An animation, a speech, a book, honest judges, TX and collaborative co-parenting, and not-so-bad-looking fathers rights' campaigner Guy Harrison

You can watch a wonderful short animation by Giorgio Cisilino about the love between a father and child thanks to Fathers4Justice-Canada. And you can see a video of Giorgio's impassioned plea for family justice during the 2004 Santa campaign. Thank you Amberell Photography




Take a look at
this great speech by Marc Snider
of New Hampshire Custody he
recently made at a Constitution Day
event in New Hampshire.




"I'd give all this up to see her", said Guy Harrison, Fathers4Justice campaigner, when discussing the heartbreak of not seeing his daughter after an unfriendly divorce. From this article in The Independent:

Outwardly, Harrison has everything. A multi-millionaire businessman at 38, he owns an eight-bedroom pile overlooking a private lake, where he jet-skis before hopping into his hot tub...Inwardly, though, Harrison is suffering, and last week - not for the first time - he brought his plight to public attention. The Fathers 4 Justice campaigner who gained notoriety by throwing powder-filled condoms at Tony Blair during Prime Minister's Questions last year resumed his protest by climbing to the top of Westminster Hall and remaining there for five hours.

"I'd give up all this to see her," he said, gesturing to the house and grounds. "It just goes to show that money can't buy you happiness."

Harrison's daughter is the most important thing in his life. He says he has lost contact with her because her mother - his ex-fiancée - refuses to comply with court orders granting him access. Hence his Westminster Hall protest. Once on a precipice, he unfurled a banner and sat there for five hours talking to the media on his mobile phone while hoping not to be shot by police marksmen...

The consequence of losing contact with his daughter was a depression that was "just astounding - as though someone has killed the closest thing to you. "I'm a very positive, upbeat person who likes very much living and doing everything possible in life. When I was 16 my father died in my arms from a heart attack. I think losing your daughter is 10 times worse and I was extremely close to my father."...

"I can go and try and get another court order, but having got three and them not being worth the paper they are written on there's no point getting any more. So I need to change the law.




England's finest batsman of
the last decade, cricketer
Graham Thorpe, proclaims
his support of Fathers4Justice
in his new book Rising From Ashes.





We now have the agreement of some Texas judges that the current system is inadequate. I'd like to thank Ken de la Bastide, Judges Spencer, Carroll, Brinkman, Newman, Hopper and Clem, Doug Nelson, the Herald Bulletin and the Anderson Library for helping spotlight this issue.

Custody cases are toughest for local judges
By Ken de la Bastide

When it comes to making decisions, the five judges of the Unified and Circuit courts said it is child custody cases that are the toughest...Moderator Doug Nelson said it was a rare opportunity for the judges to comment publicly on their roles in the criminal justice system. "It is an opportunity for the judges to talk about how they view their relationship with the community," he said. Spencer said all criminal cases are similar, but it is the child custody cases that are the toughest.

I'm impressed that Judge Newman takes the time to interview each child. I wish every single custody case could receive this kind of care.

"We have implemented programs for people going through a divorce," Newman said. "We have the Children in the Middle and Children of Divorce programs in place." "I interview the children and try to get a feel for their lives and thoughts," he said.

more... Herald Bulletin article

I have to say that I'm also impressed with the efforts being made in Texas to encourage collaborative co-parenting. As this article shows, co-parenting is good for children.

The Parenting Center offers a co-parenting class as part of their Family Transitions program as well as the Children in the Middle class mentioned in the article. Fort Worth location MAP Arlington location MAP They offer these links. More information here (pdf)

You might also want to take a look at the People for Equal Parenting website. They're on radio KSEV, Sundays 1-2 pm. Call-in numbers are (281) 558-KSEV (5738), and *KSEV, a freeVerizon Wireless call.