MENZ Issues: news and discussion about New Zealand men, fathers, family law, divorce, courts, protests, gender politics, and male health.

Dateline: USA
From: By Brad Haynes of the Eagle-Tribune
Via: the Honor Network
Additional Comments: Timocrat

ANDOVER - Barbara Johnson, the flamboyant Andover lawyer who fought for the rights of fathers, campaigned for governor in an antique fire engine and drove a hearse to Washington, D.C., to protest divorce laws, has been barred from practicing law in Massachusetts.

Johnson became well known in the Merrimack Valley and among fatherhood rights activists for her successful defense of Brian Meuse of Haverhill, who was accused of kidnapping his daughter from her mother, who had temporary custody and had taken the child to Florida. Meuse was found not guilty by an all-male jury in May 2002 after Johnson argued he had no choice but to take the 14-month-old girl because the mother was not getting her the medical care she needed.
Johnson, 71, who also has been an acerbic critic of the Massachusetts court system, said yesterday she’ll fight her disbarment all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Yesterday, she called the process under which she was disbarred a “kangaroo court,” and compared the state to a Third World country, but remained nonchalant about life after losing her license.
Johnson was disbarred for putting sensitive confidential information from two of her cases on her Web site, for refusing to pay legal fines after being held in contempt, and for conducting herself in an “insulting, vituperative” manner in court, among other charges.

Men rights activist can’t practice in New Zealand, and even pro-male rights female lawyers lose their right to practice in US. Do you see the trend here? Is it really the impartial law we need to deal with here? Again in this story they are trying to come down on websites too. Unite with other men’s rights or suffer in isolation.

Economist Murray Weatherston says child abuse costs New Zealand $1.25 billion a year. About 120 people, including social workers, paediatricians and Children’s Commissioner Cindy Kiro, attended a one-day seminar on Monday called by Weatherston and Family Court Judge Graeme MacCormick.

NZ Herald: Parents should sit licence test, say experts

A high-powered expert group has proposed a kind of “parents’ licence test” which all parents would have to sit to keep care of their children and to receive child-related welfare benefits.

The proposed assessment, similar to a driver’s licence, would be administered when a baby was born and repeated when the child turned 1, 3, 5, 8, 11 and 14.

Parents found to have “risk factors” for child abuse, such as domestic violence, drug and alcohol problems or mental illness, would be offered help.

Judge Graeme MacCormick, a former Family Court judge who initiated the proposal, told a seminar in Auckland yesterday that parents who refused to accept help, or to be assessed, should have their child-related benefits suspended and possibly lose their children.

If currently popular “no smacking” standards are imposed, around 80% of us are going to fail. Perhaps a massive programme of building state orphanages is just around the corner.

Are the “risk factors” likely to be applied in a gender-neutral manner I wonder? Mmmm…

Parenting Council chairwoman Lesley Max said society should not tolerate “child hostage” situations where “fearsome fathers or father figures frighten away those who might help”.

If you’re a male and need emergency housing, even for just a few nights, there’s often nowhere to lay your head. Merilee Andrew reports.

Western Welfare Agencies, which can comfortably cater for displaced females and their children, say the housing situation is desparately inadequate for males.

Citizen’s Advice Buraeu manager Diane Mellowes has trouble placing males. “I’ve had a run of them. There’s just this huge gap for homeless men or married people. ”

Her office is a common port of call for people who are low on funds but need a roof in a hurray. It’s not a problem if they’re female. But for everyone else - single males, or families with a husband or older boys - it’s “desperate”.

Salvation Army Henderson’s Zandrea Lee says she meets quite a few men who come in, down on their luck, to find nowhere local to send them.

The Aucklander, 6 September 2006, page 7.

The rest of the article describes a situation where the female and children where housed and the husband had to sleep in the car. Also how the streets become a home and how the places for men are not very pleasant.

