11.12.10

Happy Birthday Rikki Dombrowski... We are so proud of you. by Aunt Sabrina Dombrowski-- Belgium

“Just a little message for Rikki in Topeka, Kansas USA- because this Sunday December 12th is her birthday. "All your family in Belgium wish you a Happy Birthday!”

 

More here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijQkw_ZVoKk&feature=player_embedded

Rikki, Granny, Mom—Don’t Give Up—Hope, Love, Power and Enlightenment

Granny died and her grand-daughter was not allowed to attend her funeral.

This tribute video was made-- for three generations lost---destroyed by the Family Courts.

Granny, Mom and Rikki three hearts united across the universe and above and beyond the Shawnee County Courthouse MAFIA.

Rikki Dombrowski-- Run Like The Wind

http://rightsformothers.com/2010/08/2...

"DANGEROUS" CLAUDINE DOMBROWSKI ATTENDS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE RALLY: DOES SHE FACE JUDICIAL RETALIATION AGAIN?

http://rightsformothers.com/2010/10/2...

Hope Love Power and enlightenment

 

I am a thousand winds that blow,

I am the diamond glints on snow,

I am the sun on ripened grain,

I am the gentle autumn rain.

 

When you awaken in the morning's hush,

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the soft stars that shine at night.

 

Do not stand at my grave and weep

I am not there; I do not sleep.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,

I am not there; I did not die.

 

by, Mary Elizabeth Frye

10.12.10

A Word of Caution About Parental Alienation- Dr Richard Warsak

A Word of Caution About Parental Alienation

In Corrupt bastards, Domestic Violence, Dr Richard Warshak, DSM-V, Parental Alienation, Parental Alienation Disorder,Parental Alienation Disorders, Parental Alienation Syndrome on December 6, 2010 at 12:21 pm

Dr. Richard Warshak would not allow opposing comments in his first article on the Huffington Post, including information about all the professional organizations that have debunked the use of “parental alienation” in child custody cases.  This includes a warning from the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges:

2009: A Judicial Guide to Child Safety in Custody Cases

National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges Family Violence Department

Page 12:

C. [§3.3] A Word of Caution about Parental Alienation34

Under relevant evidentiary standards, the court should not accept testimony regarding parental alienation syndrome, or “PAS.” The theory positing the existence of PAS has been discredited by the scientific community.35 In Kumho Tire v. Carmichael, 526 U.S. 137 (1999), the Supreme Court ruled that even expert testimony based in the “soft sciences” must meet the standard set in the Daubert case.36 Daubert, in which the court re-examined the standard it had earlier articulated in the Frye37 case, requires application of a multi-factor test, including peer review, publication, testability, rate of error, and general acceptance. PAS does not pass this test. Any testimony that a party to a custody case suffers from the syndrome or “parental alienation” should therefore be ruled inadmissible and stricken from the evaluation report under both the standard established in Daubert and the earlier Frye standard.38

The discredited “diagnosis” of PAS (or an allegation of “parental alienation”), quite apart from its scientific invalidity, inappropriately asks the court to assume that the child’s behaviors and attitudes toward the parent who claims to be “alienated” have no grounding in reality. It also diverts attention away from the behaviors of the abusive parent, who may have directly influenced the child’s responses by acting in violent, disrespectful, intimidating, humiliating, or discrediting ways toward the child or the other parent. The task for the court is to distinguish between situations in which the child is critical of one parent because they have been inappropriately manipulated by the other (taking care not to rely solely on subtle indications) , and situations in which the child has his or her own legitimate grounds for criticism or fear of a parent, which will likely be the case when that parent has perpetrated domestic violence. Those grounds do not become less legitimate because the abused parent shares them, and seeks to advocate for the child by voicing his or her concerns.

House and Senate Pass Act to Provide Lifesaving Services

 
 

National Coalition Against Domestic Violence

For Immediate Release


Contact Person: Rita Smith
Phone: (303) 839-1852

Email: rsmith@ncadv.org

December 10, 2010

House and Senate Pass Act to provide lifesaving services

and programs for community shelters and crisis centers

President set to sign the renewal of The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act

(December 10, 2010) Washington, DC - The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence joins our member programs and services all across the nation in celebrating the passage of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVSPA) as part of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA). These vital programs, first passed in 1984 and 1974 respectively, were long overdue for reauthorization.

"In these grueling economic times, our community battered women's shelters were facing severe funding cuts and service reductions at the hands of state and private funders trying to staunch budget shortfalls. Reauthorizing FVPSA will ensure the funds reach the states and programs so that families facing domestic and sexual violence have an escape path," noted Rita Smith, Executive Director of the 32-year old coalition, NCADV, representing over 2,000 shelters and programs and individuals across the country.

The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) is an essential component of our nation's campaign to raise awareness about the cruel epidemic of domestic and sexual violence that shreds the lives of girls and women, boys and men. FVPSA authorizes lifesaving services to victims of domestic violence and their families, through shelters, support group and prevention counseling, legal assistance and service referrals to economic support systems and essential health services. The bill passed by the House on Wednesday and by the Senate today is an important improvement in our ongoing effort to address the criminal assault and sexual violence that affects our children, women and girls of all races, religions, ages, abilities and identities regardless of their economic or citizenship status or where they live. "Our vision is 'Every home a safe home,' but it's more than a slogan. It is a promise that NCADV makes to women and their families that our organization and our colleagues in the movement will never cease in our determination to stop violence against women," declared Ms. Smith.

Major thanks must go to individual members of Congress who championed FVPSA and CAPTA. In the House, Representatives Gwen Moore (D-WI) and Aaron Schock (R-IL), along with Judy Biggert (R-IL) and Gregorio Sablan (D-MP), introduced FVPSA (H.R. 4116) early this year and gathered 123 sponsors including 17 Republicans - a truly bipartisan bill. They were joined by Ed and Labor Committee chair George Miller (D-CA) and his committee colleagues John Kline (R-MN), Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), and Todd Platts (R-PA). In the Senate, HELP committee chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) and ranking member Mike Enzi (R-WY) pulled together the bipartisan Senate bill, spurred by subcommittee chair Chris Dodd (D-CT) and ranking member Lamar Alexander (R-TN). Victims of sexual and domestic violence owe them a big thank you for their stewardship.

