Story here. Excerpt:

'A federal commission has found that the RCMP acted reasonably in dealing with a Nova Scotia woman who tried to hire a hit man to kill her husband.

The Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP released a report Wednesday morning that said the Mounties who dealt with Nicole Doucet had no evidence for claims that her husband, Michael Ryan, had abused her.

“It is my conclusion that the RCMP did not refuse to assist Ms. Doucet; on the contrary, RCMP members were responsive to the family’s conflicts,” commission chairman Ian McPhail said in a news release.

“I conclude that the RCMP acted reasonably in each of its dealings with Ms. Doucet and her family, and did not fail to protect her.”
...
Doucet, formerly Nicole Ryan, was charged in 2008 with counselling to commit the murder of her then-husband. She was acquitted, using the defence of duress, and the the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal upheld the decision.

Article here. Excerpt:

'EDMONTON – Posters spreading a message that Edmonton police have been trying to fight for years with their “Don’t be that guy” campaign is generating mixed reviews, as well as a conversation in our city about sexual assault.

The Mens Rights Edmonton association is taking responsibility for the campaign. One of its members, who did not want to identify himself, says this poster campaign was intended to counter the “Don’t be that guy” campaign that he says made “rape into a gendered issue.”

“We don’t blame victims for anything, we’re simply looking for an accurate discourse on the subject.”
...
Robert says, “No place in that ad does it say rape is right. It is okay to slam men but when an ad like this is out it suddenly is pro rape? Once again it does not say rape is right so why read more into it?”

Article here. Excerpt:

'Some thirty years ago educators and social science types, motivated in part by the women’s movement but also by real gaps in achievement between boys and girls, began to recognize the need to address the particular educational and emotional needs of girls, and to fashion opportunities in the classroom and elsewhere that would allow girls to flourish. As the father of a teenage daughter I am grateful for this; my child has opportunities and accommodations that were not available to girls when I was a teenager, and that were undreamed of when my mother was her age.

Article here. Excerpt:

'Compared to girls, research shows that boys in the U.S. are more likely to be diagnosed with a behavior disorder, prescribed stimulant medications, fail out of school, binge drink, commit a violent crime, and/or take their own lives.

Jennifer Siebel Newsom's new documentary film, The Mask You Live In, asks: As a society, how are we failing our boys?
...
The Mask You Live In documentary will examine how gender stereotypes are interconnected with race, class, and circumstance, and how kids are further influenced by the education system, sports culture, and mass media- video games and pornography in particular. The film also highlights the importance of placing emphasis on the social and emotional needs of boys through healthy family communication, alternative teaching strategies, conscious media consumption, positive role modeling and innovative mentorship programs.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'According to the National Association of Realtors' 2012 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, single women make up 18 percent of homeowners -- compared to 10 percent of single men. The report notes that single women have been buying homes at almost twice the rate of single men since the mid-1990s.

Despite the challenges that single lady potential homeowners face -- backlash from family and friends, for example -- women are increasingly making it work. It's also important to note that childless, single women are actually on track to outearn their male counterparts in many metro areas. This could allow greater numbers of women in this demographic to make major purchases, such as new property.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'Sex charges against a former math teacher at a Vina, Ala., high school were dismissed after she married the student with whom she allegedly had a sexual relationship.

Kimberly Dawn Bynum was indicted on felony charges in 2011 for her alleged sexual relationship with a 17-year-old high school senior. Bynum's trial was postponed at least once before the teacher, who was 29 at the time of her arrest, married the student.

In a motion filed July 2 to dismiss the charges against Bynum, Franklin County District Attorney Joey Rushing stated that neither the alleged victim, nor his family, nor local law enforcement wanted the trial to go forward, according to ABC affiliate WAAY.
...
The age of consent is Alabama is 16, but laws prohibit educators from becoming sexually involved with students under the age of 19, according to the Franklin County Times.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'An Alabama kindergarten teacher was arrested July 3 on charges stemming from alleged inappropriate sexual conduct with a minor.

A Tuscaloosa County grand jury indicted Anessa Dawn Olive Ferguson on Friday. The 37-year-old mother of three is accused of rape, sodomy, sexual abuse and incest on a boy between the ages of 12 and 16, according to court documents obtained by WVUA.

Court documents described the incest charge as intercourse with "a victim who the defendant knew to be related, either by blood, adoption or marriage."

According to the Tuscaloosa News, an internal investigation of Ferguson was launched after abuse was reported by the victim's teacher.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'National Parents Organization of Connecticut Chapter would like to thank Governor Dannel Patrick Malloy his fast action on the alimony reform bill and remind him that the legislature also passed a bill to investigate the family court system. Bill 6685 (now Special Act 13-24) was passed by the legislature to create a task force to investigate the family courts.

The Special Act still requires the governor's signature to become law. Please email Governor Malloy to encourage him to sign this special act and let us know.'

The feds only have until July 17 to answer Senator McCain's letter about the DOJ/Dept. of Ed. Sexual Harassment settlement; and we want to remind them every day that time is running out.

