I found out just recently that the New Hampshire Commission on the Status of Men's applicant list, which was due to be publicly released on Wednesday, is being pushed back and will not be released until Aug. 28. The public input period would then open and the governor's council would make the final vote on Sept. 12. The delays are frustrating, but there is nothing that can be done other than to wait and see.

The web site is www.malebasher.com. Need I say more? Update: I've fixed the link, sorry about that.

Cathy Young wrote one of the most forthright articles I've seen from her to date on the Choice for Men issue. In this Boston Globe article, Young clearly outlines the double standard men have to deal with in reproduction, and agrees that in normal circumstances, men should have the right to be notified of an abortion and have legal resource to avoid paternity fraud. Young is doubtful that the C4M movement will succeed in this age, but recent events show that paternity fraud is finally becoming an issue that politicians are aware of.

Thundercloud writes "It's baaaaaack! After laying low for about a month, Progressive Insurance has begun re-airing their extremely anti-male commercial, in which a vindictive ex-wife uses Progressive's on-line voodoo doll to castrate her ex-husband with a pair of pliers. Apparently, Progressive believed if they simply took the ad off temporarily and then put it back on at a later date, no one would notice! Well, I've noticed!
Despite MANY letters of protest, these misandrists have chosen to ignore present and potential customers simply because they feel the need to put forth an anti-male, political message. It seems presenting hate speech is more important to them than loyal customers. I say we attack them once again, this time more forcefully. Email them, spam them, contact the networks that run this abomination of an ad. Whatever it takes to make Progressive Insurance comply."

Glenn Sacks' latest article takes the example of baseball pitcher Scott Erickson's recent arrest as an opportunity to expose the "guilty until proven innocent" approach for men used by police during domestic calls. Sacks then gives an overview of how this came to be, including the way police are trained by DV advocates who use the "95%" myth and other propaganda to influence arrest statistics. The end result is that men are unwilling to report DV in fear that they will be arrested, and can't defend themselves for the same reason. This article appeared in the Los Angeles Daily Journal and the San Francisco Daily Journal.

Steve Imparl's web site devoted to depression in men has received some new material recently worth noting. Included in the updates are a radio interview about depression, several new articles and commentary, a mother's story about her son's suicide, and more. The site also has a moderated bulletin board and an e-mail list for receiving update announcements to the site.

In Tennessee, a state appeals court has ruled that the current child support guidelines are unconstitutional:

"The three-judge panel said the state failed to give a Memphis father credit for the expenses of raising two children in his marriage when it decided how much he should pay to support a third child born of a previous liaison. The state contended offspring who were not part of a child support order could not be counted. The appeals court panel said that violated the children's constitutional rights of equal protection."

Be sure to check out the article, since it explains the issue being debated in much better detail. The ruling is great news for fathers who were being forced to support some children at the expense of others.

Agraitear points out a recent FoxNews article.

"Single dads are sick and tired of being labeled "deadbeats" when it comes to paying child support. And data suggest they have good reason to be upset.


The percentage of "deadbeat" moms is actually higher than that of dads who won't pay, even though mothers are more consistently awarded custody of children by the courts."

We're a bit behind in posting the two most recent articles by the powerhouse duo Glenn Sacks and Dianna Thompson. In case you missed them, here's a summary. In this article, Sacks and Thompson explain how the Child Support Enforcement Act is truly an act of "political grandstanding," using "dead beat dads" as scapegoats for oppressive new legislation. Included with their criticism of the bill are constructive suggestions Sacks and Thompson have for improving the system, so that children do receive needed financial support from non-paying parents. The second article is on the subject of male reproductive rights, or as I like to say, the lack thereof. The double standards here of course are also devastating for men, who have no say in the abortion decision or legal recourse when tricked into paternity. A recent PA court case where a father requested the ability to stop an abortion is the starting point for this article.

The BBC News reports on a recent proposal in Norway that "would compel both state owned and listed private companies to appoint women to at least 40% of boardroom places could become law by 2005."

Wendy McElroy's recent column delved into the topic of male circumcision, and the gender double standards we have as a culture regarding genital mutilation. She gives a basic overview of the arguments about it and provides many links to groups opposing the practice, and briefly discusses the growing legal debate on the legitimacy of infant circumcision of males. This is an issue that received surprisingly little attention from individualist and equity feminists.

fritzc77 writes "This CNN story by Julie Hilden now suggests putting the names the men ACQUITTED, or simply accused of sex crimes, on the internet. Nowhere in the article does it seem to mention that such men might be innocent." Thanks also to John Knouten for submitting this story.

Robex writes "Here is a start in the UK at addressing the chronic underperformance of boys at school in the UK."

The government hopes that by allowing fathers to take more time off work to spend educational time with their sons, boys' performance at school may improve. The scheme is being targeted at boys rather than girls as boys are more likely to underachieve at school. In September the fathers will be offered one paid hour to spend with their 11 to 14-year-old sons.

One hour is not much, but it's a start. You can have your say on this at the the BBC website which is running a Talking Point on it."

Trudy W Schuett writes "In the Aug. 5 edition of the San Francisco Chronicle, Carol Delaney, an associate professor at Stanford, literally blames all men for recent crimes against children." Contact information and other letters may be found at the Desert Light Journal. Update: Men's News Daily includes an interesting exchange between men's activists and the office of the Provost at Stanford - check it out.

Luek writes "Governor Davis of California denied early parole to two predatory females who killed their boyfriend and husband respectively and who of course used the 'abuse excuse' to get public and political sympathy. This is very encouraging, since the paroles were considered foregone conclusions by the feminist lobbyists who were ram-rodding these two paroles through. If you live in California, give Governor Davis an e-mail pat on the back for having integrity and doing the right thing. Good for you Governor Davis!"