Category: Blog

Los Angeles, CA–“I remember telling them nothing happened to me…Anytime I would give them an answer that they didn’t like, they would ask again and encourage me to give them the answer they were looking for. It was really obvious what they wanted…”

In several posts lately we’ve discussed how impressionable children can be manipulated into having fake memories or telling adults whatever they think adults want to hear. One of the best examples of this is the McMartin Pre-School case.

In November, 2005 the Los Angeles Times published the article “McMartin Pre-Schooler: ‘I Lied’: A long-delayed apology from one of the accusers in the notorious McMartin Pre-School molestation case.” It is a horrifying read.

Kyle Zirpolo, now 30 years-old, writes:

“[As a child] I remember them asking extremely uncomfortable questions about whether Ray [Buckey, a defendant] touched me and about all the teachers and what they did–and I remember telling them nothing happened to me. I remember them almost giggling and laughing, saying, ‘Oh, we know these things happened to you. Why don’t you just go ahead and tell us? Use these dolls if you’re scared.’

“Anytime I would give them an answer that they didn’t like, they would ask again and encourage me to give them the answer they were looking for. It was really obvious what they wanted…

“I felt uncomfortable and a little ashamed that I was being dishonest. But at the same time, being the type of person I was, whatever my parents wanted me to do, I would do. And I thought they wanted me to help protect my little brother and sister who went to McMartin…

“My parents were very encouraging when I said that things happened. It was almost like saying things happened was going to help get these people in jail and stop them from what they were trying to do to kids. Also, there were so many kids saying all these things happened that you didn’t want to be the one who said nothing did. You wouldn’t be believed if you said that.

“I remember feeling like they didn’t pick just anybody–they picked me because I had a good memory of what they wanted, and they could rely on me to do a good job. I don’t think they thought I was telling the truth, just that I was telling the same stories consistently, doing what needed to be done to get these teachers judged guilty. I felt special. Important.

“It always seemed like I was thinking. I would listen to what my parents would say if they were talking, or to what someone else would say if we were being questioned at the police station or anywhere. And I would repeat things. Or if it wasn’t a story I’d heard, I would think of something in my head. I would try to think of the worst thing possible that would be harmful to a child. I remember once I said that if you had a cut, instead of putting a Band-Aid on it, the McMartin teachers would put on dirt, then put the Band-Aid over the dirt. That was just something in my head that was bad. I just thought of it and told [the investigators]…

“The lawyers had all my stories written down and knew exactly what I had said before. So I knew I would have to say those exact things again and not have anything be different, otherwise they would know I was lying. I put a lot of pressure on myself. At night in bed, I would think hard about things I had said in the past and try to repeat only the things I knew I’d said before…”

England–Sending text messages, in some contexts, can be considered stalking or abuse. In general, I don’t take this very seriously–we often get ominous reports of a man violating a domestic violence restraining order when it turns out that all he did was text message his ex about child pickup or drop-off arrangements. Still, the case below is enough to qualify–a 23-year-old woman text messaged her ex-boyfriend 10,783 times in 65 days.

Wayne, a reader, for sending me the story below. Wayne writes:

“She got no actual punishment, but I’ll bet that was a very stern finger wagging she received. She may have even got a ‘withering glare’ from the magistrate. A man would be in jail, charged with stalking. She violated the order at least once already.”

Boyfriend takes jilted ex to court after she bombarded him with 10,000 texts

A bitter ex-girlfriend bombarded her former lover with 10,000 abusive phone and text messages in just 65 days – an average of one every eight minutes.

Obsessed Lee Amor, 23, called or texted Timothy Mortimore 10,783 times after falling pregnant by another man – but convinced herself the baby was his.

Amor sent him used pregnancy tests and and left a bottle of urine on his doorstep in an attempt to show him he was the father of her unborn child.

She loitered outside his home, followed him and his current partner by car, approached him at work demanding they talk, sent a piece of glass she had used to cut herself and made gestures of self-harm in front of him.

But Amor walked free from court after pleading guilty to harassment between July 28 and September 30 last year “in texting, sending mobile video messages, telephone calls, and in person”, contrary to a warning issued on July 28.

She was given a conditional discharge for two years, told to pay £200 costs and made the subject of a restraining order which bars her from contacting him or approaching his home in Torquay, Devon.

