This column on WorldNetDaily is Larry Elder's take on apparently recent shifts in attitudes in some media toward so-called "deadbeat" dads. Elder thinks that people focusing on this issue are calling for a "welfare state" and absolution from responsibilities. Of course, then there are those men who are ordered to pay 200% of their income in child support. You can e-mail Elder here. Scott's note: Thanks also to Neil Steyskal for sending this in.

This interesting story on ananova.com reports on a Valentine's Day singles night which attracted the interest of about 500 women, but only two men. The organizer attributes it to "men taking themselves too seriously these days." Perhaps men are also more wary of dating these days as well?

Two recent posts to the Men's Health America mailing list outline new developments in the campaign to advocate for Afghan men's human rights. This post includes a sample letter that you can use to send to your national Congress members to remind them of the invisible plight of Afghan men. In another development, Amnesty International has been sending a standard form letter to people who have been writing in during this campaign, defending their double standards. Is this something that should go without response? It's up to you to decide.

Men's News Daily received an full-length article in Wednesday's Washington Times, which can be read here. Apparently MND has set its sights on surpassing the Drudge Report as the premier conservative men's issues news web site. Even more significantly, I think this is the first time I know of that a "men's rights" web site has received such attention in the print media. This is a noteworthy event.

Neil Steyskal submitted this column by Patricia Pearson in USA Today. Pearson points out that: Contrary to initial media reports, this was not the first time a Palestinian woman has proved capable of terrorist violence. Far from it. She also warns that likely victims of terrorism should watch out for the use by terrorists of the "least likely suspects." Namely, women.

Neil Steyskal submitted this story from National Review, which explores reasons why women in managerial positions may make less than their male counterparts. Before we spend more of the taxpayers' money, we might consider some explanations other than "discrimination" for the continuing gender gap in earnings.

Neil Steyskal submitted this letter from a feminist lawyer in USA Today and writes "The feminists are attacking USA Today for its criticism of Title IX: Reply to: editor@usatoday.com. The letter's author, in fact, is pretty smug, calling women's sports and discrimination against men's sports (which she denies exists) "the winning team."

Neil Steyskal submitted this story from WorldNetDaily. Apparently, a bill went to Congress' Armed Services Committee (without a co-sponsor) in December which would require all U.S. men ages 18-22 to go through military training for "homeland defense." According to the article, a draft today would be dramatically different than the draft of Vietnam and there would be fewer reasons to excuse a man from service.

Neil Steyskal sent in this column from townhall.com which attempts to lay the "blame" for abortions on men. According to the article, most women who get abortions are doing so under pressure from husbands or boyfriends, and not because they are choosing to do so. Bunk? You decide.

warble sent us this link and writes "Mississippi Senate Bill 2460 requires a principal aggressor to be arrested, and this sounds nice on the surface. However, it is an example of how super-fems have an agenda to pass laws that will criminalize males. If this law is passed, it will not matter if a female is highly aggressive and violent due to drugs or alcohol. What will happen is that there will be many men that must resort to a use of a defensive force to prevent personal injury...The male will undoubtedly be labeled and prosecuted as the primary aggressor. This is an example of an illegal law that violates current self-defense laws." I also favor "initial aggressor" (who started attacking first) arrests rather than "primary aggressor" ones because police can be very biased to view men as more dangerous than women.

If political incorrectness is what you're looking for, this article may be it. Dennis Neder on AskMen.com ventures into uncharted territory by revealing many of the reasons men give up on relationships. After perusing the list, I will say that I've experienced more than one of them.

DanCurry writes "As if we weren't already bombarded with male-bashing in the media, Judicial System and Politics. Enter stage left, more junk science to show our natural inferiority to females, is peering it's ugly head once again. This report, from Michigan State University, laden with contradictions, tries to characterize the increased birth of boys as a defect caused by contamination from pollutants and futher links this to birth defects. At best, the report is inconclusive and should have never seen the printing press as it only serves as ammunition in the ever growing acceptance of male-bashing and female superiority."

tparker writes "Christina Hoff Sommers is going to be speaking at the Yale Political Union on Monday, 01/28/02, on the topic of Women's Studies. I don't know if this is a debate format or what. Sure would like to hear the results. The URL of the announcement is here." I bet the feathers are going to fly today!

Tom Campbell and Will Johnson both submitted this article by Phyllis Schafly. In it, Schafly outlines the danger of feminism trying to eliminate masculine men, and our good fortune that we still have some left when they are needed in the war on terrorism. While Schafly is obviously using the double standard of chivalry, she does seem to appreciate men and criticizes how feminism has demonized and marginalized men and masculinity.

Wendy McElroy's increasingly popular Fox News column this week relates the story of Derrick Miller (who committed suicide on the steps of the San Diego courthouse recently) and discusses its relationship to father's rights. If a similar rise in female suicides was occurring, a public crusade would demand a remedy. Yet the extraordinarily high rate of male suicide is rarely discussed. Wendy also quotes my Jan. 15 column on the subject. *blush* Fair warning as well: this column may give you chills.