FVPSA is the only dedicated federal funding source for domestic violence shelters and services, supporting emergency shelters, crisis hotlines, counseling services, victim assistance initiatives and programs for underserved communities.  This year's bill builds upon FVPSA's core strengths and includes critical improvements for the National DV Hotline, initiatives dealing with teen dating violence, services for our nation's territories and programs helping children who witness violence to name just a few. Additionally, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) not only continues its important work addressing child abuse, neglect and sexual violence, but adds an important cross-cutting component to improve services for both victims of child abuse and families that are experiencing domestic violence and child maltreatment.

"The fact that FVPSA/CAPTA reauthorization passed by Unanimous Consent in the Senate and under suspension of the rules by a unanimous voice vote in the House proves that this bipartisan Act is a national priority," added Ms. Smith. "NCADV looks forward to the President signing this bill so that advocates can begin work on next year's challenge -saving lives and reauthorizing the 1994 Violence Against Women Act."

###

Forward email

 

National Coalition Against Domestic Violence | 1120 Lincoln St. | Suite 1603 | Denver | CO | 80203

9.12.10

HOW BATTERERS MANIPULATE AND CUSTODY SYSTEMS COLLUDE

Zorza, Joan, Esq. and Brigner, Mike, Esq.  HOW BATTERERS MANIPULATE AND CUSTODY SYSTEMS COLLUDE. PowerPoint presentation, Seventh Annual Battered Mother's Custody Conference, Albany, NY, 9 January 2010.

http://www.batteredmotherscustodyconf...


The Eighth Annual Battered Mothers Custody Conference
BMCC VIII: "The Unity Conference -- Join Up!"
Register Online


January 7th, 8th, and 9th, 2011
Friday evening 6:00 p.m. - Sunday afternoon
Holiday Inn Turf, 205 Wolf Road, Albany, NY

 

Original Power Point here:

Click image for larger view as this is exactly – what they do!

HOW BATTERERS MANIPULATE AND CUSTODY SYSTEMS COLLUDE

 

image

History of the Battered Mothers Custody Conference

The Eighth Annual Battered Mothers Custody Conference

http://www.batteredmotherscustodyconference.org/

Register Online

January 7th, 8th, and 9th, 2011
Friday evening 6:00 p.m. - Sunday afternoon

Source Barry Golstein Times Up

By Barry Goldstein

Only Mo Hannah could make a frigid Albany weekend in January of 2004 the place to be for several dozen protective moms, supportive professionals and activists who came for the first Battered Mothers Custody Conference. Many of the attendees had to leave their rooms in the middle of the night wearing robes and pajamas after fire alarms were triggered by frozen pipes, but at the conference there was a warmth and caring all of us badly needed.

Although I had been part of the domestic violence movement since 1983, I was new to the national movement as my book SCARED TO LEAVE AFRAID TO STAY had only come out in 2002. I was excited to meet and work with national celebrities like Lundy Bancroft, Joan Zorza and Richard Ducote and Garland Waller. Lundy has been to all eight conferences and is such an exciting speaker because he provides information that could be used to totally change the broken system. Joan has been one of the national leaders in the movement for over thirty years. I had corresponded with her prior to the first conference when she reviewed my book in Domestic Violence Report. I met her at the first conference and she quickly became a friend and mentor. Richard Ducote is a dynamic speaker who attended the first several conferences and led the Truth Commission. At the first conference, Garland Waller played her award- winning documentary, SMALL JUSTICE which was the first time I saw it. She has participated in all of the conferences and has also shown her documentary about Richard Gardner.

This was the first time a large group of protective moms came together, shared their stories and understood they were not alone. It helped everyone to understand the pattern of mistakes the courts were making. Surprisingly there were few representatives from the domestic violence movement and many mothers complained their local battered women's shelters had been less than helpful. Nevertheless the moms were excited by the support they gave each other and from the professionals who came to help their cause.

Dr. Mo Therese Hannah is a psychologist, but that didn't save her from a traumatic experience in the broken custody courts. She only barely escaped with custody of her children and recognized the courts badly need reforming. Mo networked with other protective moms and eventually created the Battered Mothers Conference with her co-chair Liliane H. Miller. Without the tremendous efforts of Mo there is no Battered Mothers Custody Conference and the protective mothers movement would have been greatly delayed.

The second Battered Mothers Custody Conference was particularly exciting because of the presence of my personal heroes, the Courageous Kids and parts of the conference were taped for the PBS Documentary BREAKING THE SILENCE: CHILDREN'S STORIES.

The Courageous Kids are young adults who as children were ensnared by the broken custody court system and forced to live with abusive fathers because of the common mistakes these courts routinely make. They came together under the auspices of the California Protective Parents Association led by Karen Anderson and Connie Valentine. These young men and women described the unspeakable torment they were subjected to by their abusers and the denial of a relationship with their safe, protective mothers. Their stories were powerful because they had a moral authority none of the rest of us could match. The courts, after all were supposed to be working to protect these children and instead were the instrument of their torture.

We were especially excited about BREAKING THE SILENCE: CHILDREN'S STORIES because it would create widespread national exposure to the crisis in the custody court system. I have long believed that if the public knew how often courts ruin children's lives and subject them to unspeakable trauma they would not permit it to continue. Unfortunately, the abuser groups also understood the documentary could undermine their ability to maintain what they believe is their privilege to control their partners and launched a vicious attack on what was a wonderful documentary. They attacked the film and the producers without even seeing it. We launched a campaign in support of BREAKING THE SILENCE, but PBS caved to the abuser's lobby, limited the showing of the documentary and basically disowned it. BREAKING THE SILENCE has been shown throughout the country at meetings and conferences, but the cowardice of PBS prevented it from being the breakthrough that could have saved more children.

The battered women's movement is a natural ally of the protective mothers movement. After our first conference Mo and I spoke about the importance of working with domestic violence organizations and we reached out to the New York State Coalition, the State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and other similar groups. As a result of these meetings and the ever more horrendous situation in the courts, domestic violence organizations have become our biggest supporters. Domestic violence advocates are now well represented at the Battered Mothers Custody Conference. Mo and I were invited to lead a workshop and then a separate discussion group at the 2008 NCADV national conference. Rita Smith, Executive Director of the NCADV and other staff have become regular participants at the Battered Mothers conferences and have given us everything we ever asked for. The NCADV invited Mo and I together with Garland Waller and Judge Mike Brigner to present about our book at a plenary session during the 2010 NCADV national conference in Anaheim. This has been a wonderful collaboration that will continue to benefit protective mothers and all of the battered women's movement.

