Let's Get Honest! Absolutely Uncommon Analysis of Family & Conciliation Courts' Operations, Practices, & History

This is a 15,700 or so word post with a lot of quotes in it, and possibly some duplication, plus some chunks which belong on a separate topic. The bottom half is a repost from 2011. I have been struggling with this format for a few days now.

Some of the extended introduction is actually summarizing or illustrating some of the talk found in the “Crisis in the Courts” crowd — with the intent of contrasting it with economic analysis which has been around for years, but is being virtually ignored.

Moreover, I’m still stuck publishing (laboriously) in “html” mode, pending a software update. SO, hitting “Publish” is from my point of view, a way of getting this thing off my mind for a bit (despite humiliating appearance that will not doubt surface on the blog). WYSIWYG — although not for me while writing the thing.

How I Learn (You Can Too) from High-Profile Custody Cases: Genia Shockome, Viola Stroud, Barry Goldstein, etc. [Publ. Jan. 12, 2013; reformatted Mar. 31, 2022]. (short-link, case-sensitive, ends “-1hR”)

It still has valuable information, and if/when I can put this out in a much shorter, or FAQ format, I most certainly will do so. We are all in a learning process. However one thing I learned is not to judge the content by the professionalism of its cover, and that includes websites. The professionalism may mean a skilled blogger, or it may just mean financial backing to hire some — which might include money from government, courts, private foundations, or personal profits. Either way, look at the content as best you can!

This is a well-known case in the Crisis in the Courts circuit, which complains about whose households abused children land up in. It’s also well-known in the fathers’ rights circuit (Glenn Sacks et. al) and it seems everyone is playing off each other — yet not even the same attorney who lost his license over this (in part) brings up that Supervised Visitation, Mediation, Parent Education, etc. — are ripe areas for potential fraud. No one mentions, like some of us INDIVIDUALS have just how much money actually goes into developing, promoting, funding, and pushing through state legislatures incessantly, that what the world needs now is more training.

For just how well known, google “Shockome Glenn Sacks” “Shockome crisis in the courts” Shockome feminist” or almost any combination there of. Here’s a May 2005 “Trish Wilson” typad site linked to other sites, with detailed paragraphs from both Mo Therese Hannah and Barry Goldstein, about this case. (if link seems broken, the url “Type Pad” may have been artificially separated; should be one word).

Here’s an
October 2006 “Not So Simple //Tim’s Side” referring to a Newsweek Article and listing several URLs, but unfortunately the links to article and the order, are broken)(blog simply posts this information), but mentions a custody evaluator who found no DV, “Meg Sussman,” which it took me about one minute (or less) to realize, is an AFCC professional with a focus on psychology — not fact-finding regarding domestic violence; there are several “tells” (Collaborative divorce, parent coordinator, into certain fields, including Therapeutic Supervised Visitation, etc.). See profile — she has worked at a treatment center for DV and sexual assault and likes to stay involved esp. with adolescents.

I hate to give the Mr. Sacks help with his already loud mouth, but he literally titled the Feminist vs. the Fatherhood post “The Shockome Syndrome,” (his posts are as long as mine!, will wear you out in a NY minute, will name names and use inflammatory language — but will no more than any of the groups he’s playing as hostile (CA NOW, Feminists, PBG Breaking the Silence, BMCC, or Genia Shockome herself) mention that fraud has already been identified in supervised visitation cases — including this one!). A few paragraphs, dated to early 2000s possibly:

A little background on Helen Grieco, from a 2009 article….she does know something personally about domestic violence…

Per this 2009 interview, Helen Grieco grew up witnessing her father beat her mother; she at one point learned her mother had been raped at age 15, and eventually, it seems as a young adolescent, the family fled (got free, another words) exchanging in-home abuse and witnessing this for poverty, which is about how it goes today as well, given that now one must fight through this law system. She helped change family law in California, raised funding for NOW, and at this point in time teaches self-defense with her husband. The interview admits that women can be aggressive; in fact her decision to learn self-defense came from an incident in a SF NOW office.. [hover cursor or see article]

Perhaps Sacks’ blog was pre-2002, as in 2002 NOW also came out with its “2002 Family Court Report” which is longer, and tracks the history of AFCC, includes a chapter by Marv Byer on subpoenas of check deposits from training fees (i.e., the Los Angeles Judges “slush fund.” Or that in 2005 NOW posted a letter on its site asking Congress to audit the HHS fatherhood grants.

Nor, until VERY recently, would any of the Crisis in the Courts group bring this up, preferring to be seen in the verbal boxing ring with generic talk of PAS, feminism, and fathers’ rights as if no corporations, organizations, or funding even existed.

As we know, ALL “PR” is Good “PR” (or at least better than no “PR”) and sometimes I wonder if the groups haven’t had some private handshakes on this public circus, while covering up the financial motivation, rather than leading with it.

AFTER I began actively blogging AFCC (and not before), a ‘BEWARE AFCC’ page was put up by individuals, at least some from an organization now a member of CA Safe Child Coalition, under a site “Stop Court Ordered Child Abuse” which site never was fully developed and I think is now down.

However, while up, their “Beware AFCC” page, directly from this 2002 Family Court Report (so credited at the time), and I re-posted it (not the first time, most likely) on Feb. 19, 2011 under “Beware AFCC and Reform the Courts? What an Oxymoron!.”

My detailed post names names and specific organizations and personalities promoting Parental Alienation, AND the tax-evasion habits of the apparent group of judges that started AFCC under the Los Angeles County EIN… Check it out. Actually, this is a little better presentation of the same material, posted 10.01.2012, herein: “Family Courts: Crippled, Incompetent and Corrupt — or just “Broken”?”

Its basic “Beware AFCC” material is hardly from some feminist — it’s from the FATHER of a woman who was fighting to retain custody of her daughters, and spent over $100K in this process, who finally, it seems, started subpoena-ing or FOIA’ing bank accounts. However this information was posted in CA NOW’s 2002 Family Court Report also, but somehow this didn’t ever merit continuing press in the fathers’ rights versus feminists rhetoric which was such grand publicity! (CA NOW and NOW also all but back-burnered this information and the report is hard to find on their site). This section is part of the material on my post, in the 2002 court report, and formerly on the StopCourtOrderedChildabuse.org web page.

“Crisis in the Courts” talk:

Here’s an announcement for a 2010 meeting in Oakland, California (printed for some reason in the Los Angeles “Examiner supervisor” although hosted by a UCBerkeley/J.D. known for contributions to (if not spearheading) DV law; an appellate attorney, a MFT, and a County Supervisor, from what I can tell, in the same Admin building where Family Court hearings are held (or nearby) — is somehow, a “GRASSROOTS” organization.

I’m not sure how it can get much LESS “grassroots” than those sponsoring the meeting, and the particular Guest Speakers, however it specifically says “the Crisis in Family Courts” and refers to a website:

[I think I was at this one.  LGH//March 31, 2022, going through post for formatting reasons, and also just to see what I wrote this long ago…]

Similar sites under similar names will be found promoting the same organizations and same message — whether a Petition site, or even the “CACACA.org” site run by Jennifer Collins, now-adult daughter of Holly Collins whose story has been publicized for years at conferences, in film, and wherever people will hear, by the same associated groups who are not reporting on this type of funding.

