Children's Rights: How NFL Legend Emmitt Smith Fought For His Daughter

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How NFL Legend Emmitt Smith Fought For His Daughter

5 comments:

Stop Hurting The ChildrenFebruary 10, 2014 at 3:27 PM
Help us stop false allegations of domestic violence. Keep our children from hurting because of lies! Created by Petition2Congress - 15,543 Actions Taken So Far
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CausesFebruary 10, 2014 at 4:26 PM
The Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution has been interpreted to provide EVERY AMERICAN with the CONSTITUTIONAL right to self-representation, if they so choose. That privilege, like all other constitutional rights, should be enjoyed without fear of harassment, prejudice, or abuse. Furthermore, no law, regulation, or policy should exist to abridge or surreptitiously extinguish that right.

Self-Represented Litigants have no less of a right to FAIR and MEANINGFUL due process under the federal and state constitutions as those individuals who choose to utilize an attorney for their legal affairs and issues. In fact, NOWHERE in any state or federal constitution does it specify that the hiring of a lawyer is a prerequisite to exercising one's due process rights. Democratic principles dictate that we have the right to freely choose between self-representation and hiring a lawyer to handle our legal matters without suffering humiliation, prejudice, or penalization. After all, it is the parties to the litigation that ultimately have to deal with the consequences of the case's outcome, and not the judge or the lawyers involved in the matter.

Contrary to the view of certain judges and lawyers, those who opt to litigate their own legal matters without an attorney are NOT second-class citizens deserving of contempt and injustice. Instead, they are BRAVE CITIZENS with an inalienable right to have their legal causes adjudicated objectively and justly -- with or without a lawyer. Self-representation can be a difficult, time-consuming, and often frightening experience, especially for those burdened by demanding work schedules, family responsibilities, and other obligations of day-to-day living. Accordingly, those who engage in the difficult task of self-litigation should be REVERED for their COURAGE and DEDICATION, not scorned or abused.

We also need to amass momentous opposition against those persons, agencies, and institutions who, in the interest of protecting huge profits, careers, and prestige, subject self-litigants to a hostile and often abusive litigation atmosphere calculated to suppress self-representation and force people to become completely and financially dependent on lawyers to gain "paid" access to a taxpayer-funded legal system.

WE SUPPORT THE EFFORTS OF ORGANIZATIONS FOR EQUAL JUSTICE

Activist sometimes exhibit impatience with theory - often for good reasons. They have seen nonviolence caught in an ideological net in which the purity of ideology eclipsed activity and the nonviolent effort was undermined by a deflection of energy. But nonviolent theory is absolutely necessary. It introduces to the world a new strategy for resisting evil without creating new evils and becoming evil ourselves. But more important, it articulates a new way of being that yields a vision of peace more powerful than all the armies of all the nations of the world. (Peace is the Way, 2000)
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American Coalition for Fathers and ChildrenFebruary 10, 2014 at 4:56 PM
"CHILDREN OF DIVORCE DESERVE FULL ACCESS TO BOTH PARENTS, WHENEVER POSSIBLE."
Personally, I can’t find anyone willing to reject that statement publicly. It’s a fundamental truth. We now have a wealth of evidence demonstrating children are better off, in most situations, when they have something near equal time with each parent. So why are shared-parenting bills are being rejected throughout the country?

Do legislators believe mothers are more important to children than fathers? For the most part, I don’t think so. Politicians are, however, under quite a bit of pressure from some very powerful anti-shared parenting special interests. Recently, we’ve seen these opponents contribute to shared-parenting bills failing to pass in South Dakota and Minnesota.

Some would argue disappointments like those are clear signs that shared parenting legislation will not happen anytime soon. The opposite is true. The near victories in these states and others is an enormous indication politicians are beginning to understand the vast majority of American citizens believe children of divorce deserve equal access to both parents, whenever possible.

In fact, South Dakota’s bill lost in a 21-13 Senate vote. That’s a swing of 5 senators. If merely 5 senators felt more pressure from South Dakotans than they did from special interests, South Dakota would have a shared parenting statute. We should commend the remaining politicians in South Dakota’s Senate for doing the right thing.

