OBAMA THE GENTLEMAN AS CLINTON FADES INTO THE SUNSET!

OBAMA ALWAYS THE GENTLEMAN, WHILE CLINTONS LIGHT IS FADING. ________________________
GOOD MORNING FLINT! BY Terry Bankert 5/28/08
You are invited to join me at Face Book http://www.facebook.com/people/Terry_Bankert/645845362 ___________________________
Full article at http://goodmorningflint.blogspot.com/
Flint Talk http://www.flinttalk.com/viewtopic.php?p=29362#29362 __________________________
BLOGGING FOR MICHIGAN http://bloggingformichigan.com/
Great information from caring people in Michigan USA
__________________________

REFLECTIONS. Its time to seal the nomination. Every day Clinton looks less acceptable as vice president, much less as president. Brewer of the MDP should resign and Levins hand slapped. The public wanted an election where votes meant something. That has been violated by Mark Brewer. It cannot be corrected by backroom manipulation. We are beyond that in this new age. We want a President with dignity, character and integrity. We expect the political parties to act in the same manner.... and Savanaugh GA was a great trip, lots to said for Urban Planning.[trb]

MRS. CLINTON JUST DO THE RIGHT THING! With the nomination in sight, Barack Obama is willing to give rival Hillary Rodham Clinton the lion's share of the delegates from Florida and Michigan but is stopping short of her demand to fully recognize the two renegade states.[AP] Compromise may be the order of the day but character and integrity will win the general election, the nation and world is watching.[trb]

SKELETONS FOR CLINTON Mrs. Clinton was accompanied by a skeleton crew of aides and a diminished press corps Wednesday as she continued to tour some of the remotest parts of America. After a tourist stop at Mount Rushmore, she drove nearly three hours across the desolate Badlands to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and made her delectability argument to a somewhat bewildered crowd of about 250 people outside the Little Wound School. [n]Clinton’s proud bow beam of months ago is a fragile fading light heading to the far horizon.

MANNED ONLY BY THE REMENANTS OF THE BLACK PEARL[trb] What's important: 'Integrity'[DN] But at least some rules committee members say potential general-election damage does not trouble them. [DN] In the mix are honorable democrats. Its about character said Gleason to Newman in the Hustler.[trb] "I'm not particularly concerned about that," responds Mary Fuller Clark, a New Hampshire state senator on the committee, and one of her state's many defenders of its first-in-the-nation primary. "What's important for us is to maintain the integrity of the process." [DN] Ultimately, however, the committee's adherence to rules may fall to political necessity. [DN] We will watch. This cross roads of leadership will raise some while others fail.[trb]

HOW EMBARRASSING FOR MICHIGAN, JUST WHO ARE THE MEMBERS OF THESE COMMITTEES The Democratic National Committee is trying to work out a compromise to the long-running dispute over Michigan and Florida. In violation of party rules, the two states held primaries in January and were stripped of their delegates. The DNC's Rules and Bylaws panel meets Saturday.[AP] The voters want accountability and punishment TO THOSE WHO play backroom politics with their vote.We want the head of Brewer and his Florida counterpart for their acts of arrogant disobedience.[trb] Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's prospects of persuading Democratic officials to override party rules and recognize all delegates selected in the Florida and Michigan primaries suffered a setback yesterday after lawyers for the party ruled that no more than half of those delegations could be legally recognized. [w]Mrs Clinton respect the rules and accept defeat with dignity.[trb]

WHEN THE RULES ARE INTENTIONALLY VIOLATED THERE ARE SANCTIONS, ASK A KID! You cannot violate the rules of the process and then expect to get forgiven for it," Dean said.[c] Howard Dean DNC Democratic National Committee The DNC could decide to send half the delegates to the convention, uncertain is which half. Another option is to seat all the delegates with half a vote. Then the issue is how those votes should be split between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.[AP]

30 TROLLS EMERGE TO PLUNDER Thirty Democratic Party officials -- mostly obscure party operatives -- will gather in a Washington hotel conference room this weekend to consider disputed convention delegates from Michigan and Florida, the most closely watched group of people yet to weigh in on the close Democratic presidential campaign. [DN] The voters do not understand the special ownership rights a party has in the nomination process. To them this is an American election. They are unhappy.[trb] The little-known panel meets Saturday to determine, for now at least, the fates of the Michigan and Florida delegations -- and, by extension, the votes of nearly 600,000 Michiganians and 1.75 million Floridians who participated in Democratic primaries in January.[DN] With Saturday's meeting the most significant date remaining on the nominating calendar, it will focus intense attention on a group with few, if any, household names. The 30-member Rules & Bylaws Committee is a mix of attorneys, political operatives, elected officials and union chiefs. [DN] The DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee is scheduled to meet Saturday to make a final determination on Florida and Michigan, which would have collectively awarded 368 convention delegates. But in the memo, party lawyers determined that full restoration, as sought by Clinton, would violate DNC rules, although it did note a loophole that would allow her to carry the challenge to the first day of the Democratic National Convention in late August. [w] The Democratic Party is likely to meet rule-breaking Florida and Michigan halfway when it comes to seating their delegates at the national convention, two members of the rules committee said Wednesday.[c]