As you can see from the following July, 2009 cite, it is a plug for NCADV (link is at the top), BMCC, The Leadership Council, and Barry Goldstein as a speaker — plus the then-upcoming tome (it’s a fat book) on “Domestic Violence, Child Abuse, and Custody,” which, amazingly, STILL doesn’t even breathe a word about the fraud in his own case by Ms. Stroud, and that she was eventually convicted of grand larceny over this matter — and that was back in 2004 and 2006. In New York. Where the BMCC meets. Annually — and it started meeting in about 2004, if I’m not mistaken!

This is a straight-out ad NCADV (link at the top), addressed “Dear Friends” (underneath a link to NCADV, which itself constantly soliciting membership, funding, takes a % of statewide “Against Domestic Violence” coalitions or other programs that join, and even has some products with their name on it for fundraising. They sell information… This information does NOT include telling the history of the Conciliation Courts or their associated nonprofits

“Barry Goldstein, the Believer.” Hover cursor (or click through) to read the appeal.

Or, here’s Laura Lynn (see inset, above), who blogged from Los Angeles area the Northern CA (Oakland, CA) “Stop Court-Ordered Child Abuse” meeting promoting the Courageous Kids site.

Another one with a generic petition to Congressional members stating the problem, but no data to back it up. In October 2011 (note: I began blogging in or about March 2009 as soon as I processed (fact-checked) some basic information over at NAFCJ.net, particularly when I saw the information in TAGGS.hhs.gov — which I dare almost anyone to find publicized as a link in ANY complaints prior to that date (fathers’ rights or protective parents or feminist) however much they complained about the issues.

The phrase “Title IV-D Incentive” is used, and Ms. Lynn blogged it (brief references) as from an anonymous “children’s rights activist.” “CHILDREN’S RIGHTS ACTIVIST EXPLAINS TITLE IV-D INCENTIVE.” Whatever said activist did, or did not, explain — no follow up links are given in the short article, and it recommends 50/50 custody (possible sign of fathers’ rights), which does not account for the scenario of violence or abuse happening, in which case 50/50 is a bad deal.. This is about how it goes — in general (not here, but in general) readers are given language, anecdotal complaints, information, list of who is or who is not a “Court Whore,” a crook, or someone wants them off the bench…

Here, the anonymous tip person saying “Title IV-D incentive (which is part of the truth) provided no link, no verification, and no way for anyone to look anything up. So what was the purpose? As follows:

That’s a pretty elusive “Children’s Rights Activist” however, they are asking to do away with TITLE IV-D which is Child Support. No mention is made of Title IV-A (welfare, including food stamps and CALWorks, in our state), and of course no mention that funds it’s hardly just the GALs that money is going to. No mention is made of “fatherhood.gov” or, in short, even the existence of anywhere to verify ANYthing said up there. Is the Examiner not allowed to post links or something?

Here’s another petition text from Hawaii, got a whopping 88 signatures, and the person promoting it is a domestic violence person, a presenter at BMCC, went through the system herself (apparently) and then “got” what was happening, and has a degree from Hofstra University (known to have collaborative arrangements with AFCC, and co-publishes the Family Court Review. You tell me how such a person would “just not know” about some of these funding matters, and if so, why when the issue was raised, continues to pay no attention to them. I have seen DV agency work in Hawaii (and in other states) at time, and they are simply ignoring the fact that Hawaii also has a Fatherhood Commission. At what point are we supposed to continue taking the advocates (formal and informal, professional and volunteer) seriously, when they just refuse to deal with reality, here?

“Standing with Survivor Moms on Mothers’ Day” by Dara Carlin, M.A. (5/2011)

[[A few people, a few hand-letter posters in a K-MART lot, and Maui Representative George Fontaine posed for photos….]] It talks about the emotional challenge of these mothers who are not seeing their children on Mothers’ Day.

(My voice here): I have not seen my children for any mother’s day (or their birthdays, and for almost no major holidays, in fact, I have barely seen them, PERIOD, in many years after an overnight removal, without cause, based on false allegations never proven in court and when I requested the court give me a legal and factual basis for this removal, I got no answer. We did, however, get a later minors’ counsel, while I got almost homeless, and devastated — as this happens.

When I found out this was a GRANTS SCAM — which wasn’t til 2009, I let NO Grass grow under my feet before reporting it, and have not stopped since. I also reported the sell-out of the DV agencies in not talking about this material or in short, talking anything much but DV rhetoric!

Somehow, this mother, and woman, has chosen not to. It recommends the petition below. The petition below recommends and “Audit” which language comes from (FYI) Center for Judicial Excellence, in general. Why? An audit isn’t going to solve the problem — and it demands someone else do the research of this audit — rather than these same people doing their own FOIA’s and putting two and two together with the results of those FOIAs! (Freedom of Information Act requests)…

Here’s the entire petition. Real “informative,” huh?

“Help Stop Court-Ordered Child Abuse in Domestic Violence Cases” (timed to Mothers’ Day, 2011)

Target: Any member of the public that does not want taxpayer money used to abuse children.
Sponsored by: AngelGroup.org
Full Petition Text:

We, the undersigned and citizens of the State of Hawaii, are outraged that those entrusted and paid to protect victims and survivors of domestic and family violence would put children in harm’s way by placing them in the custody of – or unsupervised contact with – known perpetrators of abuse, in contradiction of state statute. We are calling for an investigation and audit into cases where protective parents have lost custody of their children because of the misconduct of “professionals” and organizations put in place to protect them.

How’s that for “specific” FAQs? Just imagine — they could’ve had flyers, cheap or free business cards linking to a website, almost anything to get out some basic information of the sort that has been out for YEARS on why this is happening — but chose not to! That’s “leadership.”

Here’s what WHAT We’re Doing.”

Judging by what’s showing on this site — they are #1. Promoting Barry Goldstein, who is promoting a Daniel Saunders Report, on a Time’s Up! blog [[scroll down to see Mr. G’s photo]] (I believe with connections to PMA — Protective Mothers Alliance — but don’t quote me on that), protesting specific judges and specific individuals.

They are also promoting something from Alabama, a “Judges’ Resource Folder” (Guess they haven’t read up on the marriage movement in Alabama, either — which is going STRONG..”Amanda Hodge has created the first Judges Resource Binder for the State of Alabama.  She spoke with Betty Jean Kling about this on BlogTalkRadio.”

Not quite sure what Alabama here has to do with Hawaii, however…. In fact, after about a day of looking at this site (and becoming increasingly disturbed, although it’s just an on-line forum, the networking here is the problem — I’ll address it separately. Soon…. So, TO BE CONTINUED…..

There is a problem, apparently, with a psychologist “Marvin Acklin” — who, it says, participated with the husband in an interstate (Michigan / Hawaii) child snatch of a girl from an elementary school, and her mother — it was three years before the girl was allowed to see her mother for 2 hours (sounds familiar!). A GAL was involved, and apparently Acklin (you can read). They claim he was convicted of choking his wife, got off with a handclap ($25, therapy, court case cleaned up), and that he also released a man that had been threatening violence, and later went and did some serious damage to co-workers.

I don’t know Acklin, and it’s not my job to look this up for the afflicted parent or child! but he is a “forensic psychologist.” His site shows a list of articles under the “Swimming with Sharks” link, and the bottom one is about Observing Parent-Child Relationships in a Custody Evaluation. It’s a link to a paper he co-presented with an M.A., and openly refers to presenting this at an AFCC Conference in 2002.

