Neil Steyskal submitted this article from the Washington Post about the way some Afghan men suspected of being spies have been tortured. I'm encouraged to see that this issue is receiving some exposure in the Post.

My apologies for the rerun here, but considering that the The Guy Code removed my column from their archives, I thought I would repost it with its new URL. Here, for posterity, is my own trial-by-fire with the phenomenon known to us as "false accusations."

donaldcameron1 writes "On AngryHarry.com I was surprised to see myself "included" in a study of my own experiences. Reading something like this is most illuminating for me. In addition to providing pure validation and catharsis, it confirms for me just how oppressed we have, and continue to, become. That which does not kill us only makes us know for certain that the system has been corrupted. We have spent much time on getting women to "come forward" it is time to encourage men to do so."

I don't normally post messages from egroups, but this one is a exception. The writer makes the case that "special needs" kids (almost all of whom are boys) suffer due to the fact that there are no role models for them, and this is why they're put in the "special needs" section. It makes for quite a convincing case, so click this link to read it.

Claire4Liberty writes "When I saw this article in my morning paper, regarding Paula Poundstone's return to the stage, I nearly brought up my breakfast. This reporter absolutely fawns over her, making her sound like Mary Poppins instead of an accused pedophile. "To see Poundstone onstage is to understand why she might relate well to kids, and vice versa.""

I've found a new E-Book on father's issues, it's written by Robert Lindsay, and while its main focus is on fatherhood, he does digress into men's issues a bit, judging from the chapters I've quickly looked at. Robert himself made a forum post over at Arizonafathersrights.com to explain things better, and as the man says, "This is a watershed work that completely connects-the-dots for any reader so interested to take the time and read this work." How can you resist? Visit the book's home page and begin reading.

Anonymous User submitted this Boston Globe story and writes "Although I generally think that sex discrimination law suits are awarded monetary damage that far exceeds the damage done, it is refreshing to see an a man benefit from such vindictive laws. A former Coach at Smith college received $1.6 million in a sex/age discrimination case. Anyone familiar with Smith college can easily understand that he worked in a highly sexist environment."

Wendy McElroy's FOX News column this week makes one of the most impassioned pleas on behalf of men and the women who understand equality I've ever read. And the timing couldn't be more appropriate. In her ever-eloquent style, McElroy boils down many modern problems with gender feminism and the equal rights of men into a short, but powerful, call to women: As a Christmas present to the men in your life, make a commitment to stand up for them. Do not tolerate slander directed toward those you love. The infant son you hold in your arms is not an inevitable rapist or exploiter of women. The father who worked every day to make you safe and comfortable is not an enemy. The husband with whom you are planning a future is not a part of "the rape culture." They are family, friends and good neighbors. Scott's note: Also thanks to Thomas for submitting this story.

This week will be our final Mensactivism.org on-line chat of 2001. Will suggested to encourage people to read books on men's issues by having a few chat sessions set aside for discussing a particular book. This week will be an introductory session where we can decide on which book(s) to hold future chats on and give people the opportunity to buy and read these books before those future chats are held. People new to the Mensactivism.org community, or those who haven't done much reading about men's rights will definitely receive some great suggestions on where to start reading by other members. Join us on Wed. (12/19) night starting at 9:30 PM EST.

zerostress writes "On Angry Harry, I found another
story by columnist Christie Blatchford about the half-masting of all Canada's flag to commemorate the 15 women's death by a lone gunman in Montreal and the double standard applied to Canada's war veterans."

In an example of the particularly harsh treatment of boys in schools, DaveW sent in this story and writes "A 7-year-old boy is banished to alternative school for 11 days for having a 1-1/2 inch pocket knife in his back pack." It is believed to be the first time a student so young was sent to this alternative school, which is for students with severe behavioral problems.

Posting the previous story reminded me of a submission I've been meaning to post here for weeks: An Anonymous User writes, "I was discussing the issue of false rape allegations with a group of feminists and of course I was very quickly shouted down. I tried to look up articles here that have to do with men being freed from
prison after DNA evidence proves their innocence. I do not know the
details of these cases. However, [the feminists] insisted quite
vigorously that all cases of men being freed were NOT for false rape
accusations but for mistaken identity. They seem to believe that women never lie about being raped." In addition to our previous article, can anyone point this person to more examples of false rape accusations for reasons other than mistaken identity?

This story from the UK Times reports that a man has been freed after serving nine years in prison for the rape of a young girl. The girl admitted that she made up the accusation to get the attention of her mother, and at age 14, finally recanted the story to have the man freed.

This story in the Sunday Salt Lake Tribune throws some light on a little-acknowledged (but much joked about) problem in prison: the rape of men by other inmates. The article quotes studies which claim that at least one-fifth of the United States' 2 million prisoners have been raped or otherwise sexually assaulted in prison. That's 400,000 victims. "I didn't see them," Turner, who is black, said of his white attackers. "It was three of them. I got raped . . . But what can you do? They saw someone who was young, didn't know what was going on, and took advantage of it . . . . As long as they have prisons, they'll happen."

Neil Steyskal writes "Here's a column about women as peacemakers. It bothers me, but I don't quite know why. If you want to comment, click the "Contact us" button." I think it bothers me because the men=warmakers/women=peacemakers stereotypes are easy to translate into men=evil/women=good. Neil also writes, "Carey Roberts does it again [with] another great letter about Afghan men."