Neil Steyskal pointed me to this article from the UK Guardian, which states that a proposed law would create consequences for custodial parents who deny court-ordered visitation to non-custodial parents. The accountability would be based on fines and community service orders, and may also require attending parenting or anger management classes depending on the situation. All I can say is, it's about time! I hope our UK readers are lobbying for this law and that it gets passed.

Trudy Schuett had an article printed in the Sierra Times about divorce and the family courts. The article is an in-depth look at how our current divorce system in the U.S. is harming everyone involved, particularly children. Trudy includes lots of good stats and I hope her message is heard. Speaking of Trudy, the latest edition of the DesertLight Journal was released, and can be read here.

Cheddah writes "A package of bills before the Michigan Legislature would prohibit school employees from recommending that any student be prescribed Ritalin. As any Mensactivism reader knows, it has been mostly young boys who have been targeted for this drug." This certainly opens up some questions about parent's rights vs. public school authority, and I think we need more debate on this issue. You can read the story here.

Neil Steyskal sent along this link to a report about the latest Bureau of Justice Statistics report which for the first time includes data about domestic violence against homosexuals. Again, this is a crime survey, not a sociology or family violence study, and it exhibits the typical bias against men who are less likely to report domestic violence (including homosexuals, who have other reasons to fear contacting the police for help). Still, we should make note of this because the Justice Dept. stats are the ones most widely used by battered women's advocates, who have been able to define domestic violence over the past quarter century.

nagzi submitted this link which is a RealAudio interview with Andrea Dworkin on a free speech radio program. As you would expect, Dworkin gets tripped up a bit when talking about pornography to the host, who in general otherwise seems supportive of Dworkin's work. I'm including this interview because it's instructive to know what we're up against - Dworkin has lost a lot of influence over the years, but she still represents one of the most radical, anti-male forms of feminism we've seen to date. Take note of the techniques she uses to make her points and study them.

This commentary on Women's eNews accuses father's rights groups and activists of inciting violence and hatred against women and children. The author claims "involved fathers," those who have made job sacrifices, etc., to be with their children, are somehow different from those who have been forceably estranged from their children by a vindictive ex-spouse. He also attempts to vindicate court biases against men by claiming that fathers who seek child custody are often abusers.

Robert Cunningham sent in this link and writes "The following service has just begun in Australia. Men's Line Australia is the first national telephone counselling line for men who want to talk about their family and relationship concerns. It provides information, support and referrals. The service is available 24 hours a day from anywhere in Australia for the cost of a local call." I'm particularly encouraged to see that the helpline seems focused on helping men who are depressed and/or suicidal. You can click here to find out info on how to support the helpline, by volunteering or donating to them.

Richard Doyle from the Men's Defense Association sent in a short essay about father's rights and families in general. Toward the end, Doyle looks at it from a political perspective, and acts to help inform his political party's members about the need to help families by helping men, particularly by putting men and women on a more equal ground when it comes to the family courts. Read More below for his essay.

Considering that tonight is Halloween night for most people in the U.S, I've decided to skip the chat this week. If you still want to show up, feel free to do so, though. I'm also getting a bit short on chat topic ideas, and would welcome any suggestions - post them as a comment to this story, or e-mail them to me at scott@mensactivism.org.

Warren Farrell did an audio interview with Australia's ABC News, and can be listened to from this page. This was actually the first time I've heard Farrell on the air, and he had quite a bit to say in this interview. He touched upon a few issues related to the options that men have vs. women, the importance of fathers in families, and the contributions of men's style of parenting.

Michael Aiello wrote in to let people know about his web site, DivorcePort.com, which offers news and commentary on men's issues and also coverage on the war on terrorism. Aiello's site gives special attention to cross-cultural gender issues. Check it out.

Barbara Ellen wrote an article for the UK Observer which I believe is meant to be a form of satire. It's an essay on how the world will become without the need for men. She begins by explaining that with new reproductive technologies, men are no longer needed and no one is allowed to have male children - only female. Then men are confined to "man zoos," where they serve as examples of what "women had to put up with" in the past. War has ended, but is replaced by "endless international bitching sessions." In the end Ellen states her belief that this brave new world has not changed for the better, and hopefully by this time built up in the reader a sense of disgust at how people could want to live in such a world - a world without men.

Douglas Rome sent in this story from the UK Observer. It's the story about divorced dads who are alienated from their children. One man was quoted as saying, "I have been to court about 13 times, mostly to try to stabilise the access to my children. I've been in front of nine different judges, none of whom has seen my problem. I feel powerless. I started off seeing my children two or three times a week. Now I see them once a week for four hours, if I'm lucky. I have no overnights, no weekends, no holidays. I'm like an uncle they see occasionally, rather than their father." I'm sure many readers know this kind of pain and frustration.

A woman interested in the masculist anthology Steve Imparl and I are working on sent this link to me today. The site is full of stories and poetry, much of it celebrating men. In fact, there's a section specifically dedicated to celebrating men. I urge you all to check out this site if you need a little inspirational boost in your day.

The National Post reports that a mother who became an international fugitive after she kidnapped her three children from their father (who had full custody) was absolved of those kidnappings by a jury, who found her "not guilty by reason of necessity." The outraged father says that the court has now set a precedent for an "open season" on child abductions by non-custodial parents. I wonder if the same jury would've found not guilty a father in this mother's same situation.