WE ARE DISTRACTED WITH THIS MESS, JUST WHEN OBAMA SHOULD BE ON OUR SHOULDERS MARCHING TO VICTORY. JUST WHOSE FAULT IS THIS. Whatever decision is made during a party meeting Saturday delays a resolution of the Democratic contest, just as Obama is within reach of the 2,026 delegates needed to win the nomination.[AP]

WHY ARE THERE NOW DIFFERENT RULES, WHAT BACKROOM EVIL IS A WORK? "Our magic number could increase kind of at the 11th hour here," Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said Wednesday. He told reporters: "If it's raised a little bit based on the Rules Committee, we'll have to go get some more superdelegates. But at some point we're the nominee."[AP] Plouffe said the campaign is not stockpiling superdelegates to roll out en masse, as many political observers have speculated. "We announce superdelegates as they commit to us," he said. But he said mid-next week would be "a natural time" for those who have not picked sides to finally break. [w] Obama is already acting like a general-election candidate. He spent the past three days in New Mexico, Nevada and Colorado -- three states that held Democratic caucuses months ago but that are expected to be swing states in November. [w]

CLINTON THE PISSED OFF SOCCER MOM WANTS IT HER WAY, RULES OR NO RULES. Its all about her, not us![trb] Clinton has been pushing for the Democratic National Committee to seat all 368 delegates from Florida and Michigan. She won both contests — after all the candidates agreed not to campaign in either state and Obama wasn't on the Michigan ballot.[AP] Speaking to reporters on a morning conference call, senior adviser Harold Ickes refused to rule out a legal challenge if the committee does not rule in Clinton's favor. "That's a bridge to cross when we come to that particular stream," he said. [w]

THE VOTERS OF MICHIGAN SHOULD BE ANGRY AT THE DEMOCRATIC LEADERS THAT CAUSED THE DNC RULE VIOLATION. WHO COULD THAT BE? Clinton strategist Harold Ickes is one of the 30 members of the committee, and he said he'll be encouraging them to base their decisions on the January primaries. "We are urging 100 percent of the delegations be seated and that each delegate have a full vote," Ickes said.[AP]

RULES COMMITTEE IS NOT CONCERNED WITH RULES JUST POWER, WHAT A MESSAGE TO OUR KIDS That's an unlikely outcome as even Clinton aides have privately acknowledged they lack the votes on the committee to restore all the delegates. Thirteen of the members are publicly committed to Clinton, eight have endorsed Obama and nine are undeclared.[AP]

ITS NOT FAIR TO SEAT THEM AT ALL "We don't think it's fair to seat them fully because we both lived by these rules and pledged to abide by them," Plouffe said. "We're willing to give some delegates here, which I don't think should be sneezed at."[AP] As a result, Mrs. Clinton would appear to need all the more superdelegates to swing her way if she has any remaining hope for the nomination.[w] To that end, she stepped up her appeal Wednesday to superdelegates, the Democratic officeholders and party officials who could ultimately decide the nomination. In a letter, she argued that she would be a stronger nominee than Mr. Obama against Senator John McCain in the fall.[w]

THE WORLD IS WATCHING, JUST WHAT IS THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY ALL ABOUT? "Regardless of what side people are on, Obama or Clinton, they have a larger perspective, and that's the integrity of the Democratic Party," said Mame Reiley, a Virginia political consultant and Clinton supporter who is on the panel. "And I think we're going to approach it that way." [DN] Committee members interviewed by The Associated Press have expressed little interest in the option of seating all the delegates. And the DNC staff wrote in an analysis sent to members this week that the rules call for the two states to lose at least half their delegates at a minimum for voting too early.[AP]

CLINTON PLANS TO CAUSE A RIOT/PROTEST AT THE RULES MEETING David Plouffe, Mr. Obama’s campaign manager, said the Obama camp had advised against rallies, despite calls on the Internet for counterprotests. Mr. Plouffe said the campaign did not want to contribute to a chaotic scene, which, he said, would not serve the interests of party unity.[n] Clinton is staging a rear guard action, for what purpose. Its time to hear the ____ lady sing,[trb]

