LeonKoziol.Com
1518 Genesee Street
Utica, New York 13502
(315) 735-2271
To: Â All Media and Interested Parties:
From: Â Admin@...
Subject: Â High Court To Review Appeal of Parental Rights Case
Date: Â June 14, 2010
Contact: Â Leon R. Koziol, J.D. at (315) 796-4000
--------- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE---------
Utica, NY, June 14, 2010 – On June, 9, 2010, the high court of New York commenced a process of reviewing an appeal filed by civil rights advocate Leon R. Koziol which challenges the Constitutionality of certain crucial child support and custody laws. Originating at the Appellate Division in Rochester, this case was litigated as an extraordinary petition under CPLR Article 78 against an Acting Supreme Court Judge (out of Family Court) and an acting Family Court Judge (out of Supreme Court) who presided over separated custody and support cases. No doubt due, in part, to his public background, the original uncontested divorce case filed in 2005 has since been scattered back and forth among multiple courts and some 18 trial level judges. The action was also taken against the State of New York, its Unified Court System, a state appointed “attorney for the child†and a state mandated “custodial parent.â€
As a victim father, Mr. Koziol was recently reunited with his children after a state court found no merit to allegations made in a petition which deprived him of any meaningful parent-child relationships over a ten month period. Mr. Koziol has never been alleged or found to be an unfit parent, rather, as his lawsuit before the high court maintains, he has become the product of retaliation for his civil rights actions and public views on father discrimination over the years.
In order to make a proper case in the courts, it became necessary to assert a real life fact controversy better known as legal standing. Rather than represent other victims with exploitable backgrounds as the attorneys did in Roe v Wade, Mr. Koziol committed his personal and professional standing to this long overdue challenge. Remember that it was the Roe v Wade case which enabled women victims in 1973 to bypass arduous legislative processes to secure a constitutionally protected privacy right before the Supreme Court. Draconian child control laws have exceeded all rational limit under the Constitution by harming related privacy rights of mainstream parents today, including their families and children, indeed, our very productivity as a nation.
As Father’s Day in America approaches, the tired theme of absenteeism and “dead beat†slurs mark the stereotypes fashioned over the years against fathers generally. Campaigns for public office in Congress and our state legislatures remain devoid of discourse calling for reform in this crucial area of domestic relations. Nowhere in the Obama administration will anyone find “parental abuse†on the policy radar screen. This is principally due to the quiet transformation of mainstream society into a multi-billion dollar child control industry through the exploitation of custody and support laws.
A convenient summary of the case is found in the “issues presented†section of the “Preliminary Appeal Statement.†Significant to interested parties across the country, this is the same court which fashioned the “best interests of the child†standard in 1925 which became the touchstone for expansive government intrusion into every aspect of family privacy rights retained by the people under the Ninth, Tenth, and Fourteenth Amendments.
As part of his journey through the federal and state courts on the subject of parental privacy and equity, Mr. Koziol is seeking financial, media, and staff support behind his cause. No longer a practicing attorney after nearly a quarter century of successful civil rights litigation, he cannot do this alone. To emphasize the critical nature of his journey, it must be noted that in the event Mr. Koziol is unsuccessful before the New York high court in coming months, he will then be in the position of filing a writ before the United States Supreme Court.
Mr. Koziol is available for media interviews, commentary and public speaking engagements on these and other contemporary civil rights issues which are impacting our productivity as a nation. He can be reached at (315) 735-2271.
Leon R. Koziol, J.D., is a civil rights advocate who has practiced law for nearly a quarter century in New York State. He has been a spokesperson for parenting rights and currently publishes an Internet blog site known as LeonKoziol.com, focused upon reform in our domestic relations courts.
###
Isabella Brooke Knightly and Austin Gamez-Knightly
In Memory of my Loving Husband, William F. Knightly Jr. Murdered by ILLEGAL Palliative Care at a Nashua, NH Hospital
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Caldwell Adoptive mom sentenced for child abuse The judge says the woman stood by and helped husband beat adopted kids for 7 years
Caldwell Adoptive mom sentenced for child abuse
The judge says the woman stood by and helped husband beat adopted kids for 7 years.
BY KRISTIN RODINE - krodine@idahostatesman.com
Copyright: © 2010 Idaho Statesman
Published: 01/12/10
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
FATHER'S SENTENCING
Kekoa Glenn Gaunavinaka will be sentenced Feb. 11 on two counts of felony injury to a child and one count of lewd conduct with a minor.
A jury found him guilty of sexually molesting a child from the time she was 11 until after her 13th birthday, and Gaunavinaka subsequently pleaded guilty to two child-injury charges for beating his adopted children.
