I haven't posted a thread on this obscure bit of the forum before. The 'feminst's' bit.

But guess who has made the front page columns of ........

http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugi...php?item.10097

Yes, one of our very own !! One of our BEST.

It amuses me sometimes (and annoys me other times) the way so many women call themselves feminists. Its a sort of badge for many women. A 'gender' solidarity.

And it amuses me sometimes (and annoys me other times) the way so many chaps immediately balk at the word and treat all 'feminists' as the enemy. Heck, I usually do, so don't jump on me.

But sometimes we can get as carried away by a label as most woemn do. By rejecting so many women (who call themselves 'feminists' we can inadvertently shoo away 'friendly forces'.

I mentioned a few days ago in another thread that Lord Wellington won at Waterloo because his mates, the 'Hun', turned up to lend him a hand. Sometimes your mates don't speak the same language and smell. But then, no-one is perfect.

Many of the articles and info that finds its way to this board - and several other MRA sites - also finds its way to boards which some see as the 'enemy'.

Like iFem for instance.

I have said it before and I will continue saying it. iFem is as much a Feminazi site as I am an apple. Here is their current item list.

Quote:

============= This was forwarded via True Equality Networks =============== If you received this email in error or wish to stop receiving emails from the True Equality Network Information Center please Click Here. Yours truly, True Equality Network - Information Center P.O. Box 14214 Research Triangle Park NC 27709 http://www.True-Equality.org/ Equal Protection Under the Law is True Equality Subject: ifeminists InsiderUpdate: Ifeminists.net Weekly Newsletter: June 1, 2008 ifeminists InsiderUpdate: Ifeminists.net Weekly Newsletter: June 1, 2008 [ Issue 57 ] Good Morning: It always humbling to start the day with an apology. You've missed two newsletters in a row because I haven't emailed them out. I wish my oversight was due to wild times being recklessly lived but Spring is simply "the busy season" of my life when the farm comes alive, neighbors show up on the doorstep, websites cry out for a good scrubbing, dogs find porcupines, a young editor's thoughts turn to deadlines... I hope the newsletter is back on track with this issue; I'll try to realize that ideal. And, remember, you can always catch up on the news by clicking on the ifeminists.net front page. That will give you the l! ast 20 items (2 days') of news/commentary. If you go to the bottom of the page, there is a box which you can click to access earlier pages; four clicks-worth should give you 1 week+. What do you think of the facelift we've given the old girl -- no! Not me...the site! We've made subtle changes, like the shading that now gradually moves from dark to light purple. And we are open to suggestions as to what you think would improve both the appearance and usefulness of ifeminists. (Other than being regular with the newsletter, of course.) Enjoy the rest of the weekend. You deserve it. Cheers to you, Wendy ifeminists.com is edited by Wendy McElroy; it is made possible by support from The Independent Institute and members like you. For information or to report problems contact adminATifeministsDOTnet. NEWS REPORTS TX agency under magnifying glass http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10128 For nearly two months, Texas child welfare officials had insisted conditions at a polygamist group's ranch were so abusive that none of its members should be allowed to keep their children. Now, however, one of the of the largest custody cases in U.S. history is unravelling, and some are looking for what went wrong when the state raided the Yearning For Zion Ranch and removed more than 400 children. Since the state Supreme Court ruled that the Texas Department of Child Protective Services overreached when it swept the children into foster care, agency officials have been unwilling to discuss the case, their strategy or what went wrong. (05/31/08) Woman linked to FDLS fake call http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10135 The largest child! custody case in U.S. history - discredited last week by the Texas Supreme Court - was prompted by soft-spoken Sarah Barlow's pleas for help. That Sarah doesn't exist. But the caller may have been a woman who, like the fictitious girl, claims to have endured childhood sexual abuse. Police have linked the calls that triggered the Yearning for Zion Ranch raid to Rozita Swinton, a 33-year-old Colorado Springs woman who they say has assumed at least nine different personalities since 2005, among them "April," "Dana," "Ericka" and "V." (06/01/08) Al-Qaida on women sparks extremist debate http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10133 Muslim extremist women are challenging al-Qaida's refusal to include — or at least acknowledge — women in its ranks, in an emotional debate that gives rare insight into the gender conflicts lurking beneath one of ! the strictest strains of Islam. In response to a female questioner, al-Qaida No. 2 leader Ayman Al-Zawahri said in April that the terrorist group does not have women. A woman's role, he said on the Internet audio recording, is limited to caring