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In the last few days I've been forced to reflect on what makes me different from the others in this area - why I cannot align myself with the NCFC, ACFC, or (at least of those to date) all of the other organizations in my work for children and justice. I have been forced to conclude that these groups are not, in fact, putting children first in their deliberations and activities, but are rather using children as the same kind of human shield that I have decried on countless occasions. And that, my friends, makes for a lonely fight indeed! I find myself increasing at odds with many groups and organizations that, on the surface, would appear to be allies. Groups that are out there to fight some of the injustices that men, for example, suffer in the family courts. It is easy to align with these causes, for, as a man, I do see what is frequently done there. It is also easy to see the fact that children do better in a two-parent household, and that some of these groups would benefit kids if their reforms were to come to pass. I have concluded, however, that the benefit to children from their policies is incidental rather than inherent, and worse, that even if the benefit to children was not there, they would hold onto their positions anyway. The Elian Gonzalez case is a good example. Everyone was falling over themselves to use Elian in one way or another. The feminists were crowing about how Elian should stay "where his mother intended". Politicians were fawning over campaign contributions from Little Havana, parroting whatever will make those people happy; there was nearly three quarters of a million dollars "given" to candidates. The men's rights activists were howling about how Elian's Dad - his sole surviving biological parent - must get his kid back. The latter, by the way, happens to be morally and ethically correct, in my opinion, but these people were pushing their point from the wrong agenda, and being right for an unjust reason is still wrong! Another organization told me that while they liked what I was doing with my petition drive, they could not support it unless I removed all references to child support, because that issue is the "third rail" in politics. The problem with removing the link between shared parenting and child support abatement, of course, is that a person who has all their money taken for child support cannot afford shared parenting, and it is precisely the lower economic classes - the working poor and lower-middle class - where the benefits for children of that arrangement are most pronounced! When you boil this down, reality is that these groups are essentially all looking at this problem through adult eyes, not the eyes of kids. What's worse, they're using children as their banner to wave around in front of lawmakers for their own adult agenda. Why? Because it works - who wants to vote against the image of a two-year-old smiling child (or take the risk of your opponent trotting out that image in the next campaign)? The problem with this, however, is that these groups no more represent the best interests of children than does a Mako Shark circling for its next meal (with apologizes to the Sharks of the world!) The positions at this web site are the for the explicit purpose of resolving problems that children face. This site is about, and I am about, destroying the perverse incentives to have children out of wedlock, to destroy families, and to place children at risk. This goal and purpose drives the policy positions I take - not the other way around - which means that there are no third rails - except those that place kids at risk. Shared parenting and the end of our current child support system isn't about helping men or women. Its about recognizing the same priorities and rights that a child has in a married family and getting rid of the incentives that currently exist to be selfish for the explicit purpose and love of money - a uniquely adult perspective that children neither understand or benefit from. Its about getting rid of the concept and idea of taking children as human shields in adult wars, regardless of who's doing it or why. And its about facing the fact that, as near as I can determine, it is my opinion that there are no current national organizations that are honestly dealing with these issues solely from the viewpoint of the children. Karl S. Denninger |