Similar stories:
Caldwell man gets life for abusing kids
Caldwell mom gets up to 10 years in prison for allowing, abetting kids’ abuse
Caldwell man gets life sentence for molesting young girl, beating adopted kids
Extended family thanks Canyon prosecutors, others who helped on Gaunavinaka case
Letters to the Editor
Kaylynn Gaunavinaka, now going by her maiden name of Durham, could serve up to 10 years in prison, or she could be released on probation in as little as six months.
That's because 3rd District Judge Bradly Ford retained jurisdiction on the case for 180 days so Gaunavinaka, 35, can receive treatment and assessment in the state prison system. At the end of that time, Ford could release her on probation or order her to complete her prison sentence of three to 10 years for felony injury to a child.
Her ex-husband, Kekoa Gaunavinaka, is expected to face a much stiffer sentence when Ford decides his fate in February. Ford said the husband's offenses were more egregious than the wife's, but Kaylynn Gaunavinaka prolonged and assisted in the torment of the couple's three adopted children.
"These children could have been rescued at any time, (through) any effort from you," Ford told the sobbing woman Monday. "Instead they suffered seven years of unthinkable abuse, emotional and physical."
The three children, now ages 9 to 13, were recovering from an abusive home life when the Gaunavinakas adopted them in September 2001, Canyon County Deputy Prosecutor Erica Kallin said.
The children longed for love and stability, she said, "but what they got was a father who horrifically beat them and sexually tortured them, and a mother who went along with it, who covered it up, who threatened the children."
"She told her sons, 'stand up straight while he's beating you,'" Kallin said. "She put makeup on their bruises to cover them."
Although most of the beating and other abuse came from their adoptive father, the children also reported that their mother battered them.
Defense attorney Aaron Knox said his client was abused by her husband and was too afraid to step forward and get help for the children. He also cited a lack of self-esteem and said she is a good candidate for treatment and rehabilitation.
Kaylynn Gaunavinaka recently divorced her husband and gave up legal rights to the children, who have moved out of state to live with a family that is in the process of adopting them, Kallin said.
At her sentencing hearing, Gaunavinaka gave a brief statement apologizing to the kids, who did not attend. "I am so sorry for not doing my part as a mother and for not protecting my children," she said.
Kristin Rodine: 377-6447
Read more: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/01/12/1038105/caldwell-mom-sentenced-for-child.html?story_link=email_msg#ixzz0qxei9bmG
The judge says the woman stood by and helped husband beat adopted kids for 7 years.
BY KRISTIN RODINE - krodine@idahostatesman.com
Copyright: © 2010 Idaho Statesman
Published: 01/12/10
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
FATHER'S SENTENCING
Kekoa Glenn Gaunavinaka will be sentenced Feb. 11 on two counts of felony injury to a child and one count of lewd conduct with a minor.
A jury found him guilty of sexually molesting a child from the time she was 11 until after her 13th birthday, and Gaunavinaka subsequently pleaded guilty to two child-injury charges for beating his adopted children.
Similar stories:
Caldwell man gets life for abusing kids
Caldwell mom gets up to 10 years in prison for allowing, abetting kids’ abuse
Caldwell man gets life sentence for molesting young girl, beating adopted kids
Extended family thanks Canyon prosecutors, others who helped on Gaunavinaka case
Letters to the Editor
Kaylynn Gaunavinaka, now going by her maiden name of Durham, could serve up to 10 years in prison, or she could be released on probation in as little as six months.
That's because 3rd District Judge Bradly Ford retained jurisdiction on the case for 180 days so Gaunavinaka, 35, can receive treatment and assessment in the state prison system. At the end of that time, Ford could release her on probation or order her to complete her prison sentence of three to 10 years for felony injury to a child.
Her ex-husband, Kekoa Gaunavinaka, is expected to face a much stiffer sentence when Ford decides his fate in February. Ford said the husband's offenses were more egregious than the wife's, but Kaylynn Gaunavinaka prolonged and assisted in the torment of the couple's three adopted children.
"These children could have been rescued at any time, (through) any effort from you," Ford told the sobbing woman Monday. "Instead they suffered seven years of unthinkable abuse, emotional and physical."
The three children, now ages 9 to 13, were recovering from an abusive home life when the Gaunavinakas adopted them in September 2001, Canyon County Deputy Prosecutor Erica Kallin said.
The children longed for love and stability, she said, "but what they got was a father who horrifically beat them and sexually tortured them, and a mother who went along with it, who covered it up, who threatened the children."
"She told her sons, 'stand up straight while he's beating you,'" Kallin said. "She put makeup on their bruises to cover them."