for the homes and children of al-Qaida fighters. (06/01/08) IN, Kindergarten teacher caught on tape http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10131 Ignorant. Pathetic. Self-absorbed. Those are some of the harsh names an Indiana kindergarten teacher called one of her students, and the boy's parents captured it all on tape. Five-year-old Gabriel Ross complained over the school year that his teacher, Kristen Woodward, was being mean to him, said his mother Tabitha McMahan and stepfather J.R. Edwards. Gabriel told them other kids didn't like him because he was "bad and stupid." (05/27/08) CO W.Va! . gamblers could be nabbed for child support http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10124 Deadbeat parents, listen up: Win big at the casino tables in West Virginia or Colorado, and your kids might win, too. The two states are moving ahead with plans to garnish the winnings of casino gamblers who owe child support. West Virginia's Department of Health and Human Resources is working on a plan that could be in place within 90 days, while Colorado is rolling out its system July 1.(05/29/08) FR, marriage annulled over virginity http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10123 The annulment of a young Muslim couple’s marriage because the bride was not a virgin has caused anger in France, prompting President Sarkozy’s part! y to call for a change in the law. The decision by a court in Lille was condemned by the Government, media, feminists and civil rights organisations after it was reported in a legal journal on Thursday. Patrick Devedjian, leader of the ruling Union for a Popular Movement, said it was unacceptable that the law could be used for religious reasons to repudiate a bride. It must be modified “to put an end to this extremely disturbing situation”, he said. (05/31/08) FL, Lawsuit over teen foster care center? http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10122 Two days after a courtappointed consultant blasted a Lauderhill youth shelter, citing ''insurmountable safety concerns'' for troubled teens, Florida's top child advocacy group threatened to sue private child welfare bosses if they do not improve care. In a lengthy, tartly worded letter sent Thur! sday to the top administrators of ChildNet, Broward County's privately run foster care agency, the head of Florida's Children First is demanding that the agency halt all admissions to the Quest Group Home and significantly improve its system of care for adolescent foster kids. (05/31/08) CA, parental notification makes ballot http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10121 An initiative that would require a 48-hour waiting period and parental notification before a minor could get an abortion has qualified for the California ballot. Similar proposals were rejected by voters in 2005 and 2006. (05/30/08) Vatican issues warning over women priests http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10120 A general decree issue! d by the Vatican announced that anyone attempting to ordain a woman as a priest would be excommunicated along with the woman seeking ordination. (05/30/08) TX, Court appointed advocate a serial child molester http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10117 Police have seized video tapes of court-appointed advocate molesting as many as 20 children. He is being charged with aggravated sexual assault of an 8-year-old girl under his care earlier this month. Court-Appointed Special Advocates, or CASAs, often work with Child Protective Services and assist in mentoring youth. CASA executive director Laura Wolf said Carroll was suspended last week. He passed national and state background checks, an advocate screening process and was cleared with CPS. Carroll had volunteered since 2004, working with young children for four years before his arrest. [Ed.! : these are the people who purport to protect children.] (05/28/08) CO gender specific restrooms http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10116 With today's signature on SB200, Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, a Democrat, has struck gender-specific restrooms and locker rooms statewide, giving woman and girls reason to fear being confronted by predators, cross-dressers "or even a homosexual or heterosexual male," according to a critic. The state's new "transgender nondiscrimination" bill makes it illegal to deny a person access to public accommodations including restrooms and locker rooms based on gender identity or the "perception" of gender identity. (05/29/08) UT, Classroom sex education went too far http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/en! ews/enews.php?item.10115 A middle school health teacher is under investigation, accused of teaching too much about sex. Parents say the teacher is saying crude and explicit things that don't belong in the classroom. Dewayne Smith says, "These are our children, and we're not going to breach the firewall of innocence." Parents say sex education went too far inside the classroom full of 8th-graders at Fort Herriman Middle School. Suzanne Johnson told us, "She explained how the teacher talked about masturbation. Girl masturbation, boys, the wrong ways … the right ways to have sex, the wrong ways to have sex. How long to make it last. I mean, disgusting." (05/28/08) CA