28.1.10

Dads 'not entitled to shared parenting'

 

Caroline Overington

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/dads-not-entitled-to-shared-parenting/story-e6frf7jx-1225824407249

From:The Australian

January 28, 2010 4:23PM

 

SEPARATED fathers are not entitled to a 50-50 time split with their children, and legislation introduced by the Howard government in 2006 should be amended to make that clear, a report says.

A 300-report by retired family court judge Richard Chisholm recommends five changes to the so-called "shared parenting" law, which he described as a "tangle" that had taken the focus off "what is best for the children," The Australian reports.

The hotly anticipated Chisholm report, which was ordered by Attorney-General Robert McClelland after the shocking death of Melbourne girl Darcey Freeman, who was thrown to her death from the West Gate Bridge last year, says the shared parenting law has made it difficult for women to raise allegations of violence in the Family Court system.

A separate, 1000-page report by the Australian Institute of Family Studies, also released this afternoon, says the majority of lawyers now believe that the 2006 reforms favour fathers over mothers, and parents over children.

The two reports into shared parenting - plus a third report, by the Family Law Council - were released simultaneously by Mr McClelland this afternoon.

Mr McClelland said the Government would review all reports before making changes but agreed that a false idea had taken hold in the community that fathers were entitled to a 50-50 time split.

“How we address that is what we've now got to decide,” he said.

Read more about the released reports at The Australian.

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Credentials unchallenged in case of man accused of posing as psychologist (another Court Whore)

 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/credentials-unchallenged-in-case-of-man-accused-of-posing-as-psychologist/article1446955/

 

 

Credentials unchallenged in case of man accused of posing as psychologist

CHRISTIE BLATCHFORD

 

Published on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010 12:00AM EST Last updated on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010 3:09AM EST

cblatchford@globeandmail.com

***

Who knew what about Greg Carter, and when?

One thing is clear, and that's that some people knew or should have known that the 63-year-old criminally charged this week for posing as a psychologist wasn't what he appeared to be.

The Globe and Mail has learned that at least one lawyer involved in a child custody case where Mr. Carter was described as a psychologist soon discovered he wasn't.

The Globe has a copy of a letter that lawyer Elizabeth Saad received from Robert Feldman, an investigator with the College of Psychologists of Ontario, on Sept. 15, 2008.

She had contacted the college that day, asking about Mr. Carter's credentials. Mr. Feldman faxed the letter - telling her Mr. Carter "is not registered as a psychologist with the College" and that he was also not allowed to offer diagnoses - to her Whitby office.

This was almost exactly a month after Ms. Saad, asked by Ontario Superior Court Justice Theresa Maddalena, "then is Dr. Carter also a psychologist?" replied, "Yes he is, Your Honour."

Ms. Saad was representing Mr. S., a father seeking temporary primary custody of his two young sons. It was on that day, Aug. 14, that Judge Maddalena granted the mother, Mrs. S., an order to retain "Dr. Gregory Carter" to submit a critique of a psychologist's report which had strongly recommended Mr. S. get custody.

The parents are identified only by an initial to protect their sons' identities.

The matter continued on at least two dates before Ontario Superior Court Justice Alex Sosna until, on Oct. 16, he delivered a stunning judgment, tossing out the psychologist's report and accepting in glowing terms "Dr. Carter's" recommendation for joint custody.

Judge Sosna also dismissed the psychologist's finding that the mother was suffering from borderline personality disorder and instead accepted Mr. Carter's suggestion that Mr. S. was likely a narcissist - a suggestion he made despite never having spoken to Mr. S. The judge also awarded Mrs. S. exclusive possession of the matrimonial home and assigned about $14,000 in costs to the father.

Mr. S. said yesterday that he believes that, after learning Mr. Carter wasn't a psychologist, Ms. Saad attempted to argue that he wasn't qualified, but that she was cut short by Judge Sosna. Mr. S. said, however, that Ms. Saad did present the letter to the court, though whether the judge ever read it is unknown.

This couldn't be confirmed because Ms. Saad didn't return detailed e-mails or a phone message left with her receptionist yesterday. The receptionist at one point said the lawyer wouldn't comment because of confidentiality, but Mr. S. in fact had waived solicitor-client privilege in an e-mail yesterday.

However, at about the same time, another lawyer in Ms. Saad's small office, Sandra Scovino, was representing a father involved in a battle for custody of a then-nine-year-old girl.

As far back as December of 2006, Mr. Carter had suggested in a letter to Ms. Scovino that he would be willing to act as an independent assessor in the case, though he had already worked with the little girl as a therapist, hired by her grandparents, with whom she had lived for much of her life.