You can join our FREE SPEECH COUNTDOWN on two of our Facebook pages, Accusing U. and SAVE for Falsely Accused, where you'll find target email addresses and new questions to ask each day.

Today's post:

McCAIN QUESTION: How do you specifically define "unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature"?

http://1.usa.gov/19CVrj1

DEMAND that the Dept. of Education's Asst. Secretary Seth Galanter answer Sen. McCain's question.

Article here.

'As members of Georgia’s House of Representatives debate whether to prohibit abortions for women more than 20 weeks pregnant, House Democrats planned to introduce their own reproductive rights plan: No more vasectomies that leave "thousands of children ... deprived of birth."

Rep. Yasmin Neal, a Democrat from the Atlanta suburb of Jonesboro, planned to introduce a bill Wednesday that would prevent men from vasectomies unless needed to avert serious injury or death.

“If we legislate women’s bodies, it’s only fair that we legislate men’s,” said Neal, who said she wanted to introduce a bill that would generate emotion and conversation the way anti-abortion bills do. “There are too many problems in the state. Why are you under the skirts of women? I’m sure there are other places to be."'

---
Ed.: This story's from Feb. 2012, but I thought it was a good one to run since it points out the confusion in popular perception re repro. rights. I discuss it in the first comment.

Article here. Excerpt:

'When it comes to cheating, men are still more likely to stray -- but women are catching up.

According to recent data from the National Opinion Research Center's General Social Survey, the number of women having affairs has increased 40 percent in the last two decades, and one in six married women now admit to having an affair. Meanwhile, the percentage of men who admitted to infidelity held constant at 21 percent.

Experts were quick to chime in with possible reasons for the rising numbers, including Pepper Schwartz, a University of Washington sociologist and HuffPost blogger.

“[Women] can afford the potential consequences of an affair, with higher incomes and more job prospects,” she explained to Bloomberg Businessweek. “They have more economic independence and may meet a better class of mate.”'

Story here. Excerpt:

'A woman who made a string of false rape allegations against five men in eight years was behind bars last night.

Leanne Black, 32, repeatedly cried rape with bogus sex assault reports to police after rowing or breaking up with her former partners.

In one case, Black claimed she had been drugged and raped. In another she told police a boyfriend kidnapped and molested her.

A court heard that her innocent partners would have faced up to five years in jail if they had been found guilty of such serious sexual allegations.

However, Black was herself jailed for two years, with a judge condemning her actions, telling her that genuine rape victims would be undermined by her lies.
...
‘We want victims to feel able to report the abuse they have suffered and we are working hard to dispel the myths and stereotypes that can be associated with these cases.

Article here. Excerpt:

'Saint Joseph’s University, a private Catholic school in Philadelphia, was sued by a student suspended for an alleged rape over claims its sexual-assault policies virtually ensure that accused males will be found guilty.

The student, Brian Harris of Clifton Park, New York, is seeking more than $75,000 in damages in the complaint filed yesterday in federal court in Philadelphia accusing the school of negligence, defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and violations of Title IX, the law that bars sex discrimination at schools.

“SJU, in the manner in which it approaches the investigation, adjudication, and appeal of allegations of sexual misconduct and related claims made in connection to sexual misconduct, creates an environment in which a male accused is so fundamentally denied due process as to be virtually assured of a finding of guilt,” Kenneth Dubrow, an attorney for Harris, said in the complaint.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'A fifth-grade teacher in a tiny town in Washington State is under investigation for allegedly sexually molesting a 10-year-old male student.

Police in Othello have been investigating Scootney Springs Elementary School teacher Lisa Davis, reports KHQ. In late May, another local teacher informed school officials that something fishy might be going on between Davis and the fifth-grader.

“Our investigation unveiled some criminal elements. Enough to charge her, we believe,” Othello police chief Alvia Dunnigan told the local NBC affiliate.
...
“She’s a really awesome teacher,” said the student who nominated Davis at the time, according to The Othello Outlook. “She has a lot of respect for everyone and she’s nice all the time.

“When I think of the word ‘teacher,’ I think of Lisa Davis,” gushed school district superintendent George Juarez.

Article here. Excerpt:

'Former Baseball Wives star Anna Benson has made her way into the headlines once again.

According to TMZ, the 37-year-old Benson was arrested on Monday morning after an altercation with her estranged husband, former MLB pitcher Kris Benson.

Kris, who filed for a divorce from the former FHM model last year, reportedly told police that Anna showed up at his home in a rage on Sunday night after the court ordered her to vacate their marital home. According to Kris, she was armed with an "expandable metal baton" and a gun.

At one point, Anna pulled the handgun on Kris and demanded that he give her money, per the TMZ report. To top it all off, she was allegedly wearing a bulletproof vest during the incident.
...
Anna has been charged with four counts—two counts of felony aggravated assault with a weapon, one count of criminal trespass and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.'