We picked up Zachary from school Friday afternoon at 12:30 and headed off to Williamsport. Prior to our hearing our attorney showed up and was so kind to give Zachary a tour of the courtroom. He showed them where the judge would sit and the jury would sit if there was a trial and where he would sit.
Shelly and our lawyer went into the room first when the judge was ready. They had to do the termination of parental rights first and then we were called in. The judge asked myself and then Zachary a few questions and from start to finish it only took 15-20 min. We should be getting the paperwork from the court today or tomorrow.
We had a nice little get together on Saturday. Friday night Zack's grand parents came down from Watertown and left this morning.We had a few friends here from the neighborhood Saturday and I think was besides himself with excitment...since it was all about him and his new last name which he will tell you is not as many letters as what it used to be.
We found out a few weeks ago when Shelly called Ohio to check the status of child support or lack there of. They let it slip that it was an odd amount last time cause he had to pay that much to get released.
For Zachary's biological father he does not need to pay any more child support from this day forward....however, the 12400 in back support he will still need to pay on.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Friday, September 21, 2007
F*** The Jena Six
Pro or con you can fill in the blanks as you like.
If you caught the news yesterday or read the paper you couldn't escape the events in Jena, LA yesterday.
For those who have chosen today to crawl out from under their rock here is some background.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/09/20/jena.six/?iref=mpstoryview
Before I comment on the situation I have to first address this from the above linked story.
Jena's racial tensions were aggravated in August 2006, when three white teens hung the nooses the day after a group of black students received permission from school administrators to sit under the tree -- a place where white students normally congregated.
Why would a group of students need permission to sit under any tree? That, if correct, sounds like there was racial tension long before this incident. Maybe me being from the north and growing up in a mostly white city and all white neighborhood leaves me impossible to comprehend why permission was even sought.
Having said that it was a solid three months between the hanging of nooses from this tree and the beating to which the Jena Six are now known by.
Three months.
Of course there are those that immediately draw a nexus between the two events but I tend to disagree. The US attorney's office declined to bring federal charges as they believed the two incidents were not related.
At the very worse, hanging nooses would have constituted a hate crime. Even so it would have been a hate crime in which no one was injured and no personal property was damaged.
Somehow, at least to me, there is no equality between the damage hanging the nooses caused and the beating of one individual by six others.
It appears that the 15-20,000 who marched upon Jena, LA would think I am wrong. Remember....THREE whole months elapsed between the two events so how can you connect the two separate events together? I believe you cannot.
So what you now have is six individuals who together beat and/or kicked one individual while he was down on the ground. They were initially charged with attempted murder. I don't know whether that charge was correct or not but since then the charges have been reduced. What would you expect from kicking a person in the head while he was down on the ground and unable to defend himself???? Would you expect a slap on the hand and a stern talking to???
I would hope not.
Then again all those who marched upon Jena might think differently.
Some people scream injustice and I would remind them the injustice was the six beating up the one. There is nothing even remotely smelling of equality in that equation. 1 vs 6. Maybe that inequality, that injustice should have been the reason compelling so many people to walk away from their obligations for a day to march upon a town of 3200.
Can we all just get along? I think so but we still need to work on it.
If you caught the news yesterday or read the paper you couldn't escape the events in Jena, LA yesterday.
For those who have chosen today to crawl out from under their rock here is some background.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/09/20/jena.six/?iref=mpstoryview
Before I comment on the situation I have to first address this from the above linked story.
Jena's racial tensions were aggravated in August 2006, when three white teens hung the nooses the day after a group of black students received permission from school administrators to sit under the tree -- a place where white students normally congregated.
Why would a group of students need permission to sit under any tree? That, if correct, sounds like there was racial tension long before this incident. Maybe me being from the north and growing up in a mostly white city and all white neighborhood leaves me impossible to comprehend why permission was even sought.
Having said that it was a solid three months between the hanging of nooses from this tree and the beating to which the Jena Six are now known by.
Three months.
Of course there are those that immediately draw a nexus between the two events but I tend to disagree. The US attorney's office declined to bring federal charges as they believed the two incidents were not related.
At the very worse, hanging nooses would have constituted a hate crime. Even so it would have been a hate crime in which no one was injured and no personal property was damaged.
Somehow, at least to me, there is no equality between the damage hanging the nooses caused and the beating of one individual by six others.
It appears that the 15-20,000 who marched upon Jena, LA would think I am wrong. Remember....THREE whole months elapsed between the two events so how can you connect the two separate events together? I believe you cannot.
So what you now have is six individuals who together beat and/or kicked one individual while he was down on the ground. They were initially charged with attempted murder. I don't know whether that charge was correct or not but since then the charges have been reduced. What would you expect from kicking a person in the head while he was down on the ground and unable to defend himself???? Would you expect a slap on the hand and a stern talking to???
I would hope not.
Then again all those who marched upon Jena might think differently.
Some people scream injustice and I would remind them the injustice was the six beating up the one. There is nothing even remotely smelling of equality in that equation. 1 vs 6. Maybe that inequality, that injustice should have been the reason compelling so many people to walk away from their obligations for a day to march upon a town of 3200.
Can we all just get along? I think so but we still need to work on it.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Six Years Ago A Friendship Began.......
This is something that Shelly put together. Our hearing is scheduled for next Friday and that should be it. I don't expect anything to delay it or prevent it. It's not like his natural father doesn't owe some 11 thousand dollars, or not like he has a license now.
Zack doesn't know his granparents will be comming down the night before so we can all be at the courthouse together. We are having a small party as the invitation suggests with just a small amount of family and friends and I think that is more for me than Zack :)
Sunday, September 09, 2007
If the Orange were on the Gong Show...
