[AKidsRight.Org] Agenda for Senator Clinton meeting / Detroit June Conference / EQUAL parenting and California Reform?

webmaster@AKidsRight.org

Good People & People of Faith,

This message contains info on:
1. Good, Average, Poor - all EQUAL parents, essential?
2. Meeting with Senator Clinton - an agenda for your review.
3. National Parent's Conference in Michigan (June)- agenda/schedule.
4. California - Bill AB 1307 to change custody law.

1. Good, Average, Poor - all EQUAL parents, essential?
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Good, Average, Poor - all EQUAL parents in time and responsibility?
What do you think about that?  Does it sound like a good goal
that describes what we want for real reform?

What about that catch-phrase: Good Parents, Average Parents, Poor
Parents -- all EQUAL parents.  Doesn't that capture the essence of
reform? A parents right to nurture their own child, and a child's
right to two parents involved in their lives (and they don't get to
pick a preferred parent).

Many want people to go to mediation/counseling and resolve things
themselves.  When both sides know they are EQUAL, those services
will actually become useful and used -- without needing a Judge to
'order' it.

The parent/child relationship is dynamic.  Both sides effect each
other.  When you call someone a Good parent or a Poor parent, you
should really say -- a Poor parent "now."  A Good parent "today."

Sometimes the changes occur quickly, sometimes they take years --
but only once thing really stops the progress (separate the two).

Should society offer support/classes/etc... to make parents better.
Yes.  But they are voluntarily.

For me the essence is, you have two parents -- One GOOD parent, who
likes to read to the kids, goes to PTA meetings at school, really
has an interest in the child.  One POOR parent (who at the moment),
keeps the kids fed/warm, doesn't beat them -- but just watches TV,
doesn't worry to much about school, may yell a lot, and isn't too
interested in their kid's friends.

Still EQUAL parents?  Yes.  What do you think?

2. Meeting with Senator Clinton - an agenda for your review.
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     Draft Agenda - Meeting with Senator Hillary R. Clinton

Summary - what follows are some concrete guidelines we are using as
we approach a personal meeting with our US Senator on protecting
Family Rights.  It should help the Senator's staff in planning for
the meeting and also members of our group -- it can hopefully be
used as a guideline as other face-to-face meetings occur.  

As we work on finalizing this, your feedback is welcome! Send
comments to webmaster@AKidsRight.Org

Goals:

To allow the Senator to hear directly from loving mothers and
fathers on how their relationship with their children was
jeopardized or destroyed by Court proceedings as a result of
divorce, separation, or child abuse allegations.  To give her a
chance to question the parents about their experience and feelings.
We all discovered we had no real protected right to be parents to
our own children, that all was subjective and dependent on the
decision of a single judge.

To expose the Senator to the concept that we want Family Rights, a
human right, to be recognized and protected.  WE ARE NOT calling for
MORE FEDERAL INTERFERENCE, but less. The recognition of established
constitutional protections to protect families. We only ask the same
principles used to protect liberty, also protect the bond between
parents and children (probably an even more valued freedom). There
ought to be a "significant barrier" the system has to cross before
they can interfere with our family life.

    1) The right to counsel.

    2) The right to be presumed innocent and deserving of an equal
    relationship with your kids.

    3) The right to protection of a jury. The "state" needs to prove
    you were a demonstrated serious and intentional threat to your
    child.

NOT Goals:

    * To ask the Senator about her feelings.
    * To ask the Senator her position on reform.
    * To complain about child support.
    * To complain about conduct of specific people: lawyers, judges,
      former spouses.
    * To give 'legal arguments' about what went wrong in your case.

Meeting Guidelines:

    * 60 minutes of real content.
    * No questions of the Senator.
    * Entire proceeding recorded audio/visual for later Internet display.  
      A public meeting.
    * Short five minute intro statements from Senator and AKidsRight.Org 
      group coordinator.

Parent Participant Guidelines:

    * Small group of 8 -12 people.
    * Mothers and Fathers.
    * Parents separated from children by action of former spouse.
    * Parents separated from children by action of social services.
    * All parents must be willing to be 'public' with their entire 
      story.  Already have it posted at our Hall of Shame page.
    * Prepare a two page summary of your story for the Senator's staff 
      in advance. Include a picture of you and your children.
    * Prepared to give a two-three minute presentation of the shock, 
      pain, and indignity caused to your family by the present process.  
      Your feelings.

Follow Up:

We will be ready to participate in any follow on discussions with
legislative staff.  We would like the Senator to call for
Congressional Hearings to investigate the need for protecting Family
Rights. To receive a detailed reply from her on the need for such
hearings and why/why not.

3. National Parent's Conference in Michigan (June)- agenda/schedule.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
We want to remind everyone of a Family Law reform conference to be
held June 16-18 near Detroit Michigan. Please view the link to a 
complete description and detailed agenda for the conference.  They
have some Nationally recognized speakers and it looks to be an
excellent program and a great opportunity to help form a strong
coalition for reform.

http://www.AKidsRight.Org/misc-content/FRC4-convention_info1.pdf

4. California - Bill AB 1307 to change custody law.
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Submitted by: William L Spence <wls@redshift.com>

The California Legislature is once again---the last time was in
1996---considering a statutory requirement of _equal_ joint custody.

For help on contacting the Legislature, and links to details of the
bill, advocacy, and that enable one to follow its progress, go to
http://www.redshift.com/~wls/bills0506.html#presumptivejointcustody

AB 1307 has been amended, unfortunately disadvantageously, but would
still be worthwhile to pass and I'm sure continues to face
formidable opposition.

Read the new text on the legislature's website,
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/asm/ab_1301-1350/ab_1307_bill_20050427_amended_asm.html

- ALSO - 

AB 1307, a new Shared Parenting bill recently introduced in the
California legislature, seeks to help preserve children of divorce's
bonds with both parents by creating a clear presumption that parents
equally share in the responsibility of joint custody of their
children unless there is clear evidence that it would not be in the
children's best interests.  

The California Shared Parenting Alliance (CSPA) has just launched a
campaign to support the bill in Sacramento.  If you'd like to learn
more about AB 1307, go to http://www.cspaonline.org/  
Best Wishes, Glenn Sacks

-- 
                                         Webmaster
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