Wednesday, April 20, 2016

We Endorse Donald J. Trump For President!

Trump is Our Man!

We here at In Middletown We Trust, believe it’s important to come out in favor of one candidate over another. Not that it should influence your decision on what candidate to choose, but take this as a piece of information as you would any other news story. We actually met Mr. Trump, albeit briefly, last week at his rally in Hartford. As for his presence, stature, and ideas, they are everything you think they would be from seeing him on TV. He is a powerful force to be reckoned with, and he brings a lot of new and interesting ideas to the table. So, the big question is, why would we choose to endorse him?

The answer is fairly simple. Donald Trump, although it is widely believed that he was given his wealth and power by his father, Fred Trump, that actually is not true. In the 1970’s, it is true his father gave him a loan, of $1 Million Dollars. Donald turned around, and invested in real estate in Manhattan, when no one else was, and well, we know how that turned out. Donald paid his father back almost immediately, and “The Donald” started re-investing his money into new ventures. As far as a businessman, Donald Trump is the American icon when you think of successful businessman. Has he failed? Sure. But he’s come back every time.

America is in trouble. Big trouble. In more ways than we have time to list here. The biggest misconception is that the President of the United States has absolute power, which is totally incorrect. It’s Congress, The Senate, and the Cabinet members that really run the show, and just as in business, the President oversees all of this, and has the final word. (There is probably a hundred things wrong with that overview, but let’s just get through this thing.) Does Donald Trump know how to be President? No. Do you? Or I? No. It’s not something there is a course at the local Community College can cover. But, Donald Trump has experience as a successful businessman, and to get to his level of success, he has had to bring in the best people for the job in each field that was needed in each of his ventures. This is why we believe Donald Trump will make a great President; because he will bring in the best people to do the jobs that are vital to running this country.

Mr. Trump and this writer have one thing in common, we both hold Teddy Roosevelt in high regard. And it was Teddy Roosevelt that said this:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”


We encourage you to vote however you want on April 26th. Just please, make sure you vote!

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Justice? Mr. Justice Are You Here?


Justice? Mr. Justice, Are you Here?

By The Caged Bear of Freedom

Justice. It’s a word that when you think of it, you think of America, and everything we were founded on. It, indeed, was what we were founded upon. The Boston Tea Party was about Justice for the people: No Taxation without Representation. Then, The Boston Massacre, where 5 people were murdered in cold blood. We demanded Justice there as well. Fast forward to 1865, and when John Wilkes Booth shot President Abraham Lincoln (among the other screwed up attempts that occurred on that same day), manhunts were organized, and the bodies of anyone associated with the act, swayed in the breeze from the gallows. Justice. It’s what this damned country is supposed to be about! Well, maybe it’s what it’s supposed to be about, but not anymore. We now elect men, and women, to office that have the most money, and the best cover story. Those same people honestly believe that the Constitution, and Bill of Rights are dusty old pieces of paper, that may have had relevance at one time, but not anymore. Unless you are one of the 1% that line the pockets of these supposed “civil servants”, let me fill you in on where you stand: You’re on your own bucko! Good luck with that!


This occurred to me, when a friend of mine, who was in an abusive relationship, tells me today, that she finally got a restraining order. Most people would be relieved at that, finally, help has arrived from the Judicial System! First, let me qualify. I am an advocate of people who are considered, “Pro Se”, or self-represented, in the Criminal Justice System. Unprofessionally, these are people we would referred to as “screwed”, because without any type of representation, you are chum in a tank of sharks. So, I do what I can to guide these people to make the best decisions, and file the proper forms and motions they can, and best prepare them for what is to come. My friend had managed to obtain a restraining order on her own, and now we are back to where we were prior to my brief interlude. Unfortunately, in both of the cases I’ll describe, there are two reasons for Restraining Orders, or Protective Orders; 1.) For someone who is a defined threat to that person, and needs legal orders to further threaten harsher legal action if the person is to make any sort of contact, let alone any sort of violent act towards the person. And then there’s #2.) A person takes a protective order out because they can, and there is no real threat. (This is a harder one to prove, but the effects are the same). My friend we can safely file under #1, because this man can clearly be a threat to the health and safety of her and her family. But my response wasn’t one of jubilation that she had gotten this Restraining Order. No, my mind went back to a young lady I never met, Tonya Notice.

