|
|
|
NonViolent Action Resumes / News from New York & Michigan
From: Webmaster (webmaster@AKidsRight.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 info on: 1. NonViolent Action Resumed - jailed. 2. Michigan - Child Abuse Law reform. 3. New York News - meeting with Sheldon Silver. 4. New York News - protecting Grand Parent "rights." 1. NonViolent Action Resumed - jailed. ------------------------------------- John Murtari returned to the Syracuse Federal Building again today in a continuing effort to petition Senator Hillary Clinton regarding Family Law reform. He was joined there by Gary Taubar who visited Senator Clinton's office to ask for help in finding his son. There are background and details at the site, http://www.AKidsRight.Org/actionc_syr. John was arrested by Federal Police and was arraigned later in the afternoon by US Magistrate Judge DiBianco. He was then released pending trial. The effort should resume again on Monday, August 4th. Check the site for updates. 2. Michigan - Child Abuse Law reform. ------------------------------------- Submitted by: alpha omega <kdz4us@juno.com> From: "Nancy Luckhurst" <wolflady22743@hotmail.com> > PRESS RELEASE NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR PARENTS AND FAMILIES > People filled the Salem Twp hall southwest of Grand Rapids, MI on > Thursday night July 17th to hear several speakers talk on a subject > no one wants to hear about. The abuse of children. > Dave Nyhoff, of Dorr MI put this meeting together. He is the founder > of Citizens for Parental Rights. Other organizations represented > there to help his group were the National Alliance for Parent and > Families based in Woodbridge, New Jersey and Unity a group from the > thumb area of Michigan. The purpose of this meeting was to raise > awareness of the public to a problem in the State of Michigan Child > Protection Services Agency and the problem with these agencies > throughout this nation. > Michigan has the distinction of ranking 3rd in the nation for taking > children away from their parents. In 1998 according to the states > own figures 4.36 children per thousand of population in the state > were removed from their parents. That figure again according to the > government's own figures was 4 -8 times higher than the states of > Wisconsin, New Jersey, and Indiana. Again in 1998 there were > 133,681 allegations of abuse and neglect and according to the > government figures 85% of those were false allegations. Michigan > FIA/CPS is bragging about these numbers. According to the Governor > and the documentation there are 1200 to 1500 children missing from > foster care placement in Michigan. > Nationwide in 1998 there were 7600 allegations every day reported > 3400 children were removed from parents every day and all but 400of > these cases every day were false allegations. All of these numbers > just get worse every year since. > Government documentations shows that children placed in foster care > are 10 times more likely to be injured or killed than if left in the > home with the parents if the family is given services needed to keep > the family together and remedy the underlying problems. > Speakers were Michigan Representative Fulton Sheen, Jon DeWitte > Director of Public Policy from Congressman Pete Hoekstra's office, > Andrew Susko Chairman of the NAPF, his wife Gayle, Karen Hamilton > and Lola Telmos of Unity and several people came forward to share > their personal CPS horror stories. > When Mr. Susko finished his speech outlining the fraudulent audit > turned into HHS By the State of Michigan for the CAPTA reports a > look of awe and disbelief was on all the faces of the audience. > Mr. Susko was asked after the meeting to do a full report with > documentation for Representative Sheen and Congressman Hoekstra. > Another meeting is being scheduled for the early fall to be held in > the Capitol building in Lansing. Announcements will be sent out far > in advance of this meeting. > Submitted by > Nancy Luckhurst > Secretary and press agent for NAPF > Address 3541 Roy Dr Sheridan MI > 48884 (989) 261-1200 3. New York News - meeting with Sheldon Silver. ---------------------------------------------- Submitted by: Randall Dickenson (dickins895@aol.com) > Reps. from the Coalition of Fathers and Families New York, Inc., met > today with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's staff, Assembly > Minority Leader Charles Nesbitt's staff, and Senator Owen Johnson's > staff (sponsor of the Senate's shared parenting proposal) to discuss > the status of several pending legislative proposals of importance to > fathers and their families all across New York State. The response > received was encouraging. > We seem to have finally begun to move up in the pecking order with > the Silver folks. The meeting was held with Mr. Dan Conviser's > staff. Mr. Conviser is as high as one goes before being granted an > "audience" with Speaker Silver himself. Present, as well, was > Assemblyman David Sidikman (sponsor of the Assembly shared parenting > proposal). I think we can honestly say that for the first time we > managed to come away from a meeting with the Silver people with the > sense that we were not simply being humored and then expected to > just "go away". His people were responsive and appeared - also for > the first time - to be genuinely interested in exploring the options > for accommodating our agenda. They