Article here. Excerpt:

'To hear the critics tell it, President Obama wants to restrict free speech at college, interfere with campus dating and “de-eroticize” university life. The reasons can be found in a single line of the May letter from the Departments of Justice and Education to the University of Montana, Missoula—a campus long plagued by sexual assaults and shoddy sexual harassment prevention efforts.
...
According to Lucy France, general counsel of the University of Montana, that means you can report that the annoying boy who sits next to you in class is being creepy, but that doesn't mean the school will do anything about it. “The revisions currently being added to university policy,” she says, “aim only to clarify the procedures for filing harassment-related grievances, to establish protocol for adequately investigating and responding to allegations, and to train the school community in identifying and addressing sex discrimination and violence.”'

Article here. Excerpt:

'The federal government is facing pressure from civil-liberties advocates to back down from a policy meant to curb sexual harassment at colleges and universities -- just as sexual-assault survivors demanded in a protest this week that the Education Department do more to punish colleges that fail to address campus assaults.

A coalition of free-speech advocates, led by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), wrote an open letter to the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Justice Tuesday calling for officials to retract a "blueprint" for campus sexual harassment policies that critics claim would violate the First Amendment.

FIRE's coalition says a resolution released in May by the Departments of Education and Justice -- after an investigation of the University of Montana's prosecution of rape on campus -- expands the definition of sexual harassment to "any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature," including speech, which coalition members contend is unconstitutional.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'You rarely hear about the female-on-male flip side of domestic violence charges in news stories about everyday Americans, let alone perpetrated by a 22-year-old starlet, but Emma Roberts shocked everyone this morning when news surfaced that, on July 7th, she was taken into custody in Montreal following a fight with her boyfriend, American Horror Story's Evan Peters. According to USA Today, he was found with a bloody nose and bite marks from Roberts, and she had various bruisings.
...
According to a study done in 2000, the statistics of domestic abuse in America were 1.3 million women versus 835,000 men. A more recent study from 2011 ups the percentage: One in four men have experienced "rape, physical violence and/or stalking" by a partner, and one in seven have experienced "severe physical violence," like beaten with a fist or a blunt object. And a 32-nation study by the University of New Hampshire claims that girlfriends initiate violence equally often as boyfriends do in relationships.

SAVE played a lead role in this prosecutorial misconduct case, which involved a crusading prosecutor who often charged persons on allegations of sexual assault, even when there was no probable cause.

Along with the Internal Revenue Service, prosecutors wield the awesome power of the state. For both groups, there are inadequate checks in place to assure they don’t abuse that power.

We were disappointed that no meaningful sanctions were imposed on ADA Mary Kellett, yet this was a precedent-making case.

The AP account of the case is shown below. To see more in-depth media coverage, visit: http://bangordailynews.com/2013/07/15/news/hancock/hancock-county-prosecutor-admits-violating-bar-rules-in-sexual-assault-trial/

Article here. Excerpt:

'The media’s reaction once again shows a troubling trend to hold men accountable for behavior that is transgressive but to tend towards the apologetic when a woman behaves in a similarly destructive way. Which is to imply a man must be willing to tolerate a woman beating him up whilst also implying the idea of equality in society is not something many female editors women necessarily seek when it does not suit their needs. A view that has been expressed in various comment threads throughout the web.
...
But when they are not good what happens then? And why is it the media not challenging behavior and actions that ought to trouble us? Are only women allowed to be victims of domestic violence. Is there a risk of disturbing the preferred line of what counts for bad behavior amongst gender that the media would rather not explore? If so why?'

Article here. Excerpt:

'The news of Emma Roberts‘ alleged domestic violence against her boyfriend Evan Peters dropped yesterday, so I’d say it’s just about time for someone or a couple someones to start downplaying what really happened, right? Like a rep or something? Or a ‘source close to the actress’? Do we have anybody like that who can underscore what a non-issue violence is in our society? Oh we do? Great. Here’s what reps for the two actors had to say, in a released statement:

“It was an unfortunate incident and misunderstanding. Ms. Roberts was released after questioning and the couple are working together to move past it.”

Article here. Excerpt:

'Imagine a right that for nearly a century U.S. courts (including the Supreme Court) have recognized as a constitutionally-protected “fundamental right” which “cannot be denied without violating those fundamental principles of liberty and justice which lie at the base of all our civil and political institutions.” Such a right “undeniably warrants deference, and, absent a powerful countervailing interest, protection”.

Surely such a right would be zealously protected by the courts. And if it were not, we should be outraged.

There is such a right. It receives little protection by our courts. And we should, indeed, be outraged!

Reading the language our courts invoke when discussing parental rights, one would expect those rights to receive vigilant protection from the courts. But, in fact, family law courts across the nation routinely infringe on parental rights with not even a semblance of due process required when restricting fundamental constitutional rights.'

