Wednesday, December 30, 2015

2016 Indiana Child Custody Legislative Agenda

The following proposals on child custody and well-being matters are those which I sent to each member of the Indiana General Assembly today. I do not intend for any legislation to be introduced during the 2016 session as it is a short session but do anticipate that members will begin the process of getting these ideas into bils for the 2017 session.

Presumptive Shared Parenting
It is well established that both mothers and fathers contribute significantly to the development and well-being of a child. In our modern society rife with differentiation in business and social roles the concept of mother and father, each with their presumptive respective gender based roles, has largely disappeared. Yet, often times it is apparent in court that mothers’ are cloaked with a presumption of entitlement to custody of the children while fathers challenging mothers are put in the position of having to show that she is unfit. Even when parental abandonment and voluntary agreements are considered, mothers are still overwhelmingly the primary custodial parents. On paper the statutory law says that there is no presumption favouring either parent but in practice there is a marked presumption.
Presumptive Shared Parenting would change the dynamics of custody litigation away from fighting for time to preserving it. A court would have to start with a presumption that both parents will equally share parenting time. This could then be rebutted by agreement, work schedules, parental fitness, or other considerations the court feels impacts upon the best interest of the child.
Proposed legislation may be viewed HERE.

Electronic Communication Time
Following my presentation on Electronic Communication Time to the Domestic Relations Committee of the Indiana Judicial Center, Electronic Communication Time was added to the Indiana Parenting Time Guidelines as a new section replacing telephone contact. Since then I have regularly received reports of recalcitrant and alienating parents denying Electronic Communication Time. Additionally, some judicial officers are not intimately familiar with the prefered modicums of communication employed by our current adolescent generation and that, often, households no longer have a “telephone”. Statutory guidance on establishing or crafting electronic communication orders and enforcing them will enhance parent-child relationships.
Proposed legislation may be viewed HERE.

Marijuana Decriminalization
I am going to intentionally avoid disclosing whether I have ever used marijuana but I do propose that it is the lazy man’s way of altering consciousness or affecting mood. I begin each day with a routine of stretching and meditation which, along with a diet consisting of “food” only I feel provides a well-balanced physical and mental state that leaves me feeling fulfilled in life. I have been engaging myself in the company of regular users of marijuana and interviewing them as well as collateral resources about the effect of that herb. What I have found is that typical parents who use marijuana are more accepting of the errors, imperfections, are challenges posed by their children. Parents have self-reported that as their marijuana use increased and alcohol use decreased they have become less hostile or abusive in their behaviours toward children. All seemed to express that use of marijuana is time and place sensitive and that it is viewed the same as tobacco cigarettes in regards to use by their children.
The greater harm that I see from marijuana criminalization is the impact upon families. When a parent is arrested and jailed for a marijuana offense loss of employment may be a consequence. Additionally there may be legal fees. More damaging though is that it takes a parent out of the household and imposes a greater burden on the remaining parent if there is one. The financial impact, loss of parenting time, and increased stress upon all parties impacts children the hardest. An objective analysis of the impact of marijuana clearly demonstrates that the costs of criminalization, especially on children, far exceeds any benefit which may exist.

Mandatory mediation/settlement conference
As I specialize in advising attorneys and parents engaged in high conflict child custody battles I tend to view child custody cases from the worst case scenario. Through my observations and the dialogue I have had with numerous judicial officers in our family courts it is these high conflict cases, less than 10% of all, which account for the majority of court resource usage. I feel that it is therefore necessary to first try to ameliorate the underlying causes of conflict.
Some judges take the simple step of captioning their cases as “in re: the marriage of” followed by the naming of the petitioner and respondent joined by “and” rather than “versus” which may reduce conflict by not framing the dissolution as a battle from the onset. I propose that before ever appearing court that the parties attend a mediation session in which numerous elements of a child custody case are addressed and the mediator forwards to the court a report of the agreed upon issues and what remains contested. Effective mediators are able to help parents understand their continuing role as partners in being parents while acknowledging that their role as partners in a mutual relationship to each other is being divested. If this happens early in the process the likelihood of success is much greater than when it is imposed by a judge after years of prolonged hearings and hostilities between parents.
My proposal may be viewed HERE.

