Category: Blog

Los Angeles, CA–My recent His Side with Glenn Sacks radio commentary for KLAA AM 830 in Los Angeles discusses Indianapolis Star cartoonist Gary Varvel’s so-true-it’s-painful depiction of the fatherless modern American family (pictured). The picture in the upper left of the album is the saddest of all.

To listen to the commentary, click here or on the audio button below.

To learn more, see my blog post So Heartbreaking and So True.

His Side with Glenn Sacks radio commentaries are broadcast daily on KLAA AM 830, a 50,000 watt talk station in Los Angeles and Orange County. KLAA AM 830 is owned by Arte Moreno, owner of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

From 2003-2005, His Side with Glenn Sacks ran in a syndicated talk show format in Los Angeles, New York City, Boston, Seattle, and other cities. To listen to show archives, click here.

[audio:http://www.glennsacks.com/hsrc/mp3/hsrc-family-album.mp3]

Los Angeles, CA–One of the things I like the most about the movie Rocky Balboa (2006) is the way Rocky feels about his late wife Adrian. He speaks of her reverently and visits her grave often, always bringing fresh flowers.

Adrian loved Rocky for who he was, instead of resenting who he wasn’t. She cherished the things he did, as opposed to carping about the things he didn’t do.

In return, Rocky was loyal and kept his affection and love for her, even after he became famous and could have traded her for a “better” woman, as some men do. There’s a kind of working man’s dignity to Rocky’s affection for her that is very touching.

In the previous clip from the movie that I blogged about (see Some Great Fatherly Advice from Rocky Balboa) Rocky reminds his son “don’t forget to visit your mother.” The next day they both meet by chance at Adrian’s grave.

In the clip below, Rocky is thinking about Adrian on their anniversary, revisiting the ice skating rink where they had met many years before. He’s with Paulie, Adrian’s brother.

To watch, click here or see below.

Virginia–Background: Conscientious Virginia judge James Michael Shull (pictured below), who smoked out a woman who sought to extend a restraining order based on false charges of domestic violence, was removed from the bench last fall by this Virginia Supreme Court ruling. Not only was Shull railroaded, but he has been the target of widely-disseminated misleading reporting.

To learn more about the case, see my blog posts In Defense of Judge James Michael Shull (Part I), Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, and Part VII, read my co-authored newspaper column defending Shull here, or click here.

The lying mother who cost Judge Shull his career abducted her child from the custody of her ex-husband in February, and her case appeared on America’s Most Wanted. On February 22, Huffman-Giza had been found guilty of welfare fraud and sentenced to prison. However, instead of going to prison, she was given two years supervised probation. From America’s Most Wanted:

“According to police, Brayden was taken by his biological but non-custodial mother, 32-year-old Tammy Huffman-Giza the weekend prior, when Brayden’s father brought the child over to her apartment in Coeburn, Va. for a visit.

“Cops say when the father went to pick up Brayden, the apartment was empty — except for a letter Huffman-Giza allegedly penned before taking off with the child. In the letter, police say Huffman-Giza wrote she had met someone named ‘Richard’ online, and that she’d made plans to go to London, England to meet him. Police have issued a felony warrant for Tammy, charging her with child abduction.”

Huffman-Giza was caught on February 27 and the 8-year-old boy returned. Below is an update from a reader who lives in Wise County, Virginia:

“Glenn–I have just learned that Tammy Huffman-Giza was let out by Wise County, Virginia authorities, ostensibly to get medical treatment. She then absconded from the jurisdiction and is believed to be in Kentucky. They are apparently trying to keep this quiet. However, to let a woman or any prisoner out of jail with her history seems ludicrous.”

Letting her out is not “ludicrous”–it’s the female criminal justice discount. Let’s briefly recap:

She was caught in a bald-faced lie, falsely claiming domestic violence when she had in fact cut herself. None of the parties in the case on any side even disputed that she had lied.

She had attempted to defraud the court in order to deprive a father of his children. None of the parties in the case on any side even disputed that she had tried to defraud the court.

She had a rap sheet as long as your arm, a small part of which is displayed above.

Judge Shull conscientiously did what he needed to do to protect vulnerable children caught in a very difficult situation. Shull was removed anyway by a decision of the Virginia Supreme Court last fall.

Having been let out of a jail sentence, Tammy Huffman-Giza returns the favor by adducting her son, attempting to kidnap him to England. She is caught.

She is let out of jail as a temporary favor to her, and she flees to another state.

This is the woman Judge Shull tried to protect two young children from. This is the woman who cost Judge Shull his career.

I wonder how the Virginia Supreme Court feels about it now?

Ontario, Canada–“When a 15-year-old girl sneaked out of the house for the umpteenth time to meet her drug-dealing boyfriend at a party, her father went after her in his truck.

“He spotted her at a pay phone near their home outside Picton, Ont., and told her to get in. She refused, and he grabbed her by the shirt and shoved her into the truck. They headed home, but the girl took off again and made it to the party. The parents managed to get their daughter home later, but only after calling police for help.