As the movement strengthened, new presenters became regular participants. Searching for Angela Shelton is an award winning movie that created its own movement. When Angela speaks at the Battered Mothers Custody Conference, one minute we are crying the next laughing as she brings an intense emotional connection to the audience. Wendy Murphy is an attorney and former prosecutor whose book AND JUSTICE FOR SOME deeply resonates with protective mothers. Wendy brings a perspective about how women and victims are treated that is missed when we just hear the repeated misinformation in the media. Nancy Erickson was a law professor at New York Law School when I was a student, but we never met until she came to her first Battered Mothers Custody Conference. Since then Nancy has become a friend and colleague and is a contributor to our book and regular speaker at the conferences.

For the fourth annual conference, Mo had the idea of creating a Truth Commission made up of a multi-disciplinary group of leading experts in domestic violence and custody who would listen to the testimony of sixteen protective mothers and use this information together with their knowledge of domestic violence custody cases to make a report about the problems in the custody courts and potential solutions that could prevent the all too common tragedies discussed in the testimony and research.

We listened to the mothers' testimony in front of the conference and then met privately to discuss the issues and prepare the report. While there were a few minor disagreements most of the conclusions and recommendations were unanimous and the atmosphere for the discussions was collegial. The Truth Commission presented its report and discussed it at the conference in front of all the participants. The reaction was supportive and appreciative. We later exchanged drafts by email as we prepared the final written report that can be found on the Internet and in our book.

The Truth Commission Report created a lot of excitement when we released it because it not only exposed the extent of the problem but also provided realistic solutions. One of the people who was impressed by the report was a publisher at Civic Research Institute which produces quality research and other material by and for professionals. She asked Mo Hannah to prepare a book based on the Truth Commission Report and Mo invited me to co-edit the book with her. This became DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ABUSE and CHILD CUSTODY which was published in April of 2010. Many of the experts who present at the Battered Mothers Custody Conference became contributors to the book. We are excited that the book will be available at the upcoming 8th annual conference January 7-9. We will be discussing how to use the research in the book to help win better results in court.

When a woman is living with an abusive partner, she is really living in a pretend world. He will repeatedly hurt her and then deny it or claim she caused him to hurt her. She can't challenge him because it is not safe. One of the important parts of healing once she can leave him is to return to reality and speak about the truth. That is another reason why the court system is so destructive as mothers are repeatedly punished for trying to speak about reality that the courts treat as undermining the children's relationship with the abuser. This dynamic was discussed in THE BATTERER AS PARENT which says one of the best things we can do to help the CHILDREN is to help the mother heal. Nevertheless the courts routinely do the opposite.

This is another reason why the Battered Mothers Custody Conference is so valuable. At least for that one weekend each year, we are among friends, we can speak the truth, the reality may not be pleasant but at least we can escape the pretend world of the courts and the abusers. It is important for protective mothers to know they are not alone. Other wonderful people are going through the same attacks and being pathologized by unqualified "experts."

More than once I have told a story at the Battered Mothers Custody Conference that inspired me to start writing my first book. Three young children complained that their father was physically and sexually abusing them. They told the judge, the CPS caseworker, their attorney and the evaluator what their father did to them. As frequently happens, these professionals whose job it was to protect children decided the mother had brainwashed the children and warned she would lose custody if she didn't stop. Before the first unsupervised visitation could occur, the father was confronted by the baby sitter in the presence of the law guardian. He admitted that he had kissed his daughters on their privates. The law guardian immediately made a motion to stop the visitation which I joined. The judge consulted with the evaluator who said the father showed poor judgment but there was no reason to stop the visitation. During the first visitation the four-year-old was penetrated for the first time. I made a new report to CPS when the judge refused to protect the children based on the father's admission. The judge yelled and screamed at me saying CPS had already investigated the charges. They assigned a new caseworker who did a thorough job this time and found out the father had done even worse than we alleged. They brought charges against the father and he never again had anything but supervised visitation.

After the mother won custody, she invited the new CPS caseworker and myself to a celebratory dinner to thank us for our work. The kids had gifts, but most of all they had a name for us. They called us "believers" because we believed them when all the other professionals failed to do so. I can tell you there is no greater honor than to be called a believer. The 2009 conference took place just days after my license was suspended in retaliation for exposing an abusive judge. I was not sure how I would be received or what my future was and suddenly Mo called me up to the stage and presented me with the Believer award.

I look forward to seeing everyone at the 2011 Battered Mothers Custody Conference in Albany January 7-9. For more information you can check our web site at www.Batteredmotherscustodyconference.org My friend, Ben Atherton-Zeman will be performing at the conference and has created believer bumper stickers. Please come to a place where protective mothers and their children are believed. I don't know what will happen in our work to reform the broken custody court system, but as for me, I'm a believer!

Barry Goldstein is a nationally recognized domestic violence expert, speaker, writer and consultant. He is the co-editor with Mo Therese Hannah of DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, ABUSE and CHILD CUSTODY.

'You'll never see him again': Jilted father's chilling message to mother before he killed his son, 6, then committed suicide

'You'll never see him again': Jilted father's chilling message to mother before he killed his son, 6, then committed suicide

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 1:34 PM on 8th December 2010

Little Chris Hall, six, was killed by his father in their family home in Dorset

Little Chris Hall, six, was killed by his father in their family home in Dorset

A jilted father killed his six-year-old son and then himself after snatching the boy from his ex-partner and chillingly telling her: ‘You’ll never see him again.’

Chris Hall, 52, had feared he was about to lose his son, also called Chris, in a custody battle after former common-law wife Rachel Wild left him and started a relationship with another man, an inquest heard.

Miss Wild told how her former partner 'lost it' when he spotted her new lover in her car the last time she dropped her son off at Hall's house.

The keen body-builder dragged the youngster from her and told her: ‘I will take him to a place where you will never see him again.’

She never saw her son alive again.

Two days later the 35-year-old received a note from her ex telling her to come to the former family home.

