DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed herein are those of the persons who send in the news items. They do not necessarily reflect those of the National Center For Men, its officers, members, Jim Whinston or Mel Feit.IT'S THE OLYMPICS. EVERY FOUR YEARS THE NATIONS AND PEOPLES OF THE WORLD LAY ASIDE THEIR DIFFERENCES AND CELEBRATE CAMARADERIE, IN THE FORM OF NOBLE ATHLETIC COMPETITION. And in that spirit, we ask that men and women, fathers and mothers, make an extra effort to communicate, find harmony, stand together (as we work on our human problems), and make the divorce system less adversarial.
"MULTIPLICITY" IS THE MOVIE!! Michael Keaton stars. He can't find enough time to meet the demands of being a good father, good husband, and good worker, so he clones himself several times. Wall Street Journal review is not bad. YOU MUST SUPPORT THIS MOVIE IF HOLLYWOOD IS TO CONTINUE TO ADDRESS THE "DADDY TRACK" ISSUE. So go see it, or don't complain, guys. And gals, how about taking your guys to it? -- Hollywood will sense that there is financial support for "mommy track" and "parent track" issues as well, and ALL workers will win, regarding the combining of work and family. Let's not let this chance slip away, please! The movie could just as well have been about a woman and mother in the same circumstances. Thanks.
And "STRIPTEASE" IS A PREPOSTEROUS MOVIE. Demi Moore is going to earn money to hire a lawyer to fight for custody of her child by working as a stripper! Another reviewer said the legal issues re custody were complete fiction. I'd avoid this one on child custody grounds, and on not supporting flesh-flashing movies, to boot.
"SIXTY MINUTES," 7/14/96, lead story on crime in Washington, DC. Only one- third of homicides are solved (half of normal); budget slashed due to DC finances. No mention of the underlying family dissolution problems as root cause, and need to re-involve fathers through fairness in the family courts. 60 MINUTES: 212- 975-2006, fax 212-975-1893, CBS News: 524 West 57th Street, NY, NY, 10019.
PBS NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT, 7/12/96, had ELAINE GARZARELLI ON. She is a positive example of STARTING HER OWN CONSULTING BUSINESS -- rather than demanding affirmative action or playing the victim role - - when Shearson Lehman dropped her last year. So she started Garzarelli Investment Management with offices in NY, Chicago and Boca Raton. Thank PBS for having her on, a great role model. PBS NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT: 305-949-8321, fax 305-949-9772, email nbrpr@aol.com, c/o WPBT TV, PO Box 2, Miami, FL, 33261.
PBS NEWS HOUR, 7/10/96, essay, ANN TAYLOR FLEMING. She honestly tried to tell us that TV is biased against women politicians that cry in public. Men politicians who get moisty-eyed are seen as stronger. In my opinion, maybe society is beginning to accept emotions from men, but we have a long way to go. To declare a double standard against women at this point, though, ... Well, I don't use the words, "sheer chutzpah" much. PBS NEWS HOUR WITH JIM LEHRER: 703-998-2810 or 2844, fax 703-845-1458, viewer line 212-560-3113, 3620 South 27 Street, Arlington VA 22206. Also, the Corporation For Public Broadcasting: 202-879-9600, fax 202-783-1019, email comments@soul.cpb.org, 901 E St. NW, Wash DC 20004-2037.
PBS MCLOUGHLIN REPORT, 7/5/96, segment on "liberal bias" in the press. In '92 election, 89% of a press sample voted for Clinton (7% for Bush), and only 4% are Republicans. Point is not to take sides, but at least recognize a potential problem and have an honest discussion. PBS, THE McLOUGHLIN GROUP: 202-457-0870, fax 202-296-2285, write 1211 Connecticut Ave, NW, Wash, DC 20036.
DATELINE NBC, 7/3/96, "Top Gun?," on possible double standard in air force with respect to female pilots. Sounded like a lot of playing the victim role, which is very counter-productive to women in the long run. But they had Elaine Donnelly on from the Center For Military Readiness, who has a lot of common sense: Carrie Lorenz "was not allowed to fail, in spite of an astonishing record that indicated high risk of danger, failure and loss of life." It's important to thank them for having credible Elaine Donnelly on, and to keep it up. NBC NETWORK: 212-664-4444, fax 212-664- 7073, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, NY, NY 10112. Email for Dateline: dateline@news.nbc.com
NCM ATTORNEY ON NEWSTALK TV. UPDATE 7/22/96: Look for re-runs. Jeff Garfin did this cable TV show live on deadbeat dads being jailed. When someone owes $100 thousand in back child support, its not child support. It's lifestyle support, and so forth.
