Donald MacMaster

Don MacMaster passed away in late 1995. Within the movement in Massachusetts, he distinguished himself in numerous ways. Don was considered on the fringe by many. His Citizens for Divorce Equality newsletters were even offensive to some, but to others they were powerful, well written, at times outrageously humorous, and brutally honest.

Unlike mainstream advocates, Don did not believe that the ultimate solution to the marginalization of fatherhood lay in pursuing equal parental rights. He believed that the destructive empowerment of women in divorce court was a natural consequence of the consensual retreat by men from their patriarchal role in the family; and only a restoration of male authority in the home and in society at large could repair the damage.

Don was a man of principle. He explained to me once how he came to terms with the moral dilemma: What should a father do when faced with the choice of standing defiant but forfeiting any possibility of a relationship with his children, or yielding to the extortionary maneuvers of the courts, jumping through whatever hoops are presented regardless of the cost to one's principles, in order to cling to a chance for some access to one's children?

Don chose defiance, and this was his reasoning. When the state has stripped you of your material possessions, your liberty, your civil and even human rights, there remains one thing they cannot take: your principles.

Don bequeathed to his children his belief that men must be willing to sacrifice their own self-interest for a higher good. Should they ever be in a similar situation, they know what their father would have done.

From "American Male Pygmy Pamps," one of Don's gems, here is the definition of pamp. For those unfamiliar, think William Weld or Andrew Klein.

pamp (pamp) n. 1. a. A man who offers excessive protection and privileges to women, and may receive money and/or services for his guardianship. b. A soft, uxorious man, characterized by passivity and priggish parroting.

pamp (pamp) v. pamped, pamping, pamps intro.. v. 1. The act of offering excessive protection and privileges to women, often in exchange for money or services. 2. Acting for and speaking on behalf of women in a priggish, uxorious manner.

Sorry, you'll have to look up uxorious.

This premier edition of Focus on Fatherhood! is dedicated to Donald MacMaster.

Raise hell, Don, wherever you are.

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