OBAMA PLEAS FOR DIGNITY The Obama campaign was dismissive of efforts by the Clinton campaign to have supporters demonstrate outside the rules meeting.[c] Clinton supporters, including a group including at least several dozen Michiganders, plan to rally in a park near the hotel.[f] "We're not going to turn this thing into a circus," former Democratic Party Chairman David Wilhelm said[c]

THERE IS NO EASY WAY OUT, AND IF ATTEMPTED THE PARTY WILL LOSE THE RESPECT OF THE WORLD The analysis said there are two options to include half the delegations — either allow half the number of delegates from each state into the convention or allow the full delegations to attend, but give them each half a vote. The analysis cautions that there are no easy ways to distribute the delegates, especially in Michigan where Clinton won 55 percent of the vote and 40 percent went to "uncommitted."[AP]

A VOTE OF 500,000 MICHIGAN DEMOCRATS LOST TO THE TAMMANY LIKE BICKERING OF THE BACK ROOM! If the Florida and Michigan delegations get half their votes back, the number needed to secure the nomination would grow to 2,118. There are myriad ways the committee could then divide the delegates between the two candidates.[AP]

THE VOTERS KNOW THEIR SACRED VOTE IS BEING PLAYED LIKE A CHIT IN TEXAS HOLDUM If, for example, the "uncommitted" vote in Michigan was awarded to Obama but the half-delegates were otherwise awarded according to the primaries, Obama would need an additional 26 delegates to clinch the nomination.[AP]

WHEN EVER THE ELITES MAKE A PROCESS OBSCURE THE LITTLE GUY IS GETTING SCREWED If the pledged delegates are divided evenly between the two candidates, Obama would need an additional nine delegates to clinch. The number still increases because of uncommitted superdelegates from the two states.[AP]

OBAMA PLAYED BY THE RULES CLINTON IS NOT. IT’S A MEASURE OF CHARACTER. Plouffe said seating the full delegations according to the January votes is not fair or acceptable to the campaign, especially since he wouldn't get any delegates out of Michigan. Democrats in the two states are not asking for that resolution either.[AP] Judge Richard Lazzara sided with the DNC, saying political parties have the right to make their own rules.[c]

LIKE BUGS UNDER A ROCK THESE COMMITTEE MEMBERS NEED THE LIGHT OF DAY TO DO THE RIGHT THING Florida Democratic officials said they were open to getting half their vote — but they would like the full delegation to be seated. Allan Katz, who serves on the Rules and Bylaws Committee, said he thinks the committee is leaning toward giving Florida half its delegates, but some members have told him they don't believe Florida shouldn't get any delegates.[AP]

500,000 MICHIGAN VOTERS SEE THEIR VOTES SQUANDERED BY THE MICHIGAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY GENERALLY AND IT'S CHAIRPERSON MARK BREWER SPECIFICALLY. JUSTICE IS DEMANDED "It's just very difficult to categorize. You have a lot of people who look at this differently," said Katz, who supports Obama and can't vote on the Florida measure because he's from the state.[AP]

HAPPY DAYS Jon Ausman, a DNC member who raised the challenge that's before the committee Saturday, said he'd be happy if the committee gave them half votes.[AP]

WEASELS AT WORK "It's just a question of whether we can get them all eventually," Ausman said. "It's not like Florida hasn't felt the punishment. The bottom line is we certainly have taken it on the chin."[AP]

BREWER GOT MICHIGAN INTO THIS MESS ! WHY? TO DELIVER MICHIGAN TO CLINTON BY THE BACK DOOR AND HE GOT CAUGHT BY THE RISE OF OBAMA. NOW HE HAS A SOLUTION? Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Mark Brewer, who is on the Rules and Bylaws Committee, said he won't support a plan that would give half delegates for Florida. He's presenting a plan that would split Michigan's pledged delegates 69 for Clinton and 59 for Obama, although he can't vote on it.[AP]

DEAR MARK, RESIGNATION IS A VIABLE OPTION TO RESTORE THE TRUST OF 500,000 CITIZENS IN THE MDP! He said he didn't know what the rules committee might do and will just make his best case possible.[AP]

BREWER SHOULD STEP ASIDE FOR THE GOOD OF THE ORDER INSTEAD OF WHINING LIKE A CHILD "You can come up with all of legalistic reasons not to do our proposal ... (but) we've been punished enough," he said. "We haven't had candidate visits for nearly a year, up until recently. Continuing to punish us could cause us to lose Michigan in the fall." [AP]
–end–

