Allegations Of Child Sexual Abuse In Divorce Cases: Responding To Criminal Charges

Tawnya Maddox and Chrissy Chrzanowski were hosting a live talk show program on Friday August 29, 2008, known as SplitNTwo, with guest Dr. Reena Sommer. The topic was essentially how to handle false allegations of child sexual abuse in high-conflict divorce and custody cases. These issues have a significant relationship to Parental Alienation and Hostile Aggressive Parenting, where one parent attempts to sour the other parents relationship with their own children. Parental Alienation and using these tactics are also "child abuse."

Dr. Reena Sommer specializes in addressing issues pertaining to false allegations of child sexual abuse and also maintains several web resources like the website: Solutions4PAS

"A major thrust of Dr. Sommer's work is in the area of separation and divorce and assisting divorcing couples explore options in restructuring their lives. In the past, Dr. Sommer conducted court ordered custody evaluations and oversaw courted ordered supervised access. From time to time, Dr. Sommer is asked to provide expert testimony."

"Dr. Sommer is guided by the belief that children should not be denied a relationship with their parents simply because their moms and dads decide to divorce. She views her role as a family life consultant to help men and women develop effective parenting plans that make it possible for them to maintain a positive connection with their children."

I was able to pose a couple of questions, comments, but more importantly discovered an amazing resource for parents that suspect false allegations might come up from the other parent and shared it with those that were participating. I shared the resource below with Chrissy Chrzanowski, Tawnya Maddox, Dr. Amy Baker, Dr. Reena Sommer, and Katrina Daniels, whom I often refer to as the "Parental Alienation Task Force."

THE RESOURCE: DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN TRUE AND FALSE ALLEGATIONS OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE IN DIVORCE CASES: RESPONDING TO CRIMINAL CHARGES.

The article/study was authored Charles E. Bridges of Bridges, Nichols & Seibel. The link above is a repost of the original content at Delta Bravo, an affiliation of Separated Parenting Access & Resource Center (S.P.A.R.C.)

The introduction sets the tone of the piece:

"This article will focus on those procedures which may lead to false allegations of sexual abuse. By focusing on false allegations, I will be emphasizing what I believe are the weaknesses in the present system of identifying sexual abuse in children. My personal opinion is that the vast majority of sexual abuse allegations are true and that the dedication of the experts that I am critical of in this article has resulted in the conviction of sex offenders who might otherwise have gone free to abuse other children. So much deserved praise has been given these experts that I do not feel the need to say more. However, there has been so little deserved criticism of these experts that I do feel the need to criticize those procedures that can lead to false accusations of sexual abuse. False accusations can be devastating both to the innocently accused and to the child incorrectly diagnosed as a sexual abuse victim."

For anyone that might be facing the possibility of false allegations of child sexual abuse, know first and foremost that it is a very real threat and you could face jail time if the event is not handled correctly. It might not even be a bad idea to print out the report and pass it along or burn a copy of the talk show program "SplitNTwo" with Dr. Reena Sommer to a cd as a gift. Knowledge is power and making a mistake in handling false allegations can be devastating and cause the complete loss of your freedom and/or access to your children. No matter what, hang in there and share the information.

Harry Crouch of National Coalition for Men (a/k/a National Coalition of Free Men) joined host Lary Holland on Get Off The Bench Wednesday August 27, 2008. The discussion was simple, Men's Issues and a new approach to balancing the equality equation.

It is well understood that the area of gender discrimination and gender issues have been widely distorted by propaganda and misdirected federally funded programs, but many advocates don't seem to want to address the very real issues associated with "Mens' Issues." To those that don't want to stand up and help balance the media distortions and quiety tip toe around such issues "To hell with them," states Harry Crouch. Simply put, Harry Crouch exposes several key areas in the above episode of Get Off The Bench.

Harry Crouch is the current president of the NCFM-SD (National Coalition for Men in San Diego) and delivered a power message on Get Off The Bench. I encourage all to listen and help spread the messages that Men's Issues are quite real and help balance the gender equation by objective advocacy. It's not about being "anti-woman" it is about being "pro... man." No simpler explanation can be used.