In a statement to the court, Timothy Mortimore said: “It has caused me physical and emotional fatigue. I did not want to see her.

“I wish this constant pressure to stop so I can lead a normal life with my current partner.”

Speaking after the hearing, Timothy, a home electronics store manager, said his ex girlfriend made his life a “nightmare”.

He said: “It has been a hard seven months and I just want to put it behind me. No-one can imagine what a nightmare this has been.

“I think the sentence is sufficient. I did not want to get her into trouble with the law but this was the last resort when she was knocking on the door day and night.

“I had no choice. She needs help and I tried to get it for her.”

South Devon Magistrates Court in Torquay heard Amor had fallen pregnant after they broke up following a six month relationship and was convinced it was her former partner’s.

John Watson, prosecuting, said she had been issued with a warning by officers about her behaviour in July but went on to contact him an “astronomical” number of times.

He said: “They had broken up in June and she had taken it very badly, and it appeared to be over an ex-boyfriend.

“On September 29 she did something bizarre. She appeared to be making gestures of self-harm to her wrists.”

When police were called they found Amor close to Mr Mortimore’s home and after examining her phone logs found a high volume of calls and texts to his numbers.

Mr Watson added: “Between July and September this came to an astronomical total of 10,843, many abusive or threatening self-harm.

“Over the space of 65 days this means on average she was making contact once every eight minutes.

“In interview, Amor admitted to police she had also sent him items through the post, including pregnancy tests. It was an attempt to prove she was pregnant and it was his child she was pregnant with.

“That did not appear to be true and Mr Mortimore has refuted that.”

John Smethurst, defending, said she had started contacted her ex-boyfriend when she believed her baby was his and he would not talk to her.

He said: “At the time she thought it was his child but it is not. She thought it was his and he just dropped her and refused to have anything to do with her.

“She was upset and wanted to talk to him about it and has over used the telephone but she had a reason for doing so.”

Read the full article here.

California–“Divorce attorneys track the every move of California motorists who use FasTrak electronic toll road transponders. Records of every trip a motorist takes on an electronic toll road over a five-year period is fair game for divorce attorneys…Divorce lawyer Alexandra Mussallem uses FasTrak to build a case. “‘We often have arguments about whether or not one spouse works to his or her maximum earning capacity,’ Mussallem told the Times. ‘If someone hits the Bay Bridge toll plaza at noon on a day he said he was working, you know he’s not working. He might be with his girlfriend in Contra Costa County.'” I object to this invasion of privacy. And needless to say, the reporter justifies it by pointing to the stereotype of the deadbeat dad shirking his work and his child support payments, so he can–surprise–slip away with the woman he probably abandoned his wife for.
The article is below–thanks to Thomas, a reader, for sending it to me. California: Divorce Attorneys Raid Electronic Toll Road Data 6/14/2007 Divorce attorneys track the every move of California motorists who use FasTrak electronic toll road transponders. Records of every trip a motorist takes on an electronic toll road over a five-year period is fair game for divorce attorneys and others given access to California’s FasTrak system. The device records the location, date and time that a vehicle equipped with a transponder passes a tolling checkpoint. The data is held indefinitely. A Contra Costa Times investigation earlier this month found about twenty subpoenas used in the past two years to gain information about a handful of the 620,000 FasTrak users in the San Francisco Bay area who crossed one of eight toll bridges. Divorce lawyer Alexandra Mussallem uses FasTrak to build a case. “We often have arguments about whether or not one spouse works to his or her maximum earning capacity,” Mussallem told the Times. “If someone hits the Bay Bridge toll plaza at noon on a day he said he was working, you know he’s not working. He might be with his girlfriend in Contra Costa County.” FasTrak has an unadvertised anonymous account option for motorists who do not wish to be tracked. A FasTrak device — which still has a serial number and is tracked — is linked to an account with no personal details. The motorist may go to a service center in person to update the account with cash.

Eureka, CA–Background: There’s a lot at stake in divorce proceedings, and false spousal rape accusations can be as effective as false domestic violence or child sexual abuse charges in stripping fathers of custody of their children. In 2006, California state Senator Sheila Kuehl (D-Los Angeles) sponsored SB 1402, which eliminates the distinction between spousal rape and other rapes, thus allowing for spousal rape prosecutions six years later, even if there was no mention or independent evidence of the crime in previous years. Under SB 1402, when aggravated spousal rape is alleged, there would be no statute of limitations.

