Deep Into Guns

Very good article (“They Carry Guns,” Cover Story, July 16) . Rosa deserves credit for researching deep into this topic. It is a very rare thing this day and age to get a fair article on the topic of guns and gun rights. Most are just inaccurate fear-mongering. This one takes the time to find the real message and the real people involved. Thanks!

Paul Higgins
via email

No Good Guns

Is it possible to be more irresponsible than to publish an article encouraging even more people (God only knows how many unstable people included) to walk around with weapons — loaded or not (“They Carry Guns,” Cover Story, July 16)? This has absolutely nothing to do with testing legal rights (just an excuse to carry firearms). You must know that, having interviewed these people. Please, for everyone’s well-being, try to be a little more responsible in the future!

Name Withheld by Request

Proless, Conless

I am very impressed with Ms. Jurjevics’s article (“They Carry Guns,” Cover Story, July 16): very professional, even-handed and comprehensive. Many people in the online gun community advise against talking to any reporters, assuming that they would only produce anti-gun propaganda. I am delighted that I can point to at least one writer who simply presents the facts without sermonizing on the pros or cons. This is the high-quality writing that I’ve come to expect in the Reader.

Tom Simpson
via email

Story Hits Bullseye

Thank you for publishing the column by Rosa Jurjevics about open carrying of guns (“They Carry Guns,” Cover Story, July 16). It was very educational and well-written.

Ron Jones
via email

Not Overtly Psychotic

Re: “The American Board of Nonexistence,” “City Lights,” July 2

Dear Mr. Holman:

As you know, the undersigned represents Dr. Stephen Doyne, Ph.D. In response to your e-mails of July 3 and 10, 2009, we request that you pull the entire story from your website and issue an apology directly to Dr. Doyne.

As you correctly note, the information in the article by Mr. Grimm is a summation of the complaint of Dr. Tadros. However, nowhere in the article is there any notation that the article is based (1) only on allegations contained in the complaint, (2) that nothing hasbeen proven, and (3) that Dr. Doyne categorically denies each and every allegation. In fact, the article is written in such a fashion as to cause the reader of the article to believe that Mr. Grimm has reviewed the entire court file, that Dr. Doyne is not contesting theallegations, and that the allegations are true.

As you further note, there is no “Answer” to the Complaint of Dr. Tadros filed by Dr. Doyne. In legal proceedings, the fact that an “Answer” is not on file does not mean that the defendant tacitly admits the allegations. Dr. Doyne has timely responded to the complaint by filing a Special Motion to Strike Pursuant to C.C.P. § 425.16. In this Motion, Dr. Doyne has provided uncontroverted evidence, not allegations, of his training and experience in response to the unsupported allegations of Dr. Tadros.

As I informed you, Dr. Doyne has documentation of all of the training and experience which Dr. Tadros has criticized in the pending lawsuit. Dr. Doyne stands by his record of education and experience in providing testimony to the court in child custody evaluations.

Turning briefly to the facts of the case:

1. Dr. Steve K.D. Eichel’s article never states that the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute (ACFEI) issued his cat any credentials. He states that the cat was issued credentials by the American Psychotherapy Association, which was founded by individuals associated with the American College of Forensic Examiners. He never states how these individuals were associated with the ACFEI, that the American Psychotherapy Association is in itself associated with the ACFEI, or that the ACFEI issued his cat any credentials. You and your readers can easily confirm this by reviewing the article, which is located at www.dreichel.com/dr_zoe.htm. Any representation that the cat was issued a credential by the ACFEI is false.

2. Dr. Doyne has been a member in good standing with the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute since 1997. The ACFEI is an independent, scientific, and professional association representing forensic examiners worldwide. He has held a Diplomate status with the American Board of Forensic Examiners since 1997 and with the American Board of Psychological Specialties. To become a Diplomate, you have to: (1) be a member in good standing of the American College of Forensic Examiners; (2) fulfill board requirements, which include (a) have appropriate educational degrees from accredited universities and have five (5) years of relative experience; (b) have no felony convictions or ethical violations in the last ten (10) years as well as not be under investigation; (c) adhere to the ACFEI’s Principles of Professional Practice; (d) submit a vita plus copies of forensic reports and court transcripts and/or depositions indicating forensic experience in your field; (e) complete the ACFEI Certification program; (f) complete at least 15 hours of continuing education a year through ACFEI or an equivalent organization; and (g) have appropriate state licensure in your field of expertise. (You can confirm this criteria at www.acfei.com/diplomate_fellow/.) Again, it is clear that the cat written about in Dr. Eichel’s web page did not, and could not, meet these criteria. Further, there is no evidence in the court file that he did so. Any representation that he did is a lie.

