Monday, November 19, 2007

Family court is radical

I just called a lawyer to ask him what to expect at the Dec. 6 hearing. He said that it is common for Comm. Joseph to take kids away for frivolous reasons, and make the parents spend months in mediation or counseling to get them back. Comm. Joseph is "conservative" that way, the lawyer said.

No, that is certainly not conservative. It is radical. It is the most extreme action that a family court judge can take. It is cruel. It is like a fireman pouring gasoline on a fire. I don't know what motivates Comm. Joseph, but he sure isn't helping.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The court system is broken, but it's also a tool... much like a hammer.

You can use a hammer to build a house or you can use one to kill another person.

Your ex-wife is beating you over the head with the court system, instead of building a secure house for your children.

In the absence of damaging abuse (which doesn't include the normal mistakes we make in parenting, such as serving cereal for dinner), I can't see her motives to be AT ALL HONORABLE.

When I divorced, I hated my ex-husband. He had a girlfriend who became the new wife just 2 months later. BUT, I never let our young son complain about dad's house. In spite of his tears and unwillingness to visit his dad, I would always say, "But he's your dad, and he loves you."

There were even times when I saw how unhealthy the household was. The new wife came with 3 of her own older kids, to add to my son's 3 kids (including our only son together). This huge family squeezed into an apartment. And of course, the new wife became pregnant. My son was sleeping on the couch for his visits and he was about 5 years old. I could have made a case to steal my son and won with flying colors.

But no mother should steal a child from a father - flawed father or not. Again, I don't include instances of child abuse in that assessment (I'm talking about the real stuff... not the manufactured drivel some women feed to the court.)

I apologize. I'm rambling. And I'm frustrated with women using the courts to punish the ex. THAT'S child abuse.

Anonymous said...

George's case is in Santa Cruz California County Superior Court. Here is a quote from their Family Court Services Website FAQ:


"What is the Best Interest of the Child?

The best interest of the child means having two healthy, non-violent, caring parents actively and consistently in their lives that are able to communicate with each other and coparent . Research has shown that children with an absentee parent are more likely to use drugs and alcohol earlier, become teen parents, drop out of school, and exhibit criminal behavior. Therefore, it is in their best interest that both parents actively spend time with them..."

Comm. Joseph's actions do NOT seem at all consistent with this FAQ. He has removed the children from George's life without cause.