NPO Blog Archive

Los Angeles, CA–Last weekend my wife and I attended a Quinceanera for our next door neighbor at the San Fernando Mission (pictured) in Los Angeles. Both the religious ceremony and the banquet afterwards were done very traditionally, all in Spanish, with folk dancing from Mexico, where the mother is from, and from Argentina, the father’s country of origin.

One thing stood out for me — during the religious ceremony, the priest made it a point to tell Vicky, the Quinceanera, how lucky she was to have an intact family. He explained how important this is, as it provides a good example for the children.

It has been a while since I attended a Catholic religious ceremony (I taught at a Catholic high school many, many years ago), and I do not know how often priests voice such sentiments. But it seemed significant to me, and it seems that increasingly the religious community is starting to take the problem of divorce and family breakdown a little more seriously. I made a point to go up to the priest afterwards and thank him for his comments.

On a different note, both my son and my daughter took part in the ceremony, and my son wore a tuxedo for the first time. My wife and I could not get over how mature, composed and adult he looked, particularly when he was dancing with some of the young ladies. It was very nice to see him like that, but also a tiny bit sad — they grow up so fast…

Georgia–

Los Angeles, CA–“Bill Veeck’s Indians had a 3-1 lead in the World Series, and played the deciding game 5 in Cleveland. There were 86,288 paid in attendance–at that point the largest crowd in the history of organized baseball.

“Veeck’s oldest son, Will Jr., was 11 years-old and lived with his mother and two siblings, but Bill Veeck brought him to the park to watch the game.

“At the game Bill turned to his son and said ‘Isn’t this great? Did you ever see such a tremendous crowd? Did you ever see anything in your life like this?’

“Bill Veeck’s 11 year-old son replied:

“‘How come you couldn’t have been a scientist or something I could have been proud of?'”

Nine U.S. states and the British territory of Bermuda have declared April 25 “Parental Alienation Awareness Day.” To learn more, visit www.Parental-Alienation-Awareness.com. Below is a Parental Alienation story from the 1940s which illustrates the problem very well.

Parental Alienation & Bill Veeck

One of my father’s favorite people is Bill Veeck. Veeck was a 1940/50s baseball owner known for his important role in desegregating baseball, as well as his flamboyant publicity stunts. Veeck signed Larry Doby, the first black player in the American League. Some sources say he attempted to integrate the major leagues as early as 1943 but was thwarted by league officials.

Recently I was reading Veeck’s 1962 autobiography Veeck as in Wreck, and Veeck mentions something in passing which I find very interesting. Veeck’s wife divorced him, in part because she “didn’t like the people Veeck associated with”–baseball men and journalists.

Unlike other owners, Veeck was not a rich man and had no independent fortune, so when his wife divorced him he was forced to sell the Cleveland Indians–who he had built into a championship team–in order to pay her divorce settlement. I don’t want to blame her–Veeck may well have been over-involved in his work, as men sometimes are, and Ms. Veeck needed money to raise their three kids.

Nonetheless, there is something Veeck mentions in passing in his book which is extremely sad and revealing. His wife and he had split up, and she nixed an attempted reconciliation. Always a fan favorite, in 1948 Veeck was the toast of Cleveland as his Indians had won the American League pennant for the first time in three decades.

Veeck’s Indians had a 3-1 lead in the World Series, and played the deciding game 5 in Cleveland. There were 86,288 paid in attendance–at that point the largest crowd in the history of organized baseball. Veeck’s oldest son, Will Jr., was 11 years-old and lived with his mother and two siblings, but Bill Veeck brought him to the park to watch the game.

At the game Bill turned to his son and said “Isn’t this great? Did you ever see such a tremendous crowd? Did you ever see anything in your life like this?”

Bill Veeck’s 11 year-old son replied:

“How come you couldn’t have been a scientist or something I could have been proud of?”

What an extremely unusual reaction for an 11 year-old boy in that situation. I wonder who taught him how to think like that?

Veeck writes that his son later went to MIT and became a teacher, and that “I’m an admirer of his, unfortunately from a distance.”

Veeck was one of the most adored and popular figures in all of baseball history–any idea why his son would be so hostile to him?

San Jose, CA–Phil, a reader in San Jose, writes:

“Glenn, get this–this mother stood there while her ‘boyfriend’ beat and stomped the 6-year-old-boy to death. The stupid judge said that she ‘failed to intervene more aggressively,’ but in fact she did nothing, then helped him bury the kid in Arizona…all the while lying to the father. Samuel Corona [the killer boyfriend] then told Kathryn Jimenez [the mother], ‘Say goodbye to your son,’ and beat the boy to death, police said.

“The judge said she was a victim of ‘terrorism’ and therefore not really responsible. Can you imagine if this was the FATHER that allowed the killing, buried the body, covered it up, and lied to the mother and the authorities?”

The mother got five years of probation, including a year in county jail, and will be released in a few months.

Oscar Jimenez Sr., the boy’s father who was separated from the mother, says:

“What kind of message is that sending to people? All she’s getting is a slap on the wrist.”

According to Oscar Jimenez, Kathryn Jimenez had many chances to shield the boy from Corona’s repeated abuse, and could have put the boy in his care or that of other relatives.

The two stories are S.J. mom who stood by as son was beaten to death gets a year in jail (San Francisco Chronicle, 3/5/08) and San Jose mother of slain 6-year-old sentenced to year in jail, probation (San Jose Mercury News, 3/5/08).

Good thing they didn’t allow dad to have custody…

Englewood, FL–This story is being reported along the lines of “news of the bizarre,” but I would like to know if what this man says is actually true–that he’s left with less then $100 from his paycheck after child support deductions.

The reporter is Angela Watson Gay of the Dayton Daily News. Perhaps readers would like to write and call her and see if she can follow up on the story — anwatson@DaytonDailyNews.com or (937) 225-2374.

Wal-Mart thief: ‘Child support made me do it’
Angela Watson Gay
Dayton Daily News, March 19, 2008

ENGLEWOOD — March 15: A theft was reported at Wal-Mart, 7725 Hoke Road, after a male exited the store with a shopping cart full of groceries he under rung at a self-checkout lane.

The receipt showed 15 items totaling $37.15, but the cart contained 30 additional items totaling $183.07.

When asked what he was doing, the subject told police, “Being stupid. I’m too old for this but this child support is killing me.”

The subject said that after child support deductions are taken from his paycheck, he is left with less than $100 to live on.

Police charged him with theft and issued a summons to court.