If you are unfamiliar with Men's Issues, you can visit the California Men's Center website or watch the video below about the subject. It is a thoughtful and well guided piece on Men's Rights/Issues. Let me know what you think about Men's Issues via email at getoffthebench@familycourtreports.com. I will air some comments on our next show.

Youtube Link to Mens Issues Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57EWApOypIQ

The Improved Adoption Incentives and Relative Guardianship Support Act of 2008, also known as Senate Bill 3038 has two significant changes that you just might need to know about. Some people are calling for the complete annihilation of the Title IV-E Program, which as some of you already know funds the Foster Care and Child Protective Services related programs in the various states.

The original reference to Title IV-E is under the Social Security Act. You can find the complete text located at the Social Security Website or under the US Code. (Begins: 42 U.S.C. 670)

Under the Improved Adoption Incentives and Relative Guardianship Support act of 2008, funding will be continued for the program but two notable changes are also be amended to the program. This is absolutely necessary, since it is what most would consider an essential services program. Some organizations are inadvertently calling for the non-renewal, but this is neither feasible or logical. The Federal government MUST continue to fund the state program under the contracts.

In the past, the federal government would only begin making payments to the states in the event that a child was taken and then placed with a licensed foster care facility. As you can imagine, the result was that the states wanted to be paid and would automatically place a child preferentially with a foster care facility instead of a stable relative guardian.

The first key change that occurs should S.3038 be passed, as it is anticipated to soon, the state would begin receiving payments if a child was taken and placed with a stable relative guardian. This will yield a reduction to the state foster care caseload and likely save every state money, allow for reduction of foster care caseloads, and have positive effects for the children involved. The more important factor is that a removed child will be able to continue living with relatives until the reason for the taking is cured.

Also in the past there was not a solid requirement to use electronic databases to locate the second parent that may not have any knowledge whatsoever that their child was removed from a single-parent home. Under the Improved Adoption Incentives and Relative Guardianship Support Act of 2008 there will be a requirement to utilize the Federal Parent Location databases to find the other parent for placement, again increasing the likelihood of a child being placed with a relative instead of sometimes hazardous state care.

There are other significant changes to the program, including an increase in funding, but the results of this bill are likely to cause each state to pass a statute that refers to payment for relative guardian placement. In the near future if your state does not pass such a statute, we can help provide model language to get the job done.

We need to be conscious of the positive and negative effects of large programs such as this and be sure to advocate responsibly. Sometimes when one is affected by a program that sometimes has extremely horrible effects on a family, it blinds us to the original goals of the programs. Taking a step back will help ensure maximum credibility for organizations and prevent the inadvertent destruction of programs that may serve legitimate needs. There is little question that more reform is necessary to the Title IV-E programs in our nation, but those changes must be identified and merged with existing renewal bills and more responsible advocacy.

Children Need Both Parents is about Family Preservation.
Protecting the parent-child bond is essential and ejecting government intrusion is necessary to accomplish that protection. You can help in your state by asking for model language to be introduced to respect and
protect parental rights.

Statistics for Joint Custody, IE: Joint Custody Statistics, are now available at a plain language website that you can reference in your rebuttals to propaganda that pops up from time to time on websites across the nation.

For the most part, there are distinct actions that can be taken in every State. Some of which includes requesting State Constitutional Amendments, Resolutions from Government Officials, and Statutory/Legislative requests to appropriate levels of government.

Children Need Both Parents can be referenced by anyone across the United States. If you have information that you would like updated, we will be expanding some simple references for judicial, legislative, and executive communications.

Children Need Both Parents is the authority on Family Preservation, Statistics, and the Parent-Child relationship. Parental Rights must be respected and protected by all. Say that phrase out loud and you will know exactly what I am talking about.

There are additional sites linked such as SplitNTwo.Com that should be reviewed as well for more official information and references. Let's spread the word. Tell two new people every day!

Bryan Lee McGlothin powerfully presented at the DC FESTIVAL 2008, Family Preservation Festival, on the issue of parental kidnapping. Through personal experience and inner-reflection, he touches on areas of his book, Have You Seen My Mother, a true story and first hand account of a parental kidnap. Parental Alienation and Parental Abduction are directly related.

