Robex writes "I came across this article in the UK Independent by a columnist called Natasha Walter. It was written in response to Doris Lessing's (a well known feminist) recent assertion in the UK National press that it is "Time for men to hit back." Lessing was referring to the brow beating of boys and the male gender in UK schools and their subsequent poor exam performances. Natasha Walter's heart apparently "sank" when she read Lessing's words because she does not know where the smug and complacent females referred to by Lessing are. Click Read More for the rest of Robex's commentary.

frank h writes "In this article on toogoodreports.com, Dr. Gerald Rowles provides a rebuttal to Dr. Peggy Drexler's "Moms are Enough" piece submitted a few days ago. Needless to say, Dr. Rowles and I agree 100%." It's great to see a printed rebuttal. Now if only the LA Times would print some of those Letters to the Editor.

Both Hawth and Neil Steyskal submitted the following Ann Landers column. Hawth writes "Ann Landers responded to a man who complained that his wife was spending too much time playing computer games (and chatting excessively with a 25-year-old man!) by telling him that HE needed to liven up the marriage and that his wife was probably just bored. Had it been a woman who wrote in that her husband was spending all his time playing computer games and chatting on the phone with a much younger lady, I doubt Ann's response would have been the same."

With this exclusive first-of-its-kind photograph, the misandrists finally have proof that, yes, we males really do control everything! What do you know? They finally discovered our secret. Hey, Scott and Adam, isn't that you in the front row? ;) (Folks, please do be aware that this piece is assigned to the "humor" department.) ;) Perhaps we should print out this page and tack it onto our bulletin boards.

cheddah writes "Risking contempt-of-court charges that could land him in jail, a father is refusing to let his 6-year-old son spend the night in prison with the boy's mother, a convicted killer." Unfortunately, the father agreed to visitation terms upon their divorce which allow the mother to have the children from Friday through Saturday. It is notable, however, that the mother is not asking the prison to change its rules to comply with the divorce decree for her 11-year-old son as well. Children do not belong in adult prisons. The story is here.

Robert Cunningham writes " Being an active and involved father does make a difference. I am very thankful that now, compared to when I was a child, more fathers want to be actively involved with their children. But does that mean that fathers are simply male mothers? Do they have a distinctive contribution to make? Just as mothers have a distinctive contribution to make. The following is a good attempt to explore this important domain." Interestingly, this report does try to strike a balance between fathers sharing motherhood roles and making their own father-specific contributions as well.

Tonight's chat will be guest moderated by Steve Imparl, who also picked tonight's topic. Steve writes: In William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Anthony declares that the good that men do "is oft interred with their bones." Is this really true? Do our good works live on in our children, our creations, and our interactions with others? Do our good deeds have great value to all of us today and tomorrow? What good deeds are characteristically male actions? This week's chat topic is "The Good that Men Do." We will explore those special things that men offer the world, list them, and consider how to use them in men's activism. The chat begins at 9:30 p.m. ET and may be accessed here. Click "Read More" below for the complete details.

Marc Angelucci writes "The Los Angeles Daily News, which is the biggest competitor of the Los Angeles Times, printed an opinion piece by Glenn Sacks addressing the discrimination that male victims of domestic violence face throughout the County of Los Angeles. It mentions the data, the discrimination, just about everything that can be put in a short opinion piece." This is one of the best examples of careful accuracy and concision in newspaper commentary on these subjects I've seen in a while.

Wendy McElroy examines the other costs of extremist sexual harassment policies on college campuses these days: a rise in tuition. McElroy uses several cases as examples, including one in which California State University at Fullerton was ordered to pay $75,000 to a student whom they basically told to "keep off the grass." The student claimed she was reprimanded because she was female. CSUF is just one school. Sexual harassment policies, procedures, complaints, and lawsuits are ongoing at virtually every university and college in America. No figure exists on how much money harassment suits have collectively cost academia within the last twelve months. Nor is there an estimate on how much tuitions have risen in response.

I know we're not supposed to keep posting articles on Andrea Yates, but this one was far too interesting to pass up. In her latest article Kathleen Parker defends not giving the death penalty to Andrea Yates on the grounds that she was insane (I'm sure we can find a fair few men who got the death penalty for that) she says the tired old line that women do most of the childcare as a seemingly subjective defence, overlooking a father's socializing influence (see here for more info) and his economic contributions to name a few of several factors. However, things get interesting when it's divided down gender lines, I won't spoil it here, but I think most men's activists can spot what's happening.

This story on knoxstudio.com describes how a Bush aide wants to "run with the idea" of paying women an "extra $100 per month" if they marry the fathers of their children. This seems like a desperate attempt to keep the traditional family together, and in the long run it may hurt more than it helps. "Mommy, do you love Daddy?" "No, honey, I'm just in it for the money. Someday YOU can use a man for some extra cash!" Society would be better served by allowing people to remain independent of marriage while supporting fathers in their attempts to be a larger part of their children's lives.

Considering the controversy over boxer Mike Tyson's original conviction of rape in the early 1990s (according to polls I recall from those times, males generally perceived the conviction as a bum rap, females perceived it as justice being served), I thought this story on Excite News was appropriate. A 50-year-old woman recently charged that Tyson raped her while training for an upcoming bout. Prosecutors say there is not enough evidence linking Tyson to the reported crime, and they do not expect things to change, but they're not considering the case closed.

This story on Excite News details new UK guidelines for doctors who are being told they must stop parents from having their female children circumcised. There is no mention of male circumcision anywhere in the story, although male circumcision is obviously more widespread (and, as obviously, more widely accepted). I've always found it interesting that women refer to female circumcision as "genital mutilation" and male circumcision as a "medical procedure."

This story on Excite News reports on a Minnesota wrestling coach who is under scrutiny for "misuse of resources" after he developed a program to fight the gender equity problems caused by Title IX. The coach had managed to gather support and funding from several people and schools before being accused of using school property for personal work.

Marc Angelucci writes "The L.A. Times printed this article today, titled "Moms Are Enough," which essentially says that the success of lesbian parents means dads are not really needed. It's interesting how the author doesn't mention the flipside: the success of gay male parents would mean moms aren't needed. The author also conflates all father's activists with traditional family supporters, which not all of us are. We're just sick and tired of seeing courts blocking fathers from being with their kids. I wrote to them. You can too at letters@latimes.com."