Parenting Time Counselor
In the past year I came to the Domestic Relations Committee with an idea about creating a means by which parents, attorneys, and judges could get answers to questions about the Indiana Parenting Time Guidelines [IPTG]. There was already work being done by FSSA to create a parenting time hotline which has now been implemented. However, I would like to see it taken a step further. I propose that the State of Indiana create a Parenting Time Counselor [PTC] whose responsibilities and activities would tend to mimic that of the Public Access Counselor [PAC] who address complaints and provides opinions as to whether Indiana’s open door or public access laws have been violated.
Before seeking to have a court hearing on an alleged violation of the IPTG a parent would be required to file a complaint with the PTC who would issue an opinion. A parent who goes against the PTC’s opinion would presumptively be held in contempt upon further court hearing. Assessment of attorney fees could also be contingent upon a PTC opinion. Like the PAC the PTC could also be used by the public official - in this case the judge - to give an opinion about application or interpretation of the IPTG.
This position could be an extension of that currently in place under FSSA. Statutorily a portion of fines imposed for contempt could be assigned to the office of the PTC. I believe that it would reduce the use of court resources and as such some of the savings there could be transferred to the PTC. I have not prepared any legislation on this matter but only submit it to you as an idea for your consideration.

The School Day
I was first expelled from school in Grade 6. I couldn’t get out of high school quick enough. Following a series of disciplinary actions, failing grades, absences which exceeded attendance, taking a hiatus to train at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, and a general state of chaos I was “given” a diploma and shown the door after seven semesters. My pursuit of education was then able to flourish as well as my athletic career. Unfortunately, within months of obtaining my professional standing I was struck by a truck and managed to survive that lethal collision.
My objection to school is that I saw it as training rather than education. That there was no emphasis placed upon developing the students as whole people with broad knowledge. In my ongoing observations and discussions with students what I saw 35 years ago in Grade 6 have only been exacerbated. The emphasis on academic performance and test scores over general health and well-being has reached such a climax as to reduce academic performance and test scores while inducing a plethora of harms to students’ minds and bodies.
Here is a meditation for you; To improve academic achievement students need to get out of the classroom. After you have contemplated that proposition you may read my explanation HERE.

A Child Focused Perspective
Finally, in considering any legislation I asked that you attempt to view it through the lens of the impact it may have on children. As an example, I was attending a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on another matter when an insurance bill was read which would have kept vehicle crash reports from public access for a period of, I believe 30 days. I made impromptu comments based upon what I perceived could be an adverse effect on children. I proposed a scenario where when a parent picks up a child for weekend parenting time the child talks about being in a police car and mommy/daddy being in an ambulance. It is determined that the parent and child had been in a car wreck but no other information is available because the report is withheld from public access for 30 days. Because the parent driving had less than a .08 BAC no criminal charge was filed. However, that action is still very relevant to the best interest of the child and a 30 day delay in getting the matter before the court could prove catastrophic for the child. It was tabled and amended the next day based upon my comments.
Just as in this scenario, the impact of legislation upon children will often have an unintended consequence that requires a critical view of the legislation rather than only that of the anticipated or desired outcome. Please feel free to call upon me anytime for an opinion about legislation or your thoughts on proposed legislation. As I see bills posted that I feel are deserving of commentary I will send updates to you.

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Monday, December 28, 2015

Inducing action to improve Child Custody outcomes by identifying a need

I was once waiting in a line starting at three a.m. and upon awakening from my brief slumber which was upon the asphalt surface surrounding the building I began my stretching and meditation routine. The guy whom I was assisting sighed and exclaimed, “I wish I had that type of discipline.” I explained to him as I write here. It’s not discipline but part of fulfilling my biological need for exercise.

