Arrivals gathering their lobby packets for Congress

By Dr. Leon Koziol

Parenting Rights Institute

(315) 796-4000

Our three day Parent March on Washington officially began today with a drizzly, low turn-out at Liberty State Park, New Jersey. The first ever American Parent Caravan nevertheless made its four hour trip without incident to Washington, just in time for our “Meet and Greet” at the 21st Century Lounge at the Holiday Inn Capitol, 550 C Street SW, only a few blocks down from the Capitol Building.We will gather there again tomorrow at 5 pm for a social exchange (and war stories regarding our Lobby Day.

Traffic, confusion and the hustle of our great capital city did not deter participants. Some victims left stranded without gas in nearby states were wired the money to get them here by caring fellow victims. A jazz singer greeted attendees as they socialized, networked and strategized for our next day Lobby initiative in the Senate and House office buildings.

Beginning at 7 pm at the Congressional Ballroom, attendees were then treated to a crash course in lobby techniques with over 600 lobby packets for distribution to every member of Congress. People were still coming in to pick them up long after the session ended. Parent advocates in the movement for many years did not waste time as they conducted an assembly line of packet production at the head table. Meetings have already been scheduled with members of Congress.

Events were video recorded by Attorney Lawrence DeMarco who set up a studio in the same hotel for interviews. These will eventually be compiled in a documentary of the Parent March on Washington. Tomorrow he will be tracking moms and dads as they visit congressional offices to announce our March the next day and demands for a federal investigation of human rights abuses in our nation’s divorce and family courts.

More arrivals were calling in for the May 2nd and 3rd events with a Speakers Event tomorrow night (May 2nd) at the same Congressional Ballroom beginning at 7 pm. A regular who’s-who of experts in law, politics, education and psychology will give you invaluable insights on this Federal Funded Epidemic. That’s the title of our main lobby report available here in its entirety on our Scribd page.

By popular demand one group who missed the strategy session will meet for updates at the Harrington Hotel breakfast buffet room, 436 11th Street at 9 am (although Holiday Inn Capitol continues to be our headquarters). All are welcome before heading off to Congress. We also hope to gather again at 1:30 pm at the Longworth Congressional Building Cafeteria for lunch discussions.

While all this was occurring on the battlefront, Attorney Susan Settenbrino and others back home were urging media to report on our events. Our Main event is Friday with a March beginning at 1 pm at Lafayette Square Park in front of the White House with a police escort down an entire lane of Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol. There, all participants are invited to address our group at a second (outdoor) speaking event.

A forecast of sunny and 85 degrees is predicted for that day. An evening candle light vigil is planned in front of the Capitol for 7:30 pm in memory of  those who have been lost to suicide, parent alienation and premature death. Get on the phones. Car pool your way down, call your representatives from home and keep contacting media until they finally recognize that American parents get priority over the illegal ones at our borders.