She rushed to the £300,000 property and let herself in but then left after a few minutes because it felt ‘eerily quiet’.

She called the police and officers arrived and discovered the father and son - known as Big Chris and Little Chris - dead in bed, lying side by side.

Mr Hall, a handyman, had given her diabetic son a fatal mixture of insulin, morphine, and sleeping pills before overdosing on painkillers.

The inquest heard Mr Hall, a former gravedigger and postman, and Miss Wild had lived happily with their son in Poole, for several years.

But in May this year she walked out on him and began a relationship with another man, Christian Bryant.

At about the same time Mr Hall’s business began to fail and a cafe the couple co-owned hit financial problems.

Little Chris was living with his father ahead of a custody court case. On August 16, Miss Wild had access with him before dropping him off at home.

She said: ‘I was in the back seat of the car with Little Chris.

‘He didn’t want to go back and when we got round the corner we noticed Chris leaning against the wall.

Chris Hall killed himself and his own son, also called Chris, over a custody battle with his ex Rachel Wild

Devastated mother Rachel Wild arrived at Bournemouth town hall to start the inquest into her son's death

Calculating: Chris Hall, 52, 'lost it' when he spotted Rachel Wild's new lover when she dropped off their son

‘I told Christian to pull over on the other side of the road.

‘Chris stormed over, opened Little Chris’ door and dragged him out at started shouting abuse.

‘It was aimed at me in anger. He said ‘you’ve been sleeping with this man, you’ve been sleeping with him in front of Little Chris.’ ‘His face was just anger. I knew then that I wasn’t going back, (to him). I think he had lost it.

‘He said ‘basically, you’ll never see Little Chris again, I will make sure of it.’ He said: ‘I will take him to a place where you will never see him again.’ ‘In thought he meant was going to take him to his brother Duncan’s.

‘Christian was crying because it was very hurtful and loud and I was just basically shocked and upset.

‘I felt like I wanted to go back and get Little Chris but you have got to do things by the law. I had to write down everything that Chris said to me.’

Two days later a letter arrived from Chris at the cafe she ran with her brother. He opened it and showed it to his sister.

The contents of the letter were not disclosed at the hearing but they were instructions for Miss Wild to go to the three bed house in Queens Road straight away.
She said: ‘The door was left unlocked.

‘The dogs were quiet and happy to see me and were licking my face, I knew then that something was wrong. I opened the kitchen door and popped my head in.

‘I thought the dogs were acting like someone was in the house because it was odd behaviour. I thought maybe Chris was upstairs with Little Chris and saying ‘ssshhh, we don’t want mummy to find us.

‘It felt eerie and I didn’t like it.’

She called the police when neighbours told her that they had not seen the father and son for a while.

The Bournemouth inquest heard that Mr Hall had suffered from depression in the past and had slit his wrists on three occasions.

Mr Hall, whose brother is the famous London-based clothes designer Nigel Hall, had met Miss Wild while she worked as a check-out girl at an Asda supermarket.

Little Chris attended Courthill First School in Poole and was a big fan of the cartoon character Ben 10.

The inquest continues.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1336496/Chris-Hall-kills-son-6-custody-battle-Rachel-Wild.html#ixzz17bPBfznv

8.12.10

Dr. Richard Gardner's Complete Autopsy Report- Parental Alienation Syndrome

 

Suicide http://www.cincinnatipas.com/dr-richardgardnerautopsy.html

 

Dr. Richard Gardner's Complete Autopsy Report

 

Dr. Richard Gardner, M.D.
born April 28, 1931

Committed Suicide
May 25, 2003

"CAUSE OF DEATH:

Incised wounds of chest and neck."

Allow us to disabuse the pro-abusers. Dr. Richard Gardner's son told the New York Times that his father committed suicide. Contrary to false assertions made by the father's rights movement, Richard Gardner most certainly did not die peacefully in his sleep.

It was far uglier than that.

The Bergen County (New Jersey) Medical Examiner reported that Dr. Richard Gardner died a gory, bloody and violent death - from his own hand. Gardner took an overdose of prescription medication while stabbing himself several times in the neck and chest. Gardner plunged a butcher knife deep into his heart.

The medical examiner removed the knife from Gardner's chest and listed the stabbing wounds as the cause of death.

(Here is Gardner's autopsy report and the NY Times obituary.)

County Of Bergen
Department of Public Safety
Medical Examiner Autopsy Report

May 27, 2003
02030860.aut
GARDNER, Richard A.

¬Ý

New York Times

June 9, 2003, Monday

METROPOLITAN DESK

Richard Gardner, 72, Dies;
Cast Doubt on Abuse Claims

By STUART LAVIETES
"Dr. Richard A. Gardner, a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who developed a theory about parental alienation syndrome, which he said could lead children in high-conflict custody cases to falsely accuse a parent of abuse, died on May 25 at his home in Tenafly, N.J. He was 72.
The cause was suicide, said Dr. Gardner's son, Andrew, who said his father had been distraught over the advancing symptoms of reflex sympathetic dystrophy, a painful neurological syndrome.
Dr. Gardner, who testified in more than 400 child custody cases, maintained that children who suffered from parental alienation syndrome had been indoctrinated by a vindictive parent and obsessively denigrated the other parent without cause.
In severe cases, he recommended that courts remove children from the homes of the alienating parents and place them in the custody of the parents accused of abuse.
His theory has provoked vehement opposition from some mental health professionals, child abuse experts and lawyers. Critics argue that it lacks a scientific basis, noting that the American Psychiatric Association and the American Medical Association have not recognized it as a syndrome.
They also say that the theory is biased against women, as allegations of abuse are usually directed at fathers, and that it is used as a weapon by lawyers seeking to undermine a mother's credibility in court." ...
... "His marriage to Lee Gardner ended in divorce. In addition to his son, of Cherry Hill, N.J., he is survived by two daughters, Nancy Gardner Rubin of Potomac, Md., and Julie Gardner Mandelcorn, of Newton, Mass.; his mother, Amelia Gardner of Manhattan; eight grandchildren; and his partner, Natalie Weiss.
Correction: June 14, 2003, Saturday An obituary on Monday about Dr. Richard A. Gardner, a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, misstated his position at Columbia University. He was a clinical professor of psychiatry in the division of child and adolescent psychiatry -- an unpaid volunteer -- not a professor of child psychiatry."
End of Obituary Excerpt

¬Ý¬Ý

A comment about Dr. Richard Gardner's suicide released by the last man to cross examine him, attorney Richard Ducote:

¬Ý¬ÝJune 1, 2003

"Parental Alienation Syndrome is a bogus, pro-pedophillic fraud concocted by Richard Gardner. I was the last attorney to cross examine Gardner. In Paterson, NJ, he admitted that he has not spoken to the Dean of Columbia's medical school for over 15 years, and has not had hospital admitting privileges for over 25 years.