3. Dr. Doyne served as an adjunct professor at the University of San Diego School of Law in the ’70s. He taught a course called Interviewing, Counseling and Negotiation at the school. The Dean who hired him, Dean Wechstein, has since died. Unfortunately, Dr. Doyne does not keep his records of employment for 30 years, and I know of no one who does. We did contact the Dean’s office staff to obtain documents to verify his employment; the staff informed us that they do not keep records thirty years back. However, we were able to locate the individual who trained Dr. Doyne for the position, Rodney Jones. He is a member of the California Bar and provided a declaration attached to Defendant’s Opposition to Plaintiff’s Supplemental Brief Regarding Mixed Causes of Action Under Anti-SLAPP filed on or about April 24, 2009. In the declaration, he confirms the employment of Dr. Doyne at USD.

4. Dr. Doyne was also an instructor at the University of California, San Diego around 1972. Again, Dr. Doyne does not keep records of his employment for 30 years. We have attached to the Opposition to Plaintiff’s Supplemental Brief Regarding Mixed Causes of Action Under Anti-SLAPP filed on or about April 24, 2009, a copy of a course catalog which identified Dr. Doyne as an instructor. This course catalogue provides undisputed proof that Dr. Doyne taught at UCSD.

5. Dr. Tadros’ insistence that Dr. Doyne was not employed as an instructor at California School of Professional Psychology/CSPP (now Alliant University) is ludicrous, and Dr. Tadros and his attorney know this and are simply manipulating you for the publicity. We have filed in our original anti-SLAPP motion a declaration of Dr. James Chipps, Ph.D., who hired Dr. Doyne to be an instructor. Dr. Steve Bucky, Ph.D., has also provided a declaration that Dr. Doyne taught at the school but that the school has no records because they were destroyed. Again, had Mr. Grimm reviewed the court record, he would have easily ascertained this fact. I invite you to review the file, which has now been transferred to Judge Jay M. Bloom in Department C-70. If you are unable to find these declarations in the court file, please feel free to call either of these gentlemen at Alliant to confirm the accuracy of these representations. They still work there.

These are the largest examples of inaccuracies. Once the case with Dr. Tadros is resolved, Dr. Doyne will be available to discuss the matter with you and/or Mr. Grimm.

Finally, as you may or may not be aware, parents involved in a child custody evaluation, while not overtly psychotic, very often distort the reality of the situation based upon their own self-centered perceptions. In the context of child custody evaluations, more often than not, one or both of the parents will be dissatisfied with the recommendations and outcome of the evaluation. Often they will project that anger on others, including the judge, the attorneys, and the evaluator. That is what has occurred in this matter.

I would hope that upon review and confirmation of this information the Reader will realize that they have been provided misinformation by Dr. Tadros and his attorney to obtain an unfair advantage in this litigation and destroy Dr. Doyne’s illustrious career. I am sure that the Reader has no intent or desire to be used as a pawn in litigation. Therefore, we respectfully request that you pull the story from your website and issue a formal apology directly to Dr. Doyne.

Christopher J. Zopatti
Attorney
Callahan, McCune & Willis, APLC

The Golden Boys

Hi. I have comments about Steven Doyne (“The American Board of Nonexistence,” “City Lights,” July 2). I certainly have lots to say and I’m years away — a couple decades away — from having to deal with Doyne. My kids are in their 30s and they’re successful. For the grace of God were we able to get through that nightmare of what they call an oxymoron of a family court. I am proud that the Reader is doing an investigative piece, as far as I see. I hope that they continue.

In Northern California they now have the Center for Judicial Excellence. They finally were able to get real reviews of cases because women — mostly women — are complaining about what’s going on with the courts and their kids. They’re ignored. They’re written off as complaining women that are just unhappy.

People like Doyne — people go not because they want to…because they’re forced into it. It’s like going into mediation when the court tells you you have to go. I was a former arbitrator-mediator — it has to be consensual or it doesn’t happen, mediation. Well, it’s conciliation. In family court if you want the judge to pay attention, you have to hire one of the golden boys — and Doyne was one of the golden boys.

I think the article that Ernie did was great.

Danielle
La Jolla