EDITOR’S NOTE: Ben Vonderheide, aka ‘Daddy Justice’, is a controversial local activists on behalf of the rights of fathers. Some consider him to be too outspoken and frontal, perhaps even obnoxious. Whatever one thinks of his methods, it is important that we consider the validity of his cause. Just about every pioneer reformer is like a burr under society’s saddle. A local example: Ron Harper used a number of antics to draw attention to the misbegotten Convention Center Project.
An easy target, a lone Men’s advocate in a courthouse. Openly declaring on T-shirt or leather jacket “Daddy Justice for the love of a child.” While there are eighty or so tax funded agencies helping women who stand in court against their man, they all still cower, recoil and attack in mass the only voice a man and his child might have.
I was asked to come in on a case by an old friend. Her friend was being swindled by his ex, a township treasurer/secretary. She had forged a deed using her position and access and they wanted me to expose her on DaddyJustice.com because police and officials would not take action.
I suggested they attend the Township meeting and expose her but explained I was too overwhelmed to take any new cases. They tried that, and police threw him out before the “public” meeting began at his ex’s command. He got served with a ‘Protection From Abuse’ order (PFA) the next day for his trouble.
Since that day I began filming in Berks County [detail of other methods of intimidation, taking the cameras, throwing us out of the buildings, etc are left out to keep this piece simple. They are the subjects of an ongoing federal suit. Suffice to say they have not welcomed the cameras or the questions].
I came with him the day of hearing. I spoke with the recorder of deeds who confirmed the forgery. I spoke with county detectives who had no interest. I went to the courtroom and quietly attempted to give the forged document to the PFA lawyer and a cop. The PFA lawyer refused me and the cop jumped up and started screaming at me. The sheriff then threw me out and let him stay. Days later I received two disorderly conduct charges in the mail.
Numerous witnesses testified that I never raised my voice and in fact cordially laughed with court employees and public (there were fifty people in the courtroom). The witnesses testified that the cop screamed, threw F-bombs and wigged out in general. Regardless, I was convicted in Berks County Court by judges Deborah Lachina and Linda Ludgate (AKA “Founding Mother” of domestic violence in Berks County). Needless to say I requested change of venue and then recusal of this judge – both denied by her.
The witnesses who testified, including a lawyer, on my behalf were ignored. The prosecution witnesses all make a living on PFA and custody court such as the judge’s assistant, a sheriff deputy, etc. They provided none of the dozens of members of the public to testify.
I was ordered to six months probation, drug and alcohol evaluation, anger management treatment, etc.
They (probation director) ordered that I cease any and all investigative work I was engaged in with various police agencies, they refused to allow me to attend the court dates for Lisa Lynn Jacobs (whom attacked me in the US Senate building and plead a deal). They insisted that I give them details of any visits to Washington DC (or anywhere else over thirty miles away) and required approval before I could go. I needed to tell them why I was going, who I was to see or try to get on camera, who was going with me, what my license plate was and make/model/year of car, who I was going with or might meet there, etc, etc, etc.
Linda Ludgate shut down my work against VAWA and the anti-male forces in Washington DC with a disorderly conduct conviction.
I appealed to the PA Superior Court based upon various civil, Constitutional and 1983 causes. I requested at a minimum the case should be remanded to a different court than Berks since they are the subject of my investigation into corruption and specifically wrongful prosecution of men in PFA and criminal courts. They should not be in a position to prosecute a reporter with only their longtime friends and work associates as witnesses. And as any common fool could see… A Proudly feminist judge who has ridden the anti male hysteria to the highest level should not be in a position to convict a men’s rights advocate and reporter. Thus quashing the first person who ever showed up and started asking hard questions about these programs and how they are utilizing them.
They filed a motion to dismiss and I responded months ago. I was scheduled to argue the case before the Superior Court on August 21st. Three judges got together behind closed doors and dismissed my complaint. The culture of protection and obstruction rules amongst these oath-swearing tax paid institutions.
Some think they absolutely do not want men’s right argument on the record as it relates to the open discrimination against men in Pennsylvania Courts. The Superior Court is known to be feminist in make-up and determinations and they have ignored the Constitutional rights of men for years and particularly in their PFA, custody, support and divorce industry related rulings. It could be surmised some Superior Court judges are on the bench via riding the feminist PC wave as opposed to any great intelligence, integrity or wisdom.
I should note for those doubters that a well-seasoned attorney read my appeal and response and stated it was excellent. In fact better than most lawyers he said.
It is open season on men and their advocates in America today. No $300,000 salaries or awards banquet like the women’s rights folks. No hobnobbing or glad-handing with the politicians. Show up and be charged, intimidated, threatened and defamed for sure. That’s OK, we don’t want your world anyway.
We only want our children and our freedom and the same rights women get.