Tonya was also in an abusive relationship, with a man named James Carpenter. Tonya went and got a protective order against Mr. Carpenter, though Mr. Carpenter continued to harass Tonya, Tonya even called the police, many times in fact. One night, Mr. Carpenter walked right through that Protective Order, and even though Tonya had called the Police, James Carpenter killed Tonya Notice. So, when my friend told me she had gotten a Restraining Order, forgive my lack of enthusiasm, when I said it’s only a piece of paper. In 2012, someone attempted to murder me. It took 12 seconds, and left me in a coma for a week. I don’t think you can dial 911, and have someone answer the phone in 12 seconds, and this woman has now put her faith in a piece of paper. Is this what justice has become? A Man, with documented anger issues, who, with the proper set of circumstances, and mindset, could very well harm this woman and her family, and he’s given a piece of paper that says not to do it?
Prisons are terribly overcrowded, and we spend ridiculous sums of money to warehouse people, instead of reforming them as is our duty as a society. I won’t get in to my theories on how we can fix some of these things, but you figure, if we’re going to overcrowd prisons anyway, why are we not remanding people who are a defined threat in domestic violence situations? It’s supposed to be that we are monitoring these people, the ones who threaten violence, through GPS monitoring. It seems that is sporadic at best, and really, at a certain point, how many people can you effectively monitor.

Everyone can agree that the Criminal Justice System is fundamentally broken, and the only thing to fix it, would be a complete tear down to the foundation, and rebuild. We know that is an implausible action, and therefore, will never happen. But what is the alternative? Do we admit that yes, the system is completely fucked, but shrug our shoulders? I won’t turn this in to a political article, but similarly, this is where a Donald Trump as a President makes complete sense to me. The Presidency, and Government hasn’t always been a disaster, and the Criminal Justice system hasn’t either. But we’ve reached a point where the status quo isn’t cutting the mustard anymore, and bringing someone in that, granted, will make things really uncomfortable for a little while, but shit, maybe it will change the way things are. What have we got to lose? We’re headed in a disastrous direction, and maybe changing things up will help bring Justice back to the people. Maybe it will save lives. Just maybe, America will be the land of the free, and home of the brave, again. Because, I don’t know what it is now, but this isn’t what the Founding Fathers envisioned. 


In a future story, I will cover the wasteful spending by the State of Connecticut, so I can at least show you we’re investing Millions of Dollars in Turtles, and Pheasants, while we have Overcrowded Prisons, and people who are defined threats to others, and we can’t afford to monitor them. But, damn it, we know where the turtles are! 

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

When The Scales Of Justice Need Re-Calibrating





When The Scales of Justice Need Re-Calibrating!
 By caged bear of truth

I consider myself an advocate for people going through the Criminal Justice System, and Family Services Division of the Justice System, because I myself have been through a good deal of both, and have studied extensively on the subjects of both areas, to the paralegal level, at a minimum. I had considered a professional career in this, but I think I would become more frustrated by the amount I couldn’t do, or wouldn’t be allowed to do, so I help people where I can make the greatest impact. To qualify, I have assisted Pro Se parties, (Self Represented) in both Criminal and Family cases, ranging from Divorce’s and Child Custody issues, to both misdemeanors and felonies, and I have managed the surrender of fugitives from justice. At least with me helping people, I have eased the most stressful part of any of those processes; being alone.

The reason I write this now, is we as a society lock up way too many people these days, and for the most asinine reasons. Although, statistics show overall, we’re getting better at it: With a total of Incarcerated Persons at 2,418,352 persons in 2008, to 2,220,300 in 2013, to  1,561,500 by 2015. The United States still has the highest rates of Incarceration of the world. Blame as to why this is, is being thrown all over the place, at everyone, and for every reason under the sun. No one will take accountability for it. But, the answer is simple: It’s the courts. The judges, & prosecutors specifically. Why? Because it’s easy, and they have caseloads that a robot would have a hard time with, and it’s just easier to throw people in jail. And when I say that, I mainly mean the end result. When folks are arrested, and arraigned, it’s a pretty simple game; You better have money available to bond yourself out, or you will be placed in a purgatory for an undetermined amount of time, where you will be forgotten as quickly as a piece of dust being swept up.

And the view that the public has of jails and prisons are so incorrect that everyone should have to spend a week in a county jail, just so they have an informed decision, before they spout off at the mouth about inmates and prisoners. Most people have this distorted view that everyone in prison or jail is a violent criminal or rapist, or thief, of druggie, and they should never be allowed to see the light of day again. The reality is, is that yes, there are violent, bad nasty people in prison, but they only account for a very small number of inmates. Sticking to County Jails, men and women can be in there for simple trespass, to larceny, to driving under suspension- anything they cannot post bond for, for whatever reason. Recently I came to find out that a good deal of inmates are in jail for failure to pay child support. The other reality people fail to realize, is that 90% of inmates have drug and alcohol abuse problems.