I previously wrote in My Top 10 Priorities about the needs which we all actually have plus some other activities that give my life meaning and fulfillment. I felt that what I had originally listed there then was rather comprehensive although when cruising around with Rupert Boneham one evening the subject of needs was broached and he mentioned that fire, or heat, was a need. Coming from someone who had been on the show Survivor multiple times I gave his inclusion of heat as a need full weight and amended my list.

As for exercise being a need it cannot be considered an absolute need as there have been plenty of long-term comatose patients who were bedridden and did not exercise. If however, optimal health or longevity is sought then exercise is essential to achieving those outcomes.

As for me, I seek both. I seek longevity and having a robust active lifestyle while I am biologically plugging away. I have created such a strong predisposition in myself for the attachment of the chemical connectedness to the flow produced from my exercise and meditation routines that it can impede my studies and productivity. Like those who habitually use caffeine, marijuana, cocaine or any other psychoactive drug to alter their mood I use exercise to achieve the same. If I miss my routine I clearly am in a different mood and may get headaches, be irritable, or lethargic. There have been times when I have engaged in vigorous exercise for greater than five hours knowing I should stop but also thriving on the serotonin rush. Thus, I now employ strategies, such as time blocking, to ensure that I do not allow myself to be consumed by physical activity.

By framing exercise in the realm of need, just as oxygen or food, it is no longer considered optional. Every day I awaken and know that I will soon be attending to my needs. Breathing comes naturally as does excreting processed food which tends to set its own schedule. Just like eating, exercise is scheduled - usually prior to eating so as not to have smooth muscles competing with striated [skeletal] muscles for blood supply.

It may seem that doing such things as changing diet, ceasing the use of toxins and mood altering chemicals, and initiating an exercise routine into a lifestyle in which those needs have been neglected is an unsurmountable task. This feeling is more prominent in those people who have been given plans that are set-up to insure failure. I, however, have strategies available to clients that ensures their success in reframing these actions as needs. There is a different need that is of equal or greater importance for parents and children involved in child custody battles.

In child custody cases needs for parents and the children are greater than those of the ordinary person. Continuing with the optimal well-being qualification, attentiveness to children, respect for the other parent, and establishing a long-range view of the relationships with all persons involved can be viewed as essential supplemental needs.

Children have a range of reactions to parental conflict or the reordering of their relationship. Children need parents who are cognizant of and attentive to their reactions to the conflict or turmoil and the effect it is having on them. Attentive parents will act to ensure that their actions are in alignment with fulfilling the needs of the children. This may require going against cultural norms and standing up to pressures from family and friends who lack the greater insight of an attentive and mindful parent.

The United States, especially among the plains and mountain regions, is predominantly imbued by an honour culture. Aggression and violence are expected and often sanctified as means of defending one’s honour or rightful place in the hierarchy of respect. Thus, there is a cultural resistance to substituting the well-being of children for the honour demands of a parent. Likewise, parents who have been a part of organized aggression and violence against children with built in honours, such as serving in the US imperial armed forces, may find this to be a greater challenge but I do have strategies that enable them to come to a child centered cognitive focus.

Children need the attention, affection, respect, and reassurances that both parents can provide during or following a reordering of the parental relationship. By being mindful of every action and attentive to the effect upon the children it is easy to reframe a desire to seek retribution or accountability against the other parent for committing a perceived offense to a thought such as “I need to not perpetuate the conflict and trust myself that I am modeling an appropriate behaviour that my child will understand is in his or her best interest.”

Parents each showed great reverence to the other when establishing that life-long bond surrounding mutual child creation and rearing. Children need for their parents to continue that respect throughout their lives. As a parent who is respectful of your child and his or her needs it is incumbent upon you to continue to revere the other parent for his or her part in creating the child with you and to comply with the court orders regardless of whether that respect or obedience is reciprocated.