He has not been court appointed to do anything for decades.

The only two appellate courts in the country who have considered the question of whether PAS meets the Frye test, i.e., whether it is generally accepted in the scientific community, said it does not. As Dr. Paul Fink, former president of the American Psychiatric Association has stated, Dr. Gardner and PAS should be only a "pathetic footnote" in psychiatric history. Gardner and his bogus theory have done untold damage to sexually and physically abused children and their protective parents. PAS has been rejected by every reputable organization considering it.

In a Florida case in which I was recently involved, when the judge insisted on a Frye hearing, Gardner simply did not show up. Perhaps because he finally realized that the entire nation was on to his scam, he committed suicide on May 25. Let's pray that his ridiculous, dangerous PAS foolishness died with him."

Richard Ducote
attorney at law
New Orleans, LA

Dr. Richard Gardner, seen here at age 67 in February 1999, authored the money making PAS theory that made him a very rich man. Gardner committed suicide on May 25, 2003, plunging a seven inch butcher knife into his neck and heart. Gardner testified mostly for men, charging $500 per hour, routinely recommending custody to abusers, deprogramming children and threat therapy for mothers. Gardner was against society's overly moralistic and punitive reaction to pedophiles.

To get a better understanding of the damage Dr. Richard Gardner did in his lifetime, go to this link:

Dr. Richard Gardner - Parental Alienation Syndrome

Part 2: Questions for Richard Warshak and His Parental Alienation Syndrome...or Divorce Poison...or Whatever

Source: The New Randi James

http://www.randijames.com/2010/12/part-2-questions-for-richard-warshak.html

Dear Dr. Warshak,

I have been accused of parental alienation because my adolescent child won't visit his father, my ex husband. If my son's father is an alcoholic and chronic cheater that is into child porn, and my son knows about at least 2 out of 3 of what I mentioned, how do you suggest that I promote the relationship between father and son in order to remove the parental alienation label? I mean seriously, it's not my fault that my ex is a sick fucking asshole. I just don't want it to rub off on my our son (<--see, I'm trying!).

Women & Gender Studies Project, Eastern Kentucky University, Fall 2010

 

Women & Gender Studies Project, Eastern Kentucky University, Fall 2010 https://sites.google.com/site/ekuprojectprotectivemothers/

Julie Jones, Ariell Adams, Dakota Taylor, Karmin Cartmill and Crystal Wilson

Women & Gender Studies Project, Eastern Kentucky University, Fall 2010

Welcome to our web page! Our goal is to create an activist project and raise awareness about women who have had abuse perpetrated against them or their children, and then lost custody of their children to the men who have abused them. If this has just happened to you, we hope this page will save you some time. If you are a person in a public service position who may come in contact with women who fit this description, we hope you will take the time to become informed so that you can be part of the solution. This is not all-inclusive, but is meant as a primer. We have asked protective mothers to send us postcards in an effort to give those with gag orders a voice. We want to thank the mothers who participated and the protective moms and men in that movement who helped spread the word about our project.

Women in these situations are called “protective mothers”, you can learn quite a bit by searching this term on the internet. It is imperative that you learn the standard legal route, with all the terminology, common diagnosis, and junk science early on. We feel we have supplied enough here to give you a firm foundation. If you search the internet before you understand the terms, you may be taken in by groups that your enemy supports. Some of the videos are graphic and may be triggers for you if you have PTSD or anxiety issues, but they are great to share with people you are trying to explain your situation to. Here is one of those videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/Activism007#p/u/4/CTvcslSAvDU This next video shows a boy being taken off of a bus by police, followed by a judge explaining how this particular man hoodwinked the system.http://us.cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2009/12/16/mattingly.tx.child.bus.cnn

As a society, it just makes sense to us that men who abuse women are punished, and these women always get custody of their children. This is one of the common myths. http://www.leadershipcouncil.org/1/res/cust_myths.html

In this situation, you may feel that the people who are supposed to help and support you have abandoned you or sold you out. This is often the case, although it is not often the person’s or agency’s intent. Perhaps you consider yourself to be a survivor, and are confused as to why you are in this situation now. Perhaps you have been accused of making false abuse accusations. Your children are taken by something called an Ex Parte order, a hearing held without your consent or knowledge where a judge gave away the custody of your children. If you have recently experienced panic attacks or symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder, that is pretty normal for what you are going through. Be careful who you seek for help, it all has a way of coming out in the court room, including the confidential visits with your psychologist. It is important to pick people to advocate to you who understand these issues. It is likely you may need a mental health professional who can also be an expert witness.

We strongly suggest contacting a feminist group in your state for some help on this issue. NOW has groups in most if not all states.http://www.now.org/ Women’s shelters are designed for emergency temporary service, and this issue is beyond what most of them can help with. Hopefully that will change. NCADV is another group that can help. http://www.ncadv.org/

Often women in these situations have not given much thought to feminism, however most of your support will come from feminist agencies and the agencies they are affiliated with. Often these groups are familiar with health care professionals and expert witnesses who have supported women in your shoes, and often those professionals know attorneys who can help.