Three months later, in March of 2007, Mr. Carter, or, as Ontario Superior Court Justice Craig Perkins referred to him 32 times, "Dr. Carter," was hired by Ms. Scovino on behalf of the father to do an assessment.

Mr. Carter's report is dated Oct. 22, 2007, and by late October the following year - after Ms. Saad got the news he wasn't a psychologist - he was testifying before Judge Perkins as one.

Indeed, the judge cited Mr. Carter, whom he pronounced "an impressive, thoughtful witness with considerable experience and expertise," and his report and testimony as factors which "tipped the balance" in his decision to give the father custody.

The grandparents had to pay court costs of about $40,000, including $7,000 for the report which saw their granddaughter taken from them.

In the first case, both Mr. S. and the psychologist Mr. Carter critiqued complained to the college. Mr. Carter has been charged with professional misconduct and awaits a disciplinary hearing.

In the second case, the grandfather has also complained to the college, but his complaint is still pending.

The irony is that, though Mr. Carter was being described in family court as a psychologist and addressed as "Dr. Carter," and though for some years his business cards and letterhead identified him as "Dr. Gregory Carter, Practice in Psychology," it appears no one in authority publicly challenged his credentials.

Mr. Carter does have a doctoral degree, which he has described in writing both as "a PhD in psychology" and a PhD in "clinical psychology" and which he has said he obtained either in 1991 or 1992 from Pacific Western University, discredited in a 2004 United States Government Accountability Office investigation as a "diploma mill."

He was charged by Durham Regional Police on Monday with perjury, obstructing justice and fraud.

The Whitby, Ont., man is a psychological associate, meaning his registration is based on a master's degree. Psychologists, on the other hand, have doctoral degrees. And while most of Ontario's 2,700 psychologists and 500 psychological associates can assess, treat and diagnose alike, some, like Mr. Carter, have a limitation on their practice.

According to Dr. Catherine Yarrow, the registrar of the college, the limit on Mr. Carter's practice - that he isn't allowed to offer a diagnosis on his own - was imposed when he first registered as an associate in 2001.

Mr. Carter never applied to the college to have the restriction removed.

  • Latest Comments

Happily Retired

1/28/2010 7:01:40 AM

A big wake up call for the courts and for the citizens of Canada who depend on the judicial system to dispense JUSTICE! Incidents like this one discredit our justice system. Our courts have a responsibility to the public and they have failed in that responsibility. Like the forensic "expert" that testified in many children's deaths in Ontario, this only serves to further undermine public faith in the justice system and throw it into disrepute. It's time to clean house!

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27.1.10

The Mothers Not Found in the Media- (the author/mother was silenced)

Looks like she's still silenced. The page is gone and her blog is empty. (but we have the article) Hang in there Julie- they CAN’T Silence us all!

The Mothers Not Found in the Media

by JULIE LEVINE

 

Mrs. Tiger Woods, Mrs. Aaron Spelling, Ms. Britney Spears, even our first lady, Mrs. Obama ....all mothers that you can read about on an almost weekly basis. The media loves to cover them and to expose them. Whether they like it or not.

The media does not cover the women who have lost custody battles to perpetrators of domestic violence. Their abusers are almost never exposed. The children in these cases are damaged, their lives stained forever. Over and over again, these children are torn from the arms of a loving parent-their mothers.

When will you read of Debbie, Rachel, Susan, Maria, and hundreds of others who have lost their children in a court system that enables such injustice? Probably never. And the silence is breaking them.

In our judicial system of today, powerful men, dominating men, are able to use the court system as a weapon. Tragically, they are able to use their children as ammunition. The media doesn't know the women that have fallen victims to our courts. We should read about the personal enfolding of celebrity moms, professional athletes' spouses, and other characters that are deemed of high interest to the public. Or so they say. When do we read of the other mothers?

No one wants to report on the woman whose husband repeatedly raped his 5 year old daughter. That man was then given sole custody of the young girl, as the woman could not fight the court battle laid out before her. Who would want to read of the woman whose husband broke every bone in her face, over a period of years? He was then given custody of the children who witnessed this horror.

In another case, a forensic psychologist stated that he was of the professional opinion that two boys had observed their father being psychologically and physically abusive towards their mother. Documentation regarding physical abuse of the mother was evidenced. Then the judge deciding this particular custody dispute awarded sole custody of the two boys to the father.