GEORGE WILL COLUMN, 7/21/96, "WOMEN ARE GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER." Check your paper for specific title. Commenting on Cato Institute (Libertarian think tank in Wash, DC) study by Michael Weiss and Cathy Young ("Feminist Jurisprudence: Equal Rights or Neo-Paternalism?"). Dynamite report and commentary. Deadly force used to only be justified by an imminent threat. Re sexual harassment: compares to "replacing speed limits with a law under which one could be fined for driving through a neighborhood at any speed which made any resident uncomfortable." Re rape: " 'the idea that only an explicit yes means yes' patronizes women by implying 'that women, like children, have trouble communicating what they want.' " GEORGE F. WILL: Syndicated by the Washington Post Writers Group, 1150 15th St. NW., Washington, DC 20071.
KATHLEEN PARKER COLUMN, 7/19/96, THE ORLANDO SENTINEL. "It's Time For Feminists To Champion Motherhood." Theme is that feminism has unfortunately separated women from their children; that what women have in common most is how they differ from men. A reasonable piece. PARKER, KATHLEEN (column distributed by Tribune Media Services): email kparker1@aol.com, The Orlando Sentinel, MP-6, PO Box 2833, Orlando, FL 32802-2833.
NEWSWEEK, 7/15/96, cover story, ROSIE O'DONNELL TALK SHOW HOST, "QUEEN OF NICE." Reflects trend and backlash against trash and tabloid TV talk shows. Rosie and others are going clean. IF WE WANT THIS WHOLESOME SHOW, WE MUST PATRONIZE IT. THERE IS NO OTHER WAY. REWARD THEM FOR DOING THE RIGHT THING, and get every one you know to do the same. And thank Newsweek for alerting us to the issue. NEWSWEEK, 6/17/96,. NEWSWEEK: 212-445-4000 main, 212-445-4186 comments, fax (letters to the editor) 212-445-4120, email letters@newsweek.com, 251 W 57th St., NY, NY 10019-1894.
NEWSWEEK, 7/15/96, page 64 re FALSE MEMORIES ARE DIFFERENT FROM REAL MEMORIES ON A PET SCAN OF THE BRAIN. Scientists did an experiment and found different parts of the brain were more active in real versus false memories, and it showed up on PET scans. Quite interesting. Will follow for now.
STEPHEN CHAPMAN COLUMN, 7/13/96, "WORKING WOMEN ARE NOT THAT BAD OFF." Or similar title in your paper. Pay is due to career choice and taking time off. " 'The pay gap between men and women virtually disappears when age, educational attainment and continuous time spent in the work force are factored in as wage determinants,' write" Michael Lynch and Katherine Post in the summer issue of The Public Interest. "One study found that women between the ages of 27 and 33 who have never had children earn 98 percent as much as their male counterparts." More women (than men) in business simply do not want to burden the demands of being a CEO, the article also showed. Also, "if one manufacturer or one law firm prefers not to hire anyone in a skirt, that won't stop a qualified woman from being snapped up by any of a dozen other manufacturers and law firms. In a competitive economy, companies that spurn talented women out of ignorance or prejudice ARE DIGGING THEIR OWN GRAVES." I always lecture sociology classes to thus make yourself the best qualified person. And to hire the best qualified person, OR IT IS AT YOUR BUSINESS PERIL. And playing the victim role is worse than zero. STEPHEN CHAPMAN (writes for the Chicago Tribune): syndicated as a Libertarian columnist by Creators Syndicate, 5777 West Century Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. CHICAGO TRIBUNE: 312-222-3232, fax (letters and commentary) 312-222-2598, email TribLetter@aol.com, 435 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611.
WALL STREET JOURNAL, 7/9/96, p A8, re difficulty Japanese have in making any sense of the sexual harassment laws in the USA. They would like to place an ad for a "breath-takingly beautiful" receptionist/secretary to improve company status! Interesting read.