The link is HERE, EASILY available on “DrAcklin.com.” Footnoted: “versions of this paper were presented at AFCC Conference 6/7/2002 and The Fifth International Symposium on Child Custody Evaluation in Tucson, AZ, on 11/08/2002.” The paper quotes “Stahl,” which name should be known by now: Philip Stahl, formerly of Northern California, now of Arizona, is about as AFCC as they get, and has done as much as many to promote Richard Gardner and PAS..

This is what Forensic Psychologists, once they get into the court system, DO, for God’s sake. Here’s WM. G. AUSTIN,a guy from Colorado who says that the Relocation issue can be solved through his model, which is based on Forensic Psychology. (Look at the papers her’s presented, please — including this one; Acklin, in other words, was there!)

A Practical Approach to Evaluation and Conflict Resolution in Child Custody Relocation Cases, Pre-Conference all day Institute, Association of Family and Conciliation Courts: Fifth International Symposium on Child Custody Evaluations, November 7, 2002, Tucson, AZ. (with Jonathan W. Gould, Ph.D. & Leslie Ellen Shear, J.D.)

Also presenting at this conference was Robert A. Simon, Ph.D. (see his site — this is a “big fish,” relatively speaking)

He is putting out a book with Philip Stahl, which more people don’t know about because too many advocates aren’t talking about these things (and don’t watch the conferences, or recommend that women do). Has, for example, Barry Goldstein, whose book is being nicely promoted by the Crisis in the Courts people, ever mentioned that these organizations exist, have their own training down pat — and been going on for years, and years — and are the ones promoting the Parental Alienation Theory that some protest so much? Am I right that the answer would be, properly — NO! — ??? They have a nice book coming out in 2013, and for every evidence of molestation or abuse, there is a well-prepared forensic psychologist to say, nope, it was all in your head, or your kids’ head, or was put there by the conflict you have with (the ex-abuser), and as a result, it’s unhealthy for him to be around someone, etc. etc. ….

(Check out his home page for WHICH ASSOCIATIONS!). Moreover, this one was also on the board of Kids Turn, San Diego (See my blogs, Let’s Get Honest about Kids’ Turn and Judges Profits — it’s an Access/Visitation-type industry, the grants promote parent education, the family law professionals (including psychologists) form the nonprofits that contract with the courts, people who donate to the nonprofits, well, who’s to say or not say if someone with an open custody case and a judge currently on the board, and that nonprofit just happens to get areal nice contribution (from one parent or the other) around the same time! Moreover, in the case of Kids’ Turn SF at least, it has been doing some business directly with the Courts (hardly surprising given who started the group)

Now — which page looks more slick and professional — Dr. Simon’s here? Or Barry Goldstein ‘s? Now, website appearance doesn’t mean more true or valid — but it looks more professional and it spells, generally speaking, more money — which would probably be right, given who’s who.

What, really, is the excuse of the Crisis in the Courts, Safe Child Coalitions, and DV Agencies, for just not mentioning — by name — the multiple and multiplying nonprofit trade associations which are promoted, generated (spawned), incubated, and in habited by the family courts flora and fauna, with close alliances to each other, and none to your kids? For example:

Robert A. Simon, Ph.D. actively participates in the following Professional Associations and serves on the listed Committees as a means of serving the professional community, participating in developments in his field and continuing his ongoing professional education and development:

Associate Member, American Bar Association
Member, Section of Family Law, American Bar Association
Associate Member, San Diego County Bar Association
Associate Member, Los Angeles County Bar Association
Member, American Psychological Association
Member, Awards Committee, Association of Family and Conciliation Courts
Member, California Psychological Association
Member, Ethics Committee of the California Psychological Association
Member, American Psi-Law Society
Member, Collaborative Family Law Group of San Diego
Member, Board of Directors, Kid’s Turn San Diego
Founding Member, San Diego Family Law Council for Children
Member, International Association of Collaborative Professionals
Editorial Board, Journal of Child Custody
Editorial Board, Family Court Review

Professional Presentations

As a recognized expert in forensic psychology in the domain of family law, Dr. Simon is a frequent professional speaker in the areas of child custody, custody disputes, forensic psychology and procedure, divorce and its impact on children/families, child custody evaluation and forensic work product review. He has been a guest on NPR and an Expert Commentator used by local television stations. In addition, Dr. Simon has been a guest lecturer at the University of San Diego School of Law, San Diego State University and California Western School of Law, as examples.
View Presentations

Anyone can see from this resume that Dr. Simon spent FIVE (5) years (1981-1986) at San Diego’s “California School of Professional Psychology,” where he got an M.A. and Psy.D. — and anyone also could have seen from the Our Broken Family Courts initiative (Cummings Foundation) that Dr. Cummings was primarily responsible for getting this school going, to start with! He got an audience with Reagan (as in when Ronald Reagan was Governor of California) presented himself as the solution, and got what he needed.

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ALLIANT UNIVERSITY (note: CPPA and others often run programs here, it seems) — history:

Alliant was formed on July 1, 2001 by the combination of two legacy institutions: The California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) and United States International University (USIU). Each of these institutions was a pioneer in higher education.CSPP was established in 1969 under the auspices of the California Psychological Association and was one of the first freestanding schools of professional psychology in the nation. Founding President Dr. Nicholas Cummings was later president of the American Psychological Association. CSPP has trained nearly half of the practicing psychologists in California. Notable alumni include: Rose Weahkee, PhD, director, Division of Behavioral Health, Indian Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); Cornell University Professor and noted author Dr. Peggy Drexler; and Dr. Judy Chu, the first Chinese-American woman elected to the United States Congress. USIU has roots that extend back to 1927, when Leland Ghent Stanford founded the Balboa College of Law in San Diego. In 1952, Balboa was reorganized as California Western University. Today’s Cal Western Law School in San Diego, an independent institution, is a product of this same history. In 1967, the university was reorganized again as USIU, with a new mission focused on international education. USIU operated campuses in San Diego, London, Mexico City and Nairobi among others. USIU-Africa, in Kenya, is now an independent offshoot of the former USIU. During the 1970s, USIU became a center for humanistic psychology with a faculty that included Carl Rogers, Abraham Maslow and Victor Frankl. H. Igor Ansoff, one of the founders of the field of strategic management, was also a long-time faculty member. Notable alumni include former California Lt. Governor and US Congressman Dr. Mervyn Dymally and Mizan Zainal Abidin, the King of Malaysia, among others.

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Contrast that information with this type, which has been around since 2002, and which at least two individuals (I was one) attempted electronically to Jennifer Collins, following another BMCC conference; but there was no “purchase” or serious interest.

Having been overseas for their family’s safety, but in contact with organizations who absolutely DO know about this information — but chose to ignore or reject it almost in its entirety, and definitely in its significance, time and again — it doesn’t appear that either daughter or mother knows even the basics of this system. That’s a shame, because they came from Minnesota, as I heard, and a significant organization influencing this filed (both DV, Fatherhood, and selling Supervised Visitation as a remedy) in this has been very active in MN from early on. THIS is the background of our Conciliation Courts today — and from what I can tell, they started in financial fraud (of the public!), from public office, and have not changed direction much decade after decade.