When this woman sought safety prior to the divorce dispute, her husband warned her that she would never see her children again. After custody was "awarded" to this male perpetrator, the mother never had a relationship with her sons again. A judge looked her in the eye and told her that just because her husband had raped and beaten her, it did not mean he couldn't be a good father.

Not understanding any of the court's instructions, she contacted newspapers, radio stations, and magazines. In our wonderful United States of America, there was not a single reporter that would come to her aid. No one wanted to speak of her story, her life....It was her own, never to be shared.

Until now.

It happened to me.

In our country that promises protection and justice, judges are awarding custody to men with violent histories. Women that have made their children a priority, are left childless. Many times, these women turn to the media for assistance...only to be turned away.

These are the mothers not found in the media. Reporters refuse to reply to coverage requests, as judges are never held accountable for their poor and damaging decisions. If these cases are told to the public, how are they remedied? Perhaps this is why reporters run from such stories. Rather than ignore such tragedies, it seems that finding an answer would be a much better conclusion.

In order for there to be a solution to many of these horror stories, the stories themselves must be told. Bullied and emotionally battered by judicial figureheads, the mothers not mentioned in the media must be heard. They need a voice. We need a voice.

If you are reading these words, that proves there is hope. It says things can get a little bit better. This is all being told from a mother who lost her children in a court of law to the abuser; from a mother not found in the media.

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Okla. man accused of beating wife to death has kidnapped her daughter

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH1RHVxJJvE&hl=en_US&fs=1&]

 

This undated photo provided by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation shows Aja Daniell Johnson, 7. Oklahoma authorities issued an Amber Alert on Monday Jan. 25, 2010 for Aja Daniell Johnson, whose mother, Tonya Hobbs, was found slain in her motor home Sunday. Authorities believe Aja may be with Hobbs' estranged husband, Lester Hobbs. (AP Photo/Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation)

This undated photo provided by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation shows Aja Daniell Johnson, 7. Oklahoma authorities issued an Amber Alert on Monday Jan. 25, 2010 for Aja Daniell Johnson, whose mother, Tonya Hobbs, was found slain in her motor home Sunday. Authorities believe Aja may be with Hobbs' estranged husband, Lester Hobbs. (AP Photo/Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation)(AP)

Enlarge Photo

» Links to this article

By SEAN MURPHY

The Associated Press
Tuesday, January 26, 2010; 5:19 PM

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A woman found beaten to death in a motor home recently sought a protective order against her estranged husband, an ex-convict who was charged Tuesday with killing her and kidnapping her 7-year-old daughter.

Comanche County prosecutors charged Lester William Hobbs, 46, with first-degree murder and kidnapping in the killing of Tonya Hobbs and disappearance of her daughter, Aja Daniell Johnson.

Hobbs' body was discovered Sunday inside Lester Hobbs' motor home in Geronimo, a small town about 100 miles southwest of Oklahoma City. Lester Hobbs and the missing girl, who is not his biological daughter, were last seen by relatives Saturday evening.

"He has gone from being a person of interest in this case to a criminal defendant," Comanche County District Attorney Fred Smith said.

The medical examiner's office has not determined the official cause of death, but charging documents show Tonya Hobbs suffered blunt force trauma to her body.

In August, Tonya Hobbs sought a protective order against Lester Hobbs, writing in a petition that he threatened her daughters and vowed to kill her if she ever left him.

"My husband has threatened to hit my daughters in the head with a hammer and kill them," she wrote.

An emergency protective order was granted, but the case was dismissed two weeks later when both Tonya Hobbs and her husband failed to appear in court, records show.

Tonya Hobbs traveled with her two daughters to Geronimo on Saturday in an attempt to reconcile the relationship with Lester Hobbs, said Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown.

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Tonya Hobbs' older daughter stayed with Hobbs' relatives and is not missing.

Aja's father, J.J. Johnson of Oklahoma City, delivered a tearful plea Monday for the girl's safe return.

"Please Lester, if you're listening, anybody who knows where she is, please take her to a safe spot," Johnson said. "I'll see that she's picked up with no questions asked.

"She's only been seven years old for 20 days."

Oklahoma authorities issued an Amber Alert on Monday and asked law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout in Texas, California and Oregon, where Lester Hobbs has relatives.

Lester Hobbs was last seen driving his wife's 1992 Toyota Paseo with the Oklahoma license plate number 577-BPW. The car has no hubcaps and has plastic covering the rear passenger window.

"Time is not working in our favor in this situation. We need to find this girl as soon as possible," Brown said.

Lester Hobbs has several tattoos, including the letters "LOVE" stitched on the fingers of his left hand and "ROSE" on the fingers of his right hand.

