Limbaugh Presides Over August 23, 2008 The C and L in the acronym ACLU stands for Civil Liberties. There may have been a point in time when that may have been true, today it may as well stand for Callous Lawyers. While they will cheerfully defend high profile cases that will get them a standing ovation from their core constituency (while tweaking their detractors) they seem to have their head perpetually in the sand when it comes to cases that won’t get them a spot on Nightline. The problem is that there are legitimate violations of civil rights going on in this nation, and they refuse to step in and help. One such incident of somebody having their rights crucified on the Golgotha of Political Correctness involves a father who is trying to get a fair shake in the court of Missouri's own Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr; cousin to Conservative talk show icon, Rush Limbaugh. Both of these facts represent this group as one that is either completely morally bankrupt, or an organization that has way to much time on their hands; perhaps both. The problem is that there are legitimate violations of civil rights going on in this nation, and they refuse to step in and help. One such incident of somebody having their rights crucified on the Golgatha of Political Correctness involves a father who is trying to get a fair shake in the court of Missouri's own Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr; cousin to Conservative talk show icon, Rush Limbaugh. General Parker is a gentleman who is finding the playing field tipped against him when it comes to divorce, visitation of his son, and custody issues. As part of a complicated divorce from his spouse, Mr. Parker's former wife made accusations of spousal abuse and parental kidnapping in order to get the upper hand in regards to custody of their son. General Parker is not the sort of person you find highlighted on the show COPS; a drunk, abusive husband sitting on the curb in a wife beater t-shirt trying to explain why his significant other got what she deserved. He is an upstanding member of the community and has been selected as an Obama delegate to the Denver convention. His is also not a case of "he said/she said" where the judiciary is having problems figuring out the facts. The original charges were dismissed August 20, 2003. Of course the second that Judge Limbaugh banged the gavel, the lawyer for Parker's ex wife was filing new charges stemming from the same incident. Today General parker is in an endless circle acquittals followed by new charges that the court seems unwilling to put a stop to. By now somebody should have thrown a yellow "double jeopardy" flag on the field and ended this silliness, but it just keeps going on. Eventually Mr. Parker was granted visitation and weekend custody of his son. Despite the court order allowing him to have his child on the weekends, each time he attempted to pick up his son he was met with his ex-wife's refusal to comply with the order as well as a refusal on the part of the St. Louis County's police force to enforce the order. It has been reported that members of the police force have gone so far as to threaten Mr. Parker with arrest if he tries to exercise his legal right to see his own son. General Parker currently has the law and a verifiable record of courtroom vindications on his side. Despite this, Mr. Parker is being kept away from his son by the very people who are responsible for enforcing the law. He regularly and finds himself back in court to fight the same battles that he has already won. General Parker is not only a devoted father trying desperately to see the son that has been kept from him for over five years, but he is also an African American. A case where the civil rights of a minority are being regularly violated, and somebody with Limbaugh DNA is involved in the mix should be red meat for groups like the ACLU. They have been oddly quiet on this issue and reluctant to address it. Apparently a father's rights case is not something they want to get involved in. The ACLU is not the only political entity that is shying away from this topic. As was stated earlier, Mr. Parker is an Illinois Obama delegate. Very little help is coming his way from the Senator and presumptive Democrat Presidential nominee. During a Father's Day speech, Barack demanded that African American dads become more engaged with their children. He even recounted his experience growing up without a father in the house. Right now Obama is faced with one of his own delegates, jumping up and down, waving his hand in the air and saying that he wants to be a big part of his own child's life. This is not a situation where standing up for the civil rights of his delegate puts Barack on shaky ground; the history of courtroom vindications puts Obama on the side of the law in this case, yet his campaign refused to even comment on the issue when asked. Liberal candidates have historically had an undeniably poor public perception when it comes to family values topics and law enforcement. By taking up General Parker's case, Obama could actually be seen as standing up for the law and helping an African American dad be more engaged with his son. It is baffling why they are choosing not to help Mr. Parker, who has been nothing but a loyal supporter for the candidate. Considering what he, himself went through as a kid without a dad in the home, one would think Barack would have some empathy for General's son, and give a helping hand. At the moment no lifeline from the campaign has been thrown Mr. Parker's way. Why are the ACLU and Obama campaign staying away from this situation? The most reasonable answer would be that both have the apron strings of radical feminist groups like N.O.W. tied around their throats. Taking up the banner of father's rights would mean upsetting the feminist applecart. In the case of Obama, he is already having trouble with the women who supported Hillary Clinton. Standing up for the rights of a dad might result in an electoral frying pan to the back of his head from the boys who run the National Organization of Women. One group that has stood up for General Parker is African-Americans for VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) Reform. This is a group who has recognized that VAWA, though created for the noble cause of preventing women from getting beaten senseless by their significant others, has also been used as a stick to pry good men away from the their children. They are doing what they can, but like most small groups fighting for good causes, they are under funded and understaffed. Father's rights are a huge problem in this country (well actually the lack thereof is the problem), and one that a feminized press seems unwilling to admit is even an issue. Those who want to help can email the President of AAVReform, Elizabeth Crawford at president@aavreform.org. General Parker can be reached gparker@aavreform.org. People who are interested in upholding the rights of fathers by reforming the Violence Against Women Ace can sign AAVReform's petition at www.aavreform.org. Some calls to the Obama campaign may not be a bad idea as well. |