ruling revives gay marriage debate http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10114 For conservative Christian activists, this month's California Supreme Court ruling legal! izing gay marriage provides an opportunity to rekindle interest in an issue that has fallen well behind the price of gas in the national consciousness. But it won't be easy, and not just because of pressing secular issues like the housing downturn and an unpopular war in Iraq. Voices within evangelicalism are pushing for a broader agenda, and evidence suggests younger evangelicals are more accepting of gays and lesbians. Meanwhile, anti-gay marriage amendments are on the ballot in only a few states and the issue doesn't play to presumptive GOP presidential nominee John McCain's strengths. (05/29/08) Personhood may be election's great divide http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10112 If political contests this season are races to the middle — to win moderate and independent voters — then Amendment 48, "Definition of a Person," could be! a speed bump, analysts say, especially for those opposing abortion. The group petitioning to define a person, for purposes of constitutional protections, as "any human being from the moment of fertilization," obtained more than 103,000 valid signatures, the Colorado secretary of state's office announced Thursday. The amendment will now go before voters in the Nov. 4 election. (05/30/08) PA, Birthing women win legal decision http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10108 In a case that touched on whether women have the right to give birth where and with whom they want, a Commonwealth Court panel of judges ruled yesterday that a Lancaster County midwife could resume her work delivering babies for the Amish. (05/24/08) UK, Poisoner is not a criminal? http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10106 A woman who laced her 63-year-old husband's fruitcake with rat poison because he was cheating on her escaped jail yesterday. Yvonne Godwin, 56, who trained as a chef, claimed she wanted to make her husband Robert too ill to see his mistress - but did not plan to kill him. Godwin said she had been 'driven over the edge' after discovering his affair with her best friend's sister. Friends said Godwin was 'a wonderful cook' who had worked at a local hospital until her cancer diagnosis five years ago. 'People see her as the victim,' said one. (05/28/08) Planned Parenthood sued for $50M http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10105 A Planned Parenthood in the District of Columbia is the subject of a new lawsuit from the mother of a teenager injured in a bot! ched abortion. The abortion involved a teenager who was a victim of rape and the abortion left her with significant medical problems. Kristan Hawkins, the director of Students for Life of America, notified LifeNews.com of the lawsuit, filed on February 12, 2008, that seeks $50 million in damages. Hawkins says Planned Parenthood has denied the injuries and Butler's infertility as a result of the botched abortion. Lawyers for the abortion business state in their response to the lawsuit that Butler's claims are barred by the doctrines of informed consent and assumption of risk. (05/28/08) Subway says 'sorry' to homeschoolers http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10104 In the wake of news coverage about its exclusion of homeschoolers from a student essay contest, the Subway restaurant chain has issued an apology and vows to include those ! who are educated at home in its next event. Written apologies are now being e-mailed to those who contacted the company to complain. (05/29/08) UK, outrage over graphic booklet for kids http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10103 Schoolchildren as young as seven have been given a booklet containing graphic information about sexual abuse. The guide, produced by the charity ChildLine, a branch of the NSPCC, tells youngsters what sexual abuse is and includes a quiz asking them to identify situations that constitute abuse. In one chapter, children are asked to spot the abuse situation out of three scenarios. A goodnight cuddle from mum and a trip to the doctor are the first two options. The third states: 'Your uncle promises you a new MP3 player if you take your knickers off and sit on his lap.' (05/28/08) NY backs same-sex unions f! rom elsewhere http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10102 Gov. David A. Paterson has directed all state agencies to begin to revise their policies and regulations to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions, like Massachusetts, California and Canada. In a directive issued on May 14, the governor’s legal counsel, David Nocenti, instructed the agencies that gay couples married elsewhere “should be afforded the same recognition as any other legally performed union.” (05/29/08) CartoonBomb the Dutch Ministry of Justice http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10101 Following the arrest in Holland of a free lance cartoonist last week, the head of the Federation of Cartoonists Organizations (FECO)! , the largest cartooning organization in the world, called on cartoonists all over the world to send their cartoons, all their cartoons new and old, to the Dutch Ministry of Justice. Since the arrest it