The question is, why should you care? Am I right? Well, here’s a fact that no one either realizes, or believes. Most think that we take people and put them in prison to remove them from society, when that isn’t just a lie, the truth is that Prisons and jails are actually part of society. They were originally designed to take these people, reform them and correct them, so that when we return them to society,  they are less likely to reoffend again. And here’s the second half of that uncomfortable truth: 95% of all inmates will eventually be released. But we got away from reforming anyone. In fact programs for inmates are being cut in record numbers. So, what we ultimately do, is warehouse people until they’re sentence is done, and having been so productive doing nothing in there, things like the Cheshire Home Invasion happen. Ask Mr. William Petit how that worked out.

The argument will always be,  that those programs cost money ( And we’re broke anyway, so how do you want to be able to pay for that?). The fact is, for basic services, it costs the State of Connecticut, $138 per day, per inmate. That doesn’t take in to account any medical costs, or programs. That’s Clothes, 3 Hots, and a Cot. (Tom Bodette at Motel 6 can do it cheaper, and shit, he’ll leave the light on for you!) So, if you do the math, figuring Connecticut has approximately 17,000 Inmates, that’s $2,346,000 per day, and $856,290,000 per year just to keep the inmates housed, clothed, and fed. That doesn’t take in to account costs for Staffing, Medical, Mental Health, Maintenance, etc, etc.
Maybe if we concentrated on treatment, rather than incarceration for Drug & Alcohol cases (Possessions, and DUI) and eased up on locking up Non-Violent Misdemeanors, and worked on Counseling Child Support Offenders for Employment Services- and those are just some ideas. Perhaps we could lessen up on Correctional Systems, and costs.

And, I have to throw this in, even though its partially decriminalized; How about legalization of certain amounts of Marijuana? I think Colorado has shown us that the Tax incentives are incredible, and crime went down 19%. I don’t use marijuana, but those are figures you cannot argue with.


In closing, I’ll address this to the Judicial System: Stop locking people up for minor infractions! When you do that, you do not correct problems in society, you are the problems of society!

Saturday, February 13, 2016

Where Is Justice In CT?

Where Is Justice In CT?

By The Screaming Eagle of Freedom

JUSTICE IS MISSING IN MIDDLETOWN CT, THE REAL CRIME PLAUGUING CONNECTCUIT IS THE LACK OF CRIME TO WARRANT THE $5 BLLION DOLLAR ANNUAL PRCE TAG

As I sit here today I find myself wondering what happened to the State Of Connecticut, Its Government, and most of all its State Employees.  Where is/are the representatives elected to care for us, and just what exactly are they really thinking when they go home at night?  I know they all have state paychecks in their pockets and power to do absolutely nothing good.  I wonder this because after observing a Family Court hearing last week Taupier v Taupier and then waking up today and seeing more nonsense this morning and seeing that the local CT news was intentionally avoiding the Baby Aden and Tony Moreno trial, I wondered why civilized society has left the state? 

I am left wondering what had happened.  Where did civilized society go?  The Tony Moreno trail is beginning in Middletown with the illustrious Judge Gold, I wonder what dark thievery and miscarriages of Justice and without a nifty bit of prosecutorial misconduct the state will likely shed all its accountability to the alleged criminal. As for David Gold presiding, I’m sure he will be doing both the job of Judge and Prosecution from the bench, which is why no Media is covering this trial? 

Why are there no cameras slated for this trial of all time?  Let us be clear…the trial is really about the 50-100 state employees who people have jobs, roles and responsibilities to prevent child from being victims of Domestic Violence and from exposure to Domestic Violence and Judicial Abuse, yet the $300 Million dollars spent annually in CT, from the state and federal government highly touted State Programs could not provide a SINGLE OUNCE of support.   I know why this happened, a young Latino child is dispatched as noncitizens for the simple reason that his parents don’t have money or assets to steal.  Case Closed!

