bandersnatch writes "From CNN, Lawyers for David Letterman want a judge to quash a restraining order granted to a Santa Fe woman who contends the CBS late-night host used code words to show he wanted to marry her and train her as his co-host. A state judge granted a temporary restraining order to Colleen Nestler, who alleged in a request filed last Thursday that Letterman has forced her to go bankrupt and caused her "mental cruelty" and "sleep deprivation" since May 1994. Nestler requested that Letterman, who tapes his show in New York, stay at least 3 yards away and not "think of me, and release me from his mental harassment and hammering." Lawyers for Letterman, in a motion filed Tuesday, contend the order is without merit and asked state District Judge Daniel Sanchez to quash it. That's right, folks. A woman was able to get a restraining order against David Letterman based on that in her mind he is using code words to show he wanted to marry her and train her as his co-host. And the feminists have the nerve to cry about how "hard" it is to file a restraining order."

CJ writes "Finally, a movie columnist (one from the Globe too!) stands up for men/fathers:

"I have to say Tom Baker is one idiot patriarch too many. We're saddled with the cliche dumb daddy in ads, TV sitcoms, comic strips, but a neutered (numerous crotch injuries) Steve Martin is the last straw. I therefore announce the founding of a new anti-defamation organization, Fathers United against Dopey Dads -- or F.U.D.D. -- and call for volunteers and greater media awareness of this slanderous stereotype. A dad is a terrible thing to waste A dad is a terrible thing to waste, and 'Cheaper by the Dozen 2' is one vast, cheery wasteland."

Let's offer support to the writer of this article."

Just when you don't think it can't get any weirder, just read this.

Excerpt:


Two policewomen have been suspended in the northern Indian city of Meerut for slapping and punching couples who were dating in a public park.

Police were carrying out "Operation Romeo", which they said was to target the sexual harassment of women.

Anti-police protests erupted after TV pictures showed officers punching and pulling the hair of young women.

So let's see, this is an assault not just on the right to associate and freedom to assemble (which is guaranteed under Indian law) but also an assault on romantic relations between the sexes. Note that the ostensible reason for the "program" that placed these policewomen in the park was targetted specifically at stopping men from... dating women? Note there is implied in the name of the operation itself ("Operation Romeo") that the female of the couple is not presumed to be an active part in what... making out or something? And just how is making out in a park "sexual harassment" anyway? Anyone who needs explicit evidence that male sexuality itself is being directly persecuted need only look at this story.

After a month-long review, the Public Broadcasting Service has
disappointed thousands of viewers and given its stamp of approval to Breaking the Silence: Children's Stories.

According to the PBS statement, “The producers approached the topic
with the open mindedness and commitment to fairness that we require of
our journalists. Their research was extensive and supports the
conclusions drawn in the program.”

Click "Read more..." for more.

This NYTimes article speaks volumes about how women are considered darn-near infinitely more valuable than men. Excerpt:

"Making sure the women's commute was safe was the responsibility of the men who provided convoy security. "That was their job," said Corporal Saalman, the group's leader, of Branchville, Ind."

Those killed in this incident were all Marines. All of them valuable people but all equally valuable as war-fighters. So why does this article fairly drip with contempt for and lack of recognition for the men who served, and some of whom also died, in this same incident?

Anonymous user writes "I saw this and knew I had to share it. It speaks for itself. Once past the tip of her hat to the recent newsflashes about female teachers molesting minor males, she goes on to lay in mercilessly to the male sex. From the article:

'Sorry, young co-eds are being sexually brutalized by "Joe College" – the ones they know – from fraternity abuses to "hooking up" for what passes for a "date" these days. Well, after all, the sexy stars do it on "Sex and the City" with no downside.'"

Lee writes "Maria Cantwell (WA) has succeeded and inserted the 2003 language for International Marriage Broker Regulation of 2005 into Appendix D of VAWA 2005, which passed this weekend.

This language would require all who seek to meet or communicate with a foreign love interest online to first pass an invasive and extensive background check. The foreign national client would also get the scoop on how the U.S. Domestic Violence and Divorce Industries work.

See thread on standyourground.com for a discussion."

