Circumcision practice is not natural

Letter here. Excerpt:

'The recent German court ruling and controversy about circumcision has stirred up my thoughts like an intellectual coffee-spoon, and the conclusion I’ve come to is slightly jolting. Just what sort of an ice-blooded culture welcomes newborns to the world with a wrenching mutilation? Those scissors snap a cutting message: “Kill or be killed, and keep fearful distance from women, nature, and love.”

Having myself been spared by a local doctor, I know that area to be of immense sensual and emotional significance, as Europe’s scientists have established. Here, the ancient madness breaks as slowly as the melting glaciers that likewise indicate mainstream America has become estranged from mother nature, and she smolders with imploring reproach, scolding that we should move closer to her.'

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Australia: Homeless fathers missing out on support: report

Article here. Excerpt:

'The Federal Government has acknowledged it needs to provide better support services for single fathers who are homeless.

A government-funded study has found services specific to fathers need to be set up because emergency accommodation or other help is currently targeted at mothers.

The study shows homeless fathers often lose contact with their children because of a lack of emergency accommodation for single fathers, as well as safe places to see their children.

It also found that when fathers lose their connection with their children, their health and wellbeing suffers.'

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SAVE: Tell Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts that S. 1925 is Biased and Unfair

In the last few days Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts has seen fit to publicize his support to S. 1925, the VAWA reauthorization bill which passed the Senate on April 26. SAVE has reviewed S. 1925, and notes the bill ignores the problem of female-initiated abuse, has the potential to inflict harm on the falsely accused, and comes within a whisper of unconstitutionality.

In general, Scott Brown has been a fair-minded senator. He now finds himself in a tight race against Elizabeth Warren who has repeatedly played the gender card.

Contact Senator Brown and tell him that much of Domestic Violence is initiated by women, that false accusations are rampant and destructive, and that S. 1925 is flatly unfair.

The senator can be reached by phone at 1-202-228-2643, or fax at 1-202-228-2646.

Thank you!

Teri Stoddard, Program Director
Stop Abusive and Violent Environments
www.saveservices.org

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The National Consensus on the Mutilation of Every Newborn Male

Article here. Excerpt;

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Outlawing Circumcision

Article here. Published May, 2011, but a very good read. Excerpt:

'The subject of circumcision is often relegated to the realm of jokes and cheeky double-entendres, but a San Francisco ballot initiative now gaining momentum would ban the practice, and it raises some very serious issues. At the heart of the current controversy are three fundamental questions. First, is circumcising an infant wrong? Second, should infant circumcision be against the law? And third, would banning circumcision infringe on the rights of those who practice it as part of their religions?

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Facebook Campaign Protests AAP Circumcision Policy

Article here. Excerpt:

'Even as the world abandons the unethical practice of infant male circumcision, the American Academy of Pediatrics recently revised its policy statement to more strongly recommend it. In response to this step backwards, people of conscience all over the world have been protesting the AAP’s misguided decision by posting on Facebook photographs of themselves with the words “AAP” on one hand and “No Ethics” on the other.

As a proud Jew and an opponent of infant male circumcision, I wanted to join this protest in a meaningful way. It is my belief that a deep concern for ethics lies at the core of the Jewish tradition and it is this concern, along with the ability to adapt to new information, that gives meaning and relevance to my heritage in the 21st century.

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Peru: woman severs cheating boyfriend's penis

Link here. Excerpt:

'A woman who discovered her boyfriend had been cheating on her sliced off his penis with a kitchen knife and tossed it down the toilet as he slept, local media has reported.

Julia Munoz Huaman, 41, confessed she emasculated her companion Ramon Arias, 46, in a jealous rage.
...
Security guards nabbed the woman and detained her as Arias wailed in pain.'

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A political war on women? No, a secret war on men

Article here. Excerpt:

'SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (MarketWatch) — No war on women? But politicians and political pundits think so. They’re clueless. Women get it. But men are blind: In today’s America the real war is a war on men. Men against men. And they’re losing badly, getting hostile, lashing out, creating market uncertainty, unpredictability, volatility.

Yes, men are outnumbered, outwitted, and clueless, unaware they’re now their own worst enemy, sabotaging themselves, acting super macho, lashing out against strawmen and ghosts, fighting a war they cannot win. Follow me with a new mind-set: Put on a new pair of psychological glasses, think like a behavioral scientist, see with the eyes of a rational investor, tune out the political noise. You’ll see what’s really going on.

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'Penis-Sucking Mohels Fight City's "Evil Decree" To Inform Parents About Circumcision Ritual'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Despite the fact that at least 11 NYC boys have been infected with herpes from herpes-infested mohels who have insisted on performing the ancient circumcision ritual "metzitzah b’peh," ultra-Orthodox leaders are fighting the Health Department's “evil plans” to mandate parental-consent forms before performing the procedure. About 200 rabbis signed a proclamation claiming the city “printed and spread lies...in order to justify their evil decree. It is clear to us, that there is not even an iota of blame or danger in this ancient and holy custom,” the letter states. Except for those 11 boys with herpes. And the two who died from it.

