An excited e-mail from Lucy Melvin lmelvin-at-nnedv.org (National Network to End Domestic Violence) announces:

"VICTORY -- The Biden VAWA Budget amendment passed unanimously on 3/23/07! Our efforts paid off! The Biden amendment to the budget will increase the funds available for VAWA programs by $100 million. This is critical in our efforts to increase funding for VAWA in the Budget and Appropriations process for FY 2008. This is a HUGE SUCCESS -- and it is DIRECTLY due to your calls. Now that the Biden amendment has passed, the Senate Budget Resolution includes more money that can be available for VAWA programs."

Read all you need to know at http://www.nnedv.org/

From the most recent newsletter from The Equal Justice Foundation:

Background

In the fall of 2000 legislators in Ottawa, Canada, introduced Bill 117 that provided that any woman could have a man restrained, imprisoned, and his property transferred to her all in the same day without any pretense of due process. Writing for the Ottawa Citizen, columnist Dave Brown noted:

"The new legislation is based on the premise women in abusive relationships can't escape because they are economically dependent. The intent is to correct this by making it possible to immediately transfer all property to her.

Written into the scheme are ex parte applications. The alleged abuser doesn't have to be present when the order seizing his property is made. Application for an Intervention Order can be made by anyone in a one-to-one relationship, including dating.

...It will take precedence over any acquittal, dismissal or withdrawal of a criminal charge, or any order under any statute, including the Divorce Act.

Article here. Excerpt:

"A Watertown teen is facing sex and endangerment charges relating to a young girl she was babysitting.

Corinne Robin Lee Bennett, 16, of 21601 Floral Dr, is charged with Endangering the Welfare of a Child and Sexual Abuse 1st Degree in connection with incidents occurring in August and September of 2006."

Posted for Marc A.:
This men's rights march in Mexico took place on Mar. 21, and made it onto Spanish national news (Univision). The website is in Spanish. We made contact with this Mexican movement, which is related to El Circulos, 3 years ago, and it looks like they're still in action!

Here's the latest on the remaining Duke lacrosse charges.

I hope Nifong permanently loses his license to practice law and he along with everyone else involved either is sent to jail and/or pays through the nose for the unwarranted destruction of the reputations of these three innocent guys, especially that woman who made up the rape charges in the first place.

From The Hollywood Reporter:

'In the wake of a public outcry against Los Angeles billboards and New York taxicab tops advertising the upcoming movie "Captivity" with images of the abduction, torture and death of a young woman, After Dark Films said it will take down the offending ads by 2 p.m. today.

After Dark, its theatrical distribution partner Lionsgate Films and the MPAA received a barrage of phone calls objecting to the gratuitous depiction of the film's star Elisha Cuthbert being tortured and killed.'

I'm sure many of us can easily think of advertising examples with men being abused, killed, etc. Where's the public outcry then? While many don't think men matter, we can change their minds - support Glenn Sacks' campaign against anti-male, anti-father agencies.

Story here. One to watch. Excerpt:

'NEW BRUNSWICK, New Jersey (AP) -- The former lover of a woman accused of killing her husband and stuffing his remains into luggage testified Wednesday that they had both planned to leave their spouses and start a life together.
...
She is charged with first-degree murder in the killing of her husband, a 39-year-old state computer analyst.
...
Prosecutors allege that McGuire used the Internet to research gun laws, pesticides and ways to kill. They say her husband was drugged with a sedative, shot in the head and chest, cut into pieces in the couple's apartment and then put into three suitcases that were thrown into the bay.'

A foster mother was found guilty today of subjecting three young children to a "horrifying catalogue of cruel and sadistic treatment".

Eunice Spry, 62, routinely beat, abused and starved the youngsters in her care over a 19 year period. The devout Jehovah's Witness forced sticks down their throats and made them eat their own vomit and rat excrement.

As punishment for misbehaving, she would beat them on the soles of their feet and force them to drink washing up liquid and bleach.

MANN admins received the following e-mail note. Looking at their web site, it seems like the organization is the typical feminist-inspired group. This solicitation represents an opportunity to educate them on the truth around DV. If you are a male DV victim, perhaps it is worthwhile to tell them your story and suggest how DV may be eradicted. Who knows, you might even win the prize! :)

----

Dear Sir or Madam:

I am contacting you regarding Changemakers Collaborative Competition “No Private Matter! Ending Abuse in Intimate and Family Relations.” We are in search of the most creative and lasting ways to eradicate this cancer in our world.

I am contacting you today to encourage you to consider participating in this collaborative competition. The work of mensactivism.org aligns very well with the goals of our competition and would be of interest to our judges and to our network of leaders in the sector.

Article here.

I hope the education system will not just identify this problem, but make legitimate steps to correct the inequity. The single sex class room experiment (though not mentioned in this article), is a positive step in the right direction. Excerpt:

'This is an issue that affects millions and millions of boys, said William Draves, co-author of "Smart Boys, Bad Grades," who was a speaker at the Building Boys Success Conference at Utah Valley State College.

"The grading system has become gender-biased and is skewed," he said. "There are millions of smart boys who are testing at a very high level and getting really low grades."'

Story here. Excerpt:

"There is nothing new about politicians kissing babies, but politicizing children is a newer development. Iowa lawmakers have proposed a healthier alternative: The Iowa Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved Senate File 507, which would place into law the presumption of shared parenting in the event of divorce or separation.

This would result in more children having the love and care of both parents in their lives, regardless of their marital status."

She wows the audience with her 'courage'. Seems the inconvenient truth that she recently took Paul McCartney for millions is left entirely out of the article. Story here. Excerpt:

'The ABC dancing contest, returning for its fourth season, was a big hit in the past. But adding a new level of interest and curiosity this go-around is the presence of the 39-year-old activist and estranged wife of former Beatle Paul McCartney as one of the 11 celebrity contestants.
...
"You've got more guts than Rambo," said Bruno Tonioli, who went on to criticize not her legs but her top half -- her arms -- during the performance.
...
It may also be a chance to repair an image that has suffered during her bitter breakup with McCartney, from whom she separated last May after four years of marriage. The couple, who have a 3-year-old daughter, began divorce proceedings in July.'

Article here. I wonder if anyone has considered that a woman could use this on someone who believes the sex is consensual with equal ease? Excerpt:

'The controversy has raged over whether the device, which has fish-like teeth that attach to the head and shaft of the penis, is a medieval device built on a hatred of men or whether it is an easy-to-use invention that could free millions of South African women from fear of rape.'

We take pause this week to thank the thousands of true advocates for their hard work helping to block CEDAW and possible introduction of I-VAWA. We take note of organizations who devoted resources delivering this message, including the True Equality Network, the American Coalition for Fathers and Children, Stop Abuse For Everyone, the Indiana Civil Rights Council, Shattered Men, and the San Diego Men's Center.

Over the past two years, this "Wise Majority" has spoken, delivering millions of telephone calls and emails to politicians calling for reform of domestic violence laws that hurt innocent individuals and families while rarely helping those who really need it. RADAR is committed to helping the Wise Majority amplify their voices to bring about positive change. We thank you for your help and donations which, in turn, help us all succeed as a team.

Thanks to you, we have achieved much in just two short years of existence:

Seems the way out of fulfilling a duty she volunteered for is for a woman is to claim sexual harassment on top of PTSD. Then, going AWOL is fine. In fact, you get a 16-page nationally-syndicated news story about yourself written in a very sympathetic way.

Just try this if you're a man.