Although most of the beating and other abuse came from their adoptive father, the children also reported that their mother battered them.
Defense attorney Aaron Knox said his client was abused by her husband and was too afraid to step forward and get help for the children. He also cited a lack of self-esteem and said she is a good candidate for treatment and rehabilitation.
Kaylynn Gaunavinaka recently divorced her husband and gave up legal rights to the children, who have moved out of state to live with a family that is in the process of adopting them, Kallin said.
At her sentencing hearing, Gaunavinaka gave a brief statement apologizing to the kids, who did not attend. "I am so sorry for not doing my part as a mother and for not protecting my children," she said.
Kristin Rodine: 377-6447
Read more: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/01/12/1038105/caldwell-mom-sentenced-for-child.html?story_link=email_msg#ixzz0qxei9bmG
Monday, June 14, 2010
Baby LK Report For June 13th 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zar3y7GgNws&feature=player_embedded
Calling all Birth/First/Natural/Original Parents
MONDAY, JUNE 14, 2010
Calling all Birth/First/Natural/Original Parents
My Aussie colleague, Evelyn Robinson, asked that this be shared...
Adoption Separation
Those of us who were separated from our children by adoption are very aware of society’s attitudes to single parenthood in the 20th century. Many of us are ageing and our experiences are barely comprehensible to members of the current generation, who have grown up in a very different social context. Single parenthood is now generally tolerated and supported to the extent that, in some places, single people are permitted to adopt.
I believe that recording and publishing our stories is an important way to validate our experiences. It is also a valuable educational exercise to illustrate the attitudes to single parenthood which were prevalent in the last century, especially in the 1960s and 1970s when so many children were adopted. It is difficult for our children and grandchildren to understand the socially intolerant climate in which our pregnancies occurred and the only people who can explain that to them are those of us who experienced society’s disapproval and often lost our children because of it. In line with the social values of the times, single parents were discriminated against and treated in different ways from parents who were married. In many cases they were denied what in the 21st century is perceived as social justice.
I plan to publish a collection of narratives written by parents who have been separated from their children by adoption. I am hoping to obtain contributions from Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Ireland to illustrate the similarities in adoption experiences in the major English-speaking countries. As far as I am aware, this is the first time that such a collection has been produced.
It is my hope that the collection will educate our children, our friends and families, our communities, as well as professionals who may be working with those have experienced adoption separation. I would like to produce a permanent record of how it felt to be pregnant at a time when single parents were blamed and shamed by an unforgiving society.
For further information, please contact me by e-mail to erobinson@clovapublications.com or by mail to PO Box 328, Christies Beach, South Australia 5165. For further information about me and my work, please visit my web site at http://www.clovapublications.com.
I would appreciate it if this information could be distributed as widely as possible.
Calling all Birth/First/Natural/Original Parents
My Aussie colleague, Evelyn Robinson, asked that this be shared...
Adoption Separation
Those of us who were separated from our children by adoption are very aware of society’s attitudes to single parenthood in the 20th century. Many of us are ageing and our experiences are barely comprehensible to members of the current generation, who have grown up in a very different social context. Single parenthood is now generally tolerated and supported to the extent that, in some places, single people are permitted to adopt.
I believe that recording and publishing our stories is an important way to validate our experiences. It is also a valuable educational exercise to illustrate the attitudes to single parenthood which were prevalent in the last century, especially in the 1960s and 1970s when so many children were adopted. It is difficult for our children and grandchildren to understand the socially intolerant climate in which our pregnancies occurred and the only people who can explain that to them are those of us who experienced society’s disapproval and often lost our children because of it. In line with the social values of the times, single parents were discriminated against and treated in different ways from parents who were married. In many cases they were denied what in the 21st century is perceived as social justice.
I plan to publish a collection of narratives written by parents who have been separated from their children by adoption. I am hoping to obtain contributions from Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Ireland to illustrate the similarities in adoption experiences in the major English-speaking countries. As far as I am aware, this is the first time that such a collection has been produced.
It is my hope that the collection will educate our children, our friends and families, our communities, as well as professionals who may be working with those have experienced adoption separation. I would like to produce a permanent record of how it felt to be pregnant at a time when single parents were blamed and shamed by an unforgiving society.
For further information, please contact me by e-mail to erobinson@clovapublications.com or by mail to PO Box 328, Christies Beach, South Australia 5165. For further information about me and my work, please visit my web site at http://www.clovapublications.com.
I would appreciate it if this information could be distributed as widely as possible.
