Older than My Father

26 years ago this month my father died of a heart attack. I am now older than he was at the time of his death.  Furthermore, my paternal grandfather died when my dad was still in high school. My brothers and I have always joked with humorous disregard that the men in our family die young.

On the positive side I don't smoke, have a fairly healthy diet, keep my weight in check and am physically and mentally active. On the negative side, having nearly all my money taken from me via unethical and criminal actions by Spring and her lawyer along with the fact that I have no possibility of retirement other than death adds, shall we say, an element of stress to my life that my father never had.

I do wonder sometimes what would have happened if my father had lived. He was a lawyer who worked a a prosecutor, city attorney and trust officer.  If he were alive when I married Spring I wonder if he would have advised me to get a prenuptial agreement. (I have already advised my eldest, who is now an adult, of this)

I do know that my dad would have been appalled at the actions of Nelly Wince, Spring's lawyer, as he truly believed that rule of law was the key to a stable and prosperous society. During the Watergate scandal, my dad, who was a Republican, viewed Attorney General Elliot Richardson's decision to resign rather than follow Nixon's order to fire special prosecutor Archibald Cox as an act or true heroism. The law was sacrosanct for him. Lawyers such as Nelly Wince who subvert the law for their own gain should be disbarred  and face criminal charges. Where are the Elliot Richardsons today?

Sometimes Justice Works

Meri Jane Woods was convicted in Pennsylvania of downloading child pornography in an attempt to frame her estranged husband. She was busted because the time stamps for the images were from after her husband had been forced out of the house due to a protection from abuse order the Court had earlier granted at the request of Ms. Woods. I would say it highly likely the abuse claims were just as false. 

There is a Reddit discussion on the topic here. 

It is nice to see that once in a while justice does triumph. I think it is clear that my ex-wife Spring and her lawyer have committed crimes just as bad but sadly they have only benefited from their acts at the expense of me, my children and society. 

Patent Trolls - Best Study Yet on Their Impact

I have posted on patent trolls a couple times previously. Now a new rigorous study (PDF) by Harvard University and the University of Texas makes a strong case for the detrimental effects of such activity. Patent trolls, known as NPEs (non-practicing entities)  are an area of the justice system almost as financially detrimental to the country as the divorce system. The study finds, "NPE litigation has a negative real impact on the future innovative activity of targeted firms." That means it hurts our economy and our future. And by "our" I mean everyone. That includes you. 

Robin Williams - Was Alimony a Cause of his Death?

As I am sure you know, Robin Williams took his own life on August 11. Although there are reports that he suffered from depression and was in the early stages of Parkinson's disease, there are also many reports, including this one at the New York Daily News, that suggest alimony payments to his former wives was a key contributor to his death. As the author, Linda Staci, states, "ex-wives who were allowed to attach themselves to Williams’ bank account like comatose patients on feeding tubes would be enough to make Gandhi angry and depressed." She also goes on to say, "<alimony> is a concept that is fundamentally anti-feminist." I couldn't agree more with her. 

I can't help wondering what goes through people's heads who receive alimony. How is it possible to rationalize that just because you were married to someone that you get to retire to a life of luxury while the Court ensures that the person paying the alimony has to work until death. (at lest that is true with my divorce) And in my case Spring clearly was not the primary caregiver for the children nor was she in any sense a homemaker. The unfairness would depress anyone, including Robin Williams, once dubbed the funnest man alive. 

Here is the man himself in 1991 on the Johnny Carson show defining alimony. Funny stuff but you can sense the underlying bitterness. 

New Jersey Alimony Reform Saga Continues

The Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, New Jersey (across from Philadelphia) has an interesting update on the continuing saga of alimony reform in New Jersey, something I have commented on before. As the author points out reform is difficult because Bar Associations stated purpose is to protect the legal profession not the public. The reality is that a dysfunctional divorce system benefits lawyers while an efficient and fair one one does not.

As bad as the divorce system is in New Jersey I can't imagine it is as bad as in Minnesota where corruption runs rampant and unchecked in the family court system.

Players - Rachel Corinth

I have not been as prompt as usual updating the site because I have been busy with work and kids but I am back with a new page on Rachel Corinth, the Court ordered divorce mediator we met with, in the Players section. 

I have distasteful memories of Corinth. She was bombastic and less than honest. My impression is that her sole motivation was to extract money out of me.