From earlier post herein, Beware AFCC and Reform the Courts? What an Oxymoron!.” [[This segment taken from the chapter by Byer in the 2002 NOW Family Court Report — which is not the “Disorder in the Courts” referred to above, by Glenn Sacks blog]]… I’m reformatting some to shorten the vertical space it takes up:This section is an attempt to track a certain FUND (Judges Miscellaneous Expense Fund) which appears to have morphed into the nonprofit organization AFCC, based on bank account and other information — NOT psychological profiles, or harm to victims!

BUT there are two entries in LA and Norwalk for a Judges Trust Fund Accounting. • Judges wrote checks out of Judges Miscellaneous Expense Fund for cash. (Kelly O’Meara article) • A check made out to Family Court Services Special Fund was deposited into the Judges Miscellaneous Expense Fund. • A check from a District Attorney and his judge wife, David and Sally Disco, was made payable to Judges Trust Fund, and was deposited into the Judges Miscellaneous Expense Fund. • This is called “diversion of funds” because one can’t cash or deposit checks made out to one entity into the account of another entity. (Penal Code 487 Grand Theft Larceny, or Penal Code 484 if under $400 or Penal Code 242 Theft of Public Funds.) 1992 Al Schonbach began working for LA Superior Court, Manager of the Finance Department (Revenue and Pace-Professional And Court Accounting Expenditures handles all Court money from every part of LA) Judges Trust Fund Accounting was listed in the County Directory 1992 14th Child Custody Colloquium: This book states that the LA Superior Court Judges Association created the Association of Family Conciliation Courts, which was formerly the Conference of Conciliation Courts founded in 1963. How conflict resolved. Judiciary and attorneys redefined roles, to learn and celebrate interdependence. Grown in stature,work together, cooperative judges, attorneys, mental health Promotes Richard Gardner and PAS. Thanked Pat Higgins especially. She collected money from lawyers to take the classes which were created and taught by judges and psychiatrists, free tickets were given to evaluators. Calderon (legislator) and Lionel Margolin (evaluator) were part of the colloquium. 1992 April 22, 1992 Security Pacific National Bank merged into Bank of America. BofA is now the bank of record for the Judges Miscellaneous Expense Fund. The bank had to convert all the accounts from SPNB to BofA which took a year-it is a complex process. 1993 April 23, 1993 Bank of America/Security Pacific National Bank conversion completed. All SPNB account numbers all had to be transferred and assigned a new BofA account number. Not only was the Judges Miscellaneous Expense Fund given a new BofA account number, but it also received a new name. It is now the LA Superior Court Judges Association. Evidence: a signature card with the old and new account numbers and date of conversion. Neither JMEF or LASCJA is registered with the Secretary of State, FTB or IRS. There is between $60,000 and over $100,000 in the account, and one transaction was $30,000 1993 LA Superior Court Judges Association, an unincorporated, non-profit, nonbusiness Evidence: On their business card. Marvin Bryer’s daughter filed disqualifications on Presiding Judge Richard Denner (his Judicial Profile states his court is sexist) and head of Family Law Judge Kenneth Black in December due to fraud. At first both denied, then Kenneth Black disqualified himself. 1994 January, Richard Denner becomes head of Family Law and is out of the case. Sacramento Judge Ford rules that since Black disqualifed himself, no hearing needs to be held.Citizen Marvin Bryer reported possible financial fraud and wanted a criminal investigation in LA to Christopher Darden, Bureau of Special Operations (CID) in LA District Attorney’s office. . May 23, Christopher Darden declined to investigate.

Which of course brings up the question, if the fraud is right in the department and involves judges, what judge is going to rule on that fraud anyhow? Meanwhile it turns out the District Attorneys’ office was later caught withholding child support funds collected as “undistributable” ($14 million of the same) when they were anything but. It should probably be noted that Los Angeles is a major port…

Meanwhile a search of “StopCourtOrderedChildAbuse” brings up a Petition2Congress website, a form letter saying basically, this problem is ongoing — and has 1,223 signatures so far. FYI, to submit a letter, you have to reveal your identity, and email address, etc. here’s the link, and a letter as late as 2012 from Connie Valentine of California Protective Parents Association (member of CA Safe Child Coalition) who has been informed (for many years) about the funding angle and fraud, and whose partner or assistant in CPPA (high-profile) has a case which clearly identified financial fraud, mis-use of access visitation funding in the matter of supervised visitation, and wrote the California Judicial Council about the same matter. This letter and research is posted on Johnnypumphandle.com site which (to my understanding) is a Marv Byer site. In other words — these people that are NOT talking about the financial fraud angle, absolutely, and without qualification, HAVE been informed and told about it, yet still refuse to lead with this angle (which has wider appeal) choosing instead to focus on the VICTIM angle.

The question has to be asked WHY!! it is more than 15 years of domestic violence murders, kidnappings, molestations, and major headlines (ongoing) surrounding divorce or separation — and now 16 years since welfare reform provided a neat funding stream to divert money into these fields, making fraud both tempting and easier.

It has been known now for ONE DECADE, MINIMUM, that most likely AFCC began as a Judges’ Slush Fund in Los Angeles (i.e., with income tax evasion, robbing taxpayers) — and are now not just rapidly expanding, but basically running the court system. L eldership exists at all levels — law school (Hofstra, University of Baltimore, William Mitchell College of Law, I believe that’ Wisconsin?), Supreme Court Judges (whether or not this is current, I DNK, but: Texas: Justice Debra Lehrman; Pennsylvania: Justice Max Baer; New York: Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye (retired”); California: Several on the Judicial Council/AOC/CFCC are AFCC members.

Just imagine how different all our lives (and wallets) might have been had the groups who knew about this, when the knew about it and had validated or invalidated — simply acted in the public benefit (being tax-exempt nonprofit leadership) — reported it! Someone should’ve raised the roof and kept publicizing it OUTside MSM (mainstream media) if MSM would not handle this material!! — but they did not, and they still are not. Only individual, and courageous, bloggers (generally people who have been through the system) will talk about this and keep talking about it!

Here’s Ms. Valentines June, 2012 empathetic comment on the stopcourtorderedchildabuse Petition2Congress:

As founder and past president of California Protective Parents Association, I agree entirely with this petition. Children are being turned over to abusers in record number. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the United Nations state that the United States is breaching battered mothers and their children’s human rights. The eyes of the international community are on our country. How can we consider ourselves an advanced nation if we allow these star-chamber proceedings in family courts in California and the nation to continue? It is barbaric.

What intrigues me about this (and did also in 2011) is the utter silence, about financial fraud so clear, so outright and so blatant that the supervised visitation provider was exposed, and even prosecuted for this, back in 2004 – 2006, in Putnam County, New York State.

The areas of fraud she was involved in included Supervised Visitation (a nonprofit corp. taking business from the courts), a Mediation Center (Dutchess County Mediation Center), she also had been involved in presenting to a Westchester County (NY) Domestic Violence Council, and the related Judge in this case (Amodeo), on closer examination, was himself heavily involved in the Parent Education Promotion (racket) in New York state, which was also of course not harmed by the fact that the Chief Judge, Judith Kaye, was also pushing some of this programming.