NEWSWEEK, 7/8/96, article on THE PARENTAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT, PAGE 58. "The rights of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children shall not be infringed." Obviously some are fed up with government intrusion. Hot buttons are the teaching of evolution, corporal punishment, and making contraceptive information available to teens. For now, I will follow this issue. Cheers for having a discussion, though. NEWSWEEK: 212-445-4000 main, 212-445-4186 comments, fax (letters to the editor) 212-445-4120, email letters@newsweek.com, 251 W 57th St., NY, NY 10019-1894.
WALL STREET JOURNAL, 7/8/96, Col. 4 story. "IDAHO COUNTY TESTS NEW WAY TO CURB TEEN SEX: PROSECUTE." Teen mom prosecuted for fornication, dad for statutory rape. Of course, dad can no longer have contact with the victim (mom), or the child (he's a molester, now, you know). I'm glad they are finally desperate enough regarding the epidemic of un-wed mothers that they are doing something. But why not massive EDUCATION against having kids until in a MARRIAGE, time-tested, and BOTH parents are ready to be parents, financially and emotionally? Then shared parenting and rewarding cooperation, for the next 18 years -- so mom can NOT just have the baby and go her own way. This prosecution is a very interesting twist in the conceptual journey.
TV GUIDE, 7/6/96, pages 24-26. "Beasty Boys" is the name of the article about the PBS SHOW, "KRATT'S CREATURES." About wild animals in the jungle, and is a GREAT SHOW FOR THE KIDS. If you want wholesome TV for the kids (without warping their minds with commercials (and shows) that simply convince kids that they cannot be happy unless they are buying something or bossing someone around ... ) then this is it. Patronize it or it will die, you know. And maybe let PBS know they have scored. Corporation For Public Broadcasting: 202-879-9600, fax 202-783-1019, email comments@soul.cpb.org, 901 E St. NW, Wash DC 20004-2037.
NCM MEMBER DON HANKS WAS PUBLISHED IN THE LANCASTER, PA, NEW ERA. 1,000 word op-ed, "Fathers Need the Same Legal Rights As Mothers In Child Custody Cases." And the article touches many other areas, too, on the need for plain equality. An incredible job well done, Don, we are very proud of you. Keep it up!
CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 6/16/96, Father's Day Special, "POP WAS A WEASEL." On Father's Day, honestly. Incredible. CHICAGO TRIBUNE: 312-222-3232, fax (letters and commentary) 312-222-2598, email TribLetter@aol.com, 435 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611.
PBS NEWS HOUR, 6/14/96, "A BULLY FATHER" is name of ending essay segment by Roger Rosenblatt, and name of book about Teddy Roosevelt. The entire book and essay pointedly depicts a WONDERFUL FATHER, through and through, SO WHY THE VICIOUS TITLE? UPDATE 7/21/96: Two people (out of millions) wrote and pointed out that Teddy Roosevelt made the expression "bully" famous as meaning "rah-rah," and that this title was thus not vicious. Yes, they are completely correct. Except that we have completely forgotten that meaning in the past 90 years, and combined with 30 years of active bashing men and fathers, most people associate " a bully father" as just that. They could very easily have TOLD us what "bully" meant, and fiddled with the graphics, but they most certainly did not. You decide. Did I jump the gun?
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE MUST ADMIT WOMEN, says US Supreme Court. No mention about encouraging women to start their OWN banks, schools, etc., and really solve the problem at the source. As long as feminists perceive power and ability as something men have, their "education" of all of us fails robustly. More scary, the Wall Street Journal predicts that this decision WILL DOOM ALL SINGLE SEX WHATEVERS, even the ones for women. But US NEWS & WORLD REPORT, 7/8/96, reports that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote that single-sex operations are okay if there is "exceedingly persuasive justification." Such as schools that "promote equal employment opportunity" or address "particular economic disabilities." So of course women's schools and colleges will be allowed, in their thinking. I see a lot of resentment building. Many argue that single sex is advantageous in certain situations for both sexes. You got me.
THE FDA ENCOURAGES THE EMERGENCY USE OF ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES (MORNING AFTER PILLS) up to 72 hours after unprotected sex. This is a relatively gutsy move for the FDA, who, along with other forces, have left this country with very few contraceptive options. Both men and women benefit here. We need to support this somehow.