I criticized the bill in my co-authored column Kuehl’s Spousal Rape Bill Will Harm Innocent Men (Sacramento News & Review, 6/15/06). The bill passed with ease.

To be fair, while it can be a nightmare for a man falsely accused of spousal rape to clear himself, it is also difficult for a woman who really was raped by her husband to prove it.

Recently a Northern California police chief was arrested on suspicion of spousal rape. I have no idea whether the charge is true or not, but I was a little skeptical of the allegations when they first came out, and the article below adds to my skepticism. The police chief claims that it is his ex-wife, with whom he is in conflict in a custody case, who made the allegation that his current wife was raped while intoxicated or drugged.

A related video can be seen here. We’ll see what happens.

Thanks to Richard, a reader, for the article.

Gallegos sticks to his guns regarding investigation into Blue Lake police chief
Eureka Times-Standard
02/13/2008

Blue Lake Police Chief David Gundersen’s attorney said Tuesday that a bitter custody dispute is likely the genesis of his arrest on suspicion of spousal rape.

Arcata attorney Russell Clanton said that Gundersen’s current wife told him that she’s not a victim, and that she’s completely supportive of her husband. She did not attend the press conference and attempts to contact her were unsuccessful.

Clanton said that he believes it was Gundersen’s ex-wife who alleged his current wife was raped while intoxicated or drugged. Clanton said the chief intends to plead not guilty at his arraignment, which is expected today, to any charges if they are filed.

“Frankly I think the position is that the state has put their nose into the bedroom of Chief Gundersen and his current wife,” Clanton said.

District Attorney Paul Gallegos strongly disagreed with Clanton’s take. He said Tuesday that he believes Gundersen’s current wife is the alleged victim, that she first reported the alleged acts and that his investigators have been in contact with her in recent days.

“If we don’t have a victim, it seems we wouldn’t have probable cause to issue an arrest warrant,” Gallegos said.

Gundersen’s ex-wife works as a legal office assistant at the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office. The office received the initial call from the victim, according to Gallegos, and then forwarded the information and turned the investigation over to the district attorney.

Gundersen’s current wife is a sergeant at the Blue Lake Police Department and is currently on leave.

New Haven, CT–“Anti-male bigots have committed countless campus outrages–without resistance. In Catharine A. MacKinnon: The Rise of a Feminist Censor, 1983-1993, Christopher M. Final describes a scene which might properly be labeled modern collegiate America’s darkest hour. According to Final, during MacKinnon’s 1989 Yale commencement address she said:

“‘Some of the proud mothers in the audience [are] sitting next to men who [have] battered them. Some of the well-dressed fathers [have] sexually abused the women who [are] now graduating.’

“The men’s reaction to this outrage should have been an immediate and unanimous walk out–and every decent woman should have been right with them. Instead, as Final notes, ‘the unfairness of [MacKinnon’s] generalization did not diminish the enthusiasm of her supporters. They led the audience in a standing ovation for their departing heroine.’

“And the men–most of whom had worked long hours for decades to support their families and allow their daughters to attend one of the world’s most prestigious universities–did not resist, instead remaining mute, silenced and shamed.”

Below is a Valentine’s Day column I wrote about manbashing on college campuses several years ago. Both when I went to college in the early 1980s and particularly when I went to graduate school at UCLA in the late ’90s, I was appalled at the anti-male bigotry. I wrote several articles about it, and it was quite cathartic. In re-reading this one, I have to say that it still irritates me.

The Best Valentine’s Day Gift for College Students: Gender Reconciliation
By Glenn Sacks
She Thinks (2/13/03)

Valentine’s Day, once a happy occasion for college students, has instead become a day of rancor and discord which symbolizes the divide between men and women on college campuses.

Much of the sour sentiment surrounding Valentine’s Day has been caused by Eve Ensler’s “holiday” campaign “V-Day: Until the Violence Stops.” For years the holiday’s backers and its campus supporters in Women’s Studies departments and women’s centers have propagated a series of discredited falsehoods which stigmatize and vilify men by wildly exaggerating the extent of American men’s violence against women. Dissident feminist Christian Hoff Sommers calls these canards “hate statistics.”