has come out that the Dutch Secret Service apparently have a division dedicated to checking all the cartoons being published in the country for their political correctness. Responding to heated complaints from some extremist Muslims, the Dutch police last week arrested cartoonist Gregorious Neskschot ("shot in the back of the neck") for cartoons considered "offensive to Muslims and other people of dark skin". (05/23/08) DNA exonerates man imprisoned 12 years http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10100 A calm Dean Cage has some hard-earned advice, hours after being released from prison after serving more than 12 years for a rape he didn't co! mmit. The 41-year-old Chicago man said today that if you believe in something, fight for it and the truth will come out in the end. Cage became the 29th Illinoisan to be exonerated by DNA evidence. He was convicted in 1996 and sentenced to 40 years in prison for the rape of a 15-year-old girl. (05/28/08) IL new fee targets domestic violence http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10099 Beginning next week, Illinois counties will begin collecting an extra $5 from those seeking marriage licenses. The money will be used to pay for legal counseling and services aimed at the state's growing number of domestic violence cases. The Married Families Domestic Violence Fund, signed into law in January, is expected to generate more than $400,000 a year statewide for agencies that work with embattled couples. Advocates say the revenue would be ! particularly valuable in rural counties that have been forced to scale back or eliminate programs amid funding cuts. [Ed.: aother reason not to get a government license to marry.] (05/29/08) Michigan House bans partial birth abortion http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10093 The Michigan House voted again Tuesday night to ban the controversial and rarely used procedure called partial birth abortion. The House voted 74-32 in favor of a bill, already passed by the Senate, which would make it a felony for a doctor to perform a partial birth abortion and setting a maximum penalty of two years in prison and up to a $50,000 fine. The measure now goes to Gov. Jennifer Granholm's desk, where it faces a likely veto. (05/28/08) Boy Scouts sue after Philly demands rent http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10090 A Boy Scouts chapter engaged in a long fight over gay rights has sued the city of Philadelphia to try to avoid paying $200,000 a year in rent to stay in the city-owned space that has been its headquarters for 80 years. The Cradle of Liberty Council currently pays $1 annually for the space, but the city has given it until Saturday to open their membership to gays or start being charged fair-market rent. The federal suit filed Friday accuses the city of censorship for targeting the Scouts but maintaining free or nominal leases with other groups that limit membership, such as Baptist and Roman Catholic church groups and The Colonial Dames of America. (05/27/08) Turkey, prohibitions for women http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10089 A list of controversial “dos and don'ts” regarding sexual relations in Islam has been published on the Web site of the Directorate of Religious Affairs. According to the much-debated list, people should avoid having illegal, extra-marital affairs and engaging in relations, such as flirting and dating, that can lead to adultery. The Web site also cites the actions of the Prophet Mohammed as exemplary behavior, warning men not to stay alone with women in enclosed areas. The statement has been criticized as it may imply that women cannot work at mixed offices. (05/28/08) Female DNA sequenced? http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10087 Dutch scientists claim they have completed the first sequencing of an individual woman's DNA. The researchers at Leiden University Medical Center say they have sequenced the entire genome of one the! ir female researchers, though no other scientists have yet verified their data. The first sequencing of a composite human genome was announced in 2001. Four individual male genomes have so far been sequenced. Scientists have also mapped the DNA of about a dozen mammals, including chimpanzees, dogs, cats, cows and a platypus. (05/26/08) Watchdog criticizes FLDS hearings http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10085 One watchdog of the Texas child-welfare system called last week's status hearings for FLDS parents highly unusual. "In every single hearing I heard it was rubber-stamping and not caring what the Texas code says about family service plans," said Johana Scot, executive director of the Parent Guidance Center in Austin. Scot is a former court-appointed special advocate volunteer who has spent the past four years helping parents navigat! e the state's child-welfare system. She spent two days sitting through hearings in San Angelo last week. Her conclusion: The process has been altered and parents shut out. (05/17/08) CA, High court to hear lesbian's case http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10082 Do religious beliefs give doctors the right to withhold medical treatment from lesbians and gay men? That's the question the California Supreme Court is scheduled to take up this week in a discrimination