“The shirt-grabbing incident didn’t end there. The father, who can’t be named to protect his daughter’s identity, was charged with assault, setting off a two-year legal battle that tested the limits of how far a parent can go to discipline a teen under the Criminal Code. “Judge Griffin…convicted the father on one assault charge.“The conviction devastated him. It affected his business and left him humiliated in the small town. “‘I held my head up and stuck by it and hoped for the best,’ he said yesterday.

“He appealed to the Ontario Superior Court. In a ruling made on March 13 and released yesterday, Madam Justice Cheryl Robertson overturned the conviction and ruled that Section 43 did apply to teenagers…

“The judge noted the family’s difficult history with the girl, their third child. She had been rebellious for years, and the parents had won a restraining order against the boyfriend, who had a history of drug abuse and violence. At one point, the parents found letters from the boyfriend instructing their daughter to ‘kill the sluts when nobody is around,’ the judge noted…

“Crown attorney Hilary Whitmey said she has not decided whether to appeal the ruling.

“The father hopes his legal saga has ended. His daughter, now 17, is back at home and things are going somewhat better, he said. When asked if he had any advice for parents facing similar problems, he replied:

“‘You got to do what you think is best for them. … It’s really tough, I’ll tell you, it’s really tough.'”

Let’s see, she’s running away to be with her violent, drug dealer boyfriend and dad goes and grabs her and brings her back home. For this, he has spent the last several years trying to stay out of jail. Gives you a pretty good clue as to why we have so many screwed up kids.

The father said it all–when you have kids, “You got to do what you think is best for them.”

The full story is Father knows best: Dad cleared of assaulting rebellious teen daughter (Globe & Mail, 4/1/08)–thanks to Jeremy Swanson for sending it.

Los Angeles, CA–Below is a recent letter I received via my Family Law Help Form:

“I am writing in reference to myself. I am thirty-years-old. I just recently met my alleged father last year. He now wants to take a DNA test.

“He has never gave me one penny. My question is–if he is the father, is there anything I could do as far as back pay? If he has any property or assets, would I be entitled to anything?”

What a touching father-daughter reunion…

Los Angeles, CA–“Background: Brandweek Magazine is one of the largest publications in the advertising world, and it has repeatedly covered the problem of anti-male advertising, as well as our efforts to combat it. To learn more about Brandweek’s commendable coverage, click here.

Brandweek Senior Reporter Mike Beirne got it right in his recent piece about men and fathers in advertising–Marketers used to venerate the father figure. So why are they making him look like such an ass? (3/3/08). Beirne discusses our campaigns against anti-male advertising and quotes several authorities in the advertising world who sympathize with us. He also details numerous anti-male/anti-father ads, largely the ones we’ve covered and criticized on this blog over the past year.

Several of our readers–including Deborah Sbarra, Rick Panditaratne, Peter Hackmeister, and Darrin Albert–wrote Letters to the Editor which were published in Letters: Dads Deserve Better Deal In Today’s Advertising (Brandweek, 3/17/08). Panditaratne wrote:

“Regarding the portrayal of dads in the media and Spike TV channeling its attention to dads:

“It’s about time that dads received their due respect for loving and raising their children. We do just as much as women today, but it rarely gets noticed.

“It’s always the negative stereotypes that are promoted in the media. For too long we’ve been neglected, mocked and ridiculed. I am appalled and outraged at the lack of positive influences of men in the media.

“I realize why men are shying off of marriage and complain about our family law system. It’s all directly related to the way men are perceived in what we hear, read and see. I hope dads will keep fighting to make things positive for their sons and daughters.”

Hackmeister wrote:

“Far too often when something is on TV, an advertisement, or a movie, or a regular show, and the male is shown in an unflattering way, I cringe.

“My standard response is: If the roles of the sexes were reversed, would this have made it to television? That should be the acid test.

“If you can reverse the sexes and it will still play well, than it is OK. But often the answer is, if that was a woman was in that role, they would never show it. This is a simple test, and all agencies should learn it.”

All the letters can be seen at Dads Deserve Better Deal In Today’s Advertising (Brandweek, 3/17/08)

Below are some recent articles and items of interest from Fathers & Families’ latest News Digest.

Former state employees sentenced to probation in child-support thefts (Statesman Journal, 3/31/08)

Missouri senator still fighting for dads’ rights (MyFoxKC.com, 4/1/08)

Ex-wife who tried to have husband killed contests fees (Maryland Daily Record, 4/1/08)

Computer error on child support disrupts finances of local family (Akron Beacon Journal, 4/3/08)

Father old to cough up 24000 pounds for unknown daughter (Kent Online, 4/3/08)

Mom tries for support money but state gets it first (Quad-Cities Online, 4/4/08)

Bill ensures those in military will not lose child custody (KCRG, 4/4/08)

Child support payments fall in with economy (Times Daily, 4/5/08)

Market slump makes divorce more difficult (San Francisco Chronicle, 4/6/08)

Quickie divorce now just a simple click away (news.com.au, 4/8/08)

Los Angeles, CA–“Background: Brandweek Magazine is one of the largest publications in the advertising world, and it has repeatedly covered the problem of anti-male advertising, as well as our efforts to combat it. To learn more about Brandweek’s commendable coverage, click here.