The Judicial Branch is the party responsible for and creating the situation of a child being murdered, not just the alleged criminal, THE WHOLE ENTIRE STATE, THE MIDDLETOWN COURT, MIDDLETOWN POLICE, AND TOWN GOVERNMENT.  All of these SYSTEMS are the culpable perpetrators.  assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.2286760!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_635/

How is the entire Family Violence System run by the Judicial Branch and Court Support Services Div.  (CSSD)  not in need of a total overhaul after this event is beyond me.  While we are at it, let’s stop all federal grants funding for all these agencies that failed this child.  Stop all paychecks associated with state groups and their failures that resulted in the child losing his life.  Recent article (today) in the http://www.rep-am.com/articles/2016/02/12/news/connecticut/938413.txt

What does all this mean you might ask?  Well let’s recap.  In July of 2015 a well seated Judge (Judge Barry Pinkus) sat on the bench in the Middletown Family Court and denied a family “Protection and Due Process”.  To be clear that was his only JOB, to ensure DUE Process!  HIS ONLY JOB, he was the last line of defense for this baby boy and his mother.  The Court Failed this family, then the police did.
  
As a result, a mother who was abused was not allowed protection by the Family Court in Connecticut.  Adrianne and her child were in clear danger, the violation of the protective order is on the Criminal Docket site as one of the charges.  The child required protection as did the mother.   The entire state and $500,000, 000.00 dollars of resource were nowhere to be found!  This family was failed by 15-20 different CT State services including the Middletown Police and Judge Bozzuto who now herself claims protections against free speech as a victim and gets the protection.  

The requested protection (FPO) in family court is provided by the 100’s of family court services and is large and expansive state tax payer cost burden, yet they were nowhere to be found, except that they were available to Judge Bozzuto and her family for a crime that was never committed.  The CSSD budget is almost a Billion dollars for the CT tax payers to burden, and everyone should be afforded the same amount of service regardless of the income level, Judicial Status or housing situation.  However the reality is… in the Corrupt Family Court System of CT, this is not the case.  The CT Courts are not operated for us the public they are operated for the Judges and Lawyers who exploit the poor, indigent or immature state constituents.  These lower income rarely get attention and even rarer get any REAL support.  These folks of our society are pushed aside, and ignored for higher revenue family court participants or the more affluent divorcing family cases. 

So where were ALL the DCF workers and the 100’s of victim advocate groups funded by the plethora of state funding grants?  The amount of money funneled into these 501-3c is Ginormous.  However, whenever you call one of these state funded grant businesses (**something for help.ORG) there is always a push to go call another service (bigger state announced helper.ORG), and they always say the same thing to every situation, “your need does not really fit our program; maybe you could call X, Y or Z”.    How do I know …well I know, because I have called the numbers and gotten the same messages from the phone operators and recorded these calls on video and Audio.  I did this to see if the calls actually went to different offices or to the same offices with the same telephone worker, more reporting to come on that later. 

So why is this happening when people like Adrianne Oyola of Middletown apply for highly advertised and highly funded support designed by the CT State Court System and 200+ “not for profits” ? …  Hmm that is a good question.  These systems provided by CT Sate Dollars fail their one and only duty; protect the Children and Mothers from abuse?  Remember we are not talking about 2000 refugees in need help, this was one mother in need of a small token of help from a hugely funded state system with 1000’s of programs!

When court support services division (CSSD) publishes their annual budget this past year, the Director Steve Grant traveled to every CSSD office and talk about the potential and pending layoffs for 2015, and I quote, “we are fine for the year and have siphoned away 12-13 million dollars for a rainy day fund, no jobs will be lost or not funded!”

So why is it that baby Aaden Moreno was FAILED by the CT State Systems, the billion dollars of funding, the superior court DV services, the office of CSSD, the Judge Barry Pinkus and every Domestic violence prevention service known to man “not for profit grant based businesses” ?  Answer:  The STATE OF CT does not manage its affairs AT ALL, SEE THE DMV IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE ME!

Why was not one red cent of One Billion Dollars of tax payer funding services available to help protect Adrianne Oyola and her small child, Aden?  Only the state Judicial Branch can investigate and identify that answer.  Why do babies thrown from bridges for the failures of your CT Government, and the only one to blame is the alleged criminal?    

How did all these things fail in the most horrific and miserable selfish way.  How is the mother that had and was clearly in need of support from the well-funded Judicial Branch, only to be forgotten and left to suffer the very things the Judicial Branch is there to manage?  Why do the CT state tax payers have to fund all these “NOT FOR PROFIT” victims services that are 501-3c state or federal grant funded organizations?  Why are all these organizations funded by the state and who are they saving all the grant funding for... someone special?  Or a better question is do all these state run and funded nonprofits just pocket the money and pocket the funding and take home large bonuses and salaries?  
Why is the CT DOJ and Ms. Daily’s office not all over this, well she grew up here and get here direction from the CT Judicial Mafia? 

