From Abusegate Bob:

On Thursday and Friday, an army of citizen-lobbyists will be meeting with Senators and Representatives to discuss long-overdue changes to the Violence Against Women Act. These persons, who are taking time off from work and paying their own expenses to come to Washington DC, need the backing of thousands of pro-family supporters from around the country.

Please call your Senators today at 202-224-3121. Tell the receptionist who answers these 3 words: “Fix VAWA Now!”

If you do not know the names of your two Senators, the operator at the Capital Switchboard can tell you: 202-224-3121.

Story here. Excerpt:

'Geesing said his ex-wife has been allowed to bar him from his daughter because a court order requiring her to co-operate is unenforceable.
...
...He and his wife separated in 2008, when the girl was eight years old. Since then, he said, his wife has tried to shut him out of his daughter's life completely.

"When I phone, I get the message 'She doesn't want to talk to you,'" said Geesing. "On her 10th birthday, I left flowers on her doorstep — that's it."

Geesing has had no contact with his child since March 2009.
...
"Why am I supposed to be the lesser parent?" asked Geesing. "The default [in the courts] should be equal, shared parenting. That should be the default."'

Commentary
Men Give, Women Take
By David Johnson

"All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others." -- George Orwell in Animal Farm.

Article here. Excerpt:

'A Human life is full of sufferings. However concern for fellow human beings must always be accompanied by Compassion. Concern without compassion is called fraud.On Feb 04, 2010, Senator John Kerry and others reintroduced I-VAWA (International Violence against Women Act) in Senate and US House of representatives. This bill if passed will fund 1 Billion Dollars for forcing Governments across 10 to 15 countries for stringent laws and policies to prevent violence against women. This bill is handled by Senate and House Foreign Affairs Committees.

Article here.

'A group that tries to promote “men’s rights” is targeting Rep. Ben Ray Luján over his support for the International Violence Against Women Act. In a press release issued this week the Luján campaign called the group named Abusegate, Investigate “radical domestic violence deniers” and attached the full text of a group’s press release in which it lists the lawmakers being targeted by the group.

“Ben Ray Lujan has been a strong proponent of legislation to protect women from domestic violence,” said Aaron Trujillo, Luján’s campaign manager. “He’s going to keep standing up for women, regardless of pressure from fringe organizations like Abusegate, Investigate. I only have one question, does Tom Mullins welcome the support of domestic violence deniers?”

Mullins denied knowledge of the group when contacted by the Santa Fe New Mexican’s Steve Terrell.

“I’ve never heard of this group at all,” Mullins told Terrell. “It sounds like it is possibly a democrat group creating an issue to benefit Lujan?”

Strory here. Excerpt:

'A woman who made a false rape claim to police cost taxpayers £15,000, a court heard yesterday.

Bernadette Core, 29, of Friarscroft Lane, Wymondham, admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice between October 2009 and February 2010 by making a false allegation of rape when she appeared at Norwich Crown Court.

The court heard that Norfolk police spent £15,000 on the investigation before establishing that she made up the incident.

The charge came after she made a 999 call to Norfolk police in the early hours of October 4 claiming she had been raped at an house in Norwich.

Two men were arrested and interviewed by police but further investigations established that no crime had taken place.'

Story here.

'LEBANON, Ohio -- Twenty-one-year-old Kristen Lamb of Franklin Avenue, accused of making a false rape report, was in court Monday. She is facing misdemeanor counts of inducing panic and making false alarms.

She was granted a court-appointed attorney, and did not enter a plea.

Lamb said she was raped in a wooded area north of her home. But police became suspicious after Lamb could not give specific details about the alleged assault.

Her parents told the judge that she had been though a series of stressful events recently, which included losing a boyfriend and pressures from college.

But her father admitted she will have to face the consequences for her actions. Lamb is a student at the University of Cincinnati.

Her next court hearing is set for Monday, June 21.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'Concerned about three recent false rape allegations, Orlando police cautioned residents that lying wastes money, time and keeps real victims from reporting true crimes.

"We want victims to continue to report crimes, but we want real victims," Sgt. Art Eld of the Orlando Police Department's sex crimes division said at a press conference today. "We don't want to spend useful resources chasing ghosts."

Filing false rape reports stirs unnecessary fear in the community, wastes thousands of public dollars and keeps real victims from telling their stories, he said.

Police officials made their plea public Tuesday, a day after 18-year-old Samaria Renford claimed three masked men raped her Monday in Rosemont.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'Ehlers, a 62-year-old physician, lab researcher and hematologist -- and a mother of two daughters -- spent the next four decades developing a female condom with jagged latex hooks that latch onto the skin of an attacker. Dubbed "Rape-aXe," the condom is inserted with an applicator like a tampon, and it clenches a man's penis and causes "immense discomfort" without drawing blood. It can only be removed by medical professionals, who are being familiarized with the device in order to contact South African police when they see one.

