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.
Fifth annual informational gathering, Multnomah County Courthouse, 1021 SW 4th Avenue, Portland, Oregon, Wednesday, June 11, 11AM to 1PM. Time again to gently apply some pressure to the judges and educate them and the downtown lunch-time crowds! We will have lots of signs saying, "Kids Need BOTH Parents." Also bring signs, "Enforce visitation," Reward Cooperation," Presume Joint Custody." We will be positive, upbeat and professional. Be there! (please). Sign the joint custody initiative!
Due process day - State Capitol Building steps, Salem, Oregon, Friday June 13, 9AM to 1PM. We will join with another group to insist on due process in the family courts. This will be a monthly event, and the name obviously has a ring to it. Please come if you can!
Fourth Annual Father's Day picnic, Oaks Amusement Park, foot of SE Spokane, east end of Sellwood Bridge, Portland, Oregon, Sunday, Father's Day, June 15, noon to 6PM. Potluck. Please come and enjoy the day. Everyone is welcome. Five hour ride bracelets are available at cost -- the kids love the rides! Come and enjoy a well-deserved afternoon. No alcohol, please.
Article on getting men to the doctors more often - information and statistics needed. A major national paper is doing an article on the need to get men and fathers to the doctors more often. The National Center For Men will be quoted as to the larger forces contributing to the problem (men brought up not to complain, show weakness; much attention to breast cancer, little to prostate cancer, etc.). We need statistics and sources documenting that men do not go to the doctors as often as women, etc. Can you help, please?
In this vein: The Spring, 1997 publication, "Together in Health," of the Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center has a page one and two article on "The State of Men's Health." This is a very fair and good article on men's medical risks and needs, and well as a reasonable discussion about encouraging men to go to doctor and ask for medical help more frequently. When society responds as they have, some thanks are in order! Telephone (503) 413-7711. LGSH&M Center, 1015 NW 22nd Ave., Portland, OR 97210.
Wall Street Journal, 6/6/97, column six. "An Accuser's Past Is Fair Game Once Again in Many Sex Cases." Fascinating account of how rape shield laws were and are unfair to mounting a defense against accusations of sexual assault. How does a man defend himself? Case law has had to allow exception after exception, thus opening up the accuser's past on a limited basis. A great read.
Wall Street Journal, 5/2/97, column one. "Boys Used to Be Boys, But Do Some Now See Boyhood as a Malady? Boys make up 80 to 90 percent of all attention deficit disorder cases. "Many ... are convinced the pendulum has swung too far; that boys who often need no more than understanding or patience are being tagged with labels that could haunt them for the rest of their lives." Also, "though schools don't like to talk about it, they get a $420 federal bounty for each student labeled 'disabled,' a bonus some think is at least partly responsible for the recent disabilities surge." The continued-section title: "Issue: Has Boyhood Become a Disease?" A lot of good thought here; at least we are getting some exposure and discussion.
Masculist expert testimony may be allowed in rape trial. Battered-woman-syndrome expert may be countered. Mel Feit, NCM executive director gave preliminary testimony the week of March 7th in Alaska. Here's the background. A man is accused of rape. The accuser recants her story. The DA nonetheless intends to prosecute. To overcome the obvious gap (recantation), the prosecution will call “battered-woman-syndrome” experts to testify that in our (alleged) “male-dominated patriarchy,” a woman is always subject to the psychological coercion of men, especially her attacker. She has no free will, in essence. Thus, evidence of recanting is further proof of her victimization and his guilt. (We used to call this a confession of perjury or false swearing.) The defense lawyer is an woman who feels very strongly that her client is getting an unfair treatment.
The judge allowed Mel Feit, renowned "men’s rights advocate" and TV veteran, to provide testimony as to what he will say in court, in trial, if the judge allows him to testify. (This is probably a first.) After all, they are allowing an expert on women-are-victims on the stand.
The judge wants a bibliography of books that challenge the idea of “victim-feminism” and women-as-helpless-victims in a male-dominated-society/patriarchy, and support for the idea that domestic violence and child abuse indeed are perpetrated by women, too, that economically women are doing well, especially if they choose to put career goals uppermost, and that men are disposable in the workplace (accidents) and in military defense. You may have some additional ideas to counter the theme of victim-feminism. A short few sentence annotation of the themes of the books (subtle education/persuasion of the judge, too) would complete the picture.