Aja Johnson is 4 feet tall and weighs about 65 pounds. She has brown, shoulder length hair and brown eyes, officials said.

 

Oklahoma grandmother fears the worst for missing girl

NewsOK.com - Johnny Johnson - ‎21 minutes ago‎

"He hated that little girl," Oklahoma City resident Alice Dunkin said. "He's very mean to her. He would all but beat Aja." Lester Hobbs was charged Tuesday ...

Video: Police: Girl Missing, Mother Found Dead in Home

The Associated Press

Amber Alert: Suspected Oklahoma killer may be headed to BakersfieldKGET 17

Okla. man accused of killing wife, kidnapping girl Washington Post

News 8 Austin - KMJ Now

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26.1.10

NOMAS Resolution in Support of Abused Children & Protective Mothers

 

From: Randy Burton, Founder and President of Justice for Children --

Please let NOMAS know that our organization supports this effort.

Randy Burton, Esq.

Burleson and Cooke LLP

www.JusticeForChildren.org

 

###########################

 

www.NOMAS.org

 

“At our recent winter meeting, the National Organization for Men Against Sexism (NOMAS) passed a resolution in support of protective mothers.  We are asking other men's organizations to join us so that we can challenge the male supremacist groups and particularly their claim to represent all men and fathers.  Already A Call to Men has agreed to support our resolution.  If anyone knows of other men's organizations that might be interested, please forward the resolution below or they can find it at NOMAS.org.”

Barry Goldstein

 

Resolution  National Organization for Men Against Sexism (NOMAS)

Male supremacist groups ("Fathers' Rights") have caused unspeakable harm to our country and to our children by encouraging abusive fathers, often with little past involvement with their children, to seek custody as a tactic to pressure a mother to return or to punish her for leaving. "Shared parenting", "friendly parent", involvement of both parents and other concepts that seem fair and benevolent have instead been used to manipulate courts and legislatures to help abusive fathers. For instance, women are routinely denied custody of their children after being classified as "unfriendly" for asserting that the husband has abused them or their children.

Parental Alienation Syndrome (sometimes disguised by use of other names for the discredited practice) is an unscientific theory that is used to prevent investigation of children's reports of their father's abuse. Unscrupulous professionals use it as a way to make money while ignoring the destructive impact on children's lives. Male supremacists debase the discussion of child custody issues by personal attacks and attempts to substitute repeat

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NOMAS Resolution in Support of Abused Children & Protective Mothers

 

From: Randy Burton, Founder and President of Justice for Children --

Please let NOMAS know that our organization supports this effort.

Randy Burton, Esq.

Burleson and Cooke LLP

www.JusticeForChildren.org

 

###########################

 

www.NOMAS.org

 

“At our recent winter meeting, the National Organization for Men Against Sexism (NOMAS) passed a resolution in support of protective mothers.  We are asking other men's organizations to join us so that we can challenge the male supremacist groups and particularly their claim to represent all men and fathers.  Already A Call to Men has agreed to support our resolution.  If anyone knows of other men's organizations that might be interested, please forward the resolution below or they can find it at NOMAS.org.”

Barry Goldstein

 

Resolution  National Organization for Men Against Sexism (NOMAS)

Male supremacist groups ("Fathers' Rights") have caused unspeakable harm to our country and to our children by encouraging abusive fathers, often with little past involvement with their children, to seek custody as a tactic to pressure a mother to return or to punish her for leaving. "Shared parenting", "friendly parent", involvement of both parents and other concepts that seem fair and benevolent have instead been used to manipulate courts and legislatures to help abusive fathers. For instance, women are routinely denied custody of their children after being classified as "unfriendly" for asserting that the husband has abused them or their children.

Parental Alienation Syndrome (sometimes disguised by use of other names for the discredited practice) is an unscientific theory that is used to prevent investigation of children's reports of their father's abuse. Unscrupulous professionals use it as a way to make money while ignoring the destructive impact on children's lives. Male supremacists debase the discussion of child custody issues by personal attacks and attempts to substitute repeat

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“Whores of the Court: The Fraud of Psychiatric Testimony and the Rape of American Justice”

Whores of the Court

Filed under: Corrupt bastards, Family Courts, Getting Screwed by the Whores of the Court, Guardian Ad Litem, Legal abuse, Whores of the court — justice4mothers @ 8:32 pm

Author Margaret A. Hagen has made her book “Whores of the Court: The Fraud of Psychiatric Testimony and the Rape of American Justice” available on her website.  Here is a description of her work:

Professor Margaret A. Hagen

Professor Margaret A. Hagen

In this provocative and well-researched book, Margaret Hagen, Ph.D, reveals how expert psychological testimony is a total fraud, showing how the courts have increasingly embraced not a cutting-edge science but, instead, a discipline that represents a terrifying retreat into fantasy and hearsay; a discipline propelled by powerful propaganda, arrogance, and greed.