If I have yet to be convincing at this point then imagine this scenario. Your child is snuggled with his or her future spouse compiling a list of to whom wedding invitations are to be sent. The fiance notices that your child has not included either parent and mentions such. Your child then begins crying and explains that both parents are so bitter towards each other and argue so often that he or she fears inviting them because they may cause a scene and it wouldn’t be fair to invite one and not the other because they both cause the fights.

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Thursday, December 24, 2015

Tis the Season to Obscure Truth and Harm Your Relationships

I often expound upon the value of truth and how people should be mindful of their deceptions and attempt to be honestly accurate. Truth is essential to the well-being of children. Societies or groups of people who extoll the value of honesty and Truth are populated by healthier and happier people.

Deceptiveness and lies are often so ingrained into our culture that, as adults, they are nearly imperceptible to us. In this rationation I will provide two examples from our common parlance that are based upon disproven mythology or superstition but are nonetheless still reinforced through common daily vernacular. But before I do that I will explore some blatant lies that befall us during this season.

The winter solstice provides an opportunity to confront the deceptions and lies that were built upon ancient pagan rituals by the cults which evolved and adapted these early practices into their mythology and rituals. The winter solstice represents the reemergence of the sun. The daylight hours begin extending on that day and reach their pinnacle at the summer solstice. Celebrations and rituals during the winter solstice recognized that Earth was awakening, being reborn, and that vegetation would soon flourish again.

Cults, such as Mithraism, popular during the second century CE developed a mythology surrounding the winter solstice. This included 25 December as the birthday of the Roman god known as the "Unconquered Sun". Mithraism was a secretive cult whose members came largely from the officials of government and administrative workers. Constantine was known to have identified himself with the pagan worship of the Sun celebrated on 25 December before his conversion to Christianity. Constantine formalized Christianity and made it the state religion in 324 CE.[en1]

Like Christianity, as other new cults evolve they adapt existing mythology and ritual as a means of easing converts into their ranks by conditioning them through practices or concepts that were somewhat familial. Christianity did this through portrayals of Jesus of Nazareth as having a birthdate near the winter solstice rather than the date of his actual birth which was more likely in the Spring.[en2]

Equally as untrue as the recognized birthdate of Jesus of Nazareth being his actual birthdate is the lie about Santa Claus. I won’t go in-depth about that here because I already wrote about it in Teaching your Children about Santa Claus, or; Why it's best to Beat your Child with a Stick. Quickly though the Santa Claus mythology is a complex structure of lies that a great many people participate in and perpetuate to unsuspecting, trusting children. There is no single person flying through the air in a sleigh pulled by reindeer delivering packages, individually, to nearly a billion children throughout the world in a single day. It’s a blatant lie of which you are likely quite aware - now that you are no longer a child.

Interestingly, other mythology which is just as absurd and illogical continues to be perpetuated by those duped into also believing them when indoctrinated as youngsters. Even over their protests of chastity and not naming a father we logically know that in the 1950s and 1960s there weren’t thousands of Catholic school girls being shipped off to the home of a relative in another town to complete their pregnancy who had not engaged in sexual intercourse.[en3] Such girls were considered sluts and the claim of a virgin birth would not be uncommon to counter the social stigma. Yet there are people throughout the world so disillusioned as to believe that some woman who, according to scripture would have been stoned to death, instead of admitting to an adulterous sexual relationship also protested against allegations of sexual intercourse -- and people believed her.

The perpetuation of lies is often as a result of ignorance but equally purposeful in an intent to deceive. So now I come to the crux of this rationation where I stress the importance of being mindful of your language and the implications derived from the meaning applied to the words. This is critical for children because they do not have the experience nor abstract reasoning capabilities to fully comprehend the implied or assumed meanings present in language that, on its face, transmits a different message. A child overhearing adults speaking in a condescending tone about so and so “sleeping together” may question his or her own value because during nap time at the child warehousing center the children all “sleep together” on their mats on the floor.

