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Legislative News & Your FEEDBACK
From: Webmaster (webmaster@kids-right.org)
This is a message from a mailing list, members@kids-right.org Unsubscribe instructions at bottom of message. ====================================================================== Good People & People of Faith This message contains a lot of Legislative News: 1. Visiting Members of Congress for Mother's Day - May 9th. 2. New Jersey Bill for Shared Parenting 3. Pennsylvania Bill for Reform 4. New York Petition for Shared Parenting 5. FEEDBACK - regarding President Lincoln's message 1. Visiting Members of Congress for Mother's Day - May 9th. ---------------------------------------------------------- We have some Mothers and some Fathers ready to travel to DC on May 9th to visit Members of Congress and voice the need for National Family Law Reform. Here are some notes/messages. If you are interested check: http://www.AKidRight.Org/mom2002 --- Lisa (lisamaried@carolina.rr.com - Charlotte, North Carolina), Billie Sue (billysue411@msn.com - Morris Run, Pennsylvania), Mary Jo (mmarceau@ocdus.jnj.com - Macedon, New York), Kris Kenderes (kkenderes@stny.rr.com - Binghamton, New York): ---- April 21 Right now the above list, along with myself, is what we have for folks who have said they'd be ready to travel to DC to visit some Congressional offices. The target date is Thursday, May 9th. We'll meet for breakfast, have a chance to talk and get to know each other a little better, and then head over to the Capital. Some of us will probably be arriving on Thursday evening, we'll try to find a spot with good rates where we can all stay. I will try to call each of you during the next week. As a group we would pay a visit to each of the US Senators for our respective states, and also your member in the House of Representatives. I doubt we will see/meet any of them personally as yet, but we should have a good chance to speak with an aid and drop off some material. If we start at 9AM, we should be done by 3PM and able to leave. Please prepare an individual story/petition for reform about yourself. We recommend no more than a two page letter and attach a color photo of you and your kids to the cover (we have found that really gets their attention -- you are real people!). Make 6 copies if you can. You are welcome to bring a friends petition. The group will have a "cover letter" similar to one we have at the web site, http://www.AKidsRight.Org/actionb_syr/cover2.htm -- please take the time to read that. April 25 I have had the chance to speak with all of you and want to thank you for taking the time to make this effort. I just wanted to let you know that I have now made contact with each of the following offices and followed up with a FAX request for a meeting: ---- U.S. Senator Charles Schumer & Hillary Clinton, New York Congressman Thomas Reynolds, New York Congressman Maurice Hinchey, New York ---- U.S. Senator Arlen Specter & Rick Santorum, Pennsylvania Congressman John Petersen, Pennsylvania --- U.S. Senator Jessie Helms & John Edwards, North Carolina --- In each of the cases my first request was a brief meeting with the Senator or Congressman -- failing that we should be able to see a staff member. An example of the fax'd letter follows, I personalized it a bit for each of the members. I expect to get responses in the next week and finalize times with each of them so that we will have a schedule for Thursday. I already know we should be able to personally meet Senator Edwards of North Carolina -- Thursday is his "Tar Heels" day and he is available to the public. His office said we can get our picture taken with him! Obviously anything can happen between now and them, but I am hopeful we may be able to meet with a few Members of Congress in person. It will be a good start... John Murtari (jmurtari@AKidsRight.Org) 2. New Jersey Bill for Shared Parenting --------------------------------------- Following submitted by Jeff Golden (JeffFACE@aol.com). He makes some good points about not getting too "personal" when presenting issues: New Jersey Senate Bill S-259, if passed into law, would provide for a presumption of joint physical custody of children following their parents' divorce. It is currently assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee, and it will stay there until the Judiciary Committee votes to release it to the full state Senate for a vote. You can read the full text of the bill at the New Jersey Legislature website http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/ Senator Anthony Bucco, the sponsor of the bill, has asked for help in getting the bill out of committee. The Judiciary Committee will vote on the bill when it is put on the agenda for a committee hearing. The committee's next hearing date is May 8, 2002. The two co-chairmen of the committee, Senators Adler of Camden County and Gormley of Atlantic County, have to both agree to put it on the agenda for that hearing. That's where you come in! Phone Senator John Adler at 856-428-3343 and Senator Bill Gormley at 609-646-3500. DO NOT get into a long discussion about the merits of the bill. DO NOT discuss your own case. Just tell them (or their aides) that you want Bill S-259 on the Senate Judiciary Committee's agenda for their meeting on May 8, 2002. You don't have to say whether you are in favor of or opposed to the passage of the bill. Just say you want the Judiciary Committee to discuss it and take testimony on it on May 8th. All you need to do now is make two phone calls. If we are successful in getting S-259 on the Judiciary Committee's agenda, you might want to come to Trenton and testify as to why you think joint physical custody is good for children, and why the standard in New Jersey should be true joint custody. 