It is no surprise that Clark wants to Tazer Trevor Mallard, but the question is why. Is it because she abides so strongly with the principle of keeping private and political separate, or that she saw that a similar such retaliation might expose something more damaging for her. What was exposed in the personal life of Don Brash may have implications for him personally and his family, even his future and his party. His alleged moral failure in a heterosexual relationship however does not pose a great threat to New Zealand Society. We can’t go killing off politicians on the basis of their lack of moral restraint unless the public is of equal or greater moral fibre.

If there is truth to the allegation that Mr. Davis is gay, then this is a completely different situation. It is not about morality it is about sexuality. The Heterosexual life style is based on reproduction and the Homosexual lifestyle is based on sexuality. If we have a sexuality based Government producing legislation which is damaging heterosexual relationships, that is a threat to the majority of New Zealanders, both socially and economically.

If it were true that Clark and Davis created a lesbian homosexual marriage of convenience, for their personal and political ambitions, that is a lie that the media is compelled to expose. It may be case that even their closest friends live the lie with them, but the public requirement here is that the media determine the facts and allow the democratic process to determine an answer.

It is becoming plainly evident to a voting public that the broadminded ideological fervor of the labour leadership is not only socially dysfunctional but has its origins in sexuality rather than reproduction. It is not only dysfunctional it is threatening.

Some would call this Gay Bashing, but it is not. Many homosexuals find complete acceptance in society. What turns acceptance to intolerance is the political ambition of sexuality. There is no need to suggest we return to the persecution of homosexuals, however one must expect that homosexuals will by the folly of a few of their political dissidents suffer the consequences.

If there are lies and deception here, the media owes us the answers, now that we have got this far.

This article was published on Stuff: Politics gets personal for PM

Child Support Convoy
Auckland to Wellington.
Friday 26th January 2007

Time to get serious about child support protest. The Convoy will travel from Auckland to Wellington ahead of the National Child Support Conference.

This is Auckland Anniversay Weekend. If you are serious about participating in this weekend, take Friday off and travel home on Monday.

Had enough of the IRD child tax department.

Project Re Union Trust is hosting a child support forum in Auckland. Those interested please note the following date and time.

Auckland Child Support Forum.
10.00 am - 3.00 pm
Sunday 29 th October.

This is advance notice for those interested. Further advertising will follow.
Guest speaker (will not be from the IRD, they had their chance last time)

Organiser: Jim Bagnal 09 815 0307

Auckland needs to take it’s ideas and protest to Wellington for the

National Conference on Child Support
25-28 January 2007.

Could the Prime Minister inform the house what association Dr Ian Scott has with her family unit, if any?
Could the Prime Minister further inform the house of the association of Paul Truscott with her family unit, if any?

An ethical and morality spokesperson for the Republicans

Is it really any surprise that fathers (and some mothers) have had to battle a System that runs upon corrupt practice that feeds its very existence, stemming from its pinnacle to the counter interface with the masses.

With continued solidarity, and the endeavours of the iceberg tip, we have whittled away to reveal the core of extreme anti-parental policy, that has brought societal decay, and a reflection with perhaps a turn of the tide by the System.

This is due to an accumulation of happenings, that has been built and extended upon.

My first accolade goes to Jim Bagnall who has dedicated himself more trying to rectify this situation than any other person I know, and if my knowledge is shortcoming please give me an update.

My second accolade would be to John Potter who has, with his foresight provided this resource which over the years has probably been invaluable to a great many people including myself.

My third accolade is to Jim Bailey, love him or hate him, it’s better to love him, as he’s a fantastic bloke and gives as much passion to the cause of our collective marginalised pain as anybody can what Jim does

We then have Ben Easton who walked to Wellington and back and is still challenging the System at its most fundamental of existence through all manner of legislation that he has found to be inconsistent and predujiced, Wayne Pruden who re-stepped the path of Ben at a time more beneficial to our cause, gaining great exposure to both his and the plight we all face through “Tea Break Judgements”.
Kerry Bevin for being able to pull together a team to place a foot on the rung of the ladder, towards a Political Representation Republicansin establishing a recognised Party by the Electoral Commission, no easy task.
Peter Burns down on the wrong (maybe right) side of the straits, almost by himself shaking the tail of the country into a stir.

