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How to survive the coming food shortage.

4 Responses to “ACTION ALERT”

1. 
   1
   Denis Says:
   October 20th, 2005 at 7:44 pm

   I sent PBS the following email via Glenn Sack’s website regarding their assault on fatherhood and included the reply I received from Madison of PBS.

   There was no reply concerning contacting Ned Holstein as requested. PBS (Madison) simply spewed the same ol’e tried and true propaganda. Such as:

   “However, the fact remains that the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Medical Association (AMA) have not recognized PAS as legitimate science. ”

   “Research shows that “while women are less likely than men to be victims of violent crimes overall, women are five to eight times more likely than men to be victimized by an intimate partner. (U.S. Department of Justice, Violence by Intimates: Analysis of Data on Crimes by Current or Former Spouses, Boyfriends, and Girlfriends, March 1998). ”

   “Nevertheless, we recognize that men are also victims and men are also sometimes victimized by family courts, but it is overwhelmingly women who are victims. In all cases, the children are the victims. ”

   Wednesday, October 19, 2005

   Dear PBS & Affiliates:
   I am writing to you concerning PBS’s new documentary “Breaking the Silence: Children’s Stories,” which airs on PBS affiliates across the country on Thursday, October 20. “Breaking the Silence” is an extremely one-sided, anti-father film which presents a harmful and inaccurate view of divorce and child custody.

   While we respect the misguided filmmakers’ right to air their views, we seek a meaningful opportunity to present the other side of this issue on PBS and its affiliates. PBS receives public funding and has a responsibility to provide balanced coverage. Please contact Ned Holstein, president of Fathers & Families, at (617) 542-9300 to discuss how we can resolve this issue.

   Sincerely: Denis

   Website: http://www.glennsacks.com/pbs

   —————————————————————————
   (the following is the reply from PBS:)

   Thank you for taking the time to write to PBS about your concerns regarding BREAKING THE SILENCE: CHILDREN’S STORIES. Comments from our viewers – both positive and negative – are the best guides we have to make future programming decisions.

   We have forwarded your observations to the filmmakers – producer Dominique Lasseur and director Catherine Tatge – who have asked us to share their thoughts about the documentary with you.

   “When we began this project over a year ago, our goal was to produce a documentary about domestic violence and children. We had no preconceived notions about the issue … no specific agenda to prove or disprove. The finished documentary is simply a result of where countless hours of extensive research and interviews took us. These are the real stories of real women who lost custody of their children when Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) was used as scientific proof in their family court cases. These were the stories we found over and over again.

   There have been a number of concerns raised regarding Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) and how it is addressed in the piece. We do not make the assertion that the phenomenon of alienation does not exist, simply that PAS is wrongly used as scientific proof to justify taking children away from a protective parent. We as filmmakers are in no position to determine the scientific validity of PAS. However, the fact remains that the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Medical Association (AMA) have not recognized PAS as legitimate science.

   Some individuals have expressed concern that the documentary only features the stories of women as the victims of domestic violence. Research shows that “while women are less likely than men to be victims of violent crimes overall, women are five to eight times more likely than men to be victimized by an intimate partner.” (U.S. Department of Justice, Violence by Intimates: Analysis of Data on Crimes by Current or Former Spouses, Boyfriends, and Girlfriends, March 1998). If we had featured the stories of one man and five women who had been victims of domestic abuse, statistically we would have grossly overstated the problems of men in this area. Nevertheless, we recognize that men are also victims and men are also sometimes victimized by family courts, but it is overwhelmingly women who are victims. In all cases, the children are the victims.

   These are difficult and controversial issues that stir human emotions. Nothing can galvanize one’s passion like the welfare of a child. We understand certain individuals will never be completely satisfied with the information presented in the documentary. All we can do is offer, in the most open and transparent manner, the reasoning and research that went into this program.”

   We appreciate your interest in PBS programming and hope that you will continue to enjoy and support your local PBS member station.