Who is managing and auditing these Special Funds and State Funded (not for profit) organizations with hidden 13 Million dollar slush funds?  Who is ensuring the funds and money go to the victims and ones (constituents that need it) that need it the most?  Well apparently …..NO ONE IS, managing anything, except watching the water flow under the bridge.
    
Judge Bozzuto is not victim, she and Jennifer Verraneault, founder - Family Court Consultants are victim harvesters, and Linda Allard she has adopted 9 children from DCF and was lobbying for a Judicial “JUDGE” Appointment.  Linda Allard also works for the CSSD division and is funded by the CT Judicial Branch Funding - http://www.ghla.org/staff.   We all know where the power and motivation lies and is centered for the CT kangaroo Courts, its lies with harvesting victims to fill the pockets of Judges, Lawyers and Court Vendors and is subverting justice right under our noses and in plain view.  The word CORRUPTICUIT is real!

Well… we all know the Courts and Judges are not “the end all be all of anything” other than moving cattle to slaughter, violating civil rights and subverting Justice at every turn.  Or in Baby Aaden’s case moving things through to water under the bridge.  The Judges are the last defense in the long line of a 500 Billion Dollar PONZI scheme designed and engineered by the State’s Judicial Branch’s and supported by the DOJ to funnel money, fill courts, and ignore the honor and premise of justice.   
The Judges always whine about how hard they have it, well that is an excuse to allow them to clean their minds for the lack conscious and moral behavior.  Bozzuto often can be heard, well I tried everything to fix this family, except she leaves out the one thing she knows will work, stay out of the family and allow the common sense to be the rule.  
  
How do we know this is all being covered in plain sight… by allowing the Tony Moreno to be charged without charging the 15 – 20 other state employees who also failed their duties and allowed this to happen?  Where is the DOJ with Charging State employees for failing their duties? Well last year the CT DOJ fielded 11,000 phone calls describing the state’s known corruption schemes by State Employees, and not one thing happened, not one thing.  The CT-DOJ is an empty suit.
     
I encourage you all to call the “not for profit groups” and request help, go to court to get help, contact the Vitim’s advocates CSSD services to get help.  Don’t be surprised if you get the run around.  My Question is …Where does all this funding go and who is getting help? 

The answer, plain and simple, NO ONE IS BENEFITING FROM THESE NON PERFORMING STATE SYSTEMS.  Case in Point – the CT DMV is a complete embarrassment, even when compared to a third world country.   NOW Malloy want to outsource 1000’s  of $45K/yr jobs to $7.00/hr part-time employees and keep the DMV payroll the same? 

The story is two threefold, why is it the main stream media has missed this story, and what happened to the $1 Billion Dollars in associated Mandated State process that failed this young mother and child, and why is the Judge not on trial?  Adrianne Oyola applied for a restraining order June 17 against boyfriend Tony Moreno the CT COURT FAILED HER and the Baby!

The Violation of the Restraining order is on the offense state court site, who is the nut job running this circus?    Answer….NO ONE! Why is the CSSD and Judge not responsible for conspiring to commit murder!


Where is JUSTICE in CT?

Saturday, February 6, 2016

Starbucks Approved For Washington Street Site

Starbucks with drive through approved for washington street
by brian e. clark

On Thursday, The Planning and Zoning Committee approved a plan for a Starbucks with a Drive Through to be built on the old Computer Tune & Lube Site in the Home Depot Plaza, on Washington Street. I’ll warn you now, I’ve been vehemently against this plan from the beginning, and I still am not, so if you don’t want to read why this an absolutely terrible idea, stop now, have a good day, and a pleasant tomorrow.

The reasons I am against Starbucks, on Washington Street, or anywhere for that matter, Oh, let me count the ways! Starbucks, for one, has a terrible product line, and have questionable business practices, at best. They also, do have some good benefits for the full-time workers there, but the key word is, “full-time”. In any Starbucks location, the number of full- time employees can be counted on one hand. And then there is the Big Box Store Effect, that comes right along with them, and all of the negativity that comes with that. Middletown, specifically, has for decades, been known for our small local coffee houses, and shops.