Posted here by Terry Bankert ... 5/29/08
(If you like this article please forward to your friends, if not just keep it to yourself.)
Family Mediation and Divorce Practice. http://attorneybankert.com/
Join my political party of preference, http://www.michigandems.com/join.html
Join me in creating a new voice in The Michigan Democratic Party, become a Precinct Delegate. You are invited to join me at Face Book http://www.facebook.com/people/Terry_Bankert/645845362
Link here for a broadcast OF THE GOOD MORNING FLINT ON FLINT TALK RADIO http://www.stickam.com/viewMovieGallery.do?uId=175398425
—where did this stuff come from--
[AP] AP http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5igrYLRrHG3P6lIbs2E7pSH0bxhvgD90V2B000 [TRB] Comments of Terry Bankert to include CAP headlines http://attorneybankert.com/
[w] Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/28/AR2008052803093.html?hpid=topnews
[n] The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/29/us/politics/29dems.html?ref=us
[c] CNN http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/28/dnc.memo/?iref=mpstoryview [f] Detroit Free Press http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080529/NEWS07/805290327/1009
[dn] The Detroit news http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080529/POLITICS01/805290341/1022/POLITICS

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OIL, HOW HIGH WILL IT GO

OIL, HOW HIGH WILL IT GO

“One of the biggest challenges our country faces is our addiction to oil.”[N] Oil is up by almost 30 per cent this year alone. That's not the fault of greedy energy companies, or that other current favorite, unscrupulous speculators. It is a simple fact of economic life in a world economy that is, in effect, experiencing a new industrial revolution among half its population.[T2] ________________________
GOOD MORNING FLINT! BY Terry Bankert 5/21/08
You are invited to join me at Face Book http://www.facebook.com/people/Terry_Bankert/645845362 ___________________________
Full article at http://goodmorningflint.blogspot.com/
Flint Talk http://flinttalk.com/viewtopic.php?p=28887#28887 _________________________
BLOGGING FOR MICHIGAN http://bloggingformichigan.com/
Great information from caring people in Michigan USA
__________________________

REFLECTIONS;Watching our economic decline reminds me of watching the decline of a parent. You don’t notice many of the little adjustments made then one day the end is at hand. I feel the same way about our middle class. Possibly its going away. We do not notice the little adjustment but one day the end is near, gas is $10 a gallon, food cost quadrupled, we cannot afford houses, our kids cannot afford an education, the rich are richer and the poor are poorer and the poor are now a larger group because we are in it. Its happening ....unless we act united as a country with strong leadership.,kiss your life style good bye. Will you be able to explain to your grandchildren why you did nothing to protest what is happening, today. Count me in for the battle how about you.? [trb]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPP..... Saudi Arabia celebrates 75 years of its national oil company in era of record energy prices[i] Saudi Arabia on Tuesday marked the 75th anniversary of its national oil company, once a joint operation with the Americans, but gave no sign of acquiescing to a U.S. request to increase its oil output.[I]

OIL TO HIT $150 BARREL Oil today rose to a new high of $129 a barrel and prices are set to hit $150 this year as concern grew over Opec’s consistent refusal to lift supplies to counter growing demand. [t] Boone Pickens, a hedge fund manager, said today that oil will reach $150 a barrel in 2008, echoing a forecast released by Goldman Sachs last week that predicted prices will hit $141 in the second half of the year. [t]

SO SWEET BUT GOES DOWN SO BITTER In New York, the price of light sweet crude for June delivery touched $129.31 per barrel before falling back to $128.95. In London, Brent crude also reached a new record at $127.49. [t]Credit Suisse increased its forecast for US crude in 2008 from $91 a barrel to $120 while Societe Generale also raised its expectations for 2008 by $14 a barrel to $115. [t]

A MONOPOLY WILL NOT RAISE PRODUCTION, NOW YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO DRIVE? It emerged yesterday that Opec, the 13 country cartel that produces 40 per cent of the world’s oil, would not increase production prior to a meeting in September despite rising demand for fuel, especially from crisis hit regions such as China. [t] Last week, Saudi Arabia, a key member of Opec, pledged to increase oil production by 300,000 barrels a day following a plea to raise supply by US President, George W. Bush.[t] Oil prices are heading to almost $140 a barrel in the next eight years, according to futures contracts on the New York Mercantile Exchange, on concern that growth in supply may fail to keep pace with rising demand. [b]

$200 A BARREL, YOU WILL WALK TO WORK OR RIDE A HORSE. Arjun N. Murti remembers the pain of the oil shocks of the 1970s. But he is bracing for something far worse now: He foresees a “super spike” — a price surge that will soon drive crude oil to $200 a barrel.[N]