13 Sask. children died in care since January
13 Sask. children died in care since January
Last Updated: Monday, June 14, 2010 | 7:28 PM CST
CBC News
Nicole Daniels holds a picture of her son, Evander. The 22-month-old child drowned while in foster care last week. (David Shield/CBC)
Thirteen Saskatchewan children involved in Saskatchewan's child-welfare system have died since January, the government said on Monday.
But Social Services Minister Donna Harpauer is blaming many of the deaths on pre-existing medical conditions.
"Many of the children that come into the care of the ministry … have very extensive — many of them have very extensive medical challenges," Harpauer said, in her first interview with CBC News since the death of a foster child last week.
The ministry has been under fire since Evander Daniels drowned in a bathtub in his foster home near Aberdeen, Sask. on Tuesday. An autopsy report also said that scald-type burns may have contributed to his death.
Between 15 and 20 children in care die in the province each year — many of the deaths go unreported to the public, yet each of them is a tragedy, Harpauer said.
"There is no child death that isn't a tragedy. Can I prevent health challenges in these children? No I can't," she said.
"What I can do is the best I can do for the safety of children."
First Nations groups, however, are critical of Harpauer's message and are calling for a public inquiry into Daniels's death. Aberdeen is about 40 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.
While RCMP and social services continue to investigate what happened, officials on his home reserve of Sturgeon Lake First Nation said Daniels is the second foster child from the reserve to die in the last six months.
Harpauer said she won't call an inquiry until she hears back from investigators.
"In this particular case … I think there is an assumption that I know more than I know yet," she said.
"I am waiting on the same reports everyone else is."
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2010/06/14/sask-child-deaths-foster-care.html#ixzz0qsnypUHI
Last Updated: Monday, June 14, 2010 | 7:28 PM CST
CBC News
Nicole Daniels holds a picture of her son, Evander. The 22-month-old child drowned while in foster care last week. (David Shield/CBC)
Thirteen Saskatchewan children involved in Saskatchewan's child-welfare system have died since January, the government said on Monday.
But Social Services Minister Donna Harpauer is blaming many of the deaths on pre-existing medical conditions.
"Many of the children that come into the care of the ministry … have very extensive — many of them have very extensive medical challenges," Harpauer said, in her first interview with CBC News since the death of a foster child last week.
The ministry has been under fire since Evander Daniels drowned in a bathtub in his foster home near Aberdeen, Sask. on Tuesday. An autopsy report also said that scald-type burns may have contributed to his death.
Between 15 and 20 children in care die in the province each year — many of the deaths go unreported to the public, yet each of them is a tragedy, Harpauer said.
"There is no child death that isn't a tragedy. Can I prevent health challenges in these children? No I can't," she said.
"What I can do is the best I can do for the safety of children."
First Nations groups, however, are critical of Harpauer's message and are calling for a public inquiry into Daniels's death. Aberdeen is about 40 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.
While RCMP and social services continue to investigate what happened, officials on his home reserve of Sturgeon Lake First Nation said Daniels is the second foster child from the reserve to die in the last six months.
Harpauer said she won't call an inquiry until she hears back from investigators.
"In this particular case … I think there is an assumption that I know more than I know yet," she said.
"I am waiting on the same reports everyone else is."
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2010/06/14/sask-child-deaths-foster-care.html#ixzz0qsnypUHI
Foster care associated with increased risk for STDs among adolescents
Foster care associated with increased risk for STDs among adolescents
Spending time in the foster care system may up a child’s chances of having at least one laboratory-confirmed STD by young adulthood, according to researchers from the University of Washington.
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“These youths have high rates of several factors linked with [STD] risk, including exposure to physical and sexual abuse, neglect, parental substance abuse, poverty, and violence early in life, and high rates of mental health problems, substance abuse disorders, and juvenile or criminal justice system involvement later in life,” they wrote. “Despite the seeming vulnerability of this population, to the author’s knowledge only 2 studies have specifically evaluated the risk for [STDs] for youth who have been in foster care relative to other adolescent subgroups.”
To investigate this potential relationship between foster care status and STD biomarkers and risk behaviors at adolescence, the researchers used data from Waves I to III of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health that took place from 1994 to 2002. There were 7,563 girls and 6,759 boys were included in the analysis.
Adolescents completed a questionnaire about foster care status, sexual experience and behaviors at some point during grades seven to 12 (Wave I) and underwent follow-up interviews at approximately 2 (Wave II) and 6 years later (Wave III). At Wave III, the researchers also used Ligase Chain Reaction amplification technology to test urine specimens for gonorrhea and chlamydia and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for Trichomonas vaginalis DNA.