lawsuit brought by a lesbian who was denied artificial insemination at the only local obstetrics and gynecology office covered by her insurance. (05/27/08) CA, Same-sex weddings allowed June 14? http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10081 Same-! sex couples in some counties will be able to marry as soon as June 14, the president of the California's county clerks association said Monday. Stephen Weir, who heads the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials, said he was told by the Office of Vital Records that clerks would be authorized to hand out marriage licenses as soon as that date - exactly 30 days after the California Supreme Court ruled that gay marriage should be legal. The court's decisions typically take effect after 30 days, barring further legal action. (05/27/08) UN peacekeepers abuse children http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10080 Sexual abuse of children by aid workers and peacekeepers is rife and efforts to protect young people are inadequate, said a report published on Tuesday. The study by charity Save the Children UK said there were significant! levels of abuse in emergencies, much of it unreported and unless the silence ended, attempts to stamp out exploitation would "remain fundamentally flawed". Accusations of sexual abuse by U.N. peacekeepers and aid workers around the world have increased in recent years and the United Nations is investigating claims against its soldiers in hotspots such as Haiti, Liberia, Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo. (05/27/08) KS, Abortion proposal fades in Senate http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10077 In the waning days of Missouri’s legislative session, a showdown appeared imminent over a proposal to impose a wide range of new restrictions on abortion providers. But nothing happened. The measure, which passed the House 113-33 on April 21, languished on the Senate calendar and eventually died as negotiations went on behind the ! scenes among senators on either side of abortion rights. Frustrated abortion opponents accused senators of selling them out just to keep peace with senators who support abortion rights. [Ed.: perhaps Kansas has ceased to be a flashpoint in the abortion wars?] (05/25/08) TX CPS finds kidnapping to be expensive http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10075 Caseworkers are struggling financially as the state faces a backlog to reimburse them for travel expenses connected to the removal of more than 400 children from a polygamist sect's West Texas ranch. The Texas State Employees Union has fielded complaints about slow reimbursements. And state officials have heard "anecdotal complaints" from Child Protective Services workers who are contending with out-of-pocket expenses as they drive hundreds of miles a week to check on youngsters in foster ca! re or on parents at risk of losing custody of their children. (05/25/08) Sex ban for US soldiers in Afghanistan lifted http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10074 Single soldiers and civilians working for the U.S. military in Afghanistan can now have sex legally. Sort of. A new order signed by Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser, commander of Combined Joint Task Force-101, has lifted a ban on sexual relations between unmarried men and women in the combat zone. [Ed.: it is amazing but oh so military that they ever tried to regulate a situation that is bound to occur with young people together for months.] (05/15/08) Saudi court forced divorced, couple appeals to world http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10073 ! A Saudi couple forced to divorce by an Islamic court have called for more international pressure to reunite them after Saudi authorities failed to fulfill a pledge to a U.N. body to do so. Fatima Azzaz and Mansour al-Timani were forced to separate in 2006 after her brothers persuaded judges her husband's tribal stock was not prestigious enough. (05/25/08) Millions celebrate gay pride at Brazil parade http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10072 Millions of people waving rainbow flags and wearing lavish Carnival costumes danced and cheered their way through South America's largest city on Sunday to celebrate gay pride and demand an end to homophobia and sexism. Organizers said about 5 million people attended the 12th annual Sao Paulo Gay Pride Parade, traditionally one of the world's biggest. Local authorities did not give a crowd estimate, ! but said millions were likely present. [Ed.: nice to see the celebration. I wish there were a heterosexual pride parade but I suspect it would be labelled "hate speech"] (05/25/08) Father's fury over child sex change http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10071 A huge ethical row has erupted over a judge's decision to allow a 12- year-old girl to have a sex change that will turn her into a teenage boy. The child's father, who is separated from her mother, is outraged at the prospect but despite his objections the taxpayer-funded sex swap has already got under way. His daughter, who cannot be named because of her age, is already having hormone treatment in Australia in what is one of the first such cases involving a child so young. [Ed.: if the child is too young to have consenting sex