Hope everyone is having a happy Fourth of July. I, personally, am using the time off not for bar-b-que and fireworks, but to contemplate the course of human freedom in this country, why it was established, and where it is going. Considering our many common interests and goals on this Web site, I thought the following might be an appropriate post for Independence Day:

WE hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness --

You may read all of the inspiring words of the Declaration of Independence here.

Now the subject of a television movie and an opera, convicted murderer and prostitute Aileen Wuornos has admitted that she killed six men because she had "always wanted to kill somebody." At her trial, she claimed the six men had assaulted her on separate occasions, and that she acted in self defense. She now says she wants to drop her appeals and allow the state to carry out her execution. If released, she says, she would kill again. It makes me sick that the arts have rallied around her, and turned this murderer into a hero while her victims become criminals.

Although there's been much talk in the news about "male menopause," a scientist in this article on Excite News admits there is no such beast. Nevertheless, he adds that men who suffer from androgen or testosterone deficiencies in advancing age could benefit from hormone replacement therapy. Says the doctor: "Male life expectancy is increasing and the quality of life for aging men plays a more and more important role; and of course, women notice the benefits of HRT and wonder why there is nothing equivalent for their partners."

Nightmist writes "Wendy McElroy's latest column exposes the truth behind the news reports on Andrea Yates, the woman who recently killed all five of her children by drowning. McElroy touches on all the different ways in which this woman is being protected by media and feminists: from blaming society to blaming the children's father. This is one the best explanations of what's happening with this story that I've seen."

A new law in Colorado will allow custodial parents to move at will by only giving the NCP notice of the move. This law will certainly bring more anguish to NCP fathers who will lose contact with their children more easily. Thanks to AngryHarry for notifying me of this article, which can be read at this link.

Neil Steyskal writes "Monday, the Washington Times published a good column on Title IX, which prevents single-sex programs in government schools. It implies, but unfortunately it doesn't explicitly show, that the schools are designed for girls."

A recent National Post story describes a new form of male contraception that is as effective as a vasectomy but also reversible. A special implant is placed within the vas deferens tubes which blocks the sperm. The procedure for adding and removing the device is simple, and effectively creates a fully reversible vasectomy for its user. Initial safety clinical trials are beginning now, which will be followed by tests of the device's effectiveness.

Neil Steyskal writes "Frontpagemag.com has an outstanding review of Dr. Sanford Braver's Divorced Dads" The article is excellent, and explains how Braver debunks six of the most common anti-father myths one at a time. It's a very informative review. Thanks also to Not PC for submitting this review.

This article from the Union Leader quoted some work done by the New Hampshire chapter of the National Congress for Fathers and Children, explaining that "of 275 contested custody cases in 1998, mothers received sole custody of their children in 72 percent of the cases. Fathers received sole custody in 14.5 percent of cases. Joint custody was awarded in 10.5 percent of cases." The article falls short of claiming that bias undeniably exists against men in custody decisions, but the facts reported certainly seem to imply this.

Douglas Rome, a journalist who writes extensively on men's issues in the UK, has told me that a particular domestic violence organization in Scotland is promoting lies and misleading info about domestic violence. Their "facts and figures," in particular, can be read here. Douglas has been organizing a campaign to lobby the group to change their information, and could use your help. Helen Norman is a main organizer for the group and can be e-mailed at HNorman@dghb.scot.nhs.uk. I would encourage people to be polite, but firm in their lobbying of this organization. Your efforts could be instrumental in changing the way DV awareness is promoted in Scotland.

Nightmist writes "A new Tennessee law will automatically place injunctions against spouses running away with children, draining joint bank accounts, and making harassing phone calls during divorce proceedings. The attorneys in this article (all female) disagree on whether the law is a good thing."

AngryHarry sent in this story from the UK Sunday Times, about how "An elite team of detectives and psychiatrists is being set up by police to target would-be killers and stop them before they commit murder." To what extent do you think this program will target males - particularly men of color? In other news, the Tampa Bay News Channel 9 is reporting that a camera system has been set up in Ybor city which digitally scans people's faces and compares them to a database of people's faces who have an oustanding arrest warrant. I sure hope they don't get too many false positives.

Nightmist writes "It's finally happened. Four night clubs in Singapore have offered a response to all the Ladies Nights offered by clubs all over the world: Men's Night. And guess what? They've been successful. In fact, the article suggests that the majority of the crowds who attend men's nights are male and heterosexual, meaning that the guys just want a night out without the girls. Likewise, the males on men's night are getting free or discounted admission to these clubs as well as free or discounted drinks. Maybe other clubs will take a hint and either get rid of the discriminating discounts altogether or offer comparable discount nights to males. Either way, I'd be happy."

Neil Steyskal writes "In this Reason magazine review of recent feminist books, Cathy Young finds some documentation of women's desire to control child rearing." Young's commentary on where feminism stands today is quite interesting, and she calls for the inclusion of men's perspectives in the ongoing dialogue about gender, even in books about feminism.

Nightmist writes "According to Fox News' Bill O'Reilly, the father of the five Yates children recently slain by their mother (allegedly in a fit of postpartum depression) should bear the responsibility for the deaths of said children. Of course, O'Reilly is going under the assumption that the mother really was insane at the time of the killings, an assumption which the science of postpartum depression may dispute. Again, remember that Bill O'Reilly is Fox News' Jerry Springer, so I wouldn't consider his opinion as being either informed or asserted with any great intellect."