SubGenius' "Bob" to Judge: Cut Participating Mom Some Slack

Nick Gillespie | February 23, 2006

Reader Joseph sends along this condensed tale of apparent judicial overreach:

A Catholic judge took away from Rachel Bevilacqua custody of
her son (which had previously been granted) based on pictures he saw of her,
taken at a "Church of SubGenius" event called X-Day. The rationale was that,
based on her participation in several pieces of "performance art," she was
insane and unfit to be a mother. The child was, mind you, not present at
this or any other X-Day event.

Rachel B's version of events here.

Reason col Cathy Young discussed custody issues here. Reason alum (tear!) Matt Welch discussed paternity law and its discontents here.

Church of SubGenius page here.

Comments

|2.23.06 @ 9:59AM|#

It'll be interesting to see if any documentation for this besides this woman's blog appears. A quick search of the Orleans County Clerk of Courts website shows no case history for a Bevilacqua or Jary recently in Family Court.

|2.23.06 @ 10:00AM|#

Correction: It was the NYS Unified Court System I was searching, which was linked to from the Orleans County website.

|2.23.06 @ 10:10AM|#

Sounds like Reason is racist to Catholics.

Dave W.|2.23.06 @ 10:24AM|#

This tip come from an HnR commenter?

|2.23.06 @ 10:25AM|#

Dear Ms. Bevilacqua:

'sup 1998 how you doin'?

Seriously, though, I'm lovin' it that "Bob" is still in the news.

Dave W.|2.23.06 @ 10:25AM|#

oops, the post says where the tip came from. Nevermind.

|2.23.06 @ 10:30AM|#

While the humor of all this "Sub" stuff escapes me, it's no surprise to see it enraging a judge in my old, backward, intolerant stomping grounds of upstate NY.

fyodor|2.23.06 @ 10:30AM|#

I know Rachel and she's no more insane than me. Uh, wait, that didn't come out right....

fyodor|2.23.06 @ 10:40AM|#

BTW, see my own website for photos of me, several of which are from X-Day. Good damn thing I'm not in a child custody battle!!!

|2.23.06 @ 10:45AM|#

Ai carramba!

|2.23.06 @ 10:46AM|#

Fyodor-Wow. Just.....wow.

|2.23.06 @ 10:49AM|#

Isn't that pretty much what ALL H'n'R commenters look like?

|2.23.06 @ 10:50AM|#

"I know Rachel and she's no more insane than me. Uh, wait, that didn't come out right...."

LOL!

Sounds like she's probably fun to hang out with, then.

|2.23.06 @ 10:51AM|#

fyodor - great site!

fyodor|2.23.06 @ 11:00AM|#

Thanks!!

I just realized there's actually links at the bottom of my site's photos page to more photos at X-Day (called XX-Day, XXX-Day, etc cause each year an extra X is added). Rachel might be in there somewhere. As you can see from those links, and from the Subgenius site if you check it out from Nick's link, X-Day is a celebration of abnormality. Being "normal" there is what would be insane!!!

But you knew that already.

|2.23.06 @ 11:00AM|#

" Reason alum (tear!) Matt Welch "

What does this mean?

|2.23.06 @ 11:02AM|#

It means Matt Welch no longer works for Reason, but is sorely missed, and thus Nick Gillespie has shed a tear or two.

|2.23.06 @ 11:05AM|#

fyodor, I have never seen anyone so willfully, gleefully unhip as you.

With your permission, I would like to use one or more of your photographs to make an "o rly?" -style macro.

|2.23.06 @ 11:07AM|#

Just one more reason to be a Discordian.

fyodor|2.23.06 @ 11:09AM|#

I don't know what an "o rly?" -style macro is, but you have my permission!!

|2.23.06 @ 11:12AM|#

Just one more reason to be a Discordian.