Despite all this (which I discovered by the tricky, convoluted, and absolutey inaccessible to the layperson practice called LOOKING THINGS UP, and READING ABOUT THEM, and, in general, REMEMBERING THE BASICS OF WHAT I READ. (Note: A GED may be helpful in this process, but is not required — nor a Ph.D. It’s a matter of desire and curiosity, plus the ability to read, and think about what you just read, comparing across sources).

The Shockome case seems to have been closely aligned with the loss of the right to practice law in a well-respected, if not belatedly appreciated, attorney who presents (centrally) at the Battered Mothers Custody Conference, is blogged, and favored by a number of groups sponsoring awareness of this crisis, and has authored recently (2010) a book about this problem, which is also promoted at — again, the various conferences and on websites. That would be Barry Goldstein.

However, I have been in a class of mothers who at one time followed the dialogue, language, and ideas of certain organizations who are cooperating and fronting with Mr. Goldstein (along with Mr. Lundy Bancroft, and some others) in protesting the damages done to children, and mothers, in the courts. I know that these organizations not only still hold sway among parents with minor children in custody proceedings, that they are now beginning to further centralize and mainstream their efforts, and many, meany people (bloggers, in particular) are being swept along in the tide.

Please note: I don’t know the personal docket or case, am not working on this case, and do not know Genia Shockome personally or electronically, but have revisited a 2011 post on the visitation fraud in the case — a situation long known to be relevant, and still not being brought up in conference materials promoting better expertise (training and consciousness-raising) as the solution to “The Crisis in the Courts” which generally speaking, according to these groups, means children are being put in the care of the wrong (violent or abusive) parent.

My January 7, 2012 “Interesting Bedfellows” post

Three days ago I posted “Interesting Bedfellows and the Speckled Background of Psychology in America,” specifically to contrast an October, 2012 (DV Awareness Month, right?) Press Release, Cummings Foundation Launches Initiative to Fix Broken Courts — For More Information Contact Kathleen Russell, (415)-xxx-xxxx” with my post (on another blog) reporting as soon as I heard about a March 2012 conference in Phoenix Arizona on this topic.

This was a predictable event given that March 2012. Seeing we are approaching March 2013, it’s obvious there was advance planning for the Our Broken Courts initiative, and the previous conferences were primarily warming up the crowd and building a bit of press surrounding the presenters (as a group). I wasn’t born yesterday regarding some of this, and so in April 2012, posted:

Last April I wrote a post
Why Watching Conference Agenda is Crucial: Cummings Foundation, Behavioral Health Promotion, and “Our” “Broken” Family Court System.

I spent several days looking up who’s who and instates and organizations involved. It’s an interesting and somewhat in-depth post, one of a few on that blog looking at the start of the APA (American Psychological Association) at a certain Ivy League College, connecting one of the early leaders with the professional EDUCATION movement (these are related) and noticing in particular the impact of the War on who was in America promoting what, when.

It should be remembered clearly that Eugenics (a.k.a. racism) was a factor in people’s thinking well into the 1900s, and obviously in at least WWII. Sterilizing people because their race or class is considered inferior is not as politically acceptable as it used to be, nevertheless in my last round, we found a future U.S. president raising the issue in a Task Force before Congress, “Earth Resources and Population” (1969) on how runaway African-American breeding habits were “down-breeding” the US Population. (Chapter 3, HERE) The race-science movement apparently had some start in 1910, the a 1932 Eugenics Conference in NY, in 1969, Congressional Testimony, in 1996, Welfare Reform, has the same theme.

If you ask me, based on some of the evidence, the races that are “down-breeding the population” seem to have German and British origins; they seem to be the ones bent on exterminating other races and treating human beings like they are horses or dogs, only creatively so — when not domesticating them for use in their factories, wars, or other institutions at low wages, with some hired professional hands to keep the masses in check.

In other words, you and I can ignore the record

(including the Congressional record, the record of the Bush Family’s personal history, and ignore COMPLETELy the financial motivations in our own history, i.e., just play deaf, dumb, and blind about certain matters — and let others run them, periodically bail out banks and insurance companies, and go about trying to live in this culture

— or we can try to change its course: pretty late in the game, but we can still try for each new generation. This is not pretty or comfortable information — but it’s in the Congressional record. I saw it myself in reading the Congressional record prior to welfare reform, you can hear the arrogant attitude in reading much of the conference materials and contrasting it with the reality.

WHY, as time-consuming as it is to look?

Watching conference agenda on my part is a factor of looking up corporations, it also alerts people to what revised legislation may be in the pipeline, particularly if you are watching the Association for Family and Conciliation Courts, or various ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) nonprofits around the country. They are repeating a limited stable of ideas with the goal of pushing them through, so why not hear these ideas before they hit the legislature, then the courts, then you or your friend’s divorce, custody, child support, restraining order or other case, huh?

They use certain language, which has a certain set of keywords (“high-conflict” much?) (“forensic psychology”)(“Parental Alienation”) which simplifies identification of where a given group is coming from — like religious jargon, or local dialects it’s unique to the natives. Natives of those nonprofit trade associations.

The hardest obstacle I run across in this, looking at the numbers, is finding mothers who, having been abused or living with one, then latch onto the next authoritarian group leader who hears their anger, and goes about speaking for them, because it’s true — sometimes they are so angry, or traumatized — or have a live case with a gag order on it – or just don’t feel safe — to speak about it.

Our American public reads the headlines, but when you get right down to it, people want to talk about their local judges — rather than the judicial system. Or the local attorney, or their big bad powerful ex, or etc. This is like failing to understand that buildings have scaffolding and scaffolding before it’s erected has blueprints — and these blueprints are often written down and discussed before the project beings — or the NEXT installment of the same project begins.

In this field, the blueprints are set up through nonprofit trade associations often set up to start with by a select (and SMALL) group of professionals leading their cohorts in a certain direction according to a certain vision. For example, the AFCC version is PAS promotion and more behavioral health, less enforcement of criminal laws. People STILL don’t get this, apparently, and are STILL hanging out with groups led by behavioral health (aka psychologist) types, sprinkled with some attorneys and a survivor or two (maybe) whose leading edge reasoning is, “you just need better psychologists on your family court cases. Take for example, US….”

But what we have now is actually professional-led groups calling themselves “survivor-led” when they may have a token (submissive) survivor on the podium, and survivor stories in the pipeline, but the entire business framework is professional promotion of expert analyses which favors the professionals promoting the problem (and its analysis).

AND the gap between reality and narration of reality taking into account potential (and some very real) CAUSES is growing wider and wider.

Oddly enough, the problem continues to be raised in terms brought up by some of the originals in the DV movement, i.e., the Ellen Pence, consciousness raising, culture-changing, educate-judges-into-enlightenment “CCR” situation. As training costs money, and training can be sold, selling training thus makes those with this mindset “professionals” which is a social status demanding respect from other people paid to profess (such as attorneys, judges, and psychologists/custody evaluators, IN the court system), and it becomes a self-sealing circle. etc. The basic analysis is sealed in stone by the financing and investment in infrastructure (the infrastructure meaning, the organizational relationships, corporation-formations, and funding streams).

Here’s the PRWire on the Nova Southeastern University (in Florida) conference being advertised in the 10/22/12 new release by Ms. Russell of California about a Reno, Nevada-Based family (Cummings) foundation’s former Phoenix, Arizona-based “Our Broken Family Courts Initiative. Get the picture of the Conference Circuit short-circuiting participation (other than on film) by the people most affected — the mothers and children involved!.