Press release here. Excerpt:

'WASHINGTON / July 17, 2013 – Seven months after a state ethics panel determined Hancock Co. prosecutor Mary Kellett engaged in “inexcusable” misconduct, Justice Ellen Gorman has announced a plan that would seemingly excuse Kellett’s unethical behavior. On Monday, Gorman announced she intends to shelve a 30-day suspension on assistant district attorney Mary Kellett. As a result, no sanctions will be placed on the prosecutor who engaged in unethical practices over a period of 6 years, resulting in the wrongful conviction of an innocent man.

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments – SAVE — deplores the impending decision as an affront to every citizen of Maine who believes the criminal justice system should be “just.”

Article here. Excerpt:

'Some Saskatonians haven’t taken kindly to men’s right posters appearing around the city.

One intact poster, spotted Monday afternoon at 2nd Avenue and 21st Street, rhetorically asked readers whether they feared and hated African-Americans, Jews, gays, lesbians and women, with the response, “of course not, because you are a decent human being.”

It concludes, “You don’t fear and hate men, do you? Do you? Mens rights are human rights.”

Other posters are up on 20th St. around Avenues B to G.

But four others on Broadway — somewhat confusingly equating both feminism and patriarchy with “male disposability” — had been partially torn down and are almost unreadable.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'Convinced that a neighbor spoke to others about her having sex with a cat, an Oklahoma woman allegedly threatened the man with a knife, saying, “Do you wanna die?”

Oklahoma City cops arrested Kristina Michelle Brown following her bizarre confrontation Monday afternoon with 72-year-old Elmer Morrison. The 23-year-old Brown was charged with assault and battery with a deadly weapon, a felony, and booked into jail, where she is being held in lieu of $5000 bail.
...
When police questioned Brown, she explained she was upset with Morrison “because of what he did to me.” When a cop asked what he did to her, she replied, “Because everyone knows.” She then said, “I had sex with my cat and everyone knows.”

A puzzled cop asked Brown (pictured above) what role Morrison had in the cat sex. She replied that her next-door neighbor had “no connection” to the act, saying that she was “just mad because everyone knows.”

Article here.

'A Pensacola woman has been arrested after authorities say they tried to arrest her for shoplifting and she threw her baby at a deputy as she tried to escape.

Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office said Ashley Taylor Wright tried to smuggle about $260 worth of clothing from a Dillard's dressing room.

Deputies approached her car in the parking lot Monday night and asked her to get out.

Authorities said the 23-year-old told the deputy, "You will have to shoot through the baby to get me."

She then allegedly ran from the car and threw the car seat with the baby inside at the deputy.

The infant was not injured. Two other young children were also in the car.

Wright faces several charges, including child abuse.'

Video here. Caption:

'Actor Jason Patric and his former girlfriend are caught up in a heated custody dispute. CNN's Michaela Pereira reports.'

Issue reported previously on MANN here.

Announcement here. Excerpt:

'The Women’s Center of Greater Danbury is pleased to announce a free, interactive workshop for males of all ages. Participants will learn strategies and techniques to address harmful behaviors that promote sexual and interpersonal violence against women and children. Two training sessions will be held in our 2nd floor Community Room at 8 West Street in Danbury on Monday, July 29th, 6:30-7:30 p.m., and Thursday, August 1st, 10:00-11:00 a.m.

Men are far too often at a loss as to how they can play a positive role in stopping sexual violence. Standing by or remaining silent is not the answer. With an emphasis on prevention education, this workshop will encourage and help men to play a positive role in preventing sexual abuse, interpersonal violence and even bullying.

Story here. Excerpt:

'Actress Emma Roberts [link added] was arrested last week on domestic violence charges in Canada.
...
TMZ reports that Roberts was arrested after someone called the cops to report a fight in the couple’s Montreal hotel room.

Peters, 26, reportedly had a bloody nose and a bite mark when police arrived, so they arrested Roberts on the spot. They released her hours later because Peters elected not to press charges, according to MTV News.

In a joint statement, the two young actors reps addressed the incident.

"It was an unfortunate incident and misunderstanding. Ms. Roberts was released after questioning and the couple are working together to move past it," the reps told Us Weekly.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'ALLENTOWN, Pa. — An eastern Pennsylvania woman sentenced to life in prison in the stabbing death of her fiance on their wedding day says she still loves him.

Thirty-two-year-old Na Cola Franklin was convicted of first-degree murder in the August death of 36-year-old Billy Brewster after an argument at their Whitehall Township apartment hours before the ceremony.
...
Defense attorney John Waldron has vowed an appeal. He argues Brewster came home drunk from an impromptu bachelor party and attacked Franklin.'