Dr. Hagen sounds a clarion wake-up call, offering some startling – and much-needed – recommendations about how we can reclaim our own ability to judge and supplying vital advice on how we can protect ourselves from the ravages of psychological testimony in our own lives.

“A damning indictment of the psychologizing – and undermining – of the American legal system. With righteous wrath and devastating wit, this sweeping critique should stir national debate.”

Please visit her website to download the book.

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Which Arizona Court is Responsible for this Broken-Hearted Mother’s Death?

Which Arizona Court is Responsible for this Broken-Hearted Mother’s Death?

Filed under: Activism, Arizona, Brenda Suzanne Ownby, Child Custody, Child Custody Battle, Child Custody Issues, Child custody for fathers, Corrupt Judges,Corrupt Lawyers, Corrupt bastards, Divorce, Domestic Violence, Family Court Reform, Family Courts, Family Rights, Fathers Rights, Getting screwed by the Family Courts, Legal abuse, Maricopa County, Mother Child Relationship, Mother's Rights, Motherless children, Non-custodial Mothers, Noncustodial Mothers,Parental Alienation Disorder, Parental Alienation Disorders, Parental Alienation Syndrome, parental alienation — justice4mothers @ 8:31 pm

 

Killing me in the Courtroom-Susan Murphy- Milano

 

Mother Who Lost Custody of Children Commits Suicide on I-17 This Morning


We are anxiously awaiting news of which judge and court whore screwed over this mother.  We ARE going to dig into this.  If it is within Maricopa County, they have removed the records already.  A lot of us are darned mad about this.  We are tired of the courts breaking mothers then taking the children away!

May dear Brenda Suzanne Ownby be at peace now.  Her sister and mother were with her in the pickup truck she jumped out of, and they are suffering terribly too now.

Please moms, if you are in this situation, and so many are, think of your children and get help for yourself.  Your children need you, even if the other parent has taken them and won’t let you see them.  Don’t EVER give up.  EVER. Don’t let the bastard win.

At the scene on I-17 this morning

** Roadway should be re-opened by 2:30 pm **

Today, Jan. 25, 2010, at about 10:19 am DPS officers responded to a report of a pedestrian which had been struck in the roadway on I-17 northbound under Grand Avenue just south of Thomas Road in Phoenix. The Phoenix Police and Fire Departments also responded and provided assistance. Officers arrived on scene and discovered an adult female deceased on-scene and began their investigation and traffic control closing I-17 northbound at the I-17/ I-10 interchange or the stack..  ADOT also responded and assisted with traffic control.

DPS Vehicular Crimes Unit (VCU) Detectives are on-scene and conducting the investigation.

The deceased victim has been identified as Brenda Suzanne Ownby, 37, of Phoenix, Az. Mrs. Ownby was traveling northbound on I-17 in the right rear passenger seat of a late model Nissan Frontier crew cab Pick-up truck. Her sister was driving with her mother in the right front passenger seat.  At about 10:19 am, as they were traveling under Grand Avenue in the #1 lane of I-17, adjacent to the HOV lane when Mrs. Ownby left the passenger compartment of the truck and struck the roadway. She was then struck by one vehicle, that vehicle was then rear-ended by a utility truck.

Mrs. Ownby’s family members who were in the truck report that they had just left a court hearing where she was given unfavorable information regarding a custody issue. Mrs. Ownby was apparently quiet and hadn’t said much after leaving court before the incident took place.

The Phoenix Fire Department’s Community Assistance Program and Chaplain provided assistance to grieving family members on-scene.

*Note: As with any incident resulting in death or serious injury, DPS’ Standard Operating Procedures are to treat the incident as a criminal investigation until any criminal involvement can be ruled out.