From this promo we can see clearly that this is the AFCC (Association for Family and Conciliation Courts) — and other nonprofit trade association practice. These individuals are developing a professional niche fro themselves, starting with people willing to sponsor a conference (most conferences have vendors, money changes hand, and are teaching events — course credits can be offered — and will produced nowadays, conference materials (DVDs of any conference can be sold on-line and are), and will GENERALLy speaking, also sell some hard-copy books — this one is no exception. The book involved is the Cummings and friends’ analyses of how and why our courts are broken.

** can we get a listing of case wins vs. losses and what contributed to a win or a loss, please?

Anyone looking at this should start asking who and what is “ABPP” — which I did back in March 2012, and probably posted on it. See links.

The American Board of Professional Psychology was started in 1947, and a foundation to support it, in 2010; it has connections obviously with training in the specialities, and for that, there’s another council, the NCSPPP, which the interview with Dr. Cummings (on my site, or look it up at psychotherapy.net) relates how, he basically started it, in promotion of the entire concept of Professional Schools of Psychology to start with...Now there’s a Competency Movement to advance the field and supposedly protect the public… all of which translates into basically self-monitoring (funds for training), prestige, and further expansion of the field, and damage control as the incompetencies begin to surface more and more ….

***”Who Rocks the Cradle Rocks the World.” Who funds the Universities also Forms the world.

See Fitts, and others, on the role of private, tax-exempt foundations, in structuring the history of this country — they are the real government, basically.

Next question: How did these tax-exempt foundations running the place, make their fortunes? Here’s a concise and well-written Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) biography which mentions the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching towards the end. If you add to this even the basic Wikipedia on Andrew Carnegie, besides an amazing individual who, while poor, was also diligent, had someone in his life (an uncle) who encouraged literacy and eventually recommended the switch to a life-changing position as telegraph operator, AND plenty of inside trading, plus the clear intent to destroy competitors. But he got his start investing by helping some others hide some payoffs..

This is in a nutshell “how things work” if you read about Carnegie’s life, and rise to power, and what he did after getting there, including establishing a vertical monopoly all over, trying to destroy rivals, and profiting when others go bankrupt, buying off their firms — and profiting when the entire country, possibly as a result of some extortionist and monopoly practices, goes into a recession. Perhaps you’ve heard of “Pinkerton” agents? (strike breakers). In another time and place, he’d be Cecil Rhodes… Here’s a short (fine-print) excerpt:

(Tempting, but I’ll put the material in a separate place)…
(hardly!!)}}

With the Unauthorized Biography of George Bush, and other sources explaining to all of us the basics of colonization in its historical business framework, ought to be required reading, even if the problem one is solving relates to Family Court Matters.

This is the leadership that has the money to hire the professional sector. Now, are the professional sector the leaders? — — No, they are not. They are the spokesmodels for the leaders of industry and politics, which have to be put in a historical context, and it at some point in time, we have to face that part of history is wars, debt, slavery and sometimes genocide.

Once that is accepted, then it’s a matter of connecting the Who’s Who, and saying (after a good look in the mirror and heartfelt solo conversation) “Do I have what it takes to make a difference in this trend — or even try to? Am I, myself, a leader, a follower, or a social professional climber?” Before answering this question, I’d take a look at the long-term stakes, especially if you are a mother or father, for your kids. Or “am I just too busy, or too lazy (mentally) to make the time to learn how these things work, even if the knowledge is very uncomfortable, and makes the world look different?”

Compare: Andrew Carnegie, Cecil John Rhodes in goals, ego, and in what they did. Interesting how

Carnegie started in railroads, and Rhodes envisioned the Cape to Cairo railroad, and regaining the US Colonies for Great Britain. Both also used technology to advantage, and were expert at seeing business needs (and challenges), and ruthless as to rivals (the rest of this chapter shows how Rhodes bought out his one primary rival, Barney Barnato, among other things).

I added two pages to this over at Cold,Hard.Fact$, titled “Ruthless Giants, Magnificent Philanthropists” (Andrew Carnegie, Cecil Rhodes) and a sub-page on John D. Rockefeller. Sure, we all know those names — but do we understood how their work frames our government, institutions (including universities) and beliefs today?

Each includes some good, basic, summary links, and at the bottom, ties this directly into where this Our Broken Family Courts Initiative chose to launch itself last October 2012 — at a Center for Psychological Studies on a particular university’s Center for Psychological Studies. We have to start looking at WHO professionalized and pushed the combo of Sociology/Psychology and Education in this country, the founders, and their agenda in doing so. And while it sounds like egalitarianism, it isn’t!

I’m re-posting a July 2011 post under similar name in direct response to watching with increased distress and concern the ongoing gullibility of women fighting to protect — or to again see in any normal sense — their children.

Is this a National Idiocy test or what? Should this be tuned out, or what filter should be applied when Crisis in the Courts, Trauma Survivors of America (including the Trauma of Incest Survivors) meets “Let’s Mainstream Behavioral Health (with some Hypnosis),” and pay no attention that our life’s work has been making sure psychologists can prescribe medication (in part for trauma recovery?) and have nice retirement income, plus of course widespread respectability.

BY NOW, any and ALL women — and men– involved in the courts — should be able to run down approximately where any group is coming from ideologically by looking at what they have been doing economically (including change over time) and where they are heading — and then figure out where you, yourself, and you stand, personally and individually — in relationship to the amalgams of organizations who are going after federal and private funding to advance their theories about how to heal the world, present Futures without Violence, and (case in point), by pushing the ‘OUR BROKEN FAMILY COURT” rhetoric, position themselves to:

(a) care about this
(b) have analyzed the problem well, and
(c) be because of (a) and (b), be worthy to receive funds (and time, energy, and allegiance — or at least email address) in order to fix them.

MOREOVER, I have been speaking more and more frequently to people NOT involved in a divorce or custody case (i.e., general acquaintances, as well as those painfully exposed to or witnesses, friends, or supporters, in my case over the years) who should understand how this works — it’s their dollars being slushed and sloshed around, is it not? It’s affecting their personal and national economies as well, and it definitely affects real estate and school values in their neighborhoods, too.

SO —

Either that, or you could accept everything at face value and then try to make the pieces of the puzzle fit together and just keep pretending that the domestic violence industry, the crisis in the court industry, the psychopharmacology industry (which since 1995 per APA has been official policy to pursue) AND religious concepts about the nature and worth of a human being– material or spiritual) — are less than important to know about.

Placing Myths and the Economy in a Larger Context:

I am actually more interested, as you may tell, in the themes presented by writers who are instructing me (and us) about such things as how to look up the funding (comprehensive annual financial statements) of various arms of government, after actually coming to the stunning realization of just how much government actually exists.

Many people working in certain fields know about these statements, but apparently do not see the significance of them to the general public, or feel that it should be part of any citizen’s basic repertoire (an aid to understanding mainstream media, print or on-line (or TV), if you still consume the material). These statement of our respective COLLECTIVE governments’ (plural) ACCUMULATED net worth are evidence (once it’s seen, understood, and the significance grasped) to weigh against the lectures about fiscal cliffsk public debts, service cuts, and tax raises. These statements are themselves a basic revelation that governments are corporations, only playing by different rules, plus they also own most of the guns and have the institutions to enforce them at will, or not enforce at will.