Hail Eris!

|2.23.06 @ 11:21AM|#

http://subgenius.com/updates/maghelp.html

|2.23.06 @ 11:21AM|#

fyodor:

http://www.orlyowl.com will allow you to understand.

|2.23.06 @ 11:25AM|#

Wonder if this judge uses an ear trumpet?

|2.23.06 @ 12:01PM|#

Is it just me, or does Fyodor look like Richard Epstein on crack?

fyodor|2.23.06 @ 12:05PM|#

Thanks for posting that, Mr. F.

|2.23.06 @ 12:14PM|#

Can this judge be removed from the bench on the grounds of bigotry? He's clearly letting his own prejudices, rather than the law, dictate his judgments.

VM|2.23.06 @ 12:17PM|#

""ALL HAIL LITTLE FYODOR!!! GREATEST SPAZZ ROCK STAR OF THE CENTURY!! ONE BILLION TIMES COOLER AND FUNKIER THAN THE ROLLING STONES!!! EIGHTEEN ZILLION TiMES MORE POETICAL AND ARTISTIC THAN THE TALKING HEADS, CAPTAIN BEEFHEART, WILD MAN FISCHER, JOE AUFFRICHT, JANOR HYPERCLEATS AND CHARLES BUKOWSKI COMBINED!!! Woody Allen is a dimwitted FABIO by comparison. Jimi Hendrix WOULD bow to this man, this Little Fyodor, I VOUCHSAFE YOU THAT!! The SubGenii in that pavillion went into WILD GYRATIONAL CONNIPTIONS and were "ululating like Iranian women" after EVERY song!"

-- The Rev. Ivan Stang, Church of the Subgenius "

oh my.... mercy.

Mr. StevenCrane: lemme know when the owl is ready, yooooo lusty-eyed hot momma of the news hour, yooo!

|2.23.06 @ 12:25PM|#

Okay ChrisO, that's funny as hell. I got called for jury duty one time, and up on the jury panel was this 199-year-old John Brown-looking guy who had one of those ear trumpet things crammed in his ear, on the end of a cane. He offered an unsolicited rant about abortion and was quickly dismissed.

And yes, all hail Fyodor.

|2.23.06 @ 12:31PM|#

Thanks...

You bet. When I was broke and on the verge of death, root cause being pretty much the same as the subject of this thread, the CotS literally kept me* alive, so I'm gonna send some $. 'Tis far better than the tax-exempt religions.

Since we're doing pix, here's da judge:
http://www.subgenius.com/bigfist/pics11/LEMUR/LeMur2/images/bd_Judge_Uh_Oh2.jpg

* http://www.subgenius.com/bigfist/pics12/LEMUR/LeMur-5/images/bd_Giant_Goat_Tumor.jpg

|2.23.06 @ 1:33PM|#

"Sounds like Reason is racist to Catholics."
-Ammonium

Bravo. You're a wit.

It actually IS surprising no one's decided to latch onto that. I dont suppose people would consider it impossible that even a secular judge could be an uptight asshole too?

For real though, praise "Bob".

And if i were a young kid, Fyodor would give me nightmares.

JG

|2.23.06 @ 1:56PM|#

fyodor, clearly you have much slack. I admire you.

|2.23.06 @ 2:01PM|#

also, can you introduce me to the girl with the dragon on her left shoulder?

thanks

|2.23.06 @ 2:18PM|#

I was at X-Day for the end of the world back in '98 at some pagan nude camp ground... It was midely entertaining.

I am sure I must have met Rachel, since there were like, maybe 3 females there the entire weekend. Man, those SubGenius guys need to get their shit together. It was a total sausage party!

fyodor|2.23.06 @ 2:20PM|#

biologist,

Per your first post, thanks!!

Per the second, well y'know, $30 to the Church of the Subgenius buys you eternal slack AND entry (not including camping fees) to the X-Day celebration, wherein you get to meet ALL the Subgenius babes and ALL their dragons (where applicable)!!

Though actually Rachel needs the money even more than "Bob" right now. If "Bob" ever makes exceptions, he might just accept payments to her fund in lieu of direct donations, for a limited time, but of course I'm shit compared to "Bob", so I cannnot claim to speak for him.

fyodor|2.23.06 @ 2:22PM|#

RexRhino,

The females must have smelled you coming. There's always been a decent ratio the times I've been.

|2.23.06 @ 2:26PM|#

This is one for the Judicial review committee. Every jurisdiction has one, and this is a judge who clearly must recuse himself from this case.