Ensler’s “holiday” is now “celebrated” on over 500 college campuses, and college newspapers are saturated both with misandrist (anti-male) V-Day ads and approving news stories and opinion columns. Valentine’s Day, which in the past symbolized the romantic bonds between men and women, has been turned into a day which further separates them.

Bringing gender reconciliation to our college campuses will require several reforms and changes, the first and foremost of which is the reformation of Women’s Studies.

Women’s Studies began as a legitimate attempt to recapture women’s lost place in “his story” as well as in modern culture, and to highlight the massive yet often hidden societal contributions of women. However, as many dissident feminists have noted, feminism has been hijacked by a bigoted minority which has excluded moderates and freethinkers. Women’s Studies has become, to use Lenin’s term, a “transmission belt” carrying misandry into the population at large. Both by its ability to capture media attention and its influence on the thinking of the 2.3 million men and women who graduate college every year, Women’s Studies has helped poison American culture against men.

Rather than employing an entire class of academics who are paid to research, invent, teach, and propagate misandry, we need academic programs that promote true scholarship. The voices of dissident feminists and men’s advocates, which are currently excluded, must be heard. These include: the eminently sensible Cathy Young, Camille Paglia, Wendy McElroy, Warren Farrell, and Sommers; as well as many others.

Second, we need anti-misandrist campus political organizations dedicated to promoting gender reconciliation. Many feminist groups and campus women’s centers claim, at least in public, that “men are welcome here, too.” Some have even changed their names to include men, and many now include male victims among the female victims in their statistics sections.

However, the reality behind their “welcome’ is that men are invited to join feminist groups so they can be taught to dislike men as much as feminists do. Male victims are only listed and acknowledged if the perpetrator of the crime is also male, as in child molestation or domestic violence between gay men. Crimes committed primarily by women, such as child abuse, parental murder of children, and child endangerment, are ignored, as are heterosexual male victims of domestic violence and victims of false accusations of rape or abuse.

Campus groups which seek gender reconciliation face many challenges. For example, the University of New Hampshire group Stop Hating Men, formed in February of last year, disbanded because it faced a wall of feminist-generated hostility and stood little chance of getting administrative approval.

Charleston, WV–Perhaps they could also give away free therapy to the kids who are harmed by the divorce, and quite possibly separated from their father…

Thanks to David, a reader, for the story.

Radio station giving away free divorce

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Charleston radio station is observing Valentine’s Day with a reminder that Cupid sometimes misses his mark.

WKLC-FM, better known as Rock 105, is giving away a free divorce.

Valentine’s Day isn’t all hearts and flowers, says WKLC Program Director Jay Nunley. There is a darker side, he said, “where maybe you despise your spouse and resent the entire day.”

Through 4 p.m. on Thursday, Valentine’s Day, applications for the free divorce will be accepted on the classic rock station’s Web site, http://www.wklc.com. The winning name will be drawn at 5 p.m.

Nunley cautions that this is a real divorce and people shouldn’t enter if they aren’t serious. Also, people expecting a long, drawn-out legal battle should hire a lawyer because the Rock 105 contest is for a relatively uncomplicated divorce.

Charleston attorney Rusty Webb will handle the actual filing.

“Sure we can give away concert tickets, and we do,” said Nunley. “That’s going to make you happy for a little while. This is the chance to make someone happy for the rest of their life.”

Los Angeles, CA–D.M., a founding father of the private child support industry, often posts on my blog. He recently sent me a description of his experiences which he would like my readers to see.

Private Child Support Industry Leader’s Perspective for GlennSacks.com Readers

A few years ago I retired after spending about over a decade in the child support industry, being one of the founding fathers of the private child support industry. That of course makes me an instant enemy of your contributors, and few, if any, would really care what I think or believe.

At one point, we audited all of our active cases – something like 475 at the time. The “average” child support obligation was $250 per month for one child, $350 for two children. Hardly excessive by any means.

The average arrearage was in excess of $8,000 before interest was added.

63% of our clients had not remarried. 74% of the NCP’s had remarried.