THE FREE MARKET SUPPLY AND DEMAND MODELS DO NOT WORK WITH AN UNREGULATED MONOPOLY. It is a staple of all political debate in the US now that the American dependence on oil has led to staggeringly bad policy for decades towards the big oil producers. It has forced the US into bed with some unsavoury characters and has been the constant factor behind repeated and often baleful US interventions in the Middle East. [T2]

BUSH WENT BEGGING, ENDED UP JUST____IN THE WIND. In economic terms, there's a not very polite term for what the President was doing which describes the futility and discomfort of performing a certain bodily function into a countervailing breeze. [t2]

THE FINGER IS A POLITICAL GESTURE But Mr Bush - an oilman after oil - knows this, too. His efforts were more of a political gesture than a meaningful policy initiative. [t2] In political terms, inexorably rising oil prices are starting to generate something approaching panic in America. The Republicans, already battered by the weak economy and the seemingly intractable Iraq war, are ripe targets for yet more opprobrium for failing to rein-in oil companies as they heartlessly exploit the poor Americans who find themselves unable to drive their five-litre engined cars very far this summer. [t2]

THEY JUST CANNOT BE TOO RICH...... Saudi Arabia announced yesterday that current oil production was enough to meet market requirements and that producing countries could increase capacity if there were "actual additional" energy needs[i]Al-Naimi briefed the ministers at the meeting on the "kingdom's view that the currently produced quantities meet all needs of the market and that the production capacity can meet any real additional energy needs," the statement said, according to the official press agency.[I]

WE SET THE PRICES WE GET THE PROFIT However, Chakib Khelil, president of Opec, said he did not expect output to be increased, adding that "current prices are not based on supply and demand." Oil prices have surged by more than a quarter since the start of 2008, when they struck $100 a barrel for the first time. [t]

INFLATION ...HOW UGLY CAN IT GET.... Rising oil prices and the subsequent rise in household energy bills have contributed to rising inflation which is currently 3 per cent, above the Government's 2 per cent target, and are set to increase further. [t] In the US, concern about inflation escalated when it emerged that producer prices, excluding food and fuel, rose at the fastest rate in 17 years, sending the Dow Jones industrial average plunging by 180.7 points to 12,847.5. [t]

SHORT TERM WE NEED NEW OIL SOURCE, LONG TERM WE NEED NEW ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF ENERGY, OR INVADE THE OIL PRODUCING COUNTRIES, OR BOTH, WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST? Oil giants such as Exxon Mobil Corp., Royal Dutch Shell Plc, BP Plc, Chevron Corp., Total SA and ConocoPhillips will spend a record $98.7 billion this year on exploration and production, more than quadruple the amount eight years ago. The supplies they tap from non-OPEC countries will only meet about 20 percent of world demand growth over the next four years. [B] The struggle to find oil coincides with a boom in demand from places like China and the Middle East, where it will rise 4.9 percent this year, making up for a drop in demand from North America and Europe, the International Energy Agency said in a report May 13. It cut its forecast for global demand for a fourth month. [B] Mr. Murti, who has a bit of a green streak, is not bothered much by the prospect of even higher oil prices, figuring it might finally prompt America to become more energy efficient.[n]

ECONOMIST MAKE LAWYERS LOOK GOOD Mr. Murti falls into the camp of oil analysts who believe that supply is likely to remain tight because of geopolitical factors. These analysts predict higher prices because production is declining in non-OPEC countries like Britain, Norway and Mexico. The analysts who predict lower prices say there are supplies of oil that the bullish analysts are missing. “This year will be a year in which supply will be put into the market by stealth by OPEC and by countries we call black-hole countries,” said Edward L. Morse, chief energy economist at Lehman Brothers. China is one example, he said. [N] But while oil and gas prices have been rising for a while now, Americans have only just begun to reduce gasoline consumption, so their efforts to conserve have not dragged down oil prices. [N] “The fact that the U.S. gasoline demand can be down and that the U.S. gasoline consumer is no longer driving world oil prices is a monumental event,” Mr. Murti says. He spends most of his time talking to money managers and analysts, many of whom keep asking him if oil prices will stay high if speculators abandon the market, and says he applauds investors for driving up oil prices, since that will spur investment in alternative sources of energy. [N] High prices, he says, “send a message to consumers that you should try your best to buy fuel-efficient cars or otherwise conserve on energy.” Washington should create tax incentives to encourage people to buy hybrid cars and develop more nuclear energy, he said. [N] Of course, if lawmakers heed his advice, oil analysts like him might one day be a thing of the past. That’s fine with Mr. Murti. [N]

WE WILL SHRINK EVERY DAY "Another day, another record crude oil price. It's like that movie "Groundhog Day," in which the same thing keeps happening over and over again to Bill Murray. [I] "Doesn't it seem like every day we wake up lately the news is blasting about record energy prices and a weaker dollar? So where will it end, and how high can prices go? [I] "... I think the answers are that crude can and will go much higher and that this summer could be an extremely painful reality check for U.S. consumers, myself included." [I] Kerr says his "near-term target" for oil is $140.[I] Core producer prices rose a higher-than-expected 0.4 per cent in April, or 3 per cent compared to last year, the fastest rise since 1991. [t]

ARE YOU ANGRY YET...WHAT WILL IT TAKE...WHAT WILL YOU DO.