"I'm not out for vengeance. It doesn't leave permanent damage to the penis, but there will be tiny little scars to remind him of what he's done -- something his wife or future wife might ask him about," Ehlers said.

Posting here. Excerpt:

'Accounts Receivable / Finance Clerk
...
Quest Retail Technology (www.quest.com.au) is a dynamic division within the Radiant family. The Quest product and service offering supply POS solutions to Stadiums and Arenas The Quest product has over 57,000 terminals installed in more than 20 countries around the world; in a diverse range of applications including Bars, Clubs, Restaurants, Fast Food, Stadiums, Arenas, Convention Centers, Race courses, Theme Parks, Cinemas and Franchises

We are currently seeking a mature thinking team player to join our small team of women.

The main responsibilities for the role will include:
...
EEO Statement
As an equal opportunity employer, Radiant Systems is committed to providing equal opportunity employment opportunities to candidates and employees without regard to race, religion, creed, age, sex, height, weight, marital status, ancestry, or any other characteristic protected by law.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'A Montreal mother of eight has been sentenced to four years in prison for assaulting five of her children.

The woman, who cannot be named to protect the identity of her children, was found guilty of assault and assault with a weapon in April.

The 44-year-old single mother showed no reaction as the sentence was handed down Monday at the Montreal courthouse.
...
In the 44-year-old woman's case, court was told the beatings began after each of her children, who are from seven different fathers, turned five.
...

Some of the children endured violence for more than a decade before they were taken away from their mother by youth protection officials.

Officials intervened three years ago after the woman's 14-year old daughter complained to police.
...
Defence lawyer Mary Raposo told the court the woman misses her children and is doing everything she can to get them back.

She recommended a three- to six-month sentence so that the woman can continue her rehabilitation.

Article here. Excerpt:

'In Father’s Day ‘Deadbeat Dad’ Raids Unfairly Target Hard-Luck Dads (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 6/19/10), Ned Holstein, M.D., M.S. and I criticize the annual tradition among some sheriffs and attorneys general of launching “deadbeat dad” raids in honor of Father’s Day.

We suggest you write a Letter to the Editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer by clicking here and also post a comment on the piece here.

Dr. Holstein and I wrote:

From Abusegate Bob:

On Saturday, Phylllis Schlafly published a column, actually a call to arms, titled, "A Good Father's Day Gift" -- below. The article outlines a series of needed reforms to the family-destructive Violence Against Women Act.

AND TODAY WE MUST ACT. Telephone your Representative in Congress at 202-224-3121.

State your name and town of residence, and then say these 3 words: "Fix VAWA Now!"

Later this week a team of lobbyists will be coming to Washington and meeting with staffers, so your phone call is critical to getting elected officials on-board with our VAWA reform campaign.

Be polite, but be firm: "Fix VAWA Now!"

From Abusegate Bob:

In her June 18 message, Office of Violence Against Women director Susan B. Carbon highlighted the recent DoD advisory. Carbon writes (see key sentence in bold):

Last week, the Department of Justice clarified that the criminal provisions of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) apply with equal force in cases when the victim and perpetrator are of the same sex. The Department is working to ensure that all U.S. Attorney offices are aware of the law’s applicability to LGBT relationships. In addition to publishing an Office of Legal Counsel opinion on the subject, the Department has provided notice of the opinion to the U.S. Attorney offices. This confirms that Department of Justice prosecutors have access to all available tools to protect victims of domestic violence and stalking whether they be in same sex or opposite sex relationships. This does not represent a change in the law, nor will it narrow or otherwise impact VAWA’s existing criminal applications. Rather, it clarifies to the extent that there was any doubt that VAWA is inclusive and protective of women and men, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Read more: http://www.justice.gov/olc/2010/vawa-opinion-04272010.pdf

This is the first time the OVW has made an official statement recognizing the existence of male victims of domestic violence. It's an important first step to turning things around.

We encourage you to send a positive note to Judge Carbon thanking her for her work to assure VAWA is gender inclusive in its programs and services. Here's her email: OVW.Director-at-usdoj.gov

Story here. He couldn't pay child support because the courts took away his driver license. He lost his job because he could not drive so he could not pay child support and they threw him in jail. Deadbeat Dad my ass. Excerpt:

'Jeff Dolan spent Father’s Day in jail, locked away for failure to pay child support. Deadbeat dads don’t garner a lot of sympathy. But you don’t need to study Jeff’s case for long before you realize that he’s anything but a deadbeat. Instead, he’s a man hopelessly ensnared in a crushing bureaucratic machine: He’s in jail because he couldn’t pay child support, but he couldn’t pay child support because he was unemployed ... and he was unemployed because the court took his driver’s license for failure to pay child support ... after he went bankrupt paying his court costs.