   Sincerely,
   Madison
   PBS Viewer Services

2. 
   2
   Jim Smith Says:
   October 21st, 2005 at 7:26 am

   Here’s what I wrote to those hate filled feminists at PBS:

   Dear Sir or Madame,

   “BREAKING THE SILENCE” MUST BE CANCELED!

   I am writing to protest the airing of “Breaking the Silence”. The show is an anti-father, anti-male propaganda hit piece. It gives a false representation
   of every issue it touches on: child abuse, custody cases, “parental alienation syndrome”, and issues surrounding domestic violence. In short, the show is unfair, tendentious, and aimed at hurting fathers and men.

   Given the state of PBS in the public’s mind and its tenuous, never ending funding battles with congress it would be wise to cancel the show. Do you want to give the people who would “zero-out” PBS more ammunition? I (a supporter) am actually starting to think they have a point!

3. 
   3
   Denis Says:
   October 21st, 2005 at 7:47 am

   This is what N.O.W. has been sending out.

   (Note: the statement contained therein

   “we know that PBS is being flooded with emails from bogus “fathers’ rights” activists opposing the airing of the film.”

   From N.O.W.:

   Must See TV on PBS Tonight

   On Thursday October 20 at 10pm EST, PBS will be airing a documentary titled “Breaking the Silence: Children’s Stories,” depicting a national family court scandal that is putting children into the hands of a physically or sexually abusive parent. Nationwide, supporters of battered mothers in custody challenges have been demonstrating at family courthouses and other locations in support of the documentary and in protest of the court scandal.

   The film is generally set to air on Thursday, October 20, but different show times are possible, including Friday or the weekend. To get more information about the documentary and to see when it is airing in your area, go to: http://www.pbs.org/stationfinder/index.html and type the title of the documentary in the search field. If the PBS station in your area is not airing it, please call your local station and insist that they do. Your local station phone numbers can be found at the web site listed above.

   It is important that we make sure that all local public television stations air the show and that we tune in for this program to show our support for PBS and their commitment to showing this documentary. Please send your own message to Pat Mitchell, CEO of PBS to show your appreciation to PBS for airing this important film.

   Your emails are especially important, as we know that PBS is being flooded with emails from bogus “fathers’ rights” activists opposing the airing of the film. You may use our suggested comments or enter your own.

   More great TV: Lifetime Mini-Series Dramatizes Tragedy of Human Trafficking

   On Monday, Oct. 24, and Tuesday, Oct. 25 at 9 p.m. EST, Lifetime television network will premiere Human Trafficking, a two-night miniseries that exposes the terror and abuses of the trade. Academy Award winner Mira Sorvino and Donald Sutherland star.

   Human trafficking is the buying and selling of individuals for the purposes of slave labor and sexual exploitation. This illegal practice is estimated to bring in $10 billion a year for its criminal operators. The U.S. government estimates that approximately 800,000 people are abducted from their homes and trafficked into another country; about 15,000 are brought into the U.S. each year In addition, millions more are untraceably trafficked within their own borders. Women and girls are disproportionately represented among the victims – about 80% of the estimated total. Many are beaten, threatened with their lives or their relatives’ lives, often locked up and kept from talking to anyone who could help them and generally find it extremely difficult to escape. Visit the miniseries website to learn more about the dangers of human trafficking.

   Thanks to both PBS and Lifetime for airing programming that addresses such important women’s rights issues.

4. 
   4
   MrBidden Says:
   October 21st, 2005 at 9:26 am

   ….sent to the NOW website

   SAN FRANCISCO – A woman accused of dropping her three children to their
   deaths in the chilly waters of San Francisco Bay was arrested while
   pushing an empty stroller away from the pier and was jailed Thursday on
   suspicion of murder.

   http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/cb/publications/cm03/figure4_2.htm

   Parental Status of Perpetrators
   Three-quarters (78.2%) of child fatalities were caused by one or more
   parents (figure 4-2).5 Almost one-third (30.5%) of fatalities were
   perpetrated by the mother acting alone.6 Nonparental perpetrators
   (e.g.,
   other relative, foster parent, residential facility staff, other, legal
   guardian, etc.) were responsible for 17.7 percent of fatalities.

   Sincerely,

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