"Metzitzah b’peh" is the practice of sucking the blood from a just snipped foreskin in traditional Jewish circumcisions. Most modern mohels use a sterile pipette to do so, but some Orthodox parents insist on the ancient tradition. The city will vote next week whether mohels will have to distribute consent waivers, detailing the herpes risk, before the ritual.'

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New Zealand: 'Men's Ministry' launched at Parliament

Article here. Excerpt:

'A new ministry was launched at Parliament this afternoon but it wasn’t sanctioned by the Government and few people turned up for the occasion.

Five pro-men’s rights activists launched the makeshift ‘Ministry of Men’s Affairs’ in a bid to raise awareness of a number of men-specific issues.

The group’s spokesperson Hans Laven says high male suicide rates and high employment deaths are not being addressed by the Government.

After hounding Members of Parliament about the issues and getting no response, Mr Laven says he decided to make his own unofficial Government department.'

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Eva Longoria Plans To Open Women-Only Steakhouse

Article here. Excerpt:

'Eva Longoria has reportedly decided to open up an upscale steakhouse in Las Vegas on New Year's Eve - but it's for ladies only.
...
The Desperate Housewives star is, according to folks at Perez Hilton, apparently geared up to open a women-only steakhouse in Las Vegas, so that women can give into their secret cravings for delicious meat WITHOUT the judging eyes of their male companions upon them.
...
Pardon? Is that genuinely a thing that women are worried about when tucking into a juicy plate of peppered steak?
...
The man-ban restaurant is set to focus on a 1920s theme, complete with sexy female performers a la Cirque du Soleil. Sounds classy!

What do you think of single-sex restaurants?'

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Op-ed: Follow Germany's lead on circumcision

Article here. Excerpt:

'About two months ago a German court ruled that circumcisions for religious reasons constitute illegal bodily harm to newborn babies and that the "fundamental right of the child to bodily integrity outweighed the fundamental rights of the parents."

Beyond the knee-jerk responses accusing the Germans of anti-Semitism, the latest developments obligate us to reexamine the bris (circumcision ritual).

It is time to replace the fear and ignorance surrounding the subject - due to its religious-traditional roots and due to the fact that it has become the norm – with educated dialogue that will bring about cultural progress.'

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Humanistic Judaism Increasingly Critical of Child Circumcision

Article here. Excerpt:

'The Humanistic Jewish movement is a quickly growing denomination in Judaism and the furthest from practicing circumcision. The movement contains over 30,000 members and has over 50 active synagogues in the United States and Israel. There are a variety of active Humanistic Jewish journals and a group of thriving associations and communities connected to the movement. The focus of Jewish Humanism is on Judaic culture and society while embracing Humanistic ethics.

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ICE chief of staff resigns amid misconduct claims

Story here. Excerpt:

'WASHINGTON - A senior Obama administration political appointee and longtime aide to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano resigned Saturday amid allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior lodged by at least three Immigration and Customs Enforcement employees.

Suzanne Barr, chief of staff to ICE Director John Morton, said in her resignation letter that the allegations against her are "unfounded." But she said she was stepping down anyway to end distractions within the agency. ICE, a division of the Homeland Security Department, confirmed Barr had resigned. The Associated Press obtained a copy of Barr's letter.

Barr is accused of sexually inappropriate behavior toward employees. The complaints are related to a sexual discrimination and retaliation lawsuit filed by a senior ICE agent in May.

In her letter to Morton, Barr said she has been the subject of "unfounded allegations designed to destroy my reputation" and is resigning "with great regret."'

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N.H. woman arrested 4 times in 26 hours for loud music, assault

Story here. Arrested and released three times in 24 hrs. Would a man be arrested and released three times in 24 hours? Finally after she shows herself to be physically dangerous to another person, they keep her in jail but instead of treating her like they would a male prisoner, they remand her for a psych evaluation. Tell me, do men get the same consideration under the same circumstances? Excerpt:

'Joyce Coffey of Epping, N.H., just didn't seem to get it -- or care -- when she was arrested four times in 26 hours earlier this week. The police run-ins stemmed from loud AC/DC and Guns N' Roses music police said could be heard blasting from her house as well as Coffey allegedly throwing a frying pan at her nephew.
...
Coffey was then released on $1,000 bail, but a mere four hours later, after yet another loud music complaint, the police returned at 1:10 a.m. Wednesday.

She was at this point arrested for a third time -- and released a short time later on $10,000 bail.

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