"Once finding his mother, Bryan embarked on a difficult, heart wrenching journey of discovery; research at libraries and courthouses across the country as well as speaking to family members he had not seen in forty years, has brought to the surface, the ugly truth of the deception wielded by his father, for so many years, in the name of God. Bryan offers his, and his mother's bittersweet story."

For additional information about Bryan Lee McGlothin: http://www.bryanleemc.com

Have You Seen My Mother visit: http://www.haveyouseenmymother.com

Bryan's speech is archived on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXAZhq6_6xk

Chad Gist & William Dunn of Fathers Supporting Fathers Florida presented at the DC FESTIVAL 2008, Family Preservation Festival. This dyamite couple couldn't even wait until arriving at the festival before they had an article in their local newspaper. The Ledger, thanks to the great reporting of Shoshana Walter, published the article: Fathers' Rights Activist To Travel to Festival. As you can see in the article that was published August 13, 2008, before the festival, "Dunn and Chad Gist, the head of the organization Fathers Supporting Fathers, will lead a talk about false allegations and host a screening of the movie "A Father's Rights" at Upper Senate Park in the nation's capital Friday."

True to the papers word, Chad Gist and William Dunn came to Washington DC and delivered their speech on Saturday, August 16, 2008.

You can find their speech on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FM7d98qc_fI

When I spoke with Chad Gist this morning he indicated that "we needed people to come together and do this," and solidified the message with "we are united and we are everywhere."

To find out more about Fathers Supporting Fathers of Florida, visit their website at: http://www.fatherssupportingfathersfl.com and be sure to look them up on YouTube.

Chrissy Chrzanowski of SplitNTwo delivered a compelling, emotional, and true account of parental alienation before the crowds at DC FESTIVAL 2008 and now the entire Internet. Parental alienation is the mental manipulation of children, which can result in destroying a loving and warm relationship they once shared with a parent. Parental Alienation can occur in intact families, but is mostly seen in separated and divorced families. Parental Alienation is Child Abuse.

Chrissy's Speech Can Be Seen on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnFUJeDt8cI

Through the participation of so many dedicated advocates working throughout the United States and coming together in a united front, I have two things to say:

1. Parental Rights should be respected and protected by all.

2. We are united and we are everywhere.

The time for speaking to the choir is over, and all our efforts will be directed at content production, advocate training, and public outreach. We are united and we are everywhere. Respect parental rights or your election will enter our sights.

The National Family Preservation Festival 2008 (DCFESTIVAL2008.COM) was a great success. Bringing activists into the public eye, with the leaders like Brian Holladay of Fathers 4 Justice taking control and executing a spontaneous march and rallies throughout Washington DC. The video below is an independently created promotion of "Fathers-4-Justice", "Get Off The Bench", and the ideal that "Children should be educated and instructed in the principles of freedom."

Parental Rights Should be Respected and Protected by ALL!

The DC FESTIVAL 2008 brought activists and the public together due to the spectacular leadership of so many great people working together to MAKE an event happen. Don't wait for something to happen, make it happen my friends. Special thanks to all those that contributed, participated, and took action instead of waiting for it to happen.

Watch this blog after I get home from Washington DC for my official announcements and thank yous to the ones that made this entire thing possible! Let's make DC FESTIVAL 2009 an even larger success together!

One of the Equal Parenting Bike Trek Riders sustained minor injuries when shoe laces became bound to a pedal while at rest. When I first heard of the injury, I was of course thinking what someone might look like after hitting the road at 55 miles per hour and was relieved to hear that was of course not the case! After a detour to a local medical center in Pennsylvania, all rides resumed on the road this morning. They are "heading into the major mountains now" stated Dan Diebolt, in a phone conversation this morning. They are right on schedule to be arriving in Washington DC on August 14, 2008 exactly one day ahead of the Family Preservation Festival 2008 National Civil Rights Event.

Also, a special announcement and newsletter was released from Family Court Reports, earlier today with final comments and an urgent call for help in several key areas.

You can view the critical newsletter at: http://www.familycourtreports.com/newsletters/specialannouncement-1.html

It is imperative that more people engage in direct action with their elected officials staffers and offices as well as increased attention to the media outlets. Using the special announcement as your guide will get you in contact with officials in a matter of minutes!