Posted here by Terry Bankert ...
(If you like this article please forward to your friends, if not just keep it to yourself.)

Family Mediation and Divorce Practice. http://attorneybankert.com/
Join my political party of preference, http://www.michigandems.com/join.html
Join me in creating a new voice in The Michigan Democratic Party, become a Precinct Delegate. You are invited to join me at Face Book http://www.facebook.com/people/Terry_Bankert/645845362 54507

—where did this stuff come from—
[t] Times online http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/natural_resources/article3970458.ece [b] Bloomberg http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a79UU6p.il.s&refer=home
[H] International Herald Tribune http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/05/20/africa/ME-GEN-Saudi-Oil.php
[w] The Wall Street Journal http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/crude-record-one-oil-bull/story.aspx?guid=%7B4E33DCBA-5DA9-43B6-8C52-8A6FE7D273B8%7D&dist=msr_21
[a] Arab News http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=110055&d=20&m=5&y=2008&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom [t2] Times OnLine http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/columnists/article3964339.ece
[TRB] Comments of Terry Bankert to include CAP headlines http://attorneybankert.com/
[N] The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/21/business/21oil.html?hp
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GOOD DADS...BAD CUSTODY DECISIONS...

GOOD DADS GOOD KIDS BAD COURT DECISIONS
Robert Pedersen was devastated three years ago when a divorce judge said he could see his two children only a few days a month. [d]

_______________________
GOOD MORNING FLINT!
BY Terry Bankert 5/20/08
You are invited to join me at Face Book http://www.facebook.com/people/Terry_Bankert/645845362 ___________________________
Full article at http://goodmorningflint.blogspot.com/
Flint Talk http://flinttalk.com/viewtopic.php?p=28835#28835 __________________________
BLOGGING FOR MICHIGAN
http://bloggingformichigan.com/
Great information from caring people in Michigan USA
__________________________

REFLECTIONS; Most custody decisions ,the most important decision of the case, are made in the first two weeks of the divorce with little testimony.The female presumption is real and activley entered as a custody order. These early hearings often involve a referee not a judge or a mediation specialaist. The temporary order becomes a final order more often than not.

GOOD MEN MUST STAND UP AND FIGHT FOR JOINT CUSTODY WHILE WOMEN HAVE IT HANDED TO THEM.[trb] The Michigan Child Custody Act 1970 MCL 722.21 et seq establishes the criteria and procedures for resolving child custody disputes. The Family Division of the circuit court has exclusive jurisdiction over this act. MCL 600.1021 (1)(g).[trb]

95% OF ALL CASES ARE NOT TRIED, BLAME THE LAWYERS ALSO... Pedersen's divorce agreement now includes long weekends, a Wednesday overnight visit and half of summers, holidays and spring breaks with his children. It's almost enough time to make him feel that he can provide an equal amount of parenting to his kids. [d]

CHILD CUSTODY ACT; Under the Child Custody Act, the court may award custody to one or more of the parties involved or to third parties and provide for a childs support, provide for reasonable parenting or grand parenting time , modify or amend its judgements or orders until a child attains the age of 18 (19.5 if still in school)[trb]

PRIMARY CARE IS A STATE OF MIND AND THE REALITY OF A NORMAL FAMILIES DIVISION OF DUTIES WHILE TO TOGETHER BUT THAT ALL CHANGES AT DIVORCE. WHY ARE GOOD DADS PUNISHED FOR JUST DOING THE RIGHT THING. Michigan law recommends that custody decisions be based on which parent has been the primary care giver unless it can be shown that another arrangement is more appropriate, but Pedersen and other noncustodial parents are fighting to modify the law so joint physical custody becomes the norm. They view equal parenting access as a civil rights issue, but opponents say equal time isn't always best for children [d]

NEW DIVORCE ACTIONS In new divorce actions the parents have been jointly responsible for the children in the family is often characterized as “ no custodial environment” which is simply not true. A court cannot enter a new custody order or amend a n new one without first determining if there is a custodial environment.MCL 722.21. Why is this important? Because if the custodial environment is joint mom will have a great burden to take that away from dad. If the there is not a recognized environment mom has a lower burden and dad is punished for having been a good provider leaving the affairs of the home to mom.[trb]