The authors I’m aware of, who have been now consistently putting these forth in easiest to read form, for my understanding at least, are about three or four only (there are likely more I have not found) and consist of Walter Burien of Arizona, Clint Richardson once of Utah, possibly of CA now? (a blogger/advocate but he has a way of taking you through the logic of a given situation, particularly the impact of CAFRs as investment tools of government)[hover cursor over link for brief description.), Catherine Austin Fitts (I’m not sure where her residence is these days, but she was raised in Philadelphia and has something of a blueblood financial education without actually being, that I can tell, some American aristocrat). Hover cursor over any link for a basic statement.

In addition, someone has to (or ought to) be covering the religious ties SPECIFICALLY to the HHS funding streams and to the streams upon streams of contracted or government-employed (or both) men and women of these persuasions who are heading to the motherlode of marketing opportunities — any court headed by a judge or commissioner that has anything whatsoever to do with where a child lives, who gets to visit the child, and who pays for visitation, who pays to support the child. These visionaries and self-defined (or collaborating and mutually self-defined) professionals have a need for recruits and they can’t ALL be hired by your local school district, and not everyone can be a priest or a pastor. Particularly in some places where women can’t be either…

So, to supplement Burien/Richardson and Fitts, someone needs to also relate the Religious Angle, specifically to this field, and how promotion of or reaction against basic religious concepts (let alone issues of gender, race, and politics itself) plays into the FAMILY court issue. I do what I can (see some of the “About Us” pages or, for example, a page on Opus Dei). Social Science engineering, psychology, and religious beliefs aren’t that far apart, really. Generically speaking, I file this all (at least now) under the two chief purposes of any empire — which is expansion (conquering new territories and appropriating their goods), building monuments, which monuments are going to be to the local gods and/or the gods of the conquered territory.

WHAT EMPIRES (Governments, or Monarchs) DO, keeping in mind that somewhere in history, back up far enough, and you had a demigod in human form raising taxes for standing armies and public worship, plus slaves from conquered or colonized lands. This includes the USA. At times these demigods in human form, also do councils to agree on what national religions are, and are not, acceptable — but it goes all the way from polytheism (including the Christian version) to monotheism. Monotheists are generally speaking considered dangerous, as they don’t assimilate well enough and sacrifice in the right manners, etc.

The profits of conquest fund the “monuments,” whether physical, or institutions and practices. To keep this all going one HAS to perpetuate myths. The most prominent myths we are sustaining now (with our taxes, labors, and allegiances) include “The Myth of the Rule of Law,” the Myth that the United States of America (etc.) is more government than corporation, the Myth that this Government we somehow owe allegiance to (even when it splits up our families and gets some of them killed, others traumatized, and puts us,or our friends,long-term at risk of homelessness, or simply homeless, period.

The Myth of Family is naturally one of these. The more recent, and I can see the intention is that it become likewise profitable to those spreading it, I call the Myth of Our Broken Courts, simply arose from human perception of what is, and what is not, a livelihood, as a subset of the idea that our country is basically just, and only needs some fine-tuning by the knowledgeable. For stopping domestic violence, there is a myth, first of a lll, that it can be stopped without either drugging the population into some kinds of numbed state, or by intimidation and force, or forcible indoctrination into the “understanding” that it’s in one’s best financial and safety issues to sit through the indoctrination, seeing as not doing so might cost one contact with one’s offspring, or bring harm to them. In other terms this would be called simple “extortion,” but it’s not politically correct to call it that.

Another myth that seems to have busted wide open recently (at least for me) is that we have some kind of Constitutional rights flying around that we can call upon. This reading fails to understand that wars are sometimes waged to collect on a debt, however, wars (including the war for Independence in the United States) in fact, accrue debts, which have to be repaid even if one wins. After all, it takes money to manufacture all that ammunition, guns, ship people overseas, emergency medical personnel and evacuation routs, medicine itself, transportation, technology, communications, and — very important in dominance — making sure one is abreast of the technology edge for the next possible war.

So after war, and a new political country, one needs a currency, and a structure to pay off that debt. Get it? This is WHO the United States of America is. There have been four bankruptcies, and by virtue of our citizenship, and how things have been handled, the citizenship privilege includes the right to slave status, with an attempt to work one’s freedom off somehow. If one is higher on the slave-system here (debt is slavery, right?), part of this includes the willingness to blame, mistreat, patronize, and spread myths about why you’re higher up and others are lower up, feeding off the same master’s table, which is fed by the work of those on this plantation. Here is one of the most concise (but documented) summaries of it I’ve found (with links which can be independently verified): “United States: A Corporation.” (Clint Richardson, posted Dec. 18, 2010. He starts with Title 28 of US Code (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure), Part VI, Chapter 176 “Federal Debt Collection” Definitions…. And is a very good teacher (without overloading). It has to do with jurisdiction and incorporation. Another sequential history over here (at least scroll down to highlit portions).

2013 Intro and Update:

Continuing the Non-Debate (Why aren’t more debating this?) on ‘OUR BROKEN FAMILY COURTS… Sarcastically stating the opposing point of view, and I’m sorry to assert that this is about the level of logic in this movement.

Our Family Courts are not Corrupt, they are merely flawed, and by removing or correcting the flaws, they can be returned to a pristine state of accountability and actually knowing when a potentially lethal situation may turn situation, and when child abuse has or has not occurred. If there is corruption, it’s an anomaly; let’s not talk about that, because it discourages people from wanting to fix the flaws.When children are given to batterers or child molesters in the custody courts, it’s a mistake. This mistake occurs because judges just don’t understand what batterers and child abusers are really like; as judges, they are more easily fooled than us, besides which, they don’t have access to the latest research, like this nice book that we published in 2010 about “Domestic Violence, Child Abuse and Custody,” put together by about 25 experts and edited by Mo and me Mo Therese Hannah and Barry Goldstein, who are tapped into the motherlode of the Crisis in the Courts victims, along with maybe four leading organizations (“and others”) who, REALLY, would make a great panel of experts to train the judges not to make custody mistakes.**And, OK, yes, there is a cottage industry of fathers rights, and financial incentives in the courts, but let’s not talk about that.
**and others who may join in, particularly others with some pre-existing fame, or funding, we would like to associate with, and be speakers at their conferences, too.

Actually, that title was just to get your attention.  Does it sound like the beginning to a fairy tale?

I can’t tell the tale here, but wanted to point out that this pattern is so common:

Judges perceive a problem and initiate a nonprofit corporation (i.e., they sit on the boards) to provide “solutions” to the trauma of divorce and custody battles (which are already exacerbated by sometimes the same judges).  This is then subsidized from potentially 3 angles:

• Parents are charged, and forced to consume the product
• Taxpayers are charged (grants) — the grants are of course addressing the “problem,” including problems created by the courts to start with, previous generations or this generation.
• Donors are of course sought, too.

