PARENTING RIGHTS INSTITUTE

1518 Genesee Street Utica, NY 13502

leonkoziol@parenting rights institute.com

(315) 796-4000 Honorable Members of the United States Congress The Capitol Washington D.C. Dear Senators and House Members: Today has been set aside by various parenting advocates to honor the founding fathers of America. However, we are dedicating the day not so much to our origins but to the need for preserving families and parent-child relationships. We are seeking parental recognition by our federal government as a matter of civil rights under the Constitution. On April 20, 2012, you will find concerned parents touring the capital and lobbying for the reform of oppressive and discriminatory laws which are harming children in all fifty states. Attached you will find summary material which we hope will convince you of the need for a congressional hearing and inquiry into the abuses caused by Title IV-d of the Social Security Act and federally sanctioned seizures of childrearing authority. At the top of the list is an ongoing alienation of fathers through unequal treatment under the law which in turn produces sexist slurs such as Dead Beat Dad (actually employed in a recent Justice Department release). The blatant discrimination has yet to be declared by our courts. However, after 23 years in the practice of civil rights law, I continue to file test cases in search of justice for parents similarly oppressed. Our productivity, health care and moral fiber as a nation are harmed in the meantime. Twenty years have passed since Mrs. Doubtfire provided America with a profound illustration of a nationwide crisis which has only gotten worse. Actress Sally Fields may have summed it up best when forced to admit that false custody accusations featured throughout that movie were perpetrated out of pure anger. A modern day picture of the pain endured by fathers through state corruption emerges with Liam Neeson in the film Taken. We parents simply ask that you keep these pictures in mind when considering sexist laws and funding requests which disparage Americas male parenting population. The consequences of this trend will be felt on an ominous scale as the economy worsens and our courts continue to deprive men of their rights under the Constitution. Without a fair forum to vent claims and April 20, 2012

Congress Page 2 grievances, increasing numbers of good fathers will reluctantly take matters into their own hands. Particularly impacted will be returning military, law enforcement and racial minorities. In one community alone, a police investigator took his life and that of his ex spouse moments after exiting child support court, leaving three minor children without their mom and dad. A mother took a knife to the throat of her divorcing husband and was sent to prison for 13 years with no child contact. A father shot his boy in front of state police in a domestic standoff, and a decorated war veteran was killed on duty as a sheriff deputy only months ago in a similar domestic stand-off. A purple heart soldier attempted suicide after months of support and custody abuse, a mother drove her children into a river, and a father recently burned himself alive in protest of these same laws (Thomas Ball). Attached in the order provided, you will find 1) an April 10, 2011 editorial submitted to the New York Times which describes the crisis generally; 2) a local column from a first time father which demonstrates his unique role in a childs life; 3) an on-line circulation from a fathers rights activist which lays out the Title IV-d process and how it works to destroy parenting interests; 4) a flow chart from a victim of endless, recurring and costly court contests; 5) a typical short story from yet another victim offered for this lobby packet; 6) an opening remark from New Yorks Chief Justice on the subject of litigant equality, and 7) my April 5, 2012 reaction which shows how corrupt a top judge can become when too much power is conveyed to a single public servant. I want to thank you for your time and consideration with the hope that you will genuinely consider our request and proposed involvement.

Respectfully submitted,

Dr. Leon R. Koziol Parental Rights Advocate