Brandweek Senior Reporter Mike Beirne got it right in his recent piece about men and fathers in advertising–Marketers used to venerate the father figure. So why are they making him look like such an ass? (3/3/08). Beirne discusses our campaigns against anti-male advertising and quotes several authorities in the advertising world who sympathize with us. He also details numerous anti-male/anti-father ads, largely the ones we’ve covered and criticized on this blog over the past year.

Several of our readers–including Deborah Sbarra, Rick Panditaratne, Peter Hackmeister, and Darrin Albert–wrote Letters to the Editor which were published in Letters: Dads Deserve Better Deal In Today’s Advertising (Brandweek, 3/17/08). Panditaratne wrote:

“Regarding the portrayal of dads in the media and Spike TV channeling its attention to dads:

“It’s about time that dads received their due respect for loving and raising their children. We do just as much as women today, but it rarely gets noticed.

“It’s always the negative stereotypes that are promoted in the media. For too long we’ve been neglected, mocked and ridiculed. I am appalled and outraged at the lack of positive influences of men in the media.

“I realize why men are shying off of marriage and complain about our family law system. It’s all directly related to the way men are perceived in what we hear, read and see. I hope dads will keep fighting to make things positive for their sons and daughters.”

Hackmeister wrote:

“Far too often when something is on TV, an advertisement, or a movie, or a regular show, and the male is shown in an unflattering way, I cringe.

“My standard response is: If the roles of the sexes were reversed, would this have made it to television? That should be the acid test.

“If you can reverse the sexes and it will still play well, than it is OK. But often the answer is, if that was a woman was in that role, they would never show it. This is a simple test, and all agencies should learn it.”

All the letters can be seen at Dads Deserve Better Deal In Today’s Advertising (Brandweek, 3/17/08)

Los Angeles, CA–“Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley (pictured, right) and LA County Child Support Services Department Director Steven Golightly (pictured, left) recently announced a sweeping new campaign against so-called ‘deadbeat dads.’

“They say their new ‘Most Wanted Delinquent Parent’ list is modeled on the FBI’s fabled ’10 Most Wanted’ list. On paper the 10 offenders owe over $2 million, but it”s very questionable that Cooley & Golightly will be collecting much–according to the California Judicial Council, 80% of California child support debtors earn poverty level wages.”

My new column New LA County Campaign Against ‘Deadbeat Dad” List Unfairly Targets Low-Income Fathers (Los Angeles Daily News, 3/26/08, Daily Breeze [Los Angeles], 3/27/08), criticizes a new, highly-publicized effort against the mythical multitude of rich, high-living “deadbeat dads.” The column points out that many “deadbeats” are, in one form or another, victims of the abuses by the child support system and family courts.

To write a Letter to the Editor of the Los Angeles Daily News concerning Hounding low-income dads won’t pay (3/26/08), write to dnforum@dailynews.com. The Daily News is Los Angeles’ second largest newspaper.

To write a Letter to the Editor of the Daily Breeze [Los Angeles] concerning ‘Deadbeat dads’ list singles out working poor (3/27/08), write to letters@dailybreeze.com.

The column, co-authored with family law attorney Jeffery M. Leving, is below.

New LA County Campaign Against ‘Deadbeat Dads” Unfairly Targets Low-Income Fathers
By Jeffery M. Leving and Glenn Sacks

Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley and LA County Child Support Services Department Director Steven Golightly recently announced a sweeping new campaign against so-called “deadbeat dads.’ They say their new “Most Wanted Delinquent Parent’ list is modeled on the FBI’s fabled “10 Most Wanted’ list. On paper the 10 offenders owe over $2 million, but it”s very questionable that Cooley & Golightly will be collecting much–according to the California Judicial Council, 80% of California child support debtors earn poverty level wages.

Golightly”s action is particularly remarkable considering that the California Department of Child Support Services, which supervises the LACCSSD, issued a report in January which contradicts any possible rationale for this campaign.

According to the CDCSS, there are four primary factors creating child support arrearages in California: “high child support orders established for low-income obligors’; “a limited number of child support orders adjusted downward”; “establishment of retroactive child support orders’; and “accrual of 10 percent interest on child support debt.’ Over a quarter of these arrears is interest.

The report was based on a study CDCSS contracted from the Urban Institute. According to the study, “assuming every effort was made to increase child support collections and reduce future arrears…only a quarter of the existing debt is collectible.’

The study found that California is particularly prone to turning dads into “deadbeats’–California arrearages are piling up “much faster’ than those in the rest of the country. With only 12% of the US” population, California”s arrearages represent 20% of the nation”s whole.

Unlike the “Most Wanted Deadbeat Parent’ lists put out by most states and counties, the LACCSSD”s list does not contain the occupations of the “deadbeats.’ One can understand why. Nationwide these lists are never comprised of well-heeled businessmen, lawyers, and accountants, but instead of fathers who do low wage and often seasonal work, and owe large sums of money which they could never hope to pay off. It is rare to find a person with even a college degree on these lists.