PERSONAL COUNSELING re MEN'S / FATHERS' ISSUES IS AVAILABLE from the NCM. Tired of supposed professionals being insensitive to the hurts, frustrations and vulnerabilities of men and fathers? Is the politically correct agenda interfering with your need for counseling and need to find personal peace of mind? Need to get it off of your chest and sort through your feelings? Love women but want to speak to someone with a thorough knowledge of men's issues? Contact 516-942-2020. (We cannot handle emergencies, "crises," or suicidal or violence issues, give legal advice, or make life-direction decisions. There is a charge for this service.)
Are you being forced into fatherhood? The NCM Reproductive Rights Project may be able to help you. Contact change@nas.com, or write to NCM.
Oregon Chapter Picnic is Sat., Aug. 24, at Benson Park (near Rooster Rock State Park, on the Columbia River, about 25 miles east of Portland), tentatively noon to 6 p.m. Potluck and picnic. Please come!
REGULATORY OVERSIGHT TASK FORCE MET JULY 2, SALEM. A good showing, with many testifying against CSD abuse. We then had two participants give a wrap-up on our radio show. Slow but steady progress.
OREGON CHAPTER, NCM, MEETS EVERY MONDAY 7-9 PM. Support and activism. At Lloyd Center (NE 11th and Halsey, Portland), 3rd Floor, Room 2032 (to the right of Meier and Frank, Gentle Dental). Get it off of your chest; find camaraderie; change the world. Oregon Chapter's quarterly, "THE EQUALIST REVIEW," is available for $20 per year (PO Box 6481, Portland, OR 97228).
OUR MEN'S DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE IS UP. 285-9188 in Portland. Yes, it is starting slow and small, but it's up. Someone will get back to you, eventually. (But call 911 or Metro Crisis, 503-223-6161, if it's an emergency, a "crisis," or tendencies are suicidal or violent.)
KPSU RADIO 1450 AM, EACH THURSDAY, 6-7 p.m. live (father's and family issues, more, fun). Please call in from anywhere! (503-725-5945), especially at 6:15 p.m., Pacific time (I subtlely review for long distance calls). On 7/25 will be the Reverend Sandy Shipley, Center For Self Awareness, on improving communication and understanding between the genders; on 8/1 is Shawn Graham, mental health counselor, on fathers who have been cut off from their families and undergo depression and psychotic breaks, and Glenn Dettwiler on going to medical school and starting up a clinic for men's medical concerns; on 8/8 is Jim Greenfield, attorney, on sexual harassment, and local musician and music teacher PAUL ANTHONY, discussing his new CD which contains songs on the importance of both parents being involved in the children's lives; on 8/15 are professors Pam Brown and Peggy Olson on improving communication between men and women; on 8/22 is Walter Brown, former law professor, state senator and political analyst, who will discuss the upcoming fall election, and Portland's best country & western band, "TWELVE GAUGE," discussing the problems of combining the playing on a band and family life, and singing for us a cappella!; on 8/29 is attorney Darcia Krause on representing men in family court and making the divorce process less adversarial; on 9/5 is Alan Winter, publisher of Mentor Magazine, on men's journey of self-discovery; on 9/12 is state senator Randy Leonard on the Regulatory Oversight Task Force (oversees CSD); on 9/19 is Kevin Schaumleffle, Oregonians For Custodial Equality, on putting the presumption of joint custody on the Oregon ballot, and "TWELVE GAUGE," Portland's best country & western band; on 9/29 we will head back to the campaign trail with interviews with major candidates for the November 5 election. Please tune in.
WISH LIST: 386 computer for national headquarters; paper for printing, especially colored paper; also reliable economical photocopier.
PLEASE SEND TO JIM ACTIVISM OPPORTUNITIES and brief information, from all over the country, and Jim will put it up in this report! Please include details on phone, fax, Internet and address. Thank-you!
THE NCM NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT, contributions of time, energy, money, and membership. We CANNOT do this without your support. Our children are going AWOL without two parents. Our marriages are failing because all issues have been framed as men versus women for 30 years, which is extremely divisive. A gender war hurts our children, and provides devastating role models. We must vigorously educate to protect our children and our children's right to two parents and a system that rewards cooperation, and our children's right to healthy role models. Everyone is getting hurt. PLEASE JOIN. Membership in the NCM is $60, $40, and $30 low income. Suggested donation for reading this report is $1 per report, $24 per year.Reprinted with permission from the Activism Report of the National Center for Men