Glenn Discusses DART Campaign on Nationally-Syndicated Mike Gallagher Show
November 11th, 2008 by Glenn Sacks, MA for Fathers & Families
I discussed our campaign against Dallas Area Rapid Transit's anti-father bus ads this morning on the nationally-syndicated Mike Gallagher Show. According to Talkers Magazine, Gallagher is the eighth most listened-to talk radio host in America and has over four million weekly listeners.
Gallagher (pictured) was very sympathetic, and tied the ads to what he described as the general disparagement and unfair stereotyping of fathers. As an example, Gallagher pointed to the Vincent Romero case in Arizona, where an 8-year-old boy shot and killed his father and another man.
Gallagher played clips of numerous TV guests asserting that the father must have abused the boy in order for the boy to shoot the father. Yet according to today's New York Times:
Although investigators initially said they thought the boy might have suffered severe physical or sexual trauma, they have found no evidence of abuse, said Roy Melnick, the police chief in St. Johns, Ariz., where the shootings occurred.
Moreover, the Associated Press reports:
[F]riends and neighbors disputed a suggestion that the boy had been abused...Hundreds of mourners packed a funeral Mass on Monday for Romero at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church...
Relatives and friends painted a picture of Romero as a caring father who seemed to be doing all he could to raise a polite and respectful boy.
"They were always together doing things as a family, fishing, hunting," said Carlos Diaz, a cousin of Romero's current wife.
About 600 mourners filled the church in this rural town of about 4,000 people 170 miles northeast of Phoenix. Those who could not get in crowded around an open door or sat on chairs set up outside...
Prosecutors said there was no record of any complaints filed about the boy with Arizona Child Protective Services and that the youngster had no disciplinary record at school.
Romero had full custody of the child. The boy's mother lives in Mississippi, according to officials...
Carl Hamblin, a neighbor who had once coached the father in Little League, said he often saw Romero and his son at football games or out in the yard, playing baseball.
"He appeared to be doing the right things as a dad," Hamblin said.
Neighbors Flynt and Amber Smith described the father and son as "two peas in a pod."
"They were good people," Amber Smith said.
Gallagher said that if the boy had shot the mother, far fewer people would be tarring her as violent or as a child abuser. I made the point that the vast majority of parental murder and abuse of children is perpetrated by mothers, not fathers. To learn more about child abuse, click here.
I also pointed out that it is certainly true that the fact that mothers spend more time with children influences this statistic. However, there is no basis to the cultural prejudice that it's fathers and only fathers who are a threat to their children.
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November 11th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
I don't buy the "women spend more time with kids" excuse. So what? The amount of time spent with kids is no excuse for criminal behavior. Would we excuse a bank teller if s/he robbed a bank simply because s/he spent a lot of time around money? (Well, the PC press probably would if the teller was a woman) Do we excuse bartenders of drunk driving simply because they spend more time around booze? You get the idea.
Opportunity is no excuse for acting out.
November 11th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Fathers aren't a threat to their kids at all. They are the legitimate and natural authorities over their children, not courts. The danger is in seperating children from their fathers, over 99% of whom are not abusive at all. The notion that dads are a threat to their families comes straight from communism. Lenin himself said, "Destroy the family and you destroy society," which was his goal.
About the 8 year-old, it could be the case that he didn't even do it and has made a false confession (no surprise for a child that young to do that), or maybe he was playing a game and didn't know what he was doing, or maybe he really did plan this. The point is that we just don't know and to form any conclusion without knowing more is idiotic. What would really be stupid would be if we passed new laws based on a single freak incident. We don't need to start trying eight year-old boys as adults or ban violent video games or crack down on gun ownership. We need to make intelligent decisions when we pass laws and not rely on anecdotes and the hysteria they generate.
November 11th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
I agree that it is interesting that the kid told the neighbor that his dad and friend were dead, but the police pop out with a confession.
hmmmmm
Why not blame the mom?
November 11th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
I agree with TS.
I find it odd that an 8 year old would just get up and commit such horrid crimes unprovoked.
Something is not right.
November 12th, 2008 at 6:54 am
Thank James D. I missed the link to the times story. Fathertimes drug hypothesis is a good one, I for one wouldn't let the Dr.s put my kids on them, but for a very last ditch effort. I'd rather have a kid wound up and act up than tripped out and spaced off!
I doubt video games have much to do with this, the boy had been prairie dog hunting and if you haven't ever tried this it is much harder than it sounds. But most kids that learn to hunt and fish also learn the resulting finality of death. I wouldn't discount the step mom in this too fast, who has what to gain!!!! Then again to could be just the odd freak thing that make having stats. for this type of thing possible
November 12th, 2008 at 11:11 am
Glenn,
You said:
"I also pointed out that it is certainly true that the fact that mothers spend more time with children influences this statistic."
If that were the case then most bank robbers would be bank employees.
November 13th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Very Interesting LindaW.
I'd never want to see those on buses! But they make the point well.
Surely there is a way to advertise such that the Family Place can help those who experience violence and abuse in their intimate relationships.
There must be an alternative.
December 24th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
We heard about this story and your blog today on talk radio. I apprieciate your story as we do family law and criminal law cases. Here is our post re your great story. Keep up the good work.
Nevada, (HC)
Disclaimer: Family law and criminal law cases can become extremely complex. My firms position as a professional State licensed investigator is not to become emotionally involved in our cases. Our mission is to be truth seekers on behalf of our client. Sometimes our findings help our clients, sometimes not.
But as a firm, we do try our best.
Below is a story where an 8 year old boy recently allegedly shot and killed his father Vincent Romero, and his fathers’ friend and co-worker Timothy Romans.
Disgustingly so, police officials made knee jerk reactionary comments that the father ‘must have been abusing the boy somehow.’ The presiding judge even called those comments and opinions as "loose-cannon pronouncements."
What a shame that the police would feed these forged assumptions to the press and the public. In my opinion, it is un-American and libelous.
On the contrary, an investigation later proved that the father was a good decent man. Vincent Romero’s reputation was found to be a “loving caring and kind guy.” Others told he did everything possible on his own to raise his child in the best environment possible.
Sources say the father was an avid hunter. I suspect this bastard may have used his own fathers gun against his father. If so, it’s a shame parents need to lock their own weapons from not just burglars, or to protect their own children from harm. But then to also protect themselves from their own deranged children.
Forgive the foul word. But this little bastard needs to be prosecuted as an adult.
Being only a spectator in this case, I could only imagine what the causation for this 8 year old bastard was to kill.
I suspect what may very well have had stolen this bastard kids heart, could have been from being under the influence of violent video games and/or movies.
Author Warren Wiersbe once warned us stating; “Sow a thought, reap an action. Sow an action, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny!” That makes a lot of sense.
I have had the honor of having met the renowned Lt. Col. Dave Grossman on several occasions. I have sat under his training both as a police officer, and in the private sector. Lt. Col. Dave Grossman has coined the phrase of ‘Killology- the psychological cost of learning to kill.’
Whether it be the prosecution or the defense, they may want to consider Grossman as an expert.
And here’s the rest of the story.
http://hi-caliber.blogspot.com/2008/12/8-year-old-boy-kills-his-father-and.html