I will investigate appealing to the next level.
Obviously just because your appeal was well written doesn’t mean it had merit. Clearly the Berks county motion to dismiss was well written as well and 3 superior court judges ruled their argument had merit!
I know all about the despicable “kids for cash” judges and am elated they were finally brought to justice but you can’t make the leap that because of their behavior, all judges are corrupt. That’s juvenile thinking.
I’ve seen some of your videos and in my opinion your body language and tone of voice are aggressive and way out of line.
Robert, you commented about an elderly man who, an activist too, was being sentenced for some legal infraction he committed and if I remember correctly he was going to jail. He did not complain because he was sane enough to understand that just because you’re an activist does not give you immunity from prosecution if you break the laws society has instituted in an effort to maintain a civil society.
Being arrested is many times the point of civil disobedience and the more mature activists don’t whine upon their arrest, it’s expected. One would have to read the appeal, motion to dismiss, and opinion and only then decide whether there’s any injustice in what happened here.
I personally certainly don’t take this guy’s word for it.
In many ways these abuses are as flagrant, oppressive and illegal as the current “CHIK-Fil-A” issue in the news, where a company owner can not even express a personal religious belief without being totally demonized, attacked and accused of all form of wrong when he has done absolutely nothing but say a true statement – that being what his belief is. It violates the most core elements of the foundation of this country and is excused in light of not just political correctness – but political correctness on something that hardy matters.
In Ben’s case, his voice is for CHILDREN and has long been silenced, and even when he has gone through enormous personal effort to document on film and clearly articulate in writing he is still silenced. This demonstrates the enormous corruption in the system as they will not even grant him Due Process (anyone that thinks this dismissal represents Due Process must be on colorful drugs) a fundamental Constitutional rights. They would never do that unless they feared being “brought into the light”.
This level of disregard for the law and most importantly – the blatant disregard and lack of respect for all the lives of men and women that have been lost, in order to secure these rights makes me sick.
Wow. The Chik-fil-a comparisson is so untrue. The Chik-fil-a ceo expressed an opinion. Those who disagreed with that opinion expressed their opinion. Now, those who agree with the ceo are expressing their support of his opinion. Exactly how it’s supposed to work.
I saw DJ posted a video of himself speaking in front of some lawmaking body in Harrisburg. His voice was heard. Divorce and child custody are ugly and very personal trials that I think everyone wishes wouldn’t have to happen. I bet the family court judges wish they didn’t have to make custody decisions FOR the parents who just can’t agree on things, and yea wouldn’t it be nice if everything in the world was perfect.
The courts do the best they can with a very difficult situation and if both parents were completely well adjusted and willing to be completely honest and put the best interest of the children first, we taxpayers could save a whole lot of money not used to have to pay the courts to make those decisions. That’s just the reality of the situation.
I believe Ben is doing very important work in discovering and weeding out injustice in the court.
Ben knows there are good judges and bad judges, the bad being influenced by the millions of dollars the VAWA laws provide. He also knows there are good fathers and mothers and bad fathers and mothers. His fight has not always been an all or nothing fight, but a fight for justice for those who deserved to have some and not to be ignored for being a man. Children are the losers when these rights are ignored and when sometimes the “good” parent is painted black and loses the most important thing in the world to them.
If you are at all familiar with the Mary Richardson Kennedy case, there are women who put on a good public persona and truly make the lives of their family members a living hell. This is called a Personality disorder and there are millions neglected as children in some way, men and women, suffering from this. This is important because many people in bad marriages didn’t know there was even such a thing and usually blame themselves in some way, and if you’re married to one of these people and are looking for a divorce to save your sanity, you’re often in for the fight of your life.
The facts are that many men have been deprived of their rights and lost their children to women who learned to manipulate the current laws for their own ends, with the legions of help provided to do just this. Men don’t have equal rights in these cases, (in many instances) and that is what needs to be changes.
When you look at how violently some of the people confronted by Ben react, you have to know that something is wrong here. Ben may be perceived as coming on too strong, but its what he has learned after being confronted by a wall of corruption. To say there is no corruption here is also naive.
Now, ben is fighting for the right to film in the public areas of court buildings and I think most people who have nothing to hide should be fine with that. The only ones getting filmed are the ones who have problems with that. If you don’t stand up for your rights, they will slowly get taken away, when it benefits someone in power.
You all should be thankful Ben has done what he has done on all of your behalf’s. Children deserve more and so does Ben. I encourage you to support this man who has given up so much to help others.
Refresh my memory please. Since when has being a “pain in the ass” been a legal offense. Public officials must always be assumed guilty because of the power they wield. Ron Harper proved it again and again.
Ben Vonderhide and Ronny Harper have accomplished nothing except for making themselves look like arrogant, bitter fools.