STUPID DECISIONS; "With the pain of a divorce, a lot of stupid decisions are made initially as far as the kids go," said Pedersen, who plans to ride his bike from Lansing to Washington, D.C., this summer to raise awareness of the issue. "There are different contributions that Mom and Dad make to a child, and kids need both of them." [d]

GENDER BIAS Noncustodial fathers think gender bias plays a role in these decisions and reduces them to visitors who pay child support. Children need both parents equally, they say. [d]

LIFE IS FULL OF GOOD PEOPLE WITH THE BEST OF INTENTIONS DOING EVIL But many custodial parents, family law attorneys and domestic violence activists oppose making joint custody mandatory. [d] They say every family is different, and 50-50 custody doesn't work in every situation. [d] It becomes especially difficult when parents live in different school districts or one of them doesn't want joint custody. Another factor is that mandating joint custody can sometimes disrupt a child's stability. [D]

JOINT CUSTODY; The Child Custody Act provides for joint custody MCL 722.27. Joint custody means (a) That the child shall reside alternatively for specific periods with each of the parents.(b) That the parents shall share decision-making authority as to the important decisions affecting the welfare of the child.[trb]

YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO BE TOLD; In a custody the parents must be advised of joint custody.MCL 722.26a. At the request of either party, the court must consider joint custody and it must state on the reasons for granting or denying the request. MCL 722.26a. However, the fact the court must consider an award of joint custody does not mean there is a presumption in favor of it. Wellman v Wellman, 203 Mich App 277, 512 NW2d 68 (1994)

A PARROT SPEAKS "When a child's whole world is changing, we want to keep as much stable in their lives as we can," said Karen Sendelbach, chair of the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan. [d]

TRADITIONAL ARGUMENT DREAMED UP BY ATTORNEYS AND BOUGHT INTO BY DECISION MAKERS Other opponents say noncustodial parents sometimes want joint custody simply to even the score with their ex-partner or to reduce their child support obligation. A noncustodial parent's support payments can drop by as much as 40 percent if the child stays overnight 128 times or more each year. [d]

JUST ABOUT ANYBODY CAN BECOME A LEADER NOW DAYS "The 50-50 custody split is more about people not wanting to feel the other parent has won," said Kent Weichmann, chair of the Legislative Committee of the Family Law Section. [d] "It has nothing to do with the relationship with the child. It's more about who's winning. It also has to do with paying less child support." [d]MORON More dads join movement

RICH HOLLYWOOD SPACE CADETS TO THE RESCUE.... But supporters say this issue is not ever going to go away, especially as more fathers join the movement, including movie stars Alec Baldwin and Denzel Washington. [d] oh boy two actors to the rescue...[trb]

FATHERS CIVIL RIGHTS "It's a civil rights movement that is coming into its own," said David L. Levy, CEO of the Children's Rights Council, based outside Washington, D.C. [d] As the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, argued in a speech to the House of Lords: "Is it not self-evident that the welfare and needs of a child are enhanced and met when there is a father present?" [G] 1.

FATHERS RIGHT TO BE A PARENT "It goes to the core of the right of a human being: the right to be a parent to your child, and of the children to be part of your life." [d]

FATHERS UNFAIRLY TARGETED BY BUREAUCRATS, POLICE AND MEDIA The "Ohio Council for Fathers Rights" says it wants to sue for libel and character defamation. Local 12's Angela Ingram spoke with the group that says some parents are unfairly targeted. [12] 1. The group says this list doesn't make a distinction between people who really don't make any effort to pay a dime of child support and parents who have fallen on hard times. The list seems to go on... and on. They are names of men and women who owe back child support, and now, they're on the sheriff's website. But, it's the label "deadbeat" that a parental rights group says amounts to libel.[12]

CHILD CUSTODY, A BATTLEGROUND Next to child support, child custody is perhaps the most heated issue between parents when they split up and try to restructure their lives with their children. [d]

MOST CASES ARE NOT BASED UPON FRIEND OF THE COURT RECOMMENDATIONS Michigan hasn't kept reports on custody arrangements for several years, but the latest information, in 2003, shows that the Friend of the Court recommended physical custody of the children for mothers in 68 percent of the 14,470 cases that year, while fathers were recommended 12 percent of the time. Joint custody was recommended in 2,717 cases -- about 18 percent. [d] According to the Federal Statistics Office, joint parental responsibility was pursued in 15 per cent of divorce cases in 2000 - when it was first introduced, and in 30 per cent of settlements in 2006. 1. For the co-parenting association, this figure is far too low, as "a child needs both parents".[S] The organization wants joint parenthood and forced mediation to become normal practice so that children's rights are properly respected.[S]