Fuck him if he can't take a joke.

-jcr

|2.23.06 @ 2:39PM|#

Let me just add, that there is no place in the American justice system for a so-called judge who can't keep his cool when someone makes fun of his dead god on a stick. It is the right of every American to parody any religion, any creed, anything at all, even if that opinion is highly offensive to a government official.

"Judge" punch should not only be dismissed from the bench and disbarred, he should stand trial for depriving this mother of her constitutional rights under color of authority (good for a ten-year stretch in Leavenworth, IIRC.)

-jcr

|2.23.06 @ 3:18PM|#

Just sent the poor insane lady 20 bucks... Hope it helps with the $50,000 that she'll need... "If I Can't Whup It, I'll Go DOWN"

|2.23.06 @ 3:37PM|#

Wow! I think fyodor should be the next Libertarian Party candidate for president, just on the basis of looks and style alone.

I mean, I've known for a while that fyodor was in a band. Now I've got to read through his site, listen to some audio samples, and maybe even buy a CD. It was the photos that finally drew me in. Maybe the same thing can work for libertarian ideas.

|2.23.06 @ 3:50PM|#

RexRhino. I was there in '98. ARE YOU BLIND!!!

I have sent $$$ to poor insane Rachel.

|2.23.06 @ 4:48PM|#

RexRhino. I was there in '98. ARE YOU BLIND!!!
Man, you people are so defensive! :)

Myself and a group of random people were having a conversation about it at the time, and we counted a 7 to 1 male/female ratio in our immediate surroundings. There was those Druid/Pagan kids camping out in the woods, and they had a pretty solid 50/50 ratio, and they would be out for the big drum circle and bonfire at night - but they weren't part of the whole SubGenius thing, they were just there because there aren't all that many nudist / pagan / anarchist campgrounds in the United States. There were also the girls who did the Sex-Goddesses performance, but they were strippers who were paid to perform, not actual SubGenus people just randomly getting live.

It was fun, don't get me wrong... But fun in the same way GenCon is fun: A place to nerd out. To me it had the vibe of s sci-fi convention. And one of the like only 3 girls there was nice enough to buy me a veggie burger, so I am not complaining (that much :) ).

fyodor|2.23.06 @ 5:29PM|#

we counted a 7 to 1 male/female ratio in our immediate surroundings

Like I said... :-)

|2.23.06 @ 7:14PM|#

"And if i were a young kid, Fyodor would give me nightmares."

Geez, imagine if he lived in your neighborhood in NW Denver (Oh, wait...)

|2.23.06 @ 10:29PM|#

Stevo:

I actually got two thoughts along those lines:

1) Like the old NRA ads, take one of those pictures and slap on it the text "I AM the LP"

2) Jacob Sullum could have had the perfect cover photo from those for "Saying Yes: In Defense of Drug Use".

|2.24.06 @ 10:06AM|#

Silly judge. I guess he didn't get the memo that it's ok to mock Christianity, they don't even riot when you make fun of them (or draw Jesus).

fyodor|2.24.06 @ 1:55PM|#

Coyote1284,

Are you saying where's the sport in mocking a religion if it doesn't enduce riots?

Well, it evidently enduces judges to take children away. Is that good enough?

|2.24.06 @ 6:18PM|#

fyodor's freakiness is truly both great and impressive. May his remain a highwatermark of weirdness throughout the ages. (cheers, fyodor!)

Rachel Bevilacqua|2.24.06 @ 8:37PM|#

Thanks for sticking up for me, Fyodor, it means a lot to Steve and me. All you guys should definitely buy/beg Fyodor's music and gear and whatever articles of his you can talk him into selling on eBay, because Fyodor is THE MAN. You have NEVER heard ANYTHING like Fyodor and Babushka -- you'll pee! But of course to really experience them, you have to see them live!