Robert Lee Bailey, Media Relations Officer
CORE: Media Relations
Arizona Department of Public Safety
2102 W. Encanto BLVD | Phoenix AZ 85005
Office: (602) 223-2678 | Desk: (602) 223-2310
| Cell: (602) 377-3698 | Main Email: pio@azdps.gov
| Direct Email: rbailey@azdps.gov

View Press Releases: http://www.azdps.gov/Media/News/
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25.1.10

Parental Alienation Syndrome: The Psychology of the Scam

Parental Alienation Syndrome: The Psychology of the Scam

Filed under: American Psychological Association, Child Custody Battle, Child Custody Issues,Children's rights, Custody Evaluators, DSM-V, Dr. Richard Gardner, Family Court Reform, Family Courts, Family Rights, Getting Screwed by the Whores of the Court, Judicial Immunity, Legal abuse,Non-custodial Mothers, Noncustodial Mothers, PAS, Parental Alienation Disorder, Parental Alienation Disorders, Parental Alienation Syndrome, Psychologists, custody evaluations, parental alienation — justice4mothers @ 12:36 pm

This article fits well with the principles of the current scam of trying to get parental alienation syndrome into the upcoming DSM-V. Especially applicable to those trying to push for it’s inclusion is Item #6: Need and Greed.  All of the items can be seen in the effort though.  Everyone knows that parental alienation syndrome and parental alienation has been debunked by the American Judge’s Association, the National District Attorney’s Association, and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, with the latter warning family court judges not to accept claims of PAS or PA.  The American Medical Association does not recognize it, and the American Psychological Association realizes that this is a claim that comes out during custody battles, and there is no evidence that this syndrome exists in the literature.

From Psyblog:

The 7 Psychological Principles of Scams: Protect Yourself by Learning the Techniques

How hustlers trick 3.2 million people each year in the UK into handing over £3.5 billion.

Good hustlers are excellent intuitive psychologists. Just like magicians they understand enough about how the mind works to exploit its vulnerabilities. Our fascination with hustlers is insatiable and, despite being criminals, they are frequently portrayed by Hollywood in a flattering light, in films like The Sting, Catch Me If You Can and theOcean’s Eleven trilogy.

Of course the reality is nowhere near as romantic, especially if you’ve fallen for one of the cons. Frank Stajano, a security expert at Cambridge University, has been working with Paul Wilson, a scam artist and author of BBC TV’s The Real Hustle to identify the 7 major psychological principles used in short cons to part people from their cash (Stajano & Wilson, 2009; PDF, 308K).

1. Distraction

Attention is like spotlight, which means when it’s pointing in one direction it pretty much ignores everything else.

Except people don’t realise how little information coming in from the outside world we actually process. Naturally you don’t notice what you don’t notice, plus the mind is designed to fill in the gaps for us. But Hustlers do know and almost every con uses some kind of distraction.

The classic example is ‘Three-card Monte‘ sometimes called ‘Find the Lady’, a rigged card game in which the aim is to find one card out of three after the hustler shuffles them around.

At the heart of this hustle is the orchestration of a crowd of onlookers who the mark (that’s you and me) thinks are all fellow punters, but who are actually in on the game. Marks are distracted by the situation in the street — the banter, laughter and excitement — and don’t realise the whole thing is a setup: no matter what the mark thinks they know, there is no way to win. The hustler is always one step ahead.

Stajano and Wilson call Three-card Monte ‘polite mugging’.

2. Social compliance

The classic study showing how compliant we are, especially when told to do things by an authority figure, was carried out by Stanley Milgram.

Hustlers know all about this and happily exploit our automatic deference to authority figures. People will hand over credit cards to people they think are waiters, car keys to people they think are car park attendants and give access to their house to people they think are from the water board. The best known online example is a ‘phishing attack’  where people give fraudsters their bank details in response to an email that purports to be from their bank.

3. Herd principle

People are sheep: they can’t help following each other.

The classic study on conformity was conducted by Solomon Asch in the 1950s showing that people will deny evidence from their own eyes to fit in with others. In the Three-card Monte con, the crowd of shills around the game creates the herd for the mark to follow.

Online there are all kinds of tricks people can use to make others think there is a herd when actually there is only one person. The practice of ‘astroturfing’ means creating multiple online identities to fake grass-roots support for a politician. In peer-to-peer networks the multiple identities created by people trying to influence them are known as Sybils.

Whether online or offline, though, groups exert an enormous influence over us.

4. Dishonesty

Fear is the mind-killer.

Hustlers know that people are fearful and play on this fact. Some cons involve selling goods to marks that are used for illegal purposes. For example one scam described by Stajano and Wilson involves selling people ‘cancelled banknotes’, actually just pieces of paper which have been spray-painted, then telling marks they have an amazing gadget which will clean off the ink and make the notes usable again.

Marks are discouraged from reporting the scam because they would be implicating themselves and the hustler wins both ways.

5. Deception

People are easily tricked, even when they think they are being careful. Hustlers take advantage of the fact that most people go along with their expectations of what will happen in any given situation. If the hustler’s behaviour fits the situation then people will accept what they say.