When someone sneezes do you say “bless you”? Have you referred to the Sun as “rising” in the morning? Both of these have cult origins and the bases for both have been soundly scientifically disproven although each still receives support in somewhat of a liturgical sense.

The Abrahamic cults hold a geocentric model of the universe - that Earth is standing still at the center of the universe. A substantial majority of the people of the world now hold a heliocentric view of our solar system - that the Sun occupies a stationary point in the center of our solar system and the planets rotating on their axes revolve around it. Galileo’s become an advocate of the work of the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus and in the year 1610 Galileo published his heliocentric observations. His initial discoveries were met with opposition within the Catholic Church, and in 1616 the Inquisition declared heliocentrism to be formally heretical. The Church held the biblical view that the Sun revolved around the earth.[en4] Heliocentric books were banned and Galileo was ordered to refrain from holding, teaching or defending heliocentric ideas. The Roman Inquisition tried Galileo in 1633 and found him "vehemently suspect of heresy", sentencing him to indefinite imprisonment. Galileo was kept under house arrest until his death in 1642.[en5]

Although the cults attempt to keep their adherents ignorant of Truth, Truth being what it is -- self-evident -- reveals itself to enlightened people. Vestiges of the deceptions and lies remain embedded in our culture and language. People often still reinforce the geocentric view of the universe by attributing movement to the Sun rather than Earth in declaring that the Sun “rises” in the morning. Accurately and without allegiance to either universal view is that the Sun “appears” just as your clothing may appear in the morning when you open a closet door although neither the clothing nor room moved.

Church leaders mandated to propound dogma are not the only professionals to ignore Truth and advocate mythology, superstition of falsehoods. Microorganisms were first discovered by Anton van Leeuwenhoek in 1675 with the invention of the microscope. Nearly 200 years later is was Louis Pasteur who made the connection between microbes and infectious illnesses. Initially his findings were ridiculed by the medical community which was still largely under cult influence.[en6]

The great majority of people in the world now hold the view that viruses or bacteria are the cause of illness that befall us and produce the symptoms of lethargy, irritability, headache, congestion, runny nose and yes - sneezing. Yet a great many people still perpetuate the cult based fallacy that such illness and associated symptoms are the result of demon possession. Sneezes are not the bodies attempt at self-exorcism for which one needs to be “blessed”. Sneezes are simply the result of irritation to the nasal passages that can be caused by bacterial or viral infection.

The involuntary act of sneezing and its related air exchange has been assigned meaning by many cultures. Commonly the air exchange is referred to as out with the bad and in with the good. The expulsion and repudiation implied in sneezing is yet glanced at in the saying that such a thing is "not to be sneezed at." Hindu, Muslim, and Christian texts all give account to evil spirits entering or being expelled from the body through air passages.

While the rational mind can know Truth, for many people who are so invested in cults and don’t want to admit being deceived they hold onto the deceptions through culture and ritual as it was declared they should. Pope Leo XIII said that when the proofs of physical science contradict scripture that people are to believe scripture and “at all events we must, without the smallest hesitation, believe it to be so."[en7]

Various popes have defended scripture by attacking those who reveal contradictions or Truth as doing so with an evil motive. Pope Pius XII in quoting St. Augustine claims that their analysis ignores that when god spoke to man he “did not intend to teach men these things – that is the essential nature of the things of the universe.”[en8] Rather it was the intention of god that man remain ignorant of sciences.

The Catholic Church imprisoned Galileo for his revelation of Truth. It wasn’t until the decision of the Congregation of the Holy Office in 1822 as ratified by Pope Pius VII that the prohibition on the publication of books treating of the earth's motion in accordance with Truth, such as Galileo’s 1632 Dialogue, was rescinded.

For those who were deceived, lied to actually, and then who become aware of Truth through an admission -- such as that of the Catholic Church -- or via other means feel that a sense of trust has been violated. Children who placed their lives in trust of parents feel this when the falsehood of Santa Claus is revealed. Spouses experience this when infidelities are revealed. The pains and pangs on deceptions are not a result of the underlying act itself but in the subjective experience of betrayal or the insult of being duped. We may hear this expressed as “How could I have been so stupid?” Lies damage relationships. I contend, more so than the act of betrayal.