All of these people and a great many more are the “Fathers Coaliton” which have done the hard yards with the protesting and stepping up to the plate, excuses wash no more, we have apparently achieved a great deal collectively which we need to build upon and not have any promise of reform, stagnate.

IRD Child Support, WINZ and CYFS will be next on the horizon as the ideology mindset that has produced the dissatisfaction we hold with the System is deeply embedded in these Organisations.

Please give your support to the Coalition, do not let history repeat with idle State promise unfulfilled.

Kind Regards
Paul

From bloggs.com a taxi driver in London comments -

I’m reminded of the policy of British Airways, Quantas and Air New Zealand. They will not allow an unaccompanied minor to sit next to a man. After loading, they will ask the man to change seats with a woman. It’s very likely that other airlines operate the same disgraceful policy. I tell my driver about it. He agrees with me.

“There are six billion people in the world”, he says. “That means three billion of them are men. We hear all this stuff about paedophiles on the news, but they don’t take into account the mass of decent, ordinary men”.

“And even if you were a paedophile, what could you possibly do on a crowded plane full of people?”

Quite so. But is is not about child protection. It has nothing to do with that. It is by subtle, largely unpublicised, passive-aggressive methods such as this, that the cultural demonisation of men has been achieved. And that is the real agenda.

I don’t know how many of you are getting information on the work Benjamin Easton is doing. He is part of the Father’s Coalition so if you are on their mailing list you probably know.

But to the rest of you IMO he is similar to Wayne’s unusual tactics to protest and educate the public.

Benjamin is in Wellington living on the street and ‘Busking for his supper’. I don’t have the full picture but I think he just decided he was doing this and he just, “Up and went to Wellington.” But while he has been doing this (for weeks) he is writing to polititions, inviting them to discuss matters, organising events and talking to those that walk by day and night. He has some very interesting conversations and sometimes I think he reminds me of just what life is all about for I often don’t have time to just be “still.”

But anyhow here are interesting stats he has collected frm the public.

Question: Is New Zealand corrupt?

Yes – 50 No – 31

Question: Are we homophobic?

Yes – 45 No – 29

Question: Are we racist?

Yes – 56 No – 22

Question: Do children need their dads?

Yes – 846 No – 89

Comment: Would the public stampede to protect their’ children to need their dads?

Question: When parents split up, should there be a presumption of shared equal
parenting before they reach the court?

Yes – 250 No – 39

Question: If the media are given a “truth” or fact, and that truth is serious or
“in the public and general interest” should legislation be written to force the
media to publish that truth to either an authority or public?

Final: Yes - 136 No – 37

Question: Can judges (court of law) demand the truth?

Final: Yes - 243 No - 119

Kororia ki te Atua,
God bless
TPBJ
BUSKING SNAIL MAIL: To Post Office Box 12088 Penrose, Auckland , New Zealand

A Production Company is producing a film on ‘prenuptials’ or as they are now referred to under the PRA Act 2002 , ‘contracting out agreements’.

The producer wishes to hear from anyone who has experienced an attack on one whether or not it went to a full court hearing. If it did not proceed to a hearing please advise why. Was blackmail utilised in order to have the decision settled out of court?

The program is about the “process” of defence in terms of Section 21 of the ACT. How was your contract attacked? The strategy of attack, first strike technique, domestic violence allegations, EXPATRE orders, solicitor incompetence in failing to advise other party adequately, other party not understanding contract, other party under undue pressure to sign etc.

Most importantly, did the contract supply you with ‘clarity and certainty’ as promised by the author of the ACT?

Your identification will be kept confidential and consent will be requested should the story be used in a dramatised format.

Please send succinct stories to

The CON-tract
Living Pictures Ltd
Box 56-459
Dominion Rd
Auckland 1003