Leon Koziol.Com | Civil Rights Advocate
By Dr. Leon R. Koziol
On this Martin Luther King Day, we join fellow Americans in paying tribute to our greatest civil rights leader. It’s hard to imagine in our lifetimes that a day existed when entire neighborhoods and school districts were segregated on account of race. As a free society we have come a long way indeed.
Unfortunately in family courts throughout the same land, we’ve gone in an opposite direction. This is an enclave in which equality has no meaning, civil rights are trampled upon and African-Americans are being slaughtered or imprisoned for money debts. A prime example is Walter Scott murdered this past year by a traffic cop in South Carolina while fleeing a child support warrant.
Family court has been described as a “constitution-free zone.” The state has found a mechanism for oppression by exploiting our children to raise revenues and fees on the backs of fathers who simply find themselves unable to meet expenses after taxes and child support are deducted from their paychecks.
And it’s not just minorities being imprisoned for these debts. Our military and law enforcement represent a growing constituency of victims. In upstate New York a police investigator committed a murder-suicide upon leaving support court leaving three children without parents and the city with a $2 million liability, see Pearce v Longo.
Fathers are still 85% of all child support payors and we have become the most imprisoned population in the free world. A trillion dollar industry has forced dedicated dads to be on a constant defensive in these courts. It’s long past a time when equality and civility are achieved in the places most trusted to protect our basic human rights.
Unfortunately that’s where the violations are still occurring. Family judges like Daniel King are the civil rights violators protected by absolute immunity. That’s also why we must act on our own. In coming days you will see our proposal for a major rally in our nation’s capital to make a real difference. We must make our grievances known during a key presidential election on Fathers’ Day week.
The time for talk and keyboarding is over. When a governor in Arizona can still make speeches replete with sexist slurs, dead beat dads (only) and feel no shame, fathers must take such public servants to task. We will not go quietly into the night while everyone else preaches equal rights at our expense. A new WordPress website sponsored by National League of Fathers Inc. has been established and will be updated soon to promote this rally. Please support our cause and be sure to bookmark: nationalleagueoffathers.wordpress.com
Dr. Leon R. Koziol – Civil Rights Advocate – (315) 796-4000
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Americans for Equal Rights for Fathers 
10 years ago this month:
Approving a joint stipulation and the recommendation of the investigative panel of the Judicial Qualifications Commission, the Florida Supreme publicly reprimanded a judge for (1) suggesting to the husband of his election opponent that she reconsider her candidacy, that he had a lot of money for his campaign and had locations lined up for his campaign signs, and that losing the election would affect his retirement and grandchildren; (2) incorrectly asserting in campaign literature the number of jury trials over which he had presided; (3) frequently starting scheduled first appearance hearings late; (4) leaving an arraignment to conduct a campaign interview; (5) insisting that a hearing begin in the absence of one of the attorneys even though the judge had begun the call early; (6) issuing a bench warrant with a $100,000 bond when an expert witness in a small claims case failed to appear despite the disarray in the trial schedule caused by hurricanes; and (7) repeatedly exhibiting rudeness and impatience with counsel, witnesses, and parties. The Court also ordered the judge to complete suitable anger management counseling. Inquiry Concerning Woodard, 919 So. 2d 389 (Florida 2006).
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Our Constitutional right to bear arms is front and center in state and federal legislatures. But where is the debate on protecting our basic human rights to parent our children? (also constitutionally protected by the 14th amendment) Every day in every state, mothers and fathers lose their basic human right to parent their children.
Why? Because the divorce industry wants your family’s money! Estimated at $170 Billion annually! How? We all have a family member, friend or neighbor who has been through a nasty divorce. Most of us believe children need both parents equally and that there exist a standard of 50/50 custody that the courts start from.
NOT TRUE!!!! THERE IS NO PARENTING TIME STANDARD!!! THIS LACK OF STANDARD CREATES 90% OF ALL DIVORCE CONFLICT AND DIVORCE LITIGATION!!! IT DESTROYS FAMILIES AND LIVES!!! STOP IT NOW!!!!!