have requested that we provide > them with materials and assist in bringing them up to speed on the > issues. They also suggested that we assist in helping them "sell" > our agenda to the rest of the Assembly rank and file and overcoming > pockets of opposition. > Assembly Minority Leader Nesbitt is said to be interested our agenda > and in promoting family law reform to his Republican Caucus. > Interested in Assemblyman Bob Prentiss' Family Court Reform > proposal, and will be entering into dialogue, not only with > Assemblyman Prentiss, but seemed interested in beginning a dialogue > with Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno's office, as well, in order to > explore a "same as" proposal mirroring the Prentiss proposal in the > Senate. Lip service? Maybe, but, if we can keep the pressure on, > we should be able to hold their feet to the fire. > Our biggest success was with Sen. Owen Johnson's staff. Received a > commitment to try to move the bill out of Sen. Mary Lou Rath's > Children and Families Committee and to the floor of the Senate for a > vote. This is a significant development. Here's the catch; they > want to see some sign of interest in getting the our bills moving in > the Assembly. > That means a full court press in the Assembly between now and the > beginning of the next legislative session in Jan. of '04. That, of > course, is our job. More to the point, THAT"S YOUR JOB!!! > Between now and the beginning of the next session we will have six > months to line up our ducks and hit the ground running. You all > have only four legislative representatives you each need to concern > yourselves with - your individual Assembly member and Senator, as > well as: > The Honorable Sheldon Silver > Speaker, New York State Assembly > Legislative Office Building, Room 932 > Albany, New York 12248 > (518) 455-3791 > fax: (518) 455-5459 > District Offices: > 250 Broadway, Suites 2301 & 2307 > New York, N.Y. 10007 > (212) 312-1400/1420 > fax's: (212) 312-1418/1425 > > e-mail: speaker@assembly.state.ny.us > > and > > The Honorable Joseph L. Bruno > Majority Leader, New York State Senate > Legislative Office Building, Room 909 > Albany, New York 12247 > (518) 455-3191 > fax: (518) 455-2448 > > District Office: > 368 Broadway > Saratoga Springs, New York 12866 > (518) 583-1001 > fax: (518) 583-4458 > > e-mail: bruno@senate.state.ny.us > To emphasize once again, however, we must focus the greatest > attention and energy on the Assembly. One last comment: remember if > you can't make your own contribution by contacting these four > legislative reps. and beginning a dialogue with them in order to let > them know that you support these legislative initiatives, then don't > whine the next time your getting the shaft in Family Court and don't > come to us looking for help with your personal problems. Take them > to the chaplin instead. 4. New York News - protecting Grand Parent "rights." --------------------------------------------------- Submitted by: Randall Dickenson (dickins895@aol.com) > As some of you may already be aware, the New York State Legislature > yesterday passed and the Governor is expected to sign a bill that > gives grandparents legal standing in certain custody cases. The > arguments used as justification for these bills (Assembly Bill 8302B > and Senate Bill 4224A) is identical to the complaint of many inner > city men of color who have stepped forward to do the right thing in > taking responsibility for raising their children after they have > been abandoned by their mothers, only to find that they have little > or no standing in the courts should mom re-enter the picture and > demand the kids back. Now grandparents will have more statutory > protections in New York State than the fathers. This has huge > implications for fathers and other non-custodial parents, and will > make it increasingly more uncomfortable for legislators to continue > ignoring our legislative agenda. You can all rest assured that we > did, indeed, make emphatic reference to this very important > development during our meetings at the Legislature yesterday. > One interesting note: the Senate sponsor of this bill was none other > than the "Honorable" Stephen M. Saland. Sen. Saland has also > sponsored a bill that establishes a rebuttable presumption in the > law as it relates to interference with visitation. Maybe I'm > missing something here; isn't it Sen. Saland who has been so > outspoken in opposition to presumptions of any kind in the law??? > Like the man said, "follow the money". > In closing it should be emphasized that this bill did not get passed > into law because so many elected representatives were suddenly > overcome with a wave of guilt and compassion. AARP in cooperation > with several seniors organizations around the State simply began to > make it clear to these same legislators that their members' votes > depended on support of this initiative. Here's the $64,000 > question: When it comes to your parental rights, what do you intend > to do the next time you find yourself in a voting booth with a lever > in your hand, and when do you intend to get around to letting your > elected reps. know where you stand on the issues??? ================================================================== 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
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Thu Jan 08 2004 - 03:12:00 EST |