If you are not mindful of what you say you may not only be perpetuating an absurdity and casting doubt upon your intelligence but you may be reflecting messages that are not aligned with your actual feelings. The English language with its grammatical structure, when used properly, is so precise that there is no room for ambiguity or misperception. From the linguistic perspective it counts more as to what is perceived rather than as to what is said, which any good speech writer knows. In the case of high conflict parents or children one must consider the lens through which these people of differing experiences will perceive what is said. Being mindful of language improves communication -- the key to successful relationships.

notes

[1] Constantine, who had converted to Christianity, defeated Licinius in battles at Adrianople and Chrysopolis in 324CE leaving him as the sole rule of the Roman Empire. Constantine then advanced Christianity throughout the empire.
[2] Some theologians have suggested that Jesus was born in the spring, based on the biblical narrative that shepherds were watching over their flocks in the fields on the night of Jesus' birth.
[3] Fessler, Ann. The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v. Wade. Penguin Books, 2006
[4] The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. [Joshua 10:14]
[5] Mayer, Thomas F. The Roman Inquisition: Trying Galileo. University of Pennsylvania Press.
[6] C N Trueman "Louis Pasteur" historylearningsite.co.uk. The History Learning Site, 17 Mar 2015.
[7] Pope Leo XIII Quoting St. Augustine in PROVIDENTISSIMUS DEUS: ENCYCLICAL OF POPE LEO XIII ON THE STUDY OF HOLY SCRIPTURE. Given at St. Peter's, at Rome, 18 November, 1893.
[8] Pope Pius XII quoting St. Augustine in Divino Afflante Spiritu (On Promoting Biblical Studies) Given at Rome, at St. Peter's, on 30 September 1943

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Thursday, December 17, 2015

Courts rules are set-up to impede the truth

While we may hear such precepts as Justice is Blind which presumes that a judicial officer favours no party I do contend that Justice has a wide eye open and that it is looking for ways to obscure Truth. Testors in court swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth which I explored in YMCA, fraud and why you should read the contract. Truth, I have contended, cannot be told but rather revealed because Truths are self-evident as I alluded to in Courtroom Procedure - The Facts on the Truth. Semantics aside let’s say that witnesses are to accurately reflect conditions as they existed, feelings as realized, and speculation as to causes and future probabilities. I apply these aspects of testimony to lay witnesses and experts -- lay witnesses first.

The two most effective and powerful truth serums are the emotion of anger accompanied by its relative neurotransmitters and alcohol. When the emotion of anger surfaces in an individual his thoughts become concentrated in the amygdala -- the primal or reactive part of the brain. Neurotransmitters called catecholamines are released and increase arousal and our defenses. During this stressful event, which is compounded by trying to stay calm on the witness stand, cortisol and norepinephrine are released which also inhibit cognitive functioning.

The amygdala is so efficient at warning us about threats, that it gets us reacting before the cortex, which is responsible for thought and judgment, is able to check on the reasonableness of our reaction. In other words, our brains are wired in such a way as to influence us to speak or act before we can consider the consequences of or inhibit our actions.

Thus, when the brain is operating in the fight or flight zone as it prepares for anger-induced battle and is asked to recall information which may require the performance of a cognitive function -- in the cortex - such as creating a fabrication to avoid potential embarrassment, culpability, or some other undesirable response the brain is unlikely to do so. While in its fight or flight mode -- impulse oriented -- the brain doesn’t have time to think through various scenarios before making a life preserving selection. Thus, the response to a query of one’s memory will produce an impulsive response. That response is more likely to be accurate rather than molded to reflect what the subject desires to reveal or withhold.