Money is always a huge issue in these cases, and attorneys who will represent you for free or at a greatly reduced rate are very hard to come by. Sometimes agencies such as Justice for Children can help, and their web site offers helpful information in the legal realm. They have submitted amicus briefs for the United States Supreme Court in support of women in your shoes. http://www.jfcadvocacy.org/pas.asp . Here is a great site with ideas from moms who have been through it, this is their hindsight! http://www.custodyprepformoms.org/index.php

The Battered Women’s Custody Conference is a yearly convention for protective mothers in New York each January. Each year they have great classes and most if not all of the people on this page will either be there or have been active with his group at some point. Here is an interview with some of the people who have attended, this is one for you to watch if you still feel like your situation is totally unique. The basic infringements of rights, and the way the children are taken in all of these cases are very similar. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5viwjaIorU8

There are two complete books on this issue written by Barry Goldstein and Mo Hannah. http://www.domesticviolenceabuseandchildcustody.com/ http://www.civicresearchinstitute.com/dvac.html

Mr. Goldstein was an attorney in this cause who helped many, and then got into trouble for standing up for what is right. Mo Hannah is a psychologist, both are very active in the protective mothers movement and the Battered Women’s Custody Conference. These books offer great insight into this issue from the perspective of both sexes, on the side of the abused, based on their work and research.

Other books are mentioned in some of the videos and on these web sites by other authors, those are great too. Often local libraries will purchase books if you request them. Anything you do to raise awareness on this issue with the general public, will help all protective mothers at some point.

In the history of feminism, men have always played an important role. Back in the days of the suffragettes, the support of a few men was enough to persuade other men to listen. This cause is no different. Some men have supported this issue and the women in it for a long time. Mr. Goldstein has given up a lot in his personal life for this cause. The men in this cause are very important to and very highly respected by the protective mothers.

A little bit about the children, often a protective mother will have to have her visits supervised. She wonders about her children, and the supervision is awkward for the children. They do not understand why the supervision is needed in most cases, and the mother is not allowed to explain. There are a few support groups on the internet, but the internet is not a safe place for all protective mothers. Face to face groups are few and hard to find. They are forming though, and the children who were taken years ago have grown up. They are also organizing and sharing their stories. When mothers are reunited with their children, sometimes the children want to know just what their mother did towards getting them back. Sometimes mothers and their children hold on to little rituals and memories during the time when they are apart. The children of protective parents have organized a group called Children Against Court Appointed Child Abuse, and some share their stories on the web site.http://ca3cacaca.blogspot.com/

7.12.10

Kansas Watch Dog: "Claudine Dombrowski: An abused mom victimized again by the Kansas Courts"

 

Compelling stories from parents and grandparents about problems with placement and removal of children

By Earl Glynn On December 4, 2009

See this video: Claudine Dombrowski Abused Mom Wants Unsupervised Visits with Daughter

Listen to Claudine Dombrowski Testimony to Joint Committee on Children's Issues:

 

Claudine Dombrowski

Claudine Dombrowski:  An abused mom victimized again by the Kansas Courts

 

Claudine Dombrowski: An abused mom victimized again by the Kansas Courts

Read details in written statement.

This is an truly incredible story that should never have happened in America.

Parts of the Kansas Judicial system should be disciplined for how it has victimized Ms. Dombrowski, who was an abused mom.

Instead of quotes from the audio, please consult these pages that document Dombrowski’s long and difficult battle to protect her daughter:

As you view these photos keep in mind that the court awarded FULL CUSTODY of their daughter to the “man” who did this to Claudine.

State Rep Bill Otto: “No crime? You haven’t been guilty of anything? This is a court order that says you can’t go to any school functions?”

“I was under court order till 2004 to not even call the police after I was being beaten because … I was not ‘co-parenting’”

Dombrowski: “These friends of the court make recommendations to the judge. The parents … don’t have a right to see these documents. They do this behind closed doors.”

Otto: (To Secretary Jordan): “You have no rights as a parent …?”

Secretary Don Jordan: “This would be something extreme … I’m not familiar with the situation.”

Otto: “Can a judge do that? … Is that legal… ?”

Jordan: “Under the right circumstances … I hesitate to speculate.”

Sen. Roger Reitz: “This is something that only … the judicial system can really answer … It would be helpful … to have someone … representing the judicial system … to give us some ideas how this could happen.”

Dombrowski: “When you are a victim of domestic violence, and suddenly there’s a child involved, the typical …. power of control is that ‘I’ll take your children from you’. They will and they can the way the laws are setup.” …

“I was told that I’m not to talk to my daughter about the violence. That’s why I don’t see her. That’s why I see her supervised. He was criminally convicted. “

“When women try to get away from people who hurt them … I heard somebody say it’s really hard to believe you won’t call the police … I tell people not to contact the police, because as soon as you walk into court with a DV (domestic violence) and children, you’re already cutting your throat. You will lose your children. That’s the way it is right now.”

“… on the 16th of this month I’ll probably go to jail for breaking the gag order and talking about [being the victim of] violence as it relates to my case.”

Reitz: “… someone ought to be able to deal with this in a way that would address her problem. It doesn’t seem like we’ve done the right thing with regards to this little niche of the law.”

Dombrowski: “The criminal convictions are completely tossed aside and they don’t have any bearing on the family court … The eight criminal convictions that my ex had before getting custody of my daughter were completely dropped [in family court]“

Chair Kiegerl: “I cannot believe that abuse is totally ignored. I cannot believe you can prohibit a person from speaking about their own case.”

“The one thing [where] … I disagree with you is abuse should always be reported.”

State Rep Peggy Mast (R-Emporia): “Domestic violence is a control issue. Sexual abuse is a control issue. Is there any correlation between domestic violence and sexual abuse? Why is that not something that is considered when we take someone to [family] court that has a history of domestic violence?”

Dombrowski: “Yes. That is something I’ve asked myself for 16 years. … It comes back to the family court that has a veil of immunity. … They don’t fully understand the impact of the violence. What battered women have … if they report the abuse, then they’re failing to protect their child … if they don’t report the abuse, they’re still failing to protect their child. So, both ways, they’re going to lose their children …”

For anybody who abuses their wife … [from] a 1996 presidential task force … there is a 70% increase that those children will be abused and/or sexually abused after there’s been battery with the mother.

Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudea: “In 2004 …. I talked with the homicide department in Sedgwick County…. During that time there had been 21 homicides in Sedgwick County and 18 were due to domestic violence …”

“A lot of women do make those phone calls and unfortunately, sometimes it ends in their death.” …

“I want to apologize to you for being treated like a pedophile … not being able to go to a music concert.”

“I commend you for what you’re doing.”

Dombrowski: “I have not talked to my daughter in 10 years [except] for the confines of supervised visits. I’m not allowed to talk to her about anything. All she knows is what her dad has told her.”