Books by female authors are obviously top choice. Here are some ideas we have, as a rough start, for the biblio:
Christina Hoff Summers: ”Who Stole Feminism” (Systematically debunks feminist facts of gross victimization of women in society as false. Challenges journalists to extend their usual critical skepticism of advocacy research to feminist issues as well. Chastens the media for gullibility.)
Katie Roiphe: “The Morning After” (Rape is a very serious crime. Confusing rape with psychological "regret," the morning after or days after, is both wrong-headed and in the long run will water down our outrage to the crime of rape. "Date rape" is an inaccuarate and misleading term: either there was a rape or there wasn't, and we should proceed on that basis. Further, the emphasis on women-as-victims will simply program women to think like victims and thus become victims, in a world where effective assertiveness, problem-solving skills, communication and good business skills win the day or spell empowerment.)
Rene Denfeld: “The New Victorians: A Young Woman’s Challenge to the Old Feminist Order” (Current feminists' emphasis on "women-as-victims" is both untrue and itself is very counter-productive and detrimental to the gains and goals of women. Such ideology inherently contradicts the idea that women are as strong, able, assertive and capable as men, thus actually hurting women and hurting respect for women in the long run.)
Suzanne Steinmetz: “Behind Closed Doors” (Husband battery is well documented as a phenomenon and may very well be the most under-reported crime in America. Thorough work by a very well respected victimologist in academia.)
Diana Furchtgott-Roth & Christine Stolba: "Women's Figures: The Economic Progress of Women in America." (1996 Independent Women's Forum and the American Enterprise Institute.) (Documents the economic and employment status of women, showing that it is choices, ability and experience that correlate with success and the size of a paycheck, not male sexism. Women with ability who are ignored will simply go to another business outfit, thus advantaging the accommodating business and making less competitive the old business.)
Cathy Young: Any ideas here, and annotation?
Camille Paglia: Any ideas here, and annotation?
Warren Farrell: “The Myth of Male Power” (Men may very well be the "disposable sex," as their death rates and accident rates clearly show. As a society we tend to "blame the man" and "understand the woman." The result is an inability for men and women to communicate and get along, thus making many problems worse. Documents for the first time that those women who choose to concentrate on career goals, like many men, on average do just as well economically as men, and that this has been the case since before the 1965 feminist movement began.)
Murray Straus: Any ideas here, and annotation?
Raymond Mills: "Husband Battery: The Most Unreported Crime." (Documents violence by women against men in relationships in a fair-minded and balanced manner. Suggests that the stigma of loss of male status and identity, as well as ridicule and shame, deter men from reporting crimes of violence against them by women. Suggests need for plain, gender-neutral problem-solving approach to domestic violence and thus its effective prevention.)
Dean Tong: "Ashes to Ashes, Families to Dust" (documents the effects of false accusations of child sexual abuse in destroying families and children. Feels that these accusations are the "atom bomb" of divorce and custody battles, often used for tactical advantage, intimidation and spite. Urges the need for stronger sanctions to deter bad faith accusations -- victims of false accusations would receive protection, and those people who have indeed been abused would thus be taken more seriously -- a win/win.)
Alan Dershowitz: "The Abuse Excuse." (Indicts society as willing to exonerate almost any crime if the perpetrator alleges being victimized in earlier or past years, especially by child abuse. Includes the media as unwittingly feeding this in the past. A pivotal work which gave many people the intellectual tools necessary to abandon abuse excuse thinking and hold people reasonably and fairly accountable for their actions, with due process as the guiding star.)
Many non-custodial parents and people who have been unjustly accused are deeply hurt by current injustices and practices in our system. In the effort to make divorce fairer and less adversarial, and to promote cooperation and communication between men and women, occasionally a clear step forward is taken. It may be the result of years of effort by many people, not just the person who happens to "have the ball" at the moment. The above may be one of those accomplishments: A judge will decide whether to let testimony in court by a "men's advocate" to counter "victim-feminist" theory. Congratulations to all of you men and women out there who have worked and are working to make the system fairer and more gender-neutral. Keep up the great work!
Mel Feit is doing the Alan Colmes Radio Show on issues of gender equality. This syndicated show reaches hundreds of markets around the nation. Please look for his appearance soon.
Mel Feit was quoted again in The Detroit News Monday June 16th in an article on battered men. "It's never enough to say that the services are available ... You have to have outreach. You have to make it clear that the services are safe and nonjudgmental."
Ray Mills' book/pamphlet, "Husband Battery -- The Most Unreported Crime," is available.
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
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