Petition to Modify Pending Legislation to Protect Children By Protecting Parent's Rights

Doug Dante DougDante1@yahoo.com September 29, 2010 The following message was sent to all Michigan Senators, all Michigan Representatives, and Michigan's Governor (See details below if you would also like to send this message to them), both by myself and by some members of the FRC@yahoogroups.com and michdads@yahoogroups.com on line e-mail groups. SUBJECT: Modify HB 4118, HB 4169, and SB 1302 to Protect Children By Protecting Parent's Rights BODY: Senator/Representative/Governor, I urge you to modify HB 4118, HB 4169, SB 1302 to protect the rights of parents. As it is implemented now, the law appears to me to sometimes cause the state to take children from fit and willing parents, particularly fathers, and place those children in various other placement options. These laws may marginally help children and parents who lose their relationships to one another in this manner, but not directly. Just listen to what Shane Hinojosa, father of Naveah Buchanan, a five year old living with her grandmother along with a known sex offender "father figure", before she was later murdered, had to say about his experiences trying to get custody of his child while her mother was in jail:

"I went to court, and the judge looked at me and said well you have no rights to your daughter at all. ... I don't know why I didn't get custody. I guess in the State of Michigan, it's grandmother, after something went wrong."

http://www.scribd.com/doc/29563848/A-Review-of-Friend-of-the-Court-Legislative-Changes-Suffer- the-Little-Children Watch whistle blower and former FOC enforcement officer Carol Rhodes:

"I came to the 32nd circuit family court to make a difference, ... but early on I realized ...

it was all about money

... My director would say regularly, 'We aren't the friend of the family, we're the Friend of the Court!' ... In the years I worked for the system I witnessed

regular deception

to clients that was mandated by office policy. I saw

gender bias and discrimination

. I saw records destroyed. ... I saw hundreds of pleas for parenting time or enforcement get buried because there is no money in enforcing custody or visitation issues. ...

We were rated according to how much money we would bring in