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.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Here is another sign that Intactivisim is gaining social acceptance, even in Israel. Gonnen Al Ha-Yeled (Protect the Child) and Ben Shalem (The Israeli Association for the Abolition of Circumcision), two Israeli Intactivist groups, have just produced stickers and ads in Hebrew. Eran Sadeh, the Jewish and Israeli founder of Protect the Child spoke at a Human Rights forum last year calling for laws protecting all children from the mutilation of circumcision.

Translation from Hebrew by Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'A record 8% of households with minor children in the U.S. are headed by a single father, up from just over 1% in 1960, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of census records. The census bureau data shows the number of single father households increased from less than 300,000 in 1960 to more than 2.6 million in 2011.

To measure the increase in another way, single parent households headed by fathers now comprise almost one-quarter (24%) of all single parent households, compared to 14% in 1960.

There are some notable differences between single mothers and single fathers. Single fathers are more likely than single mothers to be living with a cohabiting partner (41% versus 16%). Single fathers, on average, have higher incomes than single mothers and are far less likely to be living at or below the poverty line—24% versus 43%. Single fathers are also somewhat less educated than single mothers, older and more likely to be white.

Two takes on the same camp; from Slate:

A Boys' Camp to Redefine Gender

and from a religious-interest magazine:

Transgender Boy's Camp 'Unnatural,' Restrictive, Say Christian Leaders

Slate:
'Over the past three years, photographer Lindsay Morris has been documenting a four-day camp for gender nonconforming boys and their parents.
...
It is also a place for both parents and children to feel protected in an environment that encourages free expression.

“[The kids] don’t have to look over their shoulders, and they can let down their guard. Those are four days when none of that matters, and they are surrounded by family members who support them,” Morris said.'

CP:
'But Christian leaders disagree, saying the camp might even be forcing these children down an unnatural path.

Article here.

'The government is ignoring the needs of women offenders with its probation reforms, the Commons Justice Select Committee has said.

Kay, an ex-offender, who has been in prison once after being convicted on a drugs offence, told the Today programme's Justin Webb being in prison "knocks self confidence" and "self belief".

She said "courses and training" would be a much better way to help women who have offended.

Labour peer Baroness Corston, who suggested a number of reforms six years ago, said she was worried the "progress made by the previous government has not only stalled but is in danger of going into reverse".

She said the system now is "perfectly tailored for a man", and added the majority of the women in prison now "shouldn't be there because they are troubled rather than troublesome".'

Story here. Excerpt:

'A woman teacher who inundated a teenage pupil with sex text messages and intimate pictures during a six-week affair has avoided jail.

Roseanna Langley, 24, sent the 16-year-old pictures of her naked and she was planning a tattoo bearing his name.

When the boy tried to cool their romance the science teacher – on the rebound after being dumped by her fiance – claimed she had miscarried his child, Exeter crown court heard.

The pair denied their affair when the head teacher at St James High School in Exeter called in police.

But officers found 1,500 sex texts from Langley on the boy’s mobile and CCTV images showed the couple holding hands in a London hotel where they shared a double bed during a weekend away.

She was sacked by the school after she admitted having sex with the boy, who was not in her class.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'New Delhi: While the police strive to ensure safety and security of women in the national capital, there seems to be some women who misuse the law for extorting money from people and then threaten them to implicate in ‘false’ rape cases.

One such incident surfaced in Pandav Nagar area of East Delhi where a 40-year-old woman, who is reportedly a complainant in 11 cases of rape, stalking and other sexual offences, was arrested on charges of extortion.

It is ironical that the man who filed the extortion complaint was earlier charged with raping the woman and had been sent to jail.
...
"The previous case under Sections of rape that the woman registered against Sushil was found to be false. On the directions of the court, a case of extortion based on Sushil's complaint was registered and the woman, arrested. She has been sent to 14 days judicial custody," Additional DCP (East) D K Gupta said.