Data indicated that girls who had been in foster care were more likely to have Trichomonas (OR=3.23; 95% CI, 1.45-7.23) but not gonorrhea or chlamydia. In contrast, boys were more likely to have gonorrhea (OR=14.28; 95% CI, 2.07-98.28) and chlamydia (OR=3.07; 95% CI, 1.36-6.96) but not Trichomonas. The researchers noted, however, that these discrepancies may be due to the difficulty in detecting Trichomonas colonization in boys and the possibility that girls had already been treated for gonorrhea and chlamydia during adolescence.
Results also showed that girls who had been in foster care were more likely to report engaging in risky sexual behaviors, such as having sex with a casual partner, having sex for money or having vaginal intercourse. They were also more likely to report having their first sexual intercourse at a younger age and a higher number of lifetime partners than their peers. Boys who had been in foster care, however, did not show an increased likelihood of engaging in high-risk sexual behaviors when compared with adolescent boys who had not spent time in foster care.
In light of their data, the researchers urged future studies to focus on specific factors associated with foster care that could be responsible for the elevated risk of STDs in adolescence.
“If our findings are confirmed, then health care providers for current and former foster youth should consider modifying their screening practices to reflect the increased [STD] risk of these youth,” wrote the researchers. “Policymakers for the child welfare system should also consider incorporating programming to reduce [STD] risk into existing services for adolescents who are in foster care.”
Ahrens KR. Pediatrics. 2010;126:e97-e103.
http://www.pediatricsupersite.com/view.aspx?rid=65522
Spending time in the foster care system may up a child’s chances of having at least one laboratory-confirmed STD by young adulthood, according to researchers from the University of Washington.
Stay connected - Sign Up for the E-mail News Wire!
“These youths have high rates of several factors linked with [STD] risk, including exposure to physical and sexual abuse, neglect, parental substance abuse, poverty, and violence early in life, and high rates of mental health problems, substance abuse disorders, and juvenile or criminal justice system involvement later in life,” they wrote. “Despite the seeming vulnerability of this population, to the author’s knowledge only 2 studies have specifically evaluated the risk for [STDs] for youth who have been in foster care relative to other adolescent subgroups.”
To investigate this potential relationship between foster care status and STD biomarkers and risk behaviors at adolescence, the researchers used data from Waves I to III of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health that took place from 1994 to 2002. There were 7,563 girls and 6,759 boys were included in the analysis.
Adolescents completed a questionnaire about foster care status, sexual experience and behaviors at some point during grades seven to 12 (Wave I) and underwent follow-up interviews at approximately 2 (Wave II) and 6 years later (Wave III). At Wave III, the researchers also used Ligase Chain Reaction amplification technology to test urine specimens for gonorrhea and chlamydia and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for Trichomonas vaginalis DNA.
Data indicated that girls who had been in foster care were more likely to have Trichomonas (OR=3.23; 95% CI, 1.45-7.23) but not gonorrhea or chlamydia. In contrast, boys were more likely to have gonorrhea (OR=14.28; 95% CI, 2.07-98.28) and chlamydia (OR=3.07; 95% CI, 1.36-6.96) but not Trichomonas. The researchers noted, however, that these discrepancies may be due to the difficulty in detecting Trichomonas colonization in boys and the possibility that girls had already been treated for gonorrhea and chlamydia during adolescence.
Results also showed that girls who had been in foster care were more likely to report engaging in risky sexual behaviors, such as having sex with a casual partner, having sex for money or having vaginal intercourse. They were also more likely to report having their first sexual intercourse at a younger age and a higher number of lifetime partners than their peers. Boys who had been in foster care, however, did not show an increased likelihood of engaging in high-risk sexual behaviors when compared with adolescent boys who had not spent time in foster care.
In light of their data, the researchers urged future studies to focus on specific factors associated with foster care that could be responsible for the elevated risk of STDs in adolescence.
“If our findings are confirmed, then health care providers for current and former foster youth should consider modifying their screening practices to reflect the increased [STD] risk of these youth,” wrote the researchers. “Policymakers for the child welfare system should also consider incorporating programming to reduce [STD] risk into existing services for adolescents who are in foster care.”
Ahrens KR. Pediatrics. 2010;126:e97-e103.
http://www.pediatricsupersite.com/view.aspx?rid=65522
Sunday, June 13, 2010
DCYF Jobs NH-New Blog
A new blog I found. It's very interesting. Please take a look! And to whomever posted this blog, a heartfelt Thank you to you. We need more people like you to help us in our fight.THANK YOU!
http://xicun.blog.hr/2010/05/1627628381/dcyf-jobs-nh-on-xicunbloghr.html
http://xicun.blog.hr/2010/05/1627628381/dcyf-jobs-nh-on-xicunbloghr.html
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