One classic is ‘van dragging’ where hustlers target a warehouse from which they want to steal the goods being delivered. They hang a sign saying the door is broken and those delivering should call a number. The hustlers, hiding nearby, answer and steal all the goods from the delivery driver, all the while complaining that they’ve called the locksmith and he hasn’t turned up yet. The delivery driver often helps the hustlers load their van.

6. Need and greed

Once hustlers know what people want, even if it doesn’t exist, they are in a position to manipulate them. They will play on people’s desperation; unfortunately the more desperate people are, the easier they are to con.

A classic short-con that works people’s greed is the ‘ring reward rip-off’. A female hustler enters a bar and shows-off a new ring to the barman (the mark) claiming it cost thousands (actually it’s a cheap fake). The female hustler leaves to be replaced by a male accomplice. The female hustler then rings the barman to say she lost her ring. The male hustler then claims to have found it but asks if there’s a reward. Over the telephone the female gives a price but the barman realises he can make a profit so tells the male hustler a much lower price. The barman hands over the money and, of course, neither of the hustlers are seen again.

This con relies on the barman’s greed or it won’t work. In reality it works surprisingly often.

7. Time pressure

A classic study of how people make decisions under time pressure demonstrates what hustlers already know: when there’s no time to think people rely on short cuts and emotional responses to a situation.

So hustlers make sure the mark is under time pressure so they will respond in a predicable fashion, i.e. by being greedy, or giving in to the herd principle, or by bending to the will of an authority figure.

Who are the marks?

And if you think no one falls for these tricks then think again. A recently published UK report found that each year 3.2 million people in the UK fall for mass marketed scams (OFT, 2009). That’s 5% of the population, each year. Collectively they lost £3.5 billion. £3.5 billion.

The OFT report investigated those who had been conned and reached some insightful conclusions:

  • Counter-intuitively victims of cons tended to put more effort into analysing scams than non-victims. Victims admitted they saw the scam as a long-odds gamble but were prepared to take the risk.
  • Victims often failed to discuss the scam with anyone else, as if they knew others would confirm their worst fears.
  • Between 10% and 20% of people were repeat victims, getting caught up in scams again and again despite being burned before.
  • Victims are not generally poor decision-makers, but are often professionals or successful business people.

The best advice is that given at the end of the TV programme The Real Hustle: if it seems too good to be true, then it probably is.

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Mothers Who Have Lost Their Children to Abusers: Long May You Run

Mothers Who Have Lost Their Children to Abusers: Long May You Run

Filed under: Activism, Amy Leichtenberg, Child Abuse, Child Custody, Child Custody Battle, Colton Saunders, DSM-V, Domestic Abuse, Domestic Violence, Dr. Richard Gardner, Duncan Connolly, Family Court Reform, Family Courts, Family Rights, Fathers Rights, Fathers who murder their children, Jack Connolly, Meara McIntosh, Murder, Parental Alienation Disorder, Parental Alienation Disorders, Parental Alienation Syndrome, parental alienation — justice4mothers @ 1:42 pm

I was lucky enough to see this last night…Neil Young on Conan’s last show.  The man and his guitar (and harmonica)…totally awesome.  Well, as Neil was doing this song, a part of it reminded me of Meara McIntosh (because of part of the song).  Next morning I am still thinking about it, in the overall sense.  Of not just Meara, or Amy Leichtenberg, or other mothers who have had their children murdered while on visitation with dad, but of all mothers who are struggling with their children being kept from them by their abusers.  You are all special.  Never stop speaking out (even if anonymously), never stop shining for your kids.  Long may you run.

 

 

UPDATE:  Well, as those type of people try to do, they grabbed control of the video (as well as taking custody of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, and the Masturbating Bear, and no longer will let Conan have anything to do with them)….I’ve had to replace the video twice, so I don’t know how long it will last, but here is earlier version:

 

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nszR0tfp4Es]

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KS Leads Suit Against US: Declaration Of Crimes Against Women And Children By The United States Of America

The below came to me via email, I will also add to the following; KCSDV Press Release

The suit that is currently filed with the Inter American Commission Human Rights known as (Dombrowski et el v. US 2007) filed at the IACHR on May 11, 2007 on behalf of Battered women and their children Nationally, for the common policy and practices of US Courts routinely granting custody to ‘abusers and pedophiles’ and separating them completely from their protective parent.

then- add just a small update to this:

 

Walk with peace-

-Claudine Dombrowski

 

###############

 

Google Translator

 

We, the women of the United States of America are asking that you translate this into as many languages possible, forward this Declaration to your entire mailing list and forward it to the leaders of the world. We have asked our government for help, and they have turned their back on us.

