Hello David,

     I am Gene's current wife and do everything in my power as a paralegal to gain visitation and make child support fair.   Personally, I feel child support should be based on need and not according to a
formula.  (I took no child support for 16 years, he sent the kid to college, no one went broke!)  Fair deal!  I also believe in joint custody and all the visitation anyone can muster.  I did it from 1,500 miles in distance.  Some school years she lived with me, some she lived with him.  Holidays, summers, and income tax deductions were always traded off and shared.  She had the benefit of being raised by both of us.  She (age 20) now tells me she would hate me today if I had done it any other way!  Imagine, I did this having been divorced in the weird State of Louisiana!  Shared parenting -- what a concept!

     You said you believe abortion is the key to women gaining this power over the Courts -- I disagree. What I believe has happened is that in their zest for fair play, the Courts have used child support, lack of
visitation and the infamous issue of "domestic violence."   

     In the statutes of Tennessee law, child support and visitation are to be deemed as separate -- one does not preclude or exclude the other.  It doesn't work that way.  One can be fully compliant in child support
and still be granted no visitation rights -- WHY?

     Because in Tennessee as in many other states, women have been given "rights" which have no basis in reality.  All a woman has to do in this state is call the police and say "he's yelling at me" and that is
domestic violence. The reason "he's yelling" is not addressed or looked at in any way by the Court.  In Tennessee, a man can walk into his home, find his wife with two ex-convicts (real, ex-cons who served
time for cocaine and the date-rape drug Rohypnol) and tell them to get out of the house and he's charged with domestic violence.  Gene has not seen his kids for two years because that is exactly what happened. 
I know, I was arrested also.  

     After 1-1/2 years of going to Court and both of us being out on $10,000 bond (yes, $10K for yelling) my case was "retired" but Gene had to either put his 14 yro daughter on the stand or plead.  He plead from a Class C felony to a Class A misdemeanor and got 9 months probation plus anger management with expungement.  Even though the ex-con's record was entered into evidence, the judge did nothing.  Apparently a convicted Rohypnol and cocaine dealer with two young girls is a safer companion for child than a father who loves them and tries to protect them.

       Abortion is one of our lesser worries.  Women abusing newly gained power is a big worry.  It makes me sad because there really are women out there being hurt daily.  There are also many men out there
being abused daily but no one believes them.  The system here in Nashville teaches a woman how to be a "victim" when they attend domestic violence seminars.  I know, I've checked it out as a woman.  The issue of abused men never rears it's shameful head.

    Our biggest worry is the power of the Courts to hear information from a woman (not facts, not evidence) (real or unreal) and not listen to or adhere to evidence.  The woman is not always the abused party or the victim.  Often it is the silent man until he breaks down and yells and screams -- please notice, no one was touched and it was $10K bail and 9 months probation plus anger management.  What about the creep in the kitchen snorting coke and known as an "Absconder wanted on a Blue Warrant out of the state of Texas" -- which means he was wanted for parole violation -- the judge did not want to hear it or even hear the fact the wife had moved the ex-con into the 5 yros bedroom and painted it black.  The bedroom had been pink for a little girl.   Apparently that's okay in Tennessee, just don't yell at the woman
you are divorcing; it can ruin your career and you cannot gain visitation!

                                  Katie