Saturday, April 17, 2010


Australia: Duped dads win back child payments

Sadly, Australia seems to be one of the few jurisdictions that allows such basic justice

MEN are using a new law to win back hundreds of thousands of dollars paid in child support for children they later discovered were not theirs.

New figures obtained by The Australian reveal that since January 2007, 48 men have won back a total of $434,378.64 paid through the Child Support Agency. The men used DNA testing to prove they were not the biological fathers of children they had been supporting. One man got back more than $70,000 by proving children were not his. But among the 48 orders, the sums to be repaid by mothers ranged down to less than $20.

Section 143 of the Child Support (Assessment) Act, requires the Family Court to consider issuing orders for repayment where paternity is successfully challenged and child support has been paid.

Child Support Agency deputy secretary Philippa Godwin said the agency had received no complaints about the process, but women's groups are outraged by the numbers. "Where parentage has been satisfied for child support purposes, but a parent believes they are not a parent of a child, they can apply to a court for a declaration that a child support assessment cannot be made against them for that child," Ms Godwin said.

"As part of determining this application, the court can order a DNA test to determine paternity of the child. The results of the test will be considered by the court in deciding whether to make the declaration." Hundreds of tests have proved that an aggrieved man is, in fact, the biological father of the child in question.

Sole Parents Union president Kathleen Swinbourne said the new laws were hurting children at the centre of DNA disputes. "What does this say to children about being wanted, being loved, being parented? What does this do to children whose fathers turn around and say, `I'm not your daddy anymore, I don't want you'," she said. [More to the point, what does it say about lying and deceitful women?]

"The effect of this on children must be devastating. And that's to say nothing about the financial circumstances mothers find themselves in in trying to continue to support their children while trying to pay back child support."

Ms Swinbourne said she did not accept the argument that men should be entitled to change their role in children's lives based on biology. "If you've raised these children and parented them, you can't turn around later and change your mind. It doesn't matter what the DNA says." [And it doesn't matter if women lie and cheat? It's the woman who has caused any harm to the child by her lies]

Men's Rights Agency director Sue Price said it was about time that men who had been duped by former partners were able to remedy the situation. "I think it's a good thing that children are able to know the biological father rather than their pretend father," she said. "I think it's essential that they should be able to have the money repaid to them. Why should they have to pay for another man's child?"

SOURCE



Israel-hating Jew barred from grandson’s bar mitzvah

Good to hear

In the face of intense pressure, South African judge Richard Goldstone has agreed not to attend his grandson’s bar mitzvah.

Following negotiations between the South African Zionist Federation and the Beth Hamedrash Hagadol in Sandton, an affluent suburb of Johannesburg where the event is to take place, an agreement was reached with the family that will keep Goldstone from attending the synagogue service early next month.

Goldstone was the head of a United Nations-appointed commission that investigated the Gaza war in the winter of 2008-09. The commission's final report accused Israel and Hamas of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity.

Some of the participants in the negotiations were tight lipped about the decision when contacted by JTA, with Avrom Krengel, chairman of the South African Zionist Federation, saying that “We understand that there’s a bar mitzvah boy involved – we’re very sensitive to the issues and at this stage there’s nothing further to say.”

Jewish groups, including the South African Zionist Federation, had planned to organize a protest outside the synagogue if Goldstone was in attendance, according to reports.

Rabbi Moshe Kurtstag, who heads the South African Beth Din, or religious court, said he was not involved in the negotiations, but he lauded the outcome. "People have got feelings about it, they believe he put Israel in danger and they wouldn’t like him to be getting honor," he said.

SOURCE



Feminists believe in abortion for convenience

When conservatives point out that liberals believe in killing children for convenience sake, what do liberals usually say? Typically, it's some variation of, "Why, nobody wants more abortions. We just believe that abortions should be safe, legal, and rare!" Of course, then they follow that up by trying to make sure that as many children are aborted as humanly possible.

For example, take a look at this anti-abortion ad from Abortion Changes You:



This is not exactly a hardcore ad. There's no tiny little hand sticking out of a dumpster at the back of Planned Parenthood. There's no call to overturn Roe v. Wade. It just essentially says, "Hey, this is a big decision and if you have an abortion, you may genuinely regret it." Is that even a controversial sentiment? You'd think that even thoughtful advocates of abortion, you know, the sort who claim to want abortion to be "safe, legal, and rare," wouldn't have a problem with this ad.