Now, I write on this aspect of this story because I am personally familiar with the owners of two downtown Coffee Houses, that have been here in Middletown, for over two decades. I’ve come to know the way these businesses operate, and how close to the profit margins they actually are. Here’s a clue: They certainly don’t do it to be rich. They do it because it’s a passion they believe in with their whole heart. I’ve seen countless times where the owners are actually sorrowful for having to raise the price of a cup of coffee 20 cents, because their costs have been raised. These are the people that make up the fabric of our society. They are our community. And they’ve always known, that a Starbucks would be a death sentence. Well, the death warrant has just been signed.

I’m all for bringing business in to Middletown, but never at a cost of some other business, or businesses. People may say, in this case, what about Dunkin Donuts? There is a clear difference between what Dunkin Donuts brings to the table, and what Starbucks brings to the table. Starbucks brand promotes the image of a cozy coffee house setting, and titles their workers, “Barista’s”, and specializing in Espresso, and specialty blends of coffee. Dunkin Donuts brands themselves as a Fast Food Coffee & Donut Shop, and there’s a market for that, they they have cornered, and they do quite well at it. The fact is, The Barista Companies, who own the Franchises of Dunkin Donuts in Middletown, stand to take a loss of business as well with a Starbucks centrally located as it is planned.

In the end, we are selling the Fishing Boat, for a Fish. This one business will infect the business community of Middletown, and slowly kill off all of the small coffee houses that have invested so very much in to the City of Middletown. I myself am a small business owner, and I knew from the inception of my business that I may be able to operate around Middlesex County, but there is no way I can afford to register my business in this City, or State. Being that I operate completely on line, I have the option of registering in a different state, and I fully intend on doing so. Investing in a small business these days, isn’t even a risk anymore, it’s a gamble. With an administration that is so quick to sell out any industry that works for them, that’s a gamble I am not willing to accept.


I’ll finally end with this: Throughout this whole process of Starbucks going before P & Z, I have been very blunt about how I feel about it, and I have disagreed with some, gained supporters, and listened to some people lose their minds. I don’t regret anything I said, because it’s how I feel, and I won’t apologize for that. The truth hurts. That, I’ve come to learn. But this country needs a healthy dose of the truth, because we have been pampered and lied to so much, that everything offends us. So, if you made it this far in the article, and still don’t agree, hey, that’s ok! We don’t have to agree on everything, so long as we don’t lose out f-ing minds in the process.

Thursday, January 28, 2016

MICHIGAN COURT PROTECTS ALLEGED ABUSER, STRIPS MOM OF PARENTAL RIGHTS

Michigan Court protects alleged abuser, strips mom of parental rights

CHICAGO, January 27, 2016 — A Michigan mom says Oakland County Family Court has effectively removed her from her son’s life because she presented evidence of abuse.
Lillian Song has been involved in custody matters for more than five years in Oakland County. Her case is in the same county as the controversial Tsimhoni case; the guardian ad litem on her case, Keri Middleditch, is currently the attorney for Omer Tsimhoni, the father in that notorious case.


Song said her divorce started in December 2012 and was completed in October 2013. During that time, she received a personal protection order (PPO) regarding her ex-husband, and that PPO was approved or extended by five different judges.
According to a police report, one incident of domestic violence occurred on June 19, 2013. The report states:
“With the phone in (his) hand, (he) began striking Song across the face. Song advised that (he) continued striking her with (his) hand and the phone for about five to ten minutes constantly making childish taunts.”
The officer taking the report said there was “minor bruising under Song’s left eye.”
The Farmington Hills Police Department, which investigated the case, told CDN that the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office declined to press charges while the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office said no file was submitted for consideration.
Neither entity provided an explanation about why Song’s ex-husband was not arrested. Song initially received an order of protection on June 23, 2013, following this incident.
Song’s ex-husband has been represented for much of the divorce by Emily Long, a criminal attorney. Her website claims, “Criminal defense is all we do, and we do it right.”
Long was an Assistant Prosecutor in the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office from 2006-2009, according to her profile on Avvo.
Though the divorce was finalized in 2014 and the judge granted shared custody, Middleditch was named GAL in post-divorce because a psychiatrist assigned to case thought a GAL should be appointed due to the abuse. Middleditch was assigned to the case in September 2013 but didn’t start any work until after the divorce was finalized.
Song said her problems began when she noticed bruising on her son after he came home from spending time with his father.