Our government has acknowledged that less than one half of domestic violence is reported, and this is in large part due to what is done to the victims in our courts if these crimes are reported. With a reported rate of 32%, that would place the actual rate at 64% of women who are beaten, raped and/or murdered by their partners. With over 800,000 women reportedly raped last year, the actual figure would be over 1,600,000 rapes. The indications is that less than 5% of rapists go to jail for this crime. Incest is almost never prosecuted, so there are no figures available. We do know that less than 1.3% of incest reports by women are false. We and our children are dying, and the US Government will not halt it. We need the corruption in the courts to end in arrests and prosecution of those that are corrupted.

Declaration Of Crimes Against Women And Children By The United States Of America

In the matters of any nation, it is incumbent on that nation to recognize the right of all citizens to enjoy equal access to the law. When such rights are denied, it is the duty of that nation to remedy immediately and without reservation, the circumstances that have created the denial of rights of that citizen. When the denial of rights is directed towards a group of people based on race, religion, gender or a set of circumstances imposed by another person, remedies must be swift and just. To deny that conditions exist within a country that allows for the imposition of unjust and illegal imprisonment of women, the illegal removal of children, the denial of property rightfully owned, and the continued, and often deadly, physical and mental attacks upon a citizen or group of citizens based solely on being the traditionally subservient caste, is to further exacerbate the targeted population and leads to the continued and systemic erosion of constitutionally guaranteed rights.

The United States of America is guilty of refusal to acknowledge the Human Rights of women and perpetuates unequal access to legal remedy. When women are victims of violence and seek the protection under the law, they are further victimized by the perpetrators of violence and those they employ for the sole purpose of furthering the violence and the protection of the serial violators. Conditions exist, whereby institutions that should be unbiased and afford equal justice to all citizens, are influenced for power and/or monetary gain. Entire groups of citizens, victims of violence, are demonized within the courts and denied legal representation through continuing and costly litigation and the withholding of rights that are guaranteed by The United States Constitution. When legal remedy is sought by victims through Federal Courts, these courts further deny access to the victimized party.

  • 1) Whereas, The United States Of America condones for women, regardless of circumstances, denial of equal access to the law and through the continued erosion of rights of women and the denial of the pursuit of health and happiness.

  • 2) Whereas, The United States Of America condones and refuses to punish perpetrators of physical, mental and sexual violence against women.

  • 3) Whereas, The United States Of America condones the unjust and illegal removal of children from women who are victims of violence.

  • 4) Whereas, The United States Of America condones the illegal imprisonment of women as punishment for reporting violence to authorities in order to silence said victims.

  • 5) Whereas, The United States Of America condones the illegal seizure of property belonging to women and awards such property to the perpetrators of violence against women.

  • 6) Whereas, The United States Of America condones the non-protection of women by law enforcement and the courts.

  • 7) Whereas, The United States Of America condones the continued and often deadly violence against women for the sole purpose of financial and/or political gain of individuals who may or may not hold official standing as defined by law.

  • 8) Whereas, The United States Of America condones illegal and unethical behavior of individuals employed by the perpetrators of violence so as to be detrimental to the application of justice for victims of violence.

  • 9) Whereas, The United States Of America allows individuals who have either pleaded guilty to violence against women or been found guilty of violence against women in the courts, to continue to perpetrate said violence and enjoy protection from further prosecution though the judicial sealing of records of violence.

  • 10) Whereas, The United States Of America condones the treatment of violence against women as non-criminal acts by the subjugation of legal remedy to courts that are not courts of record.

  • 11) Whereas, The United States Of America condones reversals of rolls in courts of law by allowing those who are sworn to uphold the laws to lay blame for the violence on the victims of violence.

  • 12) Whereas, The United States Of America condones the murder of women by not prosecuting to the fullest extent of the law those who commit such acts.

  • 13) Whereas, The United States Of America is guilty of Human Rights Abuses against women and refuses to acknowledge, through the signing and ratification of various treaties that would insure the rights of victims, that Human Rights Abuses are prevalent within its borders and its courts.

  • 14) Whereas, The United States Of America and its agents have steadfastly refused to acknowledge or investigate the treatment of victims of violence within its borders and its authorized courts of law.

We, the women of the United States ask that your country place financial consequences on the United States in the form of trade embargoes, diplomatic isolation and refusal to repay all debt. Without your help, the practice of genocide of women in the United States will not end.

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