In Minnesota … well, Minnesota is a travesty. That bill passed, and on May 24, 2012 Governor Mark Dayton vetoed it. Governor Dayton claimed that both sides made “compelling arguments,” but because the “ramifications” of the legislation were “uncertain,” he decided to single-handedly overrule the will of his constituents and their representatives. Mr. Governor, unless you are ending slavery or beginning women’s suffrage, you will likely never have the benefit of “certainty” in your political career. Again, we should praise the Minnesotan politicians who voted for the bill.

Six people. Six people stopped two states from enacting shared parenting. Six people do not indicate shared parenting is a distant hope – they indicate profoundly that it is an imminent inevitability.

Mike Haskell is a divorced dad, shared parenting supporter and practicing family law attorney in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

ACFC is America's Shared Parenting Organization

"CHILDREN NEED BOTH PARENTS"

The members of the American Coalition for Fathers and Children dedicate ourselves to the creation of a family law system and public awareness which promotes equal rights for ALL parties affected by issues of the modern family.

ACFC is challenging the current system of American family law and policy. Through a national system of local affiliates and in alliance with other pro-family and civil liberties groups, ACFC is shifting the public debate to the real causes of family dissolution.
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The New Jersey Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation CourtsFebruary 11, 2014 at 7:40 AM
The NJ-AFCC Special Projects Committee reviewed many different Children's Bill Of Rights from organizations across the United States. The Children's Bill of Rights developed by the American Bar Association, Section of Family Law, came closest to elaborating all of the conflcit issues that can arise for children in divorce and family dissolution cases. The NJ-AFCC Special Projects Committee used that Bill of Rights as a model, and revised and extended it to better meet the needs of children in New Jersey, and around the world.

We invite all professionals working with families in conflict, and those working to assist children in their efforts to cope with the parental conflict that often arises during divorce and family dissolution, to adopt this Bill of Rights for Children in Divorce and Dissolution Actions. We do ask that you give NJ-AFCC credit for developing this Bill of Rights, in any reprinting or distribution of the bill.

BILL OF RIGHTS FOR CHILDREN IN DIVORCE AND DISSOLUTION ACTIONS

1. The right to be treated as important and separate human beings with unique feelings, needs, ideas, and desires, not existing solely to gratify the needs of their parents.

2. The right to not participate in the painful games parents play to hurt each other, or be put in the middle of their battles.

3. The right not to be a go-between or a message courier for their parents.

4. The right to a continuing, relaxed, and secure relationship with both parents.

5. The right to express love and affection for, and receive love and affection from, both parents.

6. The right to know that expressions of love between children and parents will not cause fear, disapproval, or other negative consequences.

7. The right to know that their parents decision to divorce is not their fault.

8. The right to know that it is not their responsibility to keep their parents together.

9. The right to continuing care and guidance from both parents.

10. The right to age appropriate answers to questions about the changing family relationships, without placing blame on either parent.

11. The right to know and appreciate what is good in each parent.

12. The right to be protected from hearing degrading or bad comments about either parent.

13. The right to be able to experience regular, consistent, and flexible shared parenting time with both parents, and the right to know the reason for changes in the parenting schedule.

14. The right to have neither parent interfere with, or undermine, parenting time with the other parent.

15. The right to not be forced to choose one parent over the other.

16. The right to express their feelings, concerns, and ideas about the divorce.

17. The right to remain a child without being asked to take on parental responsibilities or to be an adult friend or companion to either parent.

18. The right to the most adequate level of economic support that can be provided from the best efforts of both parents.

19. The right to continue ongoing positive relationships with the people (friends, neighbors, grandparents and extended family) who were an important part of their lives before parental divorce.

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This Bill of Rights was adopted from "The Children's Bill of Rights" developed by the American Bar Association, Section of Family Law, and was modified and expanded by the NJ-AFCC Special Projects Committee (Jeannette DeVaris, Sam Forlenza, Donald Franklin, Sandra Saul, Phil Sobel, Frank Weiss.)

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