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>> Our guys defending freedom in Iraq. Potential future victims of America's family law system.	>>> Download leaflet!

This article is not being offered to criticize the current state of the Iraq War, nor to debate the justification of the invasion in the first place. Enough has already been written on that subject and history will be the ultimate judge.

Instead, this page is meant as a public service for those young men interested in joining the military or extending tours of duty. If you fit either category, you probably have literature from an armed forces recruiter advertising the benefits of military service and motivating you to do your patriotic duty. But what these publications do not tell you is that many of the rights you think you're fighting for do not exist for all Americans.

Most people interested in military service assume that they will be defending the principles of freedom embodied in the Constitution, or a prosperous way of life subject to the rule of just laws. Unfortunately, for men who have been caught up in America's family law system, many of our nation's laws are more akin to those of fascist dictatorships or the former Soviet Union.

Many divorced men who have been put through the wringer of America's family law system also have no right to prosperity thanks to a vicious system which assigns artificial debts, then strips them of their ability to work should they fall behind. And regardless of health or employment status, the system also imprisons men should their debts go into arrears -- a practice expressly prohibited by the Constitution.

In short, divorced men are the victims of institutionalized discrimination which would be universally condemned were it against any race, ethnic, or religious group.

Be aware that you too can join the ranks of men whose rights have been abused by the family law system and your military service will not avail you when you're caught in the ruthless gears of the system.

Before we briefly describe some of the abuses and legal imbalances you can face as a divorced man in America, we'd like to point to a few notable cases involving U.S. military personnel:

Gary S. was a Navy Seal who fought terrorists in Afghanistan after the September 11th attacks. While he was away, his son was whisked out of the country with the help of a California family court. This real American hero now hardly sees his child and is reportedly near bankruptcy due to legal fees and court-ordered support.
National Guardsman Joe McNeilly lost custody of his child after serving in Iraq for 15 months. Before going oversees to protect his fellow Americans, he agreed to cede temporary full custody to his son's mother. When he returned home from the battlefield, he was shocked to learn that the court punished him for his absence by permanently awarding full custody to the child's mother.
Lt. Scott Keenan, an intelligence officer in the Naval Reserves, was sent overseas for three weeks around September 11th. Because of his deployment, he was unable to exercise all of his allotted parenting time with his children. A New Jersey judge rewarded his sacrifices for his country with a slap in the face by permanently reducing his parenting time by 20%.

If you are a young man just out of high school or college, you're probably in the dark about rights abuses commited in America's family courts on a daily basis -- it's one of our nation's best kept secrets. So we are providing you with a rundown of facts for you to consider before you join the armed forces and put your life at risk.

No reproductive rights for men: our nation's family law system currently recognizes reproductive rights only for women. A wife or partner can have an abortion without your consent, and have open access to birth control. Men on the other hand have no choice as to whether or not they want to be parents.
No right to appeal child support orders: under the federal law known as the Bradley Amendment, men have no right to appeal child support orders even if they've been made erroneously or set too high by a court. Under this law, courts will not adjust support if you are sick, disabled, laid-off, imprisoned, or permanently disabled due to military service and unable to earn an income. Nor will courts adjust support if you had no legal representation at the time an erroneous support order was set. On the other hand, women can ask for child support adjustments retroactively and without limitation.
Debtor's Prisons: although specifically banned by our Constitution, debtor's prisons abound in America's family law system. Men are regularly sent to jail for failing to pay support whether or not they actually earn enough money to pay artificial court orders. These men are routinely charged with "contempt of court" despite the fact that many are unable to comply due to reasons beyond their control. Custodial mothers on the other hand, when they decide to willfully deny fathers court-ordered visitation, are rarely prosecuted and are allowed to operate with impunity.
No right to life, liberty, and happiness: America's family law courts do not care about your expenses or your daily needs. When judges impose support orders, they set an amount based on what he or she "thinks" you should be making, not what you actually earn. If you cannot afford these amounts, courts will tell you to sell whatever property you might have or to unrealistically reduce your expenses (we've even heard of one judge telling a divorced dad to move to a homeless shelter!)
Entrapment: In many cases, the system will seize driver's licenses, passports, and professional licenses to enforce payment. But in doing so, the system actually strips men of their ability to work and makes it impossible for them to meet artificial artificial support orders.
No right to a second family: If one relationship in man's life fails, it is very hard for him to start over again in the current system. The system does not care about second wives or children of a second marriage/relationship. In fact, the state is quite hostile to second spouses and children of second families. State agencies routinely promote the concerns of ex-partners and non-custodial children over the needs of current spouses the children they live with. And all too often, second marriages crumble thanks to the ruthlessness of the family law system.
Support Does Not Equal Visitation: if you think that meeting support payments entitles you to visitation, guess again. The doctrine of the system states that support and visitation are in no way connected. Therefore, you can be given one day per month visitation and still be liable for a whopping support order. And in many cases, judges allow custodial mothers to move children away from their fathers -- as in the case of Navy Seal Gary S., to another country altogether!

This is just a brief overview of abuses and imbalances in the family law system. Many more exist and are shocking when detailed on a case-by-case basis. However the facts are now yours to deal with as you wish. But if you're a young man and still unclear about military service, let us provide you with a little more food for thought:

If you are poor and do not own a square inch of property in this country, you must ask yourself if America really is your country. For instance, if you ever do get ensnared by the family law system, you will need plenty of money to even make a stand for your rights. That's because the legal system in America is driven solely by money, and not by justice. Court cases are all too often contests of money in which the poorest of our society emerge the biggest losers. And this is so whether or not you serve in our nation's armed forces.

Furthermore, one should look at our leaders in Washington. How many of them have children in the military? Very few according to some reports. Out of 535 member of Congress, only 7 have children serving in our nation's armed forces (see article in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune). Stunning. If the fate of the free world hinges on the outcome of the current conflict, why then do our nation's leaders have so few of their offspring in uniform?

In closing, we would like to acknowledge that you may also be considering joining the military because you believe that is the best way of protecting your family from enemy threats. The facts, however, do not support this. Statistically, an American male stands a far greater chance of losing a loved one to the family law system than he does to a terrorist attack.

We at the NCPForce! hope you make the right decision to stay safe, stay informed, and to take a stand for men's rights in America.

Useful Links

icasualties - stay current on military casualties in Iraq.

Operation Helmet - help our troops already in the war zone; this non-profit website aims to provide our brave young men with proper protective gear because our government, despite its multi-billion dollar war budget, has failed to do the job.

ABOUT NCP FORCE! (Non-Custodial Parents Force)

Our organization is a non-profit, grassroots action organization dedicated to reforming America's family law system.

While we frequently refer to divorced fathers, who overwhelmingly bear the brunt of abuses in the family law system, we champion the cause of all non-custodial parents, be they unwed fathers, non-custodial mothers, grandparents, or assigned parentage fathers (men who are held responsible for parentage despite the fact that they are not biological fathers).

Unlike many other family law websites which claim to help divorced dads and NCP's, we will never ask our visitors for money or donations. We also do not charge for, or offer legal services. Instead we provide a virtual base of operations, forum, and information clearing house for visitors to help themselves free of charge.

Learn more about joining the NCP Force! It's free and no personal questions will be asked unless you wish to share your family law experiences with us.