Child Protective Services has investigated Song’s ex-husband on two occasions, Song told CDN, based on anonymous complaints he was abusing his son. On at least one occasion, Middleditch inserted herself into the investigation.
Song said that a CPS employee told her that Middleditch told a CPS investigator, “This has nothing to do with dad’s abuse and the mom is unstable.”
Song said her parenting time was suspended after Middleditch informed the court that she had been taking photos of her son’s bruises after he came home from visits with his father.
At a February 20, 2015, hearing, Long told the court,
“I remember specifically asking this because I was so concerned about the content of the photographs was how long have these photographs been going on … And Ms. Song’s testimony was that she was photographing the rectal and anal region of the minor child in question when he was received from the father’s care and then, when he was again, delivered to the father’s care.”
Later in the hearing, Middleditch, who stated that Song didn’t make her aware of any problems and that she hadn’t seen the photos, said,
“I frankly think that if these pictures are as described by both attorneys, have been taken as often as they suggest, certainly even after dinner, which is absurd to me, I find that the actual action is abusive.”
The photos, according to Song’s attorney Vincent Giovanni when questioning Middleditch, were of “severe rashes of the child’s bottom, which she testified occurred at the time he arrived from parenting time with his father.”
Giovanni also stated, during his questioning of Middleditch, that the photos were taken along with seeking proper medical treatment. Giovanni didn’t respond to an email for comment.
Middleditch, like Bill Lansat—the GAL in the Tsimhoni case—is a divorce attorney who is assigned cases to be a GAL. Her training and expertise in matters of domestic abuse are unknown.


The judge, Lisa Langton, refused to allow for the photos to be entered into the court record at that hearing. She said, “I am not going to allow these pictures to be made a part of the record. I don’t want any additional copies made of these pictures. I would prefer that these pictures be only in possession of counsel at this point.”
A phone message left with Judge Langton’s chambers was not returned.
Middleditch recommended that Song’s parenting time be suspended as a result of taking these pictures. The judge agreed, and since that court hearing, Song has only been allowed to see her son in supervised visits, which cost her $35 per hour.
On November 24, 2015, Song sent Middleditch an email in which she alleged seventeen violations of GAL protocol by Middleditch. These alleged violations include:
“3) Reviewing all updated material as provided to the court and parties. – None of the GAL bills list any such activities for the case involving Joshua and his perspective families.
“9) Filing all necessary pleadings and papers. The reports you were to develop and the work product that substantiated your finding and ex-parte discussion were never based on a foundation of facts and clearly violate Judicial process and the GAL standards and
“10) Consistent with the law governing attorney-client privilege, informing the court of the child’s wishes and preferences.” – The child’s best wishes and interest were never documented and were only spoken to the judge on behalf of the child based on ex-parte off record conversations.”
Middleditch formally removed herself from the case on January 7, 2016. Middleditch didn’t respond to an email for comment.


Read more at http://www.commdiginews.com/politics-2/michigan-court-protects-alleged-abuser-strips-mom-of-parental-rights-56507/#1kdpz1o5IxiPz2K4.99

Friday, January 22, 2016

Product Recall From The South Fire District

Product Recalls From The South Fire District


1. CPSC, NHTSA and Britax Announce Recall of Infant Car Seats Due to Fall Hazard

2. Britax Recalls Strollers and Replacement Top Seats Due to Choking Hazard

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1. Recall Date: January 21, 2016
Recall Number: 16-081

CPSC, NHTSA and Britax Announce Recall of Infant Car Seats Due to Fall Hazard

Recall Summary

Name of Product: Britax B-Safe 35 and B-Safe 35 Elite infant car seats and travel systems

Hazard: The car seat carry handle can crack and break allowing the seat to fall unexpectedly, posing a risk of injury to the infant.

Remedy: Repair

Consumers should immediately stop carrying the car seat by the handle until the repair is installed. All consumers who have previously registered their product with Britax will automatically receive a free repair kit. To register to receive a repair kit or verify registration, visit www.bsafe35recall.com. Consumers can continue to use the car seat when secured in a vehicle or on a stroller.

Consumer Contact: Britax at 800-683-2045 from 8:30 a.m. and 5:45 p.m. ET Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. ET on Friday, or by email at Britax.Recall@britax.com. Consumers can also visit the firm’s website at www.us.Britax.com and click on “Safety Notice” at the top right of the page.