See this video:  Abused Mom Wants Unsupervised Visits with Daughter

Listen to Claudine Dombrowski:

http://kansaswatchdog.podbean.com/2009/12/04/claudine-dombrowski-an-abused-mom-victimized-again-by-the-kansas-courts/

Therapy With Your Abuser?

Source: The New Randi James Therapy With Your Abuser?

Parental alienation cases are dealing with accusations of physical/sexual violence in the family. Upon divorce, the truth about the abuse is revealed to the court, and is refuted through claims of parental alienation. It is very similar to child sex abuse claims and the legal strategy of false memory syndrome.

According to most state laws, claims of domestic violence must be taken seriously. However, in light of the fact that major children and family organizations have been trained and infiltrated by the fathers' rights groups, the allegations (and real evidence) are ignored.

Abuse can be determine substantiated, unsubstantiated, or false. Very often the case is rendered unsubstantiated--which does NOT mean NOT true.

The question is, is therapy WITH your [alleged] abuser humane? Parental alienation theorists believe so.

Labels: child sexual abuse, CPS, DHHS, ethical violations, parental alienation fraud,psychological fraud

 

    The abuser will try to manipulate the therapist, and try to gain sympathy. He may try to control the appointments, and be unreasonable as possible...and if you don't adhere to his demands, it will be portrayed as your fault or your unwillingness to participate.

    In session, the abuser may try to trigger you, threaten you or outright lie. The threats may not be obvious to the therapist, he could make innuendos or refer to past events. Or use the children to send messages to you, to intimidate you or simply manipulate the children to his bidding.

    Common tactics for an abuser: make the victim appear to be mentally unstable, uncooperative or that she is the one causing the abuse.

    There is no way real therapy can be conducted in this environment. You have to watch everything you say and do. Hide your emotions. Appear not to be afraid or anxious or upset. Even coming to a session with documentation or a witness may work against you. And in truth, no competent therapist would ask a victim to be in session with an abuser, especially without alot of individual therapy and a safety plan put in place ahead of time.

      Questions for Richard Warshak and His Parental Alienation Syndrome...or Divorce Poison...or Whatever --money making Scam thingy

      Questions for Richard Warshak and His Parental Alienation Syndrome...or Divorce Poison...or Whatever

      Dear Dr. Warshak,
      Dr. Amy J. Baker's research confirmed that "parental alienation" occurs in intact families--that is, families that have not been through a divorce or separation. I am sure this must have been found in other literature as well.
      My question is, if parental alienation is a mental health diagnosis serious enough to warrant inclusion in the DSM V, how do you propose to treat it when the parents are still "together"? Will they get family counseling through your Bridges program? Who will be responsible for paying for it? What if the alienator doesn't cooperate? What if the child doesn't cooperate?
      Or, is this not parental alienation (it definitely isn't "Divorce Poision," is it?)?

      6.12.10

      ***COURT WHORE OF THE WEEK*** Judge David Debenham Topeka, Kansas

      http://www.courtwhores.com/

      COURT WHORES

      Court Officials and their Accomplices who sell out

      **Innocent  Children**

      to ABUSERS and MOLESTERS


      for

      PROFIT and POWER

      ========================

      The Blood of Countless Children is on the hands of these Court Whores
      ______________________

      *This website is Dedicated to all the Children harmed by Court Whores*

      Together we will Change the System to protect Children, not Abusers!!


      ***COURT WHORE OF THE WEEK***


      Judge David Debenham
      Topeka, Kansas
      For more info:
      http://www.angelfury.org/
      ______________________

      Kansas -- Domestic violence is on the rise—again- YEAR 2010--

      Kansas -- Domestic violence is on the rise

      "A KBI report issued this fall indicates 23,864 domestic violence incidents were reported to law enforcement in 2009, up 11 percent from 2008 and the highest number since the bureau began releasing the statistic in 1992." http://cjonline.com/news/local/2010-12-05/domestic_violence_on_the_rise

      Just a little message for Rikki Dombrowski in Topeka, Kansas USA- because this Sunday, December 12th is her birthday.

      Just a little message for Rikki in Topeka, Kansas USA- because this Sunday December 12th is her birthday.
      "All your family in Belgium wish you a Happy Birthday!!!"
      "We send to you all our love and we hope to see you a day.
      Lots of loves and kissesses. We Love you Rikki!"


      Your Family;
      -The Dombrowski's -- Belgium
      (Aunt Sabrina, Uncle Frederic, Nieces, Nephews, Cousin's, Grandfather, his wife)

      ******Note:
      Please spread this video--- although she is held captive, the www will get to her and she will know how loved she is-- that she is not forgotten and that her family loves her so very much.
      Especially her mother Claudine Dombrowski who on December 12, 1994 became a mother-- and knew what unconditional love was truly about.
      Six years later she was stolen by the family courts--given to her Mothers abuser Hal Richardson and has been kept away from her mother for now 11 years.

      http://www.stopfamilyviolence.org/pag...
      "You can not chain the wind-- no matter how hard you try."  Fly high-- Fly Free.

      All over the Nation their is a CRISIS in the Family Courts—Abusers get Custody

      *******

      Rikki, Granny, Mom ,apos;Dont give up apos; Love power ... - Google Video - Motore di ricerca video Truveo

      Child Custody PSA - End Court Ordered Child Abuse

      Battered Mothers Custody Conference Interviews
      Category:

      News & Politics

      Tags:

      5.12.10

      (a clip from 15 years ago in 1996) - What the Fatherhood Initiative is all about-- “Get those women back under control.” - Year 2010--It’s only gotten worst.

      Below, a clip from liz’s webpage at http://www.thelizlibrary.org/liz/014.htm

      which she wrote nearly 15 years ago in 1996, followed by an errata:

      ..

      What's this stuff really all about? Behind this movement is not just

      divorce reform or "getting fathers involved," as the ostensibly harmless,

      even beneficent, but farcical rhetoric of the National Fatherhood

      Initiative puts it. It's a first step in an agenda to get those women

      back under "control." A patriarchal backlash.

       

      Consider this: even if everything Horn and his ilk claim about intact

      homes were true, it still wouldn't present a viable argument. This is a

      "problem" without an acceptable solution. We also could violate individual

      rights and autonomy in all kinds of nasty and intrusive ways in order to

      create a society which appears more seemly, neat, utopian, homogeneous,

      orderly.