To make an immediate and necessary contribution to the Family Preservation Festival, please visit this State Contributions link, find your state, and click "chip-in." It is safe and secure and your identity will remain confidential.

Get Off The Bench will be hosting conference calls on both Tuesday and Wednesday to rally and direct any final soldiers for change and we look forward to helping! Live Call Ins at 8:05PM EDT via 724-444-7444 talkcast id: 43507 pin: 1+# and ask your questions live!

Last night on the GET OFF THE BENCH talk show we indicated we were going to send out special announcements regarding final destination DC FESTIVAL 2008 after we spoke with our awesome Equal Parenting Bike Trekkers last night. This is that message. Print this email off as a task list if you have to, it is important. WE all have to get this stuff done. This email is intended to be redistributed today by leadership to County and State groups as well as to direct action activists that are ready to move beyond the keyboard.

Volunteers. We need several volunteers asap!!! Please fill out this form: FORM SITE FOR VOLUNTEER SIGN UP - digest readers email me at dcevents@familycourtreports.com for direct link.



We need people to notify the organizations listed at this site that a group supporting Parental Rights are going to be in Washington DC.

http://www.editgrid.com/user/indianacrc/DCFcontacts

1. click one of the links near the top of the spreadsheet, then log each organization that you email information to about the festival. Remember, the point of our advocacy efforts are not just to meet one another, but to recruit and notify outside organizations and agencies that we exist. Your help is invaluable to this end! We simply cannot do it all. We have to get more volunteers.


2. If you have questions, contact splitntwo@yahoo.com, amothersfight@yahoo.com, or loop_hole_justice@yahoo.com. They will be able to explain answers to any of your questions in the next 24 hours. Don't wait!


We have had around 23 states contribute something! This is awesome and we have done this in just under 60 days, and now we really have to pull off a miracle. We have raised more than 6 times the past efforts for this event, but have still fallen short with organizational benefactors waiting to get involved. You are part of that miracle of why we have been successful up to this point and we have made great strides demonstrating that individuals can make a real difference.


We can do some more and it can start with a donation, telephone call, or volunteer position. I think you will agree. Make a point to contact at least two people in states that have not contributed yet, and urge the importance. We need to get more states involved for this building block event and because many states have not hit their groups minimum. This hurts the event in a bad way and we have to cure this over the next 24-30 hours. Every person can help recruit $5.00 - $10.00 donations for the states that have not gotten involved. We want at least half the states to on the board as this is truly a NATIONAL issue. Let's prove it.


Also, look into any membership fees that you might have submitted to organizations and see if those organizations have contributed financially to a parental right's event in 2008. If not, this is the perfect event for larger organizations to step up to. We also have a need for speakers in select areas to complete the programs. If you sense any organizations are silent, with a "wait and see" approach to their support, then it stands to reason they will "wait and see" on legislative activities as well. People hate it when I make a statement like this, but as advocates, sometimes we have to take time and spend it advocating to our organizations. Speaking to ourselves, although important, impedes our ability to sway legislators. This is important when reviewing which organizations to support in the coming year after the election. I don't know about you, but I am done with the wait and see approach to advocacy. It gets us nowhere and results in more time away from our children.


I typically have supported activities of most known organizations and even I will be reviewing which ones I financially and physically support for the coming years and hope you will to. Remember the prediction email that I sent out? Conceptualize, Visualize, Materialize!


Here is something to consider: "The best way to predict the future is to invent it." I have been trying to help all invent a future where we have equal access to our children and help as many as possible individually as possible. Are we "waiting and seeing" and failing to invent the future? Parental Equality seems like a worthy issue to take up and fight.


Final letters of support need to get into me asap. Email them per the website under Get Involved at the top (#6 on the list). Go to the website and click "Get Involved" at the top and please get your individual, organization, and agency support letters for the event in. All the details are there. Recruit others to do the same asap. This is about delivering our voices post election! Let's get this done as soon as possible.


Despite all odds, we have made it this far, lets finish the home run stretch tonight on the conference call. We are short a tremendous number of physical items as a result of too few people stretching themselves to far. We need your help and expertise in key areas. You know someone with skills, get them on the call tonight.


Live Call In: 724-444-7444

Talkcast id: 43507

No Pin? Just hit 1+#


Bring as many people as you can to the conference call tonight. It is important!