“Judge Amodeo appointed Criminal Viola Stroud“

Dated 12/11/2004:

“…

Children’s supervisor shown sleeping on job
Gannett News Service

A videotape played in Dutchess County court Friday showed a court-appointed supervisor apparently sleeping while she was supposed to be overseeing a visit in Poughkeepsie between two children and their estranged mother. The tape, made by the children’s mother, showed Viola Stroud of Mahopac sitting motionless on a couch, her eyes closed and her face tilted forward, as the children played a noisy game of air hockey several feet away. Later, Stroud is seen telling the mother to ”shut that off” and hiding her face behind a handful of papers. She also demanded that the woman, Yevgenia Shockome, turn over the camera and the tape, and threatened to ”call the authorities.” ”You’re breaking the rules. Please don’t take my picture,” Stroud said.

Stroud runs an organization called Little Angels Supervised Visitation, which provides court-ordered oversight of children and non-custodial parents accused of domestic violence, drug abuse or other problems. The private agency has received appointments in Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties. Checks written to self :  Stroud has also served as a court-appointed guardian for mentally incapacitated adults and, in September, published reports said she wrote tens (plural) of thousands (plural) of dollar$$$ {my elaborations to the blog text} in checks to herself, to ”cash” and to Little Angels after she was given {{a judge gave her — which judge?}} control over the finances of three Putnam women. Last month, the Putnam district attorney confirmed a criminal investigation of Stroud after a state judge ordered her to repay more than $30,000 to a Mahopac woman who suffered blindness and brain damage after a car crash”

Shockome, 32, said her visitation rights were canceled afterward. Shockome said Stroud routinely slept during more than 20 previous supervised visits between Shockome and her children, whose father has sole custody. ”I liked it, because when she was sleeping I had more private time with my kids,” Shockome said. At an Aug. 31 court hearing, Stroud denied sleeping during any of the visits, Shockome said. Dutchess County Family Court Judge Damian J. Amodeo, who appointed Stroud to Shockome’s case and presided over Friday’s hearing, did not comment on the content of the hourlong tape.

http://www.dutchessmediation.org/board-of-directors

“Hon. Damian J. Amodeo (ret.), retired in 2008, after serving 20 years on the Family Court bench. Graduated from Fordham College in 1965; and, received his JD degree from Fordham Law School in 1968, where he served as Articles Editor of the Law Review.  Upon admission to the NY Bar in 1968 Judge Amodeo and his father, Mariano B. Amodeo, formed the law firm of Amodeo & Amodeo. From 1969 through1989, Judge Amodeo also worked as part-time confidential law secretary for Family Court Judges Heilman, Bernhard  Hillery and Marlow.

Judge Amodeo was elected to a 10 year term in 1988 and re-elected in 1998.

He was designated a full time Acting Supreme Court Justice in 1999. He has served as President of the Dutchess County Bar Association; served on various statewide committees and with local groups, including the NYS Matrimonial Commission; the NYS Parent Education Advisory Board; the Dutchess County Criminal Justice Council; and has served a guest lecturer a Vassar, Marist and Dutchess Community Colleges. He is member and past-president of the Hyde Park Rotary Club.  While on the bench Judge Amodeo worked closely with the Mediation Center to establish an active presence in Family Court and frequently help train volunteers. He has served as member of the Board since 2009.

{{LGH comment:  Think that’s just sarcasm, figurative, talk, or a jest?  No.   Rather, this is the pattern.  One cannot tell without looking at some of the corporate documents — EIN, if it’s a nonprofit, or incorporation (etc.) documents if it’s private).  What has happened — a parallel system of “justice” has been established by people employed in these systmes (i’m not referring to normal administrative support employees, such as clerical, data entry, phones, or such — or even slightly higher level — but at some level, this is it:  When judges for a judges corporation (private) build a courthouse, and LEASE the courthouse at public expense, then sit in the courthouse on state salaries (and whatever else comes their way) judging people — the person walking in the door thinks because of the ceremony, the metal detectors, the robes, and whatnot — that those accoutrements mean it’s a court of justice to hear their case.  Well — who pays the judge, the transcriptionist, any court-appointed professionals, who leases the buildings, and who OWNS the business services — and even a single professional psychologist, incorporated — is a business by definition — a judge is going to order you to? (get my point?)}}

How much does mediation cost?
Family mediation is provided on a sliding fee scale, based on each party’s individual income. Fees range from $25-$75 per session.

What happens if one party refuses to mediate?
Mediation is voluntary and a session can only be scheduled if both parties agree. The Center respects the decision of each party in choosing whether mediation is right for him/her.

NYS PARENT EDUCATION ADVISORY BOARD (which Amodeo is or was also appointed to): — this tale is “to be continued” but here’s a taste:

(Basically = how to advise everyone to participate in parent education and make sure it’s only the right kind — our kind — of parent education).

http://www.courts.state.ny.us/publications/benchmarks/issue2/parented.shtml
Parent Education Advisory Board — Judith Kaye, head of Chief Judge of the Unified  Court System:

The Parent Education and Awareness Program was created in 2001 by Chief Judge Kaye to foster increased utilization of parent education by judges for families in the midst of divorce or custody proceedings.

I rest my case — this is a marketing situation.

At the same time, {Chief Justice Kaye}  appointed the Parent Education Advisory Board, chaired by Supreme Court Justice Evelyn Frazee of Rochester”

..

http://www.afccnet.org/pdfs/AFCC%20Denver%20Program%202010%2001%2029.pdf

!!!  (I just found an article in the UK Parliament which Ms. Pedro-Caroll had kindly sent them!)

“

I am pleased to attach the following additional documents kindly provided by JoAnne Pedro-Carroll, Ph.D. (a renowned child psychologist with the Children’s Institute) specifically for this Committee to show the efficacy of prevention measures: • Law Journal Article by JoAnne Pedro-Carroll, Ph.D. and Judge Evelyn Frazee
• Family Court Review Article by JoAnne Pedro-Carroll, Ph.D., Ellen Nakhnikian, Ph.D., Guillermo Montes, Ph.D. of University of Rochester*** Mr. David Levy of Children’s Rights Council also appearst to have kindly sent some information:”6. I attach a copy of a letter dated 17 January 2004 which David Levy, Chief Executive Officer of the Children’s Rights Council in USA, has prepared for this Committee (Annex A). I will forward on the Exhibits Mr Levy refers to as soon as they are received in the mail.

http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/familyjusticememopart1.pdf

Family Justice: the operation of the family courts

Part 1

This is a volume of memoranda received in relation to the Constitutional Affairs Committee’s inquiry into Family Justice: the operation of the family courts and reported to the House by the Committee. It has been placed in the Library of the House of Commons and is also available for public inspection from the Public Records Office, House of Lords. An electronic copy is available on the Committee’s website: http://www.parliament.uk/conaffcom

…(note types of personnel involved):

Part 1

Joan Hunt, Oxford Centre for Family Law and Policy Elizabeth Walsh, editor of journals Family Law and International Family Law Ruth Smallacombe, Family Law In Partnership Trevor Jones Deborah Ancell Rose Dagoo, children’s guardian Office of the Chief Rabbi Robert Whiston The Newspaper Society Dr L F Lowenstein, Educational, Clinical and Forensic Psychological Consultant Tony Hobbs, School and Department of Law, Keele University Dr Tim Hughes, medical practitioner Families Need Fathers Oliver Cryiax, New Approaches to Contact (NATC) Refuge Tony Coe, President, Equal Parenting Council

MUCH of the trauma of the courts which affects kids is witnessing the court absolutely turn on a caretaking parent and chew them up, literally — defenses are removed, the attack is on, and the sky’s the limit.

….