17% of the NCPs that we were able to contact, claimed that they were not paying because they were being denied visitation. In less than 1% of the cases this was true. With the remaining 16% we facilitated visitation again. The longest that the visitation lasted was 4.7 months. In every case, the NCP quit the visitation because it was too much of a burden on him.

Overall, our successful collection rate was in the neighborhood of 83%. The unsuccessful collections were people that we couldn’t find or who simply would not pay no matter what. All that we were able to secure collections from – 83% – were able to pay at least the minimum amount. What precluded them paying more was other financial obligations. Of course, it should also be noted that 93% of these people all had bad credit, primarily from defaulting on things like telephones, rent, cars, trucks, etc. From a credit standpoint, they were simply irresponsible. Their job histories also demonstrated that. Many would quit a job when the wage withholding orders were being honored. Certainly not “deadbroke” as some activists claim.

John Murtari, for example, claims to be broke – and that he can’t afford to pay child support. Of course, his life style would indicate otherwise – his frequent trips for visitation, one trip to Italy, taking his mother for visitation, and paying himself as owner of a company less than his employees. His one minor redeeming quality is that he does at least, pay $50 a month in child support. Does he have an excuse for not paying child support? Yes, a very weak one. What weakens his position is that he could make an effort and pay both child support and visit his son. What further weakens his position is that he is once again in jail, because of his frequent attempts to “force” Senator Clinton to meet with him and his “group” which seemingly only exists on paper / Internet.

Murtari will be in jail until his trial on 31 March. As is his style, which does fall into what I consider “deadbeat mentality,” he wants the court to move up his trial date so he can see his son for spring break. Everyone should make sacrifices for him, and of course the argument is that it would be in the best interests of his son, but he is unwilling to make any sacrifices.

The statistics that we evaluated are by no means indicative of a national picture. We did not accept cases of welfare recipients, unless the amount owed was very small. The reason was two fold: (1) economical – we could not charge for collections that went to the state and (2) if the mother was on welfare, typically, though by no means all cases, the father would be basically broke himself due to socio-economic situations. However, other private agencies that we spoke to were reporting similar experiences and statistics.

No one knows if shared custody would have alleviated the problems. It probably would not have due to the personalities of the parents. But, there is no way to know that because we were looking at people after the fact, and when a significant amount of money was at stake.

Tampa, FL–In watching this video it’s hard to believe you’re seeing what you’re seeing. The video is here. The story from Tampa Bay 10 News is below. Notice how the man is caught completely by surprise.

It really makes you wonder about police culture when you see this woman’s outrageous behavior and then see another cop laughing as he walks by.

No, it’s not a gender issue, but I do think it’s far less likely that they would have treated a crippled woman this way.

Thanks to the various readers who sent it to me.

Deputy now suspended after dumping man from wheelchair
By: Mike Deeson

Tampa, Florida – The Hillsborough Co. Sheriff’s Office held a press conference at 10:30am regarding the deputy who can be seen on video dumping a man in a wheelchair onto the ground.

They’ve announced that Deputy Charlette Jones has been relieved of her duties without pay pending the outcome of an investigation. She has not officially been terminated.

Jones has been employed by the Hillsborough Co. Sheriff’s Office since 1996.

Chief Deputy Joe Docobo watched the video for the first time last night and said he found himself in “disgust” and was “appalled at every level.”

Docobo also announced that two corporals and a sergeant involved are now on administrative leave with pay, and the jail supervisor on duty did not have knowledge of the incident.

Brian Sterner broke his neck almost 14 years ago and is a quadriplegic.

Sterner, who can drive, was arrested on a traffic violation. When he was booked into the Orient Road Jail last month, Sterner couldn”t believe what happened.
He says a deputy looked at him and didn”t believe he was a quadriplegic. She walked behind him, took the handles on the back of the hospital-grade wheel chair and dumped it forward.

Sterner says he tried to roll as he was going down, but hit so hard he thought he had broken two ribs. Then, while he was on the floor, deputies frisked him and tried to get him back into the chair.

Sterner says he told them how to pick him up and put him back into the chair, but because he can”t feel anything from his breastbone down, he says he was injured and didn”t know it. Sterner thought he had broken two ribs, but jail x-rays showed that wasn’t true.

Read the full article here.