Recall Details


Units: About 71,000 units (in addition 3,900 units were sold in Canada and 990 units in Mexico)

Description: This recall involves Britax B-Safe 35 and B-Safe 35 Elite infant car seat and travel systems manufactured between October 1, 2014 and July 1, 2015. The product can be used as a rear-facing only car seat and as an infant carrier. The car seat/carriers have a canopy, black shell and base, and were sold in a variety of colors. The Britax logo is printed on both sides of the seat shell and on the carry handle grip. Model numbers and the date of manufacture (DOM) are printed on a label located at the back of the infant car seat/carrier shell.

Models included in the recall are:

Britax Infant Car Seats and Travel Systems
Model Numbers
Dates of Manufacture (YYYY/MM/DD)

B-Safe 35
E9LU65M, E9LU65P, E9LU63F, E9LU66R, E9LS63F, EXLU65M
October 1, 2014 (2014/10/01)
through
July 1, 2015 (2015/07/01)
B-Safe 35 Elite
E9LS55T, E9LS56P, E9LS55U, E9LS66C, E9LS65U
B-Safe 35 Travel System
S914900, S915400, S915200, S921900,
S01635200


Incidents/Injuries: Britax has received 74 reports of handles developing fractures, cracks and/or breaking while in use, including one report of an infant who received a bump on the head when the carrier fell to the ground.
Sold at: Babies R Us, buybuy BABY, Target and other stores nationwide and online at Amazon.comDiapers.com and other online retailers from November 2014 to January 2016 for between $210 and $250.
Importer/Distributor: Britax Child Safety Inc., of Fort Mill, S.C.

Manufactured in: U.S.

Note: Health Canada's press release is available at: http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/recall-alert-rappel-avis/hc-sc/2016/56686r-eng.php

Mexico’s press release is available at: http://profeco.gob.mx/verificacion/alertas_nvo.asp

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2. Recall Date: January 21, 2016
Recall Number: 16-080

Britax Recalls Strollers and Replacement Top Seats Due to Choking Hazard

Recall Summary

Name of Product: Britax B-Ready strollers

Hazard: The foam padding on the stroller’s arm bar can come off in fragments if the child bites the arm bar, posing a choking hazard.

Remedy: Repair
Consumers should immediately remove the arm bar from recalled strollers and replacement top seats and contact Britax for a free black, zippered arm bar cover and a warning label to apply to the strollers and replacement top seats. Consumers can continue to use their strollers without the arm bar attached.

Consumer Contact: Britax at 800-683-2045 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. ET Monday through Thursday and from 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. ET on Friday, by email at Britax.Recall@britax.com or online at www.us.britax.com and click on Safety Notice at the top right, or                   www.B-ReadyRecall.com for more information.

Recall Details


Units: About 49,000 in the U.S. (in addition, 11,000 were sold in Canada)

Description: This recall involves Britax B-Ready strollers and B-Ready replacement top seats that were sold separately. The B-Ready strollers have a silver or black frame with a solid-colored top seat in a variety of colors. The Britax logo is on the stroller’s side hinges and foot rest.        B-Ready is printed on the sides of the stroller frame.  The stroller’s model number and date of manufacture are printed on a label on the stroller’s frame between the front wheels or on the inside frame that connects to the back right wheel. The replacement top seats were sold separately in a variety of colors and fit into the stroller’s frame. The replacement top seat’s model number and date of manufacture are printed on a black label on the right side tube above the adjuster button, under the fabric cover.

Model numbers and dates of manufacture included in this recall are as follows:


Britax Strollers and Replacement Top Seats
Model Numbers
Dates of Manufacture (YYYY/MM/DD)

B-Ready Strollers
U281767, U281768, U281771, U281772, U281773, U281774, U281784, U281792,
U281793, U281794, U281795, U281796, U281797

April 1, 2010 (2010/04/01)

through

Dec. 31, 2012 (2012/12/31)


B-Ready replacement top seats
S845600, S845700, S845800, S845900, S855000, S855100, S856600, S870200, S870300, S870600

Incidents/Injuries: Britax has received 117 reports of children biting the arm bar foam padding, including five reports of children choking or gagging on foam fragments.
Sold at: Babies R Us, buybuy Baby, Target and other stores nationwide and online at Amazon.comDiapers.com and other websites from April 2010 through January 2016 for about $500 for the stroller. The replacement top seats were sold by Britax from April 2010 through January 2016 for about $150.
Importer/Distributor: Britax Child Safety Inc., of Fort Mill, S.C.

Manufactured in: China


Note: Health Canada's press release is available at http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/recall-alert-rappel-avis/hc-sc/2016/56654r-eng.php