Scary Bedfellows, Slater, AFRA and CPS Watch

AFRA President William O. Tower

In a strange alliance that raises questions about the loyalties and trustworthiness of two large grassroots parental rights groups in this country, this blogger has learned that the widely despised guardian ad litem Dan Slater has joined forces to represent CPS Watch and its founder Cheryl Barnes, and American Family Rights Association and its president William O. Tower in a lawsuit filed byAmerican Family Advocacy Center's director Suzanne Shell.

CPS Watch founderCheryl Barnes

CPS Watch, Barnes, AFRA and Tower have been accused of copyright infringement, unfair trade practices,  unfair competition, racketeering and more. The complaint also accuses CPS Watch and AFRA of false and misleading advertising.

Slater is renown in Fremont County parental rights circles as a guardian ad litem who always sides with the CPS workers and opposes reunification of children with their parents. Reports from families whose children are represented by Slater indicate he doesn't meet with the children, doesn't conduct his own investigation, won't contest anything CPS wants, and won't provide proper representation of children as their GAL.

Dan Slater, Fremont County anti-family GAL

In one case, he was actually appointed as GAL for a mother who had a mild disability in order to prevent her own mother, trained and certified family advocate Christine Korn, from helping her with her case. The appointment of Slater as the mother's GAL was a ruse by the court and CPS to take away her right to make her own decisions on her behalf and behalf of her child.

A GAL is appointed to represent the best interests of the child or the party they represent, unlike an attorney who represents the legal interests according to what the client wants. In this case, appointing Slater as GAL for the adult mother, Slater participated in the effort to deprive this mother of her right to make her own choices regarding her legal representation. Slater was able to substitute his -- and through him -- CPS's desires as far as how the mother would be represented in court. Slater did not meet with the mother he was representing, and fulfilled CPS's agenda in railroading the mother.  He also successfully participated in insuring that the mother not be allowed any contact with Suzanne Shell, who was featuring this mother's story for a documentary.

Slater has also been active with other Fremont County lawyers and CPS agents in trying to shut down the legitimate business activities of the American Family Advocacy Center under the direction of Suzanne Shell.  This explains why he would choose to represent AFRA and CPS Watch against her. He wants Suzanne Shell out of the picture, and this seems to be a good way to accomplish that. But we suspect Meconi, Marshall and others in Fremont County are backing him, and he's doing this as part of a larger agenda to destroy the parental rights movement and any participation by family rights advocates in child abuse cases.

The salient question is: Why would CPS Watch and AFRA get into bed with this person who has opposed their parental rights agenda so successfully for so many years in Fremont County? Are they really in this for parental rights, or for their own glory? They know he has harmed the cause of this movement, and of AFRA members in Fremont County, but they still choose to associate with him.  If they will join forces with the enemy, and turn on one of their own, who else will they turn against?

In the mind of this blogger, AFRA and CPS Watch has turned against the parental rights movement and against all parents fighting CPS when they joined forces with Dan Slater and Fremont County. It would not surprise this blogger that AFRA and CPS Watch will be Slater and his CPS pal's next target, and they would deserve to be next on the anti-parental rights list.

Anyone who is part of the parental rights movement needs to bitch slap AFRA and CPS Watch for joining forces with the enemy and helping the enemy to destroy the grassroots parental right movement. They don't deserve the support and membership of real, dedicated parental rights advocates when they join the fight against parental rights themselves.