NATIONAL JOINT CUSTODY MOVEMENT While noncustodial mothers are also part of the joint custody movement, it is spearheaded primarily by fathers and appears to be gaining momentum nationally. [d]

INTERNATIONAL JOINT CUSTODY MOVEMENT Joint parental responsibility for children should become the norm for couples that divorce or separate, say Swiss campaigners.[S] Members of the newly formed Swiss Co-parenting Association held a demonstration in the capital, Bern, on Saturday to highlight the current situation, which they claim causes "undue suffering to children".[S]

MICHIGAN IN THE BOTTOM HALF OF STATES THAT PROTECT FATHERS More than 25 states have laws regarding joint custody that are much stronger than Michigan's, Levy said. [d]

JOINT CUSTODY SHOULD BE PRESUMED Since the 1990s, Michigan fathers have been trying to get the laws changed to force the courts to immediately presume equal joint custody. [d]

NEW LAW UNDER CONSIDERATION IN MICHIGAN A hearing was recently held on the fourth bill introduced in the Michigan Legislature, but it was not voted out of the House Judiciary Committee. It includes an exception for unfit parents. [d]

PETITION, CLASS ACTION AND ACTIVE FATHERS In between the four pieces of legislation, the fathers launched a failed petition drive to put the ballot before voters and also were unsuccessful in a class action lawsuit in federal court.[d] Moms' groups eclipsed [d]

DADS ACTIVE IN MICHIGAN Michigan dads say their effort is growing -- four new state organizations support the issue, and their ranks have grown from 5,000 to 20,000 people, said Lake Orion resident Jim Semerad, one of the leaders in Michigan's movement. [d]

GRASS ROOTS The growth appears to be eclipsing grass-roots groups headed by custodial mothers. The Association for the Enforcement of Child Support, a national group, was founded in Toledo in 1984 by activist Geraldine Jensen. She had a base in Ann Arbor for two years, before her 2004 retirement, which galvanized a number of Metro Detroit activists. [d] The organization is now headquartered in Cleveland, has become more virtual and is less visible in Michigan. [d

MOM’S LEADER DISRESPECTS DADS ACES executive director Debbie Klein is not concerned about Michigan fathers' activism. [d] They have always had more time and money to lobby lawmakers, while mothers tend to devote their time to raising the children, she said. [d]

MOM ENCOURAGED TO START FIGHTS SO THERE IS NO JOINT CUSTODY? Joint custody simply cannot work for everyone, Klein said, because some couples are never going to be able to get along. [d] And it's the conflict between the parents in broken families that is most devastating to children, not the actual divorce. [d] "It puts the children in a horrible situation," Klein said. "That's what custody should always be about; it should always be about what's best for the children." [d] 'It's the right thing to do'[d] Many fathers say it's best for children to be with both parents and that they will keep fighting until the law changes in Michigan.[d] "It's the right thing to do," Semerad said.[d] It's also why Pedersen, 36, is training every morning for his 758-mile bike trek in August with five other fathers to spread the word about what they think should be the law of the land. [d] "Kids do best with shared parenting, as long as it doesn't disrupt the school schedule and the parents are fit and willing," Pedersen said. [d] Mediation 1. Fifty per cent of cases of separation or divorce are conflictive and 25 per cent of cases are very conflictive, said Robinson.[S] "Through mediation, instead of working on a loser-winner basis, the mediation would aim to address each parent's positive elements which they can build on," he added.[S] Under the current regime, courts in French-speaking Switzerland seem more supportive of joint parental responsibility than their German-speaking counterparts.[S] In cantons Geneva, Neuchâtel and Vaud, this solution has been pursued in around 40-50 per cent of cases, while it ranges from zero to 15 per cent in majority German-speaking regions.[S] "Judges are slow to take up the new laws," said Robinson to partly explain the differences.[S] He also pointed the finger at the legal profession: "There are powerful lobbies working on behalf of lawyers in national and cantonal parliaments that don't want mediation to take off as it would take away their business."[S]

Posted here by Terry Bankert ...
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[d] Detroit News http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080519/METRO/805190370/1005/LIFESTYLE
[G] GUARDIAN http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/may/20/health.stemcells
[12] Local 12 http://www.local12.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=fc66ba0f-8c81-405c-85b3-64efbec00f9a
[trb] Comments of Terry Bankert to include CAP headlines http://attorneybankert.com/
[S] SWISS INFO http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/front/A_child_needs_both_parents.html?siteSect=108&sid=9100600&cKey=1211183859000&ty=st

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