Birthday Wishes

(Written on Apr 10). Today was my daughter’s 10th birthday. She is still ‘captive’ in Germany.

I wrote the following letter to 3 congressmen and 2 senators.

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How much is a life with your children worth?

In Germany, it is about 750 dollars – the amount German law permits lawyers to charge for a custody or visitation case. Family court decisions are preordained. 200,000 American citizens live in Germany.

Fatherhood is systematically suppressed in Germany. In Germany’s only long-term divorce study, half the fathers NEVER see their children again.

Today is my daughter’s birthday. Three years ago today, Phoebe was supposed to be celebrating her first visit to America to see her American family and the wonders of America. My son Kai was supposed to come too. Phoebe and Kai (then ages 6 and 8) especially looked forward to Disney World.

Three years ago Germany blocked ALL forms of contact between Phoebe and Kai with my entire American family.

To initiate and then maintain this, German psychologists and doctors committed ethics violations that in America would have cost them their practice. German police, lawyers and judges committed acts that in America would have put them in jail. Two German Supreme Court cases with 2 lawyers (Germany’s winningest family lawyer and the Supreme Court’s all-time winningest constitutional lawyer) were rejected with no explanation.

Since lawsuits don’t work, I need help shining a spotlight on this – maybe a wide beam bringing media attention, or a narrow beam on a few key individuals bringing a quiet diplomatic solution.

Fatherhood is the most important thing in my life. So I took a 60% pay cut and spent a decade in Germany to maintain a very close relationship with my kids. I spent 50+ hours a week with them. But twice a year I had to fight court petitions to reduce our time together. In 2015 I returned to America to regain my income so I could help my son’s numerous neurological, psychological and educational problems. Germany responded to my move by cutting off all contact with my children.

Space does not permit detailing the psychological trauma committed by many on my young kids.

My mother who is 78, refuses to look at videos of my kids anymore. They make her sad that by the time my kids turn 18 and can no longer be held by Germany, she’ll either be dead or too senile to know who they are.

I need help. I need to begin to break the downward spiral my children are in. Even just one initial Skype call with them will begin the healing. There are no international laws to force Germany to stop these kind of actions against families and German judges and police routinely ignore their existing ones. For my children, I need help, from someone who cares deeply about children and family, someone with influence. I hope that someone is you.