Here’s something good to know if you’re married and live in Kentucky:

Your wife decides to cheat on you for, oh I don’t know. . . let’s say 7 years. And, she has two children with her lover, who just happens to be her boss. But, she let’s you believe that the children are yours. Like any good father, you raise them. In fact, you take a primary role in their upbringing. Then, she decides she wants a divorce. But, hold the press! The a-hole boss that’s been sleeping with her for 7 years, and is the godparent of one of his own children, decides to have a sudden attack of morality. He wants to father his children, even though both your spouse and the boss have lied and covered their lies for 7 years. You fight for custody. Guess what? You will very likely lose the children you have raised since infants.

This is an actual divorce case from Divorce Law Journal: Divorce and Family Info for Professionals in Kentucky and Beyond.

Therein lies the irony: if a misled husband decides to “run” in order to avoid any parental support obligations, he would be prohibited from doing so by S.R.D. and would remain financially bound to the child, but should he desire to “stay” and maintain a relationship with the child, Consalvi, literally applied, says that he cannot be the de facto custodian and is not entitled to custody or visitation. Fortunately, a man who was led to believe he is the father of a child born during his marriage may be able to maintain a relationship with the child in those instances where the biological father has waived his superior right to custody.

Can someone explain to me how this is different from the following scenario?

I sell you a diamond. I know it’s a fake, but I sell it to you for a premium price. You later have it appraised only to find out it’s a fake. Naturally, you want your money back. I say no. You have hard evidence that I blatantly lied to you during the sell. You go to the police and call the Better Business Bureau. What do you think is going to happen in this case?

Yet, when a CHILD is involved, fraud seems to be acceptable. So acceptable in fact, that the fraudulent parties can maintain custody of the child. That’s a sick, twisted system. What is that child going to be taught?

Advice: Lower your expectations for our Family Court System considerably. Wait. Maybe that’s good Divorce advice.

So, we were rolling along. The fact that deployed troops are losing their children because of their active duty status has finally begun to attract significant media attention. I posted on this issue last week. Alec Baldwin has brought attention to Parental Alienation Syndrome over the last few weeks, even though the circumstances surrounding it aren’t the best. There has been backlash from some who believe that a father asking for rights must be doing so to subvert someone else’s. But, the issue has gained ground in the media. Overall, there are a couple of issues in the public spotlight that speak to Father’s Rights. It’s great to see.

Then, I turn on the TV to see a group of misguided idiots doing everything they can, it appears, to harm the Father’s Rights and Equal Parenting movements. Fox 2 News in Saint Louis ran a story on a Web site started by a local moron. The site is called National Association Against Baby’s Mamas (NAABM). There is little I can say about this that the video doesn’t say for itself. However, I can not stress enough, in case one of Baby’s Daddies is reading this, that you’re hurting the rest of the fathers in this country who are actually working to improve equal access. So, just stop. Please, for the rest of us, stop acting like high school students. Unless, of course, you are a high school student then carry on.

Robert Pedersen and Rob Mackenzie will start their 600 mile bike trek from Lansing, MI to Washington D.C. on August 11th. They are biking to bring much needed attention to Equal Parenting and will end their trek on August 18th at a national rally.

When I received an email yesterday asking me to bring attention to their efforts, I was honored. What these two men are doing is imperative to the continued struggle to right a family court system that is seriously lopsided. The Michigan media has committed to covering their journey, but the more the merrier. Spread the word. I have cleared my calender for August 18th and will be there (hopefully with my son) to put my money where my mouth is.

Please pass this information along and volunteer if you can.

Watch this passionate video from a father who, like so many, has been steam-rolled by our current Family Court System.

Not too long ago, I posted on John McCain’s quick dismissal of a military father who asked him what he planned to do to improve parental access after divorce. If this particular issue- military parents losing custody of their children because they are serving active duty- doesn’t provide a clear indication of how twisted our Family Court system really is, I don’t know what does. I truly don’t understand how so many people can rationalize and justify the current state of inequality surrounding how we deal with children and divorce.

ABC reported yesterday on Lt. Eva Crouch, who served for 18 months in Iraq only to come home to a court battle. Prior to leaving, she had been her daughter’s primary custodian and an active parent. More shocking, is that she LOST in Family Court and her ex-husband was awarded custody.

The list goes on:

Cpl. Levi Bradley
Sgt. Mike Grantham
Capt. Brad Carlson

This has been reported on for years by father’s rights advocates, and yet nothing changes. In Glenn Sacks’ story Protect Deployed Parents’ Rights, he provides case after case of parents leaving for active duty and losing custody of their children. We have fathers and mothers placing themselves in the gravest danger to protect our freedoms only to strip their most precious right away- their right to parent.

Thanks to the Governors of Nebraska, Kentucky, Maine, Iowa, and Nevada for declaring April 25th Parental Alienation Awareness Day! Parental Alienation Syndrome is an unfortunate reality for many non-custodial parents.

This is my son, and he means the world to me.

This is a card he gave me for Father’s Day. I cry every time I read it. I’m so grateful to have this experience every year- to receive a loving card on Father’s Day. But, for thousands of fathers who are victims of Parental Alienation Syndrome, this is something they can only dream about. Think that it doesn’t happen? Think again. Follow the thinks below and educate yourself on PAS.

(Click here for a larger image)

Sometimes you get discouraged
Because I am so small
And always leave my fingerprints
On furniture and walls
But everyday I’m growing big
And soon I’ll be very tall
Then all of my little handprints
Will be hard to recall
So here’s a special handprint
Just so that you can say
This is how my fingers looked
When I placed them here today.

More Information on Parental Alienation Syndrome:

• Wikipedia: Parental Alienation
• Fathers Are Capable Too
• ParentalAlienationAwareness.com
• Parental Alienation Syndrome by Richard Gardner

Thanks to John Fowler from Fathers 4 Justice for his courageous protest of Karen’s Pizzeria in Hamilton, OH. If you are not familiar with the Deadbeat Dads on Pizza Boxes controversy, you should read about it.