kids should frequently negotiate with the feel that they're on my own on this planet (p.thirteen)

 In The Custody Revolution, Robert Warshak describes the as soon as-clan:  “Grandparents are the forgotten victims of modern divorces.”   (p.24) 

 Thanks once more for giving beef up to kids, grandmas and grandpas.  

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 “Who’s at Fault for Marriage Rights?” 

In her editorial, not anything is discussed of the rising devaluing of marriage basically.    In this as soon as-sacred sacrament of our society, who’s at fault?  Specifically, why is marriage a civil establishment whilst custom and historical past display it a non secular one?  

Is it greater than cash – a type of taxation…?

Since the 1970′s (the creation of No-fault divorce), marriage has been devaluing:  a covenant – and even a freelance – has given option to a courting of comfort.   Everyday, spouses and oldsters are dragged into court docket for divorce towards their will or want.   No-fault has devalued marriage to the level that such radical deviations as defined within the supply article will also be regarded as – even followed – into an establishment that has served unfastened society neatly during the a while…steeped in faith.   

What of the youngsters – emotionally or paternally destitute by way of divorce?  The device that created No-fault lays declare to paintings of their easiest passion towards the facts of publish-divorce issues which can be overwhelmingly upper than in typical households.   If the device is operating is their easiest passion, why are the youngsters being adversely suffering from the effects?    

The civil establishment doesn't recognize marriage, circle of relatives, or non secular sacraments.  

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“Thanks for Program” 

I am grateful for this system to assist dads be “better fathers”. 

The remedy of imprisoning borrowers is a Catch-22 as a result of being in prison disables any probability to beef up one’s kids and, in consequence, establishes a cycle for which no resolution exists.   

Some won't remember the genesis of a countrywide kid enforcement fashion; however in brief, the fashion was once derived by way of an lawyer, Bob Williams, who has made tens of millions thru this industry undertaking.   States that set up this fashion download federal budget on kid beef up collections; therefore, kid beef up orders develop into a part of state sales in a few percentage to that ordered and picked up as taxes.

If a dad is disparaged as a discern but is imputed with taxes, he studies taxation with out illustration.   He would possibly earnestly wish to beef up his personal kids—now not as simply a debtor or paycheck, however as a dad or discern.    If dismembered from his kids thru an undesirable and unjustified divorce, he is of course broken—disowned from his offspring by way of the regulation and courts just because of gender.   

Any attending discern may combat with the painful situation of shedding kids thru such strategies, and any ardent citizen may combat with taxation with out illustration.   

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Regarding Leonard Pitts’ column, “Rand Paul…”

I assume the object—or blast approximately “a blast…”—proves the purpose of why generalizations and establishments err.  Do all “social conservatives”, from the previous to the current, grasp to racial prejudice?  Was Rand actually speaking approximately racism…? 

Rand’s ideals grasp to restricted govt (even though “tiny” may well be excellent).  I assume he holds to the ideals that particular accountability (over institutional imposition) rendered freedom.  (In preserving with the Constitutional clause that all are created equivalent…).

The downside comes whilst an establishment imposes such “equality” best to perpetually create extra inequality; and whilst reparations are worth, the outcome can by no means be enough for all who suffered—as justice can by no means be…whilst due procedure is the exception in place of the rule of thumb.           

Where commonplace flooring are available is the straightforward reality that establishments can't store us from the previous or the prevailing; due to this fact, each and every person need to be accountable to make a choice on the foundation of one thing greater than arbitrary regulation.  

“Freedom is not a gift received from the State or leader, but a possession to be won every day by the effort of each and the union of all.” – Albert Camus

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“Time for new…Corrections in Alabama”, Sue Bell Cobb,

With restricted wisdom at the overcrowded penal device (state and nationwide), I am happy the issue is being made extra public (final week, the Jefferson county prison and, this week, the state’s device). The traits that experience lead our country to the top incarceration fee on this planet (in line with capita and in general inhabitants) need to be relating to to everybody.  

As a naïve query, will have to “the obvious need of change” come with reform of the regulation?  Consider plea bargaining utilized in over ninety% of prison circumstances; the place the defendant isn't blameless till confirmed accountable (past a cheap doubt), however is arguably accountable as charged.  

In the plea discount is the anomaly of the jail device:  one of the methods’ gamers win, or scale back prices, and a few lose; in particular, the courts and council win by way of restricting the fee for conviction whilst the jail device loses with overcrowding and inadequate budgets.  Justice or due procedure is of little attention.      

As so much overcrowding has been attributed to the warfare on medication, the similarity to exact wars is hanging:   the ever rising prices with the fake feel of safety, the stakeholders that win and the servants that lose, and the injustices that by no means finish.    

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