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Don't Forget The Sammys'
Fifth Amendment Rights
While your publisher's disappointment
with the conduct of the University of
Michigan's "Sammys" is on the mark,
the suggestion shared by the university
and one of the fraternity's advisers that
it was wrong for the chapter president
not to identify those involved is dead
wrong ("Trashing A Resort — And A
Fraternity:' April 2, page 52).
Almost immediately after the incident
occurred there was comment that crimi-
nal charges should be brought. A person
likely to be charged with a crime is not
obligated to acknowledge guilt. That is
what the Fifth Amendment says.
The university authorities as well
as the chapter adviser seem to have
taken the position that there is no Fifth
Amendment right to remain silent if you
are a student. Mr. Kaplan had every right
to decline to specifically identify those
involved until the air was cleared about
possible criminal charges. The univer-
sity's investigation, charges, decision on
guilt and punishment all within 30 days
was in my view precipitous. Simply put,
Fifth Amendment rights do not stop at
the edge of a campus.
Judge Avern Cohn
United States District Court
Eastern District of Michigan
Detroit
Happy With Choice
Not To Be Childfree
Regarding the article "Childfree By
Choice" (March 5, page 1), I know that
having a child is a personal choice, and
that it's not right for everyone. Although
it sounds like circular reasoning, the
problem is that it's difficult to make
an informed choice when you may not
know exactly what you're saying "no" to.
My current situation is that I have a
4-year-old son. I had never had a child
before and never envisioned I would.
My child was "planned; but I went into
the situation not feeling enthusiastic
about it. Those feelings have fortunately
changed very much.
The main motivating factor was
that I had made a commitment to my
fiancee, and it wasn't something I felt I
could back out of. But there were other
thoughts as well.
I knew, for instance, that I was the
product of generations before me who
had persevered through great difficulties
to be able to give a life to their kids.
The thought that frequently crossed
my mind is, "Is this what it all boils
down to, that the purpose of everyone
before me was just to be able to give me
the opportunity to pursue nicer 'things,
to have a more leisurely life, etc.?"
I would also think, at the end of my
life, what will I be regretting more, not
having had kids or not having taken bet-
ter vacations?
Despite my reluctance, I went along
with the program to have this child,
whom I suspected was only going to cre-
ate great difficulties. Instead, it unexpect-
edly turned out to be just the opposite.
I would encourage anyone faced with
the choice to consider all the angles before
making a final decision, recognizing that
it's at least slightly possible that you might
wish to make a different choice.
Lastly, even if you've spent time
around other people's children (includ-
ing relatives) it may not be an accurate
barometer to how you would feel toward
your own child. No matter how I may
have felt when I've heard someone else's
child crying, it's not at all how I feel
when I hear my son crying.
Robert Ackermann
Santa Monica, Calif.
Hatred In Europe
Sets Off Warnings
The article "Denmark Revisited: Hatred
and violence in the 'righteous among the
nations"' (March 26, page 48), described
the increasing anti-Semitism throughout
Europe and Scandinavia. Alarmingly,
Copenhagen's Great Synagogue's Chief
Cantor Oren Atzmor concluded that the
"best way to deal with it [anti-Semitism]
is to ignore it."
If history teaches us anything, ignor-
ing it will not make it go away. But, how
are we in the United States going to
defend Judaism when we have a leader
who almost daily berates Israel and
defends Muslims?
For example, President Obama
attempted to indirectly unseat Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the
recent elections, and when he finally
called Netanyahu after his unexpected
landslide victory, it was reported that
he demanded Israel's ambassador to the
United States be removed. Obama has
endorsed Palestinian statehood. Obama
has described Muslim hatred of Israel
and Jews as just a recent phenomenon
and outbreaks of violence just random
acts of violence.
The United Nations has done even
more to propagate anti-Semitism. As
of 2013, Israel had been condemned in
45 resolutions by the United Nations
Human Rights Council since its creation
in 2006, almost more than the rest of the
world combined. Out of 193 member
nations, Israel alone was condemned this
month for violating the rights of women
by the U.N.'s Commission on the Status
of Women. Yet women's rights violators
like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan and
Ask Attorney
Ken Gross
about...
Your Legal
Issues
Syria get a free pass.
If you hear a lie often enough it
eventually becomes the truth. Is it any
surprise that even many Jews believe
the hypocrisy of world leaders and their
behavior toward Israel and Jews?
Dr. Donald Kitain
West Bloomfield
Bulgaria, Like Denmark
Saved Jews During Shoah
Regarding the article "Denmark Revisited:
Hatred and violence in the 'righteous
among the nations"' (March 26, page 48),
Denmark is still honored, and rightfully
so, for saving all its Jewish citizens in
the horrors of World War II. Another
European nation also saved all its Jewish
citizens at that time, but we never knew
about it. That state is Bulgaria.
Our dear friend, the late Dr. Jacques
Rosenfeld, was born, grew up and spent
his early adulthood in Bulgaria. He and
his family were among those saved,
and he never forgot it. As a resident of
Detroit, he prepared a speech to present
to any organization that would have him,
describing this saintly rescue.
That speech is in the Holocaust
Memorial Center.
Shoshana Wolok
West Bloomfield
Women's Group Discusses
Post-Divorce Legal Issues
The Women's Divorce Resource Center
presents the workshop, "The Never
Ending Divorce" to discuss the legal
battle after one's divorce.
Birmingham family law attorney
Henry Gornbein will speak about post-
divorce issues relating to custody, child
support, parenting time, enforcement
and change of domicile.
Gornbein is a former president and
chairperson of the Family Law Section
of the State Bar of Michigan. He is
author of the book Divorce Demystified,
Everything You Need to Know Before
Filling for Divorce and host of the cable
TV show Practical Law.
The Woman's Divorce Resource
Center is a nonprofit program of
United Charitable Programs. Its mis-
sion is to educate and empower women
going through the divorce process.
This workshop is on Thursday, April
16, from 6:30-8 p.m. at Bloomfield
Public Library, 1099 Lone Pine Road,
Bloomfield Township, MI 48302.
This cost is $25. To RSVP, visit the
"Events" tab on the website www.
womens-divorce.org or call (248) 707-
1564.
IT IS TIME TO ACT!
Can you solve my
tax problem?
Yes, I
can. Tax problems are
stressful — they cause loss of
sleep and enormous pressure.
The biggest mistake people
make is ignoring them. There
are good solutions available, at reasonable
cost, to release levies and often settle the
debt. Unlike may firms recently claiming
to handle tax problems, THAV GROSS has
been solving tax problems for individuals
and businesses in the area for 33 years.
If your bank account has been levied or
wages garnished, the first step we do is
contact the IRS or the State and work
to get your money released. If you have
unified tax returns, we will help you get
the returns filed. If unpaid taxes are the
issue, we will analyze the years and dates
to determine if the statute of limitation has
or is about to run. Income taxes are also
sometimes dischargeable in bankruptcy —
so we also examine that option to eliminate
the tax. For both income and payroll
tax liabilities — an Offer in Compromise
with IRS and and now with the State is a
possible way to settle the tax for pennies
on the dollar. The important point here — is
that there are options and avenues to solve
the problem. You should call us today — for
a FREE CONSULTATION.
L
THAV GROSS
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888.235.4357 (HELP) or
248.645.1700
For information, visit us online at
thavgross.com • lawandreality.com
30150 Telegraph, Suite 444
Bingham Farms, MI 48025
April 9 • 2015
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