3. Pennsylvania Bill for Reform ------------------------------ Following submitted by Sue Wolpin (bucks@paface.org): Today, 2 friends and I spent the day in Harrisburg meeting with members of the Senate Judiciary committee. We discussed SB 1260 & SB 1276. We have asked that the 2 bills be merged, and several of the members agreed with us. There will be a hearing on SB 1260 on May 6 at 10 AM. If anyone is interested in testifying, contact Greg Warner in Senator Greenleaf's office. Additionally, several members of the Judiciary committee asked if we could refer any of their constituents who have problems with DRS, so that they may learn of these problems. Attached is the list of members with their office phone numbers. Please contact your member and tell your story. Stewart J. Greenleaf , chair 19 East Wing (717) 787-6599 Charles D. Lemmond Jr., vice chair 172 Capitol Building (717)787-7428 Jane M. Earll 351 Capitol Building (717) 787-8927 Jim Gerlach 177 Capitol Building (717) 787-1398 Edward W. Helfrick 173 Capitol Building (717) 787-8928 Jane Clare Orie 168 Main Capitol (717) 787-6538 Jeffrey E. Piccola 171 Capitol Building (717) 787-6801 Mary Jo White 168 Capitol Building (717) 787-9684 Jay Costa Jr. 15 East Wing (717) 787-7683 Lisa M. Boscola 183 Capitol Building 717-787-4236 Allen G. Kukovich 185 Capitol Building (717) 787-6063 Michael A. O'Pake 11 East Wing (717) 787-8925 Allyson Y. Schwartz 182 Capitol Building (717) 787-1427 4. New York Petition for Shared Parenting ----------------------------------------- >From Deborah, deborah8388@yahoo.com: I understand that you are working for children's rights to both parents after divorce, so I thought I would write to you. My brother and his children recently went through New York's child custody system; I can honestly say that it is the most disgusting thing I've ever witnessed. As such, my family and I are fighting for "shared parenting" so that NO child will have to suffer through what my niece and nephew have gone through. No child should be denied of a good and loving parent and four days a month of visitation is exactly that: denying a child of a parent. I wanted to share this online petition with you. PLEASE: SIGN THIS PETITION AND THEN SHARE THE ADDRESS WITH EVERYONE YOU CAN: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/748559348 I'm sure that you're already aware that many of New York's legislators are coming up for reelection - as such I believe that it is IMPERATIVE that we really begin a letter-writing campaign to our local legislators with letters of support for shared parenting (in addition to the three committees that will be reviewing the three bills). >>> We had some information on the NY Bills, but it was accidentally deleted. If anyone can send in a summary of Bill Numbers, who to contact, we would be happy to include it in our next message. (Ed.) 5. FEEDBACK - regarding President Lincoln's message -------------------------------------------------- We got some interesting feedback on the speech (repeated below), see the full text at: http://www.AKidsRight.Org/archive/archive2002/0019.html ------------ "Chief Justice Taney, in his opinion in the Dred Scott case, admits that the language of the Declaration [of Independence] is broad enough to include the whole human family, but he and Judge Douglas argue that the authors of that instrument did not intend to include negroes, by the fact that they did not at once, actually place them on an equality with the whites. Now this grave argument comes to just nothing at all, by the other fact, that they did not at once, or ever afterwards, actually place all white people on an equality with one or another. And this is the staple argument of both the Chief Justice and the Senator [Judge Douglas], for doing this obvious violence to the plain unmistakable language of the Declaration. I think the authors of that notable instrument intended to include all men, but they did not intend to declare all men equal in all respects. They did not mean to say all were equal in color, size, intellect, moral developments, or social capacity. They defined with tolerable distinctness, in what respects they did consider all men created equal: 'equal in "certain inalienable rights, among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.' This they said, and this meant. They did not mean to assert the obvious untruth, that all were then actually enjoying that equality, nor yet, that they were about to confer it immediately upon them. In fact they had no power to confer such a boon. They meant simply to declare the right, so that the enforcement of it might follow as fast as circumstances should permit. They meant to set up a standard maxim for free society, which should be familiar to all, and revered by all; constantly looked to, constantly labored for, and even though never perfectly attained, constantly approximated, and thereby constantly spreading and deepening its influence, and augmenting the happiness and value of life to all people of all colors everywhere. The assertion that "all men are created equal" was of no practical use in effecting our separation from Great Britain; and it was placed in the Declaration, not for that, but for future use. Its authors meant it to be, thank God, it is now proving itself, a stumbling block to those who in after times might seek to turn a free people back into the hateful paths of despotism. They knew the proneness of prosperity to breed tyrants, and they meant when such should re-appear in this fair land and commence their vocation they should find left for them at least one hard nut to crack." Future President Abraham Lincoln, June 26, 1857. -------------------- --- From Jim Stern (jim@jsternesq.com) >My memory of history is that Lincoln missed the Supreme Court's point. >The Framers explicitly did not intend "men" to include slaves. In fact, >this was one of the major sticking points at the continental congress. >The Slave States would not participate in this new union of states if >they could not have slaves. Further, there was great argument about how >the new nation could be formed without slaves. With this, there was a >compromise and the compromise was that "men" did not mean slaves. The >Supreme Court chose not to be an activist court and do what was for the >congress to do, that is change the constitution and write law. The >Judiciary is empowered to interpret the law, but in this case, there is >little to interpret since the framers clearly never intended "men" to >include slaves. It's a most unfortunate moment in our history and often >debated whether the Supreme Court was great at this moment or missed its >opportunity to be great and act as a super legislature and do what was >right. --- From Gary Ewing (garyewing@webtv.net), An African-American performer. > >Now you know how it feels to be a "Negro" > ================================================================== To unsubscribe from this list at anytime, send email to Majordomo@kids-right.org with the following 1 line in the BODY of the message (Subject is ignored). unsubscribe members
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