Report from the Front

An article on front page of the opinion section of the Albany Times-Union apparently suffers from a serious lack of any research on the subject . .

Custody fight: Documentary sheds light on system that lets children suffer at the hands of abusive fathers.

Examples include:

1. He makes no mention at all that MOTHERS abuse children at over 3 times the rate that FATHERS do.
2. He fails to mention that MOTHERS far and away are more likely to KILL their children than FATHERS.
3. He ignores the fact that MOTHERS get custody 93% of the time in NY, and, as we all know, FATHERS "settle" out of court with a gun held to their heads. As in settle or you will never see your kids again.
4. He claims there is a bias against mothers in court when in fact people like Judge Robert Smith, Judge Judith Scheindlin (aka "Judge Judy") and Robert Doar (head of ODTA) have all said this year there is in fact a bias in the NYS family courts AGAINST fathers.
5. He fails to mention that Domestic Violence (DV) and Child Abuse are involved in less than 5% of divorce cases.
6. He makes no mention of the fact that DV is in fact gender neutral.
7. He ignores the HUNDREDS of studies that prove preferring instead to perpetrate related lies.
8. He simply denies the existence of the battered male.
9. He makes no mention whatsoever that over 70% of allegations of abuse are FALSE and that they are used to ensure the mother gets custody.
10. He quotes "facts" with NOTHING to support it.
11. He claims PAS (parental alienation syndrome) doesn't exist ignoring the fact that 40% of mothers ADMIT to blocking visitation and 50% of mothers see NO NEED for their children to continue to see their father.
12. He fails to mention that many of us have contacted PBS to demand they pull this show and give equal time to father's rights groups to inform the public of the other side of the story.
13. He fails to mention that some of the funding for this show comes from women's groups, and that perhaps that's a reason they came to the conclusion they did. Nor does he mention that the producers are known to have an anti-male agenda.

So we now ask Mr. Port why he didn't bother to mention these things. We ask him why he failed to get quotes from those who disagreed with him. We now ask him to prove his facts. We ask him why he apparently failed to do any research whatsoever.

It's time to educate America about what really happens in its family courts rather than spread the hateful propaganda. This needs to be done professionally, and with respect as our families, our society, and our very country are on the line if we don't.

Bob Port: bport@timesunion.com
letters to the editor: tuletters@timesunion.com.
Rex Smith (editor): rsmithg@timesunion.com
Joann Crupi (editor): jcrupi@timesunion.com