An example, although fictional, is when Jack Nicholson as the character Col. Jessup in A Few Good Men is driven to anger and an outburst on the witness stand in which he proclaims that he did order the Code Red although he had adamantly denied such when cool and collected while using his frontal lobe to formulate fictitious responses.



In the courtroom attempts to incite a witness to anger can draw objections -- badgering the witness, being argumentative, asked and answered, and the like. The intent being that witnesses should deliver their testimony in a calm and civil manner respecting the formal decorum of the courtroom. But this is not conducive to extracting truthful testimony from a reluctant and cunning testor. If calm is desired then administering a depressant such as alcohol should be the order of the day. Not only would the witness be calm but the alcohol would diminish inhibitions which may be consciously held to block the accurate reflection of feeling, intent, or testimony that may be damaging to a favoured party. This is why drunkards are so often said to have made comments or acted in a manner viewed as inappropriate. This is only a reflection of the person’s natural inclinations which are no longer inhibited by the dictates of manners or deception. That is, the drunkard expresses his true self. Courts, however, considers witnesses under the influence of alcohol to not be competent to testify. If truth is sought then alcohol is likely the only way some witnesses would be competent to testify.

Another category of witness is the ancillary professionals who are to be providing objective information to the court across a broad spectrum of disciplines. In child custody cases these generally include mental health professionals and custody evaluators. These expert witnesses are often selected by a party through an interview process or upon research as to their propensity to advocate a particular position or bias. The expert conducts his work and is then queried by the party’s attorney to assess whether the expert’s testimony will be beneficial to the party’s position. Finally, the expert witness is counseled on what to expect during the trial interrogation. Sometimes parties will employ redundant experts and then select the one most favourable as the party’s testifying expert.

When I am employed to perform an assessment of a parent or report on my observations I do not disclose to the party to what my anticipated testimony will include. This ensures that my testimony is objective and provides more credence as I cannot be declared to be a hired gun advocating the party’s position. My purpose is to assist parents in developing behaviours and parenting styles that are conducive to improve parent-parent and parent-child relationships not to ‘winning’ a case for him or her. Prior disclosure of findings or anticipated testimony to a party allows a party to suppress that evidence by not calling that expert as a witness. Thus, the court is deprived of additional accurate, or rather unbiased, information.

As with any system scripted by a structure or rules the outcomes are more likely to produce results tainted by the biases of those influencing the composition of the rules rather than delivering genuine results.

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Tuesday, December 8, 2015

The Irony in an Unintentional Result of Selfishness

I suppose this posting could be classified under numerous categories -- health, morals, personal responsibility, logic, or economics. The crux of the story revolves around seeking medical treatment for obesity induced heart disease.

The subject is a man related to me somehow like my mother’s father’s sister’s husband’s brother’s son whatever that would be or something along that vein of far removed relations. I’m not adept at keeping track of genealogy. Anyway, while this guy endeavored to maintain his massive girth his heart was suffering the consequences. Thus, he had already undergone numerous cardiological treatments which likely included some surgeries. As a retired member of the US military he was entitled to receive services from the Veteran’s Administration hospitals -- which he did.

Now onto the values lesson producing part of this story. Instead of modifying his lifestyle to a healthy mode he chose to relocate from Chicago to some place out in the Great Plains states where a VA hospital that supposedly has a better cardiatric unit was located.

Relocating his residence and entire family across the country so he could be more conveniently located to his bodily neglect repair center was a costly undertaking. There are people who simply make a trip on their own periodically for treatment rather than relocate an entire household, which could be less costly. Maintaining or shifting to a healthy lifestyle would cost still less. Alas though this guy took the most costly route.

There was more than the financial costs associated with relocating or the costs of having taxpayers fund his lifestyle. The cost to him in abandoning a moral requisite was a unintentional effect -- karma. While unloading his belongings upon arrival at his new residence he dropped dead of a heart attack.

Sometimes selfishness does reveal its cost immediately. Live healthy, if not for yourself then for the children who rely upon you.

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