Also, flood the various yahoo groups with your Travel Arrangements, proposed stopping/mini rally points, and lodging details. Don't sit in silence, start reaching out to other people in your state! There are still some people that are making direct requests to just a few people instead of getting connected in their own networking circles and advocating. You should get your car pool requests spread out to and we know they are coming from every state. The only reason not to post is so you can say you didn't find one. No easy way outs, we have thought of all the excuses, so each of you PLEASE POST YOUR ITINERARIES. It is time for you to hold the hands of others instead of a few holding your hands. Everyone has the opportunity to lead and be a part of history. Don't wait for someone else to do what you are more than capable of doing. Show our government how serious you are about making every event a successful talking point in State and Federal circles.


Please follow through with the entirety of this message. Sure it is long, but how long have you had to wait to get government out of your homes? Let's work together to affect this election cycle. Everything is right here for us to carry the message Nationally, Regionally, and Locally. As we have to do is act my friends. The opportunity this year will escape us for at least 2 more years. Contribute as a volunteer or as a financial supporter.


Sincerely,



Lary Holland
GOOGLE: DC FESTIVAL 2008

The Oakland County Press covers the Equal Parenting Bike Trek, Scott Hudson, and mentions National DC Event (dcfestival2008.com) in HUGE article just one day after the successful departure!

ACTION ITEM: Check it out below and fax it to a Michigan Legislator with the following message: BRING HB 4564 and HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NN TO A VOTE NOW!

GET OFF THE BENCH WILL BE HOSTING A SPECIAL SHOW WITH THE BIKE RIDERS ON SATURDAY NIGHT AT 8PM EST. TO CALL IN LIVE... FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS:

LIVE CALL INS: 724-444-7444
TALK CAST ID: 43507
PIN: Press 1+#

GET OFF THE BENCH LAUNCHES OFFICIAL MEETUP GROUP!

JOIN THE MEETUP.COM GROUP! Click the graphic for our official group and be ready to participate with several meaningful discussions, outside advocacy activities, and serious efforts at change. Please... no slackers. This group is for those that understand one key concept, "It is infinitely more valuable to fight for the rights of others than to fight for your own!" -Lary Holland (2005)

Everyone has heard of Mother's Day and Father's Day, but few actually knew there was a collective federal holiday referred to as "Parent's Day" coming up this Sunday (July 27, 2008) until YOU let them know. Be sure to announce it to everyone and we appreciate you taking time out of your day to help make parents important once again. Please publish pertinent information from this message accordingly.

By operation of federal law (US Code, Title 36, Section 135), the fourth Sunday in July is officially known as Parents Day, and every level of local, state and federal government is directed by this law to officially recognize the importance of parents in the lives of children "through proclamations, activities, and educational efforts" - i.e., for once, government HAS to agree with us, and also put it in fancy writing for us, and do something "educational" about it, just for the asking... You can also see the same law here and here and here.


One mayor practically declared war on behalf of parents against government intrusion in this Proclamation that was issued compliments of the United Civil Rights Council of America.http://unitedcivilrights.org/members/ParentsDay/Proclamations/UT-SandyCity-Mayor.pdf


So as you are enjoying this weekend, know that it is up to you, the press, our churches, our families to remind everyone that government should respect and PROTECT parental rights to be just that...parents.


If you see a mother or a father, remind them that July 27, 2008 is in honor of them and encourage parents to work together on behalf of raising the next significant generation of children that will lead this great nation.


If nothing else, make mention of the National Civil Rights event for parents coming up this August 15 & 16 in honor of all those great parents out there. Many Legislators, Candidates, and Organizations are all in support of parenthood, so spread the word about tomorrow being such an important day. Check out the site as well to see information regarding several Constitutional Amendments being proposed and more.


Where we have a government that thinks it has the apparent authority to confiscate children at will, as we can see from the recent issues in Texas earlier this year, something needs to be done.


Sincerely,
Lary Holland


"WRITE TO PARENT"
5119 Highland Rd. #229

Waterford, MI 48327

Additional Inquiries:800-883-9619

http://www.dcfestival2008.com

http://www.familycourtreports.com/newsletters/newsletter0103.html