In litigated divorce, there is no standard as to how children should spend their time between parents. The lack of a parenting time standard causes our children to be viewed as a prize where unethical lawyers and custody evaluators use them as pawns between parents. If there were a parenting time standard, it would resolve over half of divorce litigation taking place right now.
MAKE PRESUMPTIVE 50/50 THE REBUTTABLE STANDARD AND ELIMINATE CUSTODY EVALUATIONS
Start with the presumption that both parents are fit and entitled to an equal role in their children’s lives. This presumption is rebuttable only by findings of fact based upon a preponderance of evidence in abuse, neglect or addiction. Everything else unconstitutionally denies parents their rights to parent children.
ONLY OUR LEGISLATORS CAN PROTECT US FROM THE DESTRUCTION OF DIVORCE WITHOUT OBJECTIVE AND EQUAL STANDARDS
The divorce industry is $170B annually and motivated to oppose standards so they can create, promote and perpetuate conflict to increase billing hours exponentially. Have you ever heard “It’s only the lawyers who win in divorce”?
Add to lawyers: custody evaluators (duplicate roles in some states), criminal lawyers, courts, psychologists, therapists, investigators, GALs, an entire cottage industry of brokers! With overdue and demanded, simple and just changes to state statues, families and children can be forever protected from the ravages of the divorce industry by a simple and equal standard. The lack of a presumptive 50/50 rebuttable standard destroys lives and families, often forever. Children as pawns can be scared for life, arbitrarily lose a parent, or two, for life and are in much greater peril in life. Mothers and fathers lose their children and react badly. Suicide and homicide is not uncommon. Mothers and fathers can be jailed for protecting their children or going bankrupt. https://www.causes.com/campaigns/44294-enact-uniform-parenting-time-guidelines-separated-parents
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Every child deserves an involved dad.
Many people are surprised at the research which shows a connection between father absence and an increase in social problems in America including: poverty, teen pregnancy, juvenile delinquency, physical abuse, suicide, substance and alcohol abuse and a host of other troubling social problems. The sad fact is that not only does father absence hurt children, fathers suffer as well.
Developing positive relationships with their children encourages and motivates fathers to lead more constructive lives, even in the most difficult of circumstances. For instance, the simple act of regularly writing to their children from prison improves outcomes for incarcerated fathers, including increasing their odds of training for, finding, and keeping a job once they reenter society. Evidence shows that fathers who write to their children once a week have a lower risk of violence in prison and recidivism when released. These positive outcomes are multiplied when we study the impact on the children of inmates, and how father contact can change the trend of their children’s lives – even while the father is still incarcerated.
In addition, research and experience tell us that there is a strong correlation between lack of father involvement and many larger social challenges. Sadly, trends are against us. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes, in a study that investigated these trends, 2006 – 2010, “fewer fathers now live with their children” over the period studied. Reasons for this depressing trend include incarceration, non-marital childbearing and other factors.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 24 million children in America, one out of three children in America, now live in biological father-absent homes. Furthermore, according to the national surveys conducted by NFI, 9 in 10 parents believe there is a father absence crisis in America.
This study, an excellent resource on the impact of father-child involvement, also describes how “increased involvement of fathers in their children’s lives has been associated with a range of positive outcomes for the children.”
Fatherhood is in crisis in America, and you can help. By using our evidence-based programs your department, agency, or not-for-profit group can increase father involvement, improve the lives of children everywhere, and reverse negative trends in a wide range of social issues. Or, by becoming an individual activist, you can bring fatherhood programming to your community and help to reduce a host of social ills in your neighborhood.
NFI is a nationally respected, oft-cited, non-profit organization committed to better outcomes for children and our society as a whole. Our research and programs make a positive difference in the relationships between fathers and children – even in cases where a father is not physically present in the home. You don’t have to be a bystander to the fatherhood crisis in America; you can help to turn the tide and help us create a world in which every child has a 24/7 Dad.
Thank you for your interest and support,
The National Fatherhood Initiative® Team http://www.fatherhood.org/social-problems-in-america
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