Hi Joe, 
 
Thank you for the information on COS. I KNEW I wouldn't like it! :(
FIJA sounds like a good deal though. That could really help SOME victims
of false accusations, and that would be a very good thing to have happen.
I'll probably give Ed Gran a call, but won't really be able to get too
involved with it as my time is spent on working on our case, getting my
daughter home, dealing with 16 year old problem child, and VOCAL. But
perhaps I can assist in some small way with FIJA and at least be kept 
informed of other legislation that may help all of us. :)
 
 JS> Could you please tell me more about VOCAL?
VOCAL stands for Victims Of Child Abuse Legislation (or Laws, depending
on where you are), it is an international non-profit organization that can 
do the following things (depending on the chapter of course): give emotional 
support to victims of false accustation (through meetings and over the 
phone), provide references for attorneys specializing in cases like theirs, 
provide references for counseling centers that will give unbiased 
evaluations, inform victims of what their rights are, help victims work 
aggressively (rather than passively) within the system to regain custody 
of their children or freedom (whatever the case), provide education to not 
only the victims but to politicians and the public about how the system 
works and what the shortcomings are, assist in forming and/or passing 
legislation that gives Children's Protective Services less power and forces 
them to do a thorough job instead of simply looking for fault, and in some 
chapters they can provide people to do private investigations into cases. 
The state chapter in Sacramento, California offers ALL of the services 
listed above and I am very fortunate to be able to learn from them. They 
also promote public awareness by holding public demonstrations, accessing
the media (like the cases that Dateline has shown over the past few months),
and so forth. I'm sure that there are other things they are doing that I'm
not aware of, but in my opinion, it is a wonderful organization and I am
grateful to have access to it.
I hope this information helps. For more information on VOCAL you can call
(303) 233-5321 and talk to Donna Smith in Colorado. That is the NASVO 
headquarters (National Association of State Vocal Organizations). I had
the 800 number, but I lost it somewhere. :(  That hot-line is open 24
hours a day and you can call any time.  Good Luck!
Valery
... The important thing is never to stop asking questions.
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