       

      We could make the argument that turning another segment of the population,

      e.g. "blacks," back into slaves would enhance production and the economy

      (as that argument was made in the old south) and the standard of living

      for everyone else. We could make an argument for castration of any male

      caught having sex out of wedlock -- now THAT would solve some of the

      fatherless family problem, wouldn't it. Similarly, we could pass laws

      preventing women from exiting marriages, punishing adultery, requiring

      father custody or control of households. (And if these didn't accomplish a

      thing for the welfare of children, well at least they would please some

      self-and-other-controlling men, wouldn't they.) We could pass all manner

      of oppressive and draconian laws which would prevent and eliminate all

      kinds of perceived social "ills" and unseemliness. How about sterilizing

      lesbians?

       

      Some of this fathers-rights-anti-woman agenda is succeeding because of the

      willingness of most to simply presume that into which they have been

      inculcated in this father-loving society since childhood: the necessity of

      having a "father." All we need is a claimed compelling reason, specious or

      otherwise, to trample again on women's lives, such as a purported "need"

      of children for two parents, one of each sex.

       

      Most of us have fathers; most of us adore our daddies. But that's not

      proof of a thing. When it's about willingness to sacrifice one

      individual's welfare for the sake of another's, the crucial threshold

      questions must be examined and answered first. In general, with regard to

      father's rights rhetoric, that has not been done. It makes for great

      political soundbites.

       

      By contrast, the position that children may NOT "need" two parents, and

      that this really may be all about what MEN need, elicits high emotion and

      shocked horror.

       

      It is just too upsetting a thought for many to contemplate -- oh my, who

      would posit such a terrible idea, I love MY daddy, etc. That children

      "need" two parents, one of each sex, has been presumed, and it's the

      reason why over the past few years, many of the fathers rights groups have

      added "children" into the names of their organizations. Being fooled by

      that is not good scholarship and it's not intelligent.

       

      But to the point: if "fatherlessness" is a problem, then how is it

      supposed to be cured? With the feel-good prattle of the National

      Fatherhood Initiative et al. giving lipservice to ineffectual programs,

      child support collections and such things as the innocuous-sounding

      "working with men to get them 're-involved' in 'broken homes'"?

      Please. Traditionally, patriarchy has cured "fatherlessness" with

      restrictions (not placed on men) regarding on how women may live their

      adult lives, and use their very own bodies. This is, when all is said and

      done, what is implied to follow the yammering about the "problem" of

      "fatherlessness." Next come the solutions.

       

      First are the "step ones," such as restrictions on divorce, requirements

      that women name fathers on birth certificates or name their children after

      the men, the imposition of the accutrements of marriage and "normal family

      structure" onto the families created by women out of wedlock.

       

      After that come the "step twos," a la Father's Manifesto, that women and

      women's sexuality further be controlled, restricted, and reined in again

      in all kinds of other ways, legal and social: from restricting entry into

      jobs, to ending their suffrage, eliminating their right to own and manage

      property, and otherwise going back the panoply of historical measures that

      traditionally have been used to "encourage" women to get into marriages

      and remain married. Pandering to Judaic and Christian religious notions --

      completely inappropriate as a basis for law in the United States -- also

      plays a major role here, as these religions essentially are about the

      exaltation of "fatherhood" and patriarchy, and originally came about for

      the purpose of institutionalizing this social ordering scheme.

       

      Fathers are not in the home? Those who are concerned about this, and think

      it important, should work on making living with men more attractive to

      women. Obviously, some marriages succeed, and I doubt that many of those

      in this age of readily available divorce are enduring merely out of

      altruistic misery and abstract social commitment on the part of the

      persons in them.

       

      A little cessation of the silly and counterproductive talk about how

      fathers "parent differently," are "important," are the "authoritative"

      ones, are the "spiritual leaders," and are "critical" to rearing children,

      and a little more talk about how men ought to get off that high horse,

      role up their sleeves, cut the superiority drivel, and pitch in with the

      housework, might go a lot further toward restoring marriage as a viable

      and enduring institution. Sorry, guys: your way didn't work for the

      majority of the population, and the clock is just not going back.

      liz

      ---

      Silly liz. In 1996, the crazy nutjobs from the fathers rightstsers to the

      Middle East Muslim whackos seemed... well surely, such primitive loons

      that no one could possibly take them seriously. The National Fatherhood

      Initiative should have fizzled out in a couple of years.

            2010 -- Errata: correct analysis, wrong prediction. The clock is

            indeed moving back. The only question is going to be "how far

            back", and I no longer have optimism.

       

      -------- --- just another little data point --------------

      video here: http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2705.htm

      http://www.memritv.org/clip_transcript/en/2705.htm

      Following are excerpts from a religious program featuring Egyptian cleric

      Yousuf Al-Badri, which aired on BBC Arabic TV, which aired on October 16,

      2010:

      Yousuf Al-Badri: In Islam, the marriage contract is a contract of

      pleasure, which allows both husband and wife to derive pleasure from one

      another. So if deriving pleasure lies at the core of the contract, how can

      we possibly call it rape when a husband derives pleasure from his wife?!

       

      Interviewer: What if it is against her will, using violence?

       

      Yousuf Al-Badri: According to the hadith, if a husband summons his wife

      and she refuses, she incurs the wrath of God in Heaven when she's asleep.

      The husband is not allowed to rape her, but she incurs the wrath of Allah.

      The Prophet Muhammad said that she must come to him even if she is baking

      by the stove or riding a horse.

      [...]

       

      Interviewer: A marriage of contract is not a deed of ownership, in which

      the woman relinquishes her honor, her mind, and so on.

       

      Yousuf Al-Badri: This talk about honor is a new thing. We never heard of

      it until these days. If a woman is at home with her husband, and she is

      his companion and runs the household, and he asks her to give him food,

      drink, and so on – how can we possibly consider it rape when he derives

      pleasure from her, even if she doesn't feel like it, of if she abhors

      it... How can we possibly consider it a kind of what is called "rape"?

      This is not true.

       

      Interviewer: She's his wife! Do you justify beatings or sadistic behavior?

       

      Yousuf Al-Badri: Islam forbids beating unless it is done with a stick -- a

      stick the size of a pencil or a toothpick.

      [...]