They would be gonged by now. This is the third year for coach Greg Robinson who already makes old coach Pasq. look like a genius. I was one of those calling for a change, but who could have imagined the school's football program would sink to as low as it has.
Part of the reason is the emergence of middle-tier schools. Why go to a big school program when you can really carve out a name for yourself at a middle-tier school. One big upset is all one needs to put you on the map. Conferences like the MAC are the ones consistently putting out the best QB prospects, too.
So here we are with the Orange, who frankly, should go back to Orangemen. It's not like they didn't have a big old Sunkist Orange for a mascot for lord only knows when, and I can't even begin to recall the last days of the Saltine Warrior. The Orangemen can be whatever they want them to be--it didn't need to be Native American originated. But Orange alone... Well, they've been crushed to pulp.
Three points in two games. The school hasn't seen a decent QB since McNabb, and Robinson's West Coast Offense looks like it should have stayed there. After UB (Buffalo) trounced Temple 42-7 yesterday, there's no doubt Syracuse has become the worst NY State D. I big-time football school.
So the question is, just how much longer before the new AD--well, wait--he's been there going on three years, too, hasn't he?--wait before banging the gong. Granted, everybody anticipated with a new coach that there would be rebuilding, getting new recruits, etc., but in those three years, we've seen Rutgers go from being a team beaten by the UB Bulls to being a legitimate top 20 team. Perhaps it's the curse of Ray Rice who was originally looking to go to Syracuse. They certainly could use a running back of his stature now.
Or any running back, for that matter.
Part of the reason is the emergence of middle-tier schools. Why go to a big school program when you can really carve out a name for yourself at a middle-tier school. One big upset is all one needs to put you on the map. Conferences like the MAC are the ones consistently putting out the best QB prospects, too.
So here we are with the Orange, who frankly, should go back to Orangemen. It's not like they didn't have a big old Sunkist Orange for a mascot for lord only knows when, and I can't even begin to recall the last days of the Saltine Warrior. The Orangemen can be whatever they want them to be--it didn't need to be Native American originated. But Orange alone... Well, they've been crushed to pulp.
Three points in two games. The school hasn't seen a decent QB since McNabb, and Robinson's West Coast Offense looks like it should have stayed there. After UB (Buffalo) trounced Temple 42-7 yesterday, there's no doubt Syracuse has become the worst NY State D. I big-time football school.
So the question is, just how much longer before the new AD--well, wait--he's been there going on three years, too, hasn't he?--wait before banging the gong. Granted, everybody anticipated with a new coach that there would be rebuilding, getting new recruits, etc., but in those three years, we've seen Rutgers go from being a team beaten by the UB Bulls to being a legitimate top 20 team. Perhaps it's the curse of Ray Rice who was originally looking to go to Syracuse. They certainly could use a running back of his stature now.
Or any running back, for that matter.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Genealogy
Just shy of 1300 people on my tree.
Most of that was just direct mother/father ancestry for the most part. I think I was trying to see how far back I could actually go. Kind of like looking up at a tree and seeing how tall it is. Now it's pretty much going to families and working on the siblings and going from there.
I have found a couple instances where I came across someone who was looking for info that I had. That was exciting. It could be that what they have could answer a question or two, and probably create new ones. In any case, that is what its all about.
The problem is that most people working on genealogy seem to do so for a while then something pulls them a different direction and/or they lose intrest in it for some time. So, the email addresses that are listed may or may not be up to date. I have been able thus far to find parts of my tree in Canada, England, New Zealand and Australia.
Progress is slow now and seem to be adding only a few names a week which is fine. It's interesting to be able to view the actual image of an 1850 census or a WWI draft registration form right from the computer at home.
Most of that was just direct mother/father ancestry for the most part. I think I was trying to see how far back I could actually go. Kind of like looking up at a tree and seeing how tall it is. Now it's pretty much going to families and working on the siblings and going from there.
I have found a couple instances where I came across someone who was looking for info that I had. That was exciting. It could be that what they have could answer a question or two, and probably create new ones. In any case, that is what its all about.
The problem is that most people working on genealogy seem to do so for a while then something pulls them a different direction and/or they lose intrest in it for some time. So, the email addresses that are listed may or may not be up to date. I have been able thus far to find parts of my tree in Canada, England, New Zealand and Australia.
Progress is slow now and seem to be adding only a few names a week which is fine. It's interesting to be able to view the actual image of an 1850 census or a WWI draft registration form right from the computer at home.
I was at a family reunion back in May of this year. I saw some people I hadn't seen in 25+ years. I remember used to seeing some of these relatives at least once a month if not more frequently.
You know how it goes when you haven't seen someone in a while...you both say you ought to keep in touch. This time I honestly can say I tried.
I gave my email to a cousin of mine.
Oh yeah, I get email....and lot's of it.
Trouble is there's never anything I read.
Nope.
Don't even open it.
Nope.
I think if she wrote down an original thought instead of filling my computer with useless crap that she just needs to forward to EVERYONE the hand of God would reach down and slap her upside the head.
You know how it goes when you haven't seen someone in a while...you both say you ought to keep in touch. This time I honestly can say I tried.
I gave my email to a cousin of mine.
Oh yeah, I get email....and lot's of it.
Trouble is there's never anything I read.
Nope.
Don't even open it.
Nope.
I think if she wrote down an original thought instead of filling my computer with useless crap that she just needs to forward to EVERYONE the hand of God would reach down and slap her upside the head.
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