Of course, back in the real world, pro-abortion advocates hate this ad campaign with the burning heat of a thousand suns. Why? Well, it shatters the illusion that an abortion is just another medical procedure, like having a wart removed, and therefore, it might convince a woman NOT to have an abortion.

That brings us to Feministing and their reaction ("Love. It.") to a "pro-choice hero" who saw this ad and "wasn't having it".



In other words, having a baby might be inconvenient, so kill it. I rest my case.

SOURCE



Man hanged himself as lazy British police failed to inform him case was dropped

Even a simple phone call was too much bother for these politicized goons, apparently

A man who was falsely accused of sexual assault hanged himself after police failed to tell him they had dropped the case, an inquest heard.

John Keogh, 23, was "very upset and angry" after a woman claimed he had indecently assaulted her. An investigation was launched but police decided to drop the case and withdraw all charges after interviewing him.

However, they did not plan to tell Mr Keogh until four days later - and he hanged himself with a pair of shoelaces before they broke the good news. His family believe he would not have killed himself if police had told him that he was no longer a suspect.

A jury inquest held into his death in Trowbridge, Wilts., returned a narrative verdict in which the chair juror described the delay as a "contributing factor". He said: "He took his life by hanging, however, we feel that a failure to recognise the risk of this happening to him, particularly subsequent to the police interview may have been a contributing factor."

Speaking after the inquest John's brother Christopher, 34, from Trowbridge, Wilts., said the police had been "negligent".

He said: "There was a lot of crying down the phone about what had been allegedly done. He was crying that he didn't do anything. He was very angry. "There should have been more communication between the police and mental health partnership. "The system just failed him. They were negligent. If John had been told the allegations had been dropped I don't think we would be here today. "I feel there was a total lack of communication. I hope some recommendations come along so that this type of thing doesn't happen again. "

Mr Keogh was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia aged 18 but lived alone in a flat in Trowbridge, Wilts., and had ambitions to become a landscape gardener. However, he was moved to Fountain Way Mental Health Hospital in Salisbury, Wilts., in late June 2008 after being accused of sexual assault.

He allegedly assaulted a female patient at Green Lane Hospital in Devizes, Wilts., on June 9 2008 but the attack was not reported until June 16. Wiltshire Police interviewed John on July 1 and decided to drop the case against him on July 4. Officers immediately informed the complainant but did not plan to tell Mr Keogh until July 7.

However, he was found hanged at 3.40am on July 7 in the en-suite bathroom of his bedroom at the Fountain Way Mental Health Hospital.

Former Wiltshire Police investigator Christopher Bazire, who dealt with the case, told the inquest he would have informed Mr Keogh sooner had he known about the extent of his fragile mental state.

Wiltshire Coroner David Ridley told the inquest he will be writing a report criticising the lack of communication between police and hospital workers.

A spokesman for Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership (AWP) said they will "consider and reflect" upon his concerns. He said: "While disappointed at the inquest's findings, we will reflect upon the coroner's letter on receipt and will respond to him accordingly. "We will continue to support John's mother. We offer his family and friends our sincere condolences."

Under the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime victims have the right to be told when a case is dropped but there is no such legislation for informing suspects.

Detective Superintendent Sarah Bodell, head of Wiltshire Police's public protection department, pledged to review this system. She said: "We recognise that there is no national policy about informing suspects but there is for keeping victims up to date. This is something we have already chosen to review."

SOURCE

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Political correctness is most pervasive in universities and colleges but I rarely report the incidents concerned here as I have a separate blog for educational matters.

American "liberals" often deny being Leftists and say that they are very different from the Communist rulers of other countries. The only real difference, however, is how much power they have. In America, their power is limited by democracy. To see what they WOULD be like with more power, look at where they ARE already very powerful: in America's educational system -- particularly in the universities and colleges. They show there the same respect for free-speech and political diversity that Stalin did: None. So look to the colleges to see what the whole country would be like if "liberals" had their way. It would be a dictatorship.

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, GREENIE WATCH, EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, GUN WATCH, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS, DISSECTING LEFTISM, IMMIGRATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL and EYE ON BRITAIN. My Home Pages are here or here or here or Email me (John Ray) here. For readers in China or for times when blogger.com is playing up, there is a mirror of this site here.

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