Glenn Sacks' Dec. 19, 2005 newsletter points out this latest statement from Ken Bode, CPB's ombudsman. Excerpt:

"I agree with everything Getler says, to a point. He allows that PBS editorial guidelines for fairness and objectivity were "bumped up against and maybe breached," but does not assert they were clearly breached.

I think it is worse than that. There was no alternative point of view presented in "Breaking the Silence," and the producer admits it was intended to be that way. It might be difficult to find a clearer breach of PBS editorial standards unless one concludes there is only one side to child and spousal abuse issues in the country's custody cases."

Roy writes "An MND blogger reports that the Senate/House conference committee yesterday passed a version of VAWA 2005 that includes "gender-neutral" language. Problem is, nothing in this language actually mandates any spending or support for male DV services, nor does it reform the biased funding authority of the Office Against Violence for Women that distributes the five billion. "Today VAWA passed through the Senate/House Conference Committee with the entire gender-neutral text that we asked for. David Burroughs who wrote the text said ... 'Through the hard work and support of many dedicated supporters of equality we have succeeded in having language inserted in the VAWA that makes it clear to the DOJ [Department Of Justice] VAWO [Violence Against Women Office] that it can no longer circumvent the original intent of Congress that this legislation provide shelter and services to all victims of domestic violence regardless of their gender.' " Link at --

http://mensnewsdaily.com/blog/feminist4fathers/200 5/12/in-this-time-of-holiday-magic.html"

This week's alert has a positive twist. As a result of your
determined efforts,
we have something to be thankful for in terms of making VAWA laws
applicable
to all victims of domestic violence.

Click "Read more..." for more

garypc writes "There was an excellent column in support of men's rights on the editorial page of the 12/17/05 Wall Street Journal:

You've Got Male!

By LIONEL TIGER

December 17, 2005; Page A10

Male resentment of the self-righteous and automatic public support for women's interests and issues has been increasingly on the boil for some time. Civic celebrations of antipathy to men such as the Violence Against Women Act are finally generating specific and pointed responses by men fatigued, if still baffled, by the knee-jerk assumption that they suffer irredeemably from what I call Male Original Sin."

Click "Read more..." for the rest.

Ed note: The article is given entirely here because the WSJ on-line requires registration and commitment to a 2-week trial subscription, which would effectively block most of our readers from seeing it.

This was a pleasant surprise-- and funny, too. Excerpt:

I watched in utter disbelief. She laid them all out flat on the bed, and began giving me a little tutorial on the proper method of folding towels, which involved some form of terry-cloth origami. Instead of folding in successive halves, she wanted one-third of the towel to be folded in from either side. I thought this was ridiculous, but nowhere near as ridiculous as the idea of unfolding already-folded towels -- and thereby sending a signal to your newlywed husband that it is more important that a chore be done a certain way than it is for him to actually do it.

I HATE BLACK PEOPLE

By George Rolph

If I said, "I hate black people!" How would you react?

Stop and think very carefully about that sentence. Does it make any sense to you at all? Can it ever be justified? Can it ever be anything other than just a sign of my own mental illness?

Is there a single instance, circumstance or situation in anyone's life, in which it is possible to lump together a whole race of people and say, "I hate them all." What if I was witness to the gang rape and murder of my wife, children and mother by a whole village full of black men? Would that be enough reason to hate the whole race?

Click "Read more..." for the rest.

Fidelbogen writes "Verrrrrrry interesting case! Several men exonerated from
bogus rape raps due to old DNA samples inserted in their
files and rediscovered years later.

Is it my imagination, or are such stories on an accelerating growth
curve? Well it's bound to reach critical mass, and THEN.......
mass realization in the mass media and
in the mass consciousness."

Some major changes will be underway at Mensactivism.org in coming months. I've finally decided to buy a dedicated server and have it hosted at a professional internet co-location site. You can see pictures of the old and new server as well as some more background info here. I have just completed migrating the Mensactivism.org Wiki to the new server. As a result, the URL (web address) of the site has changed. It no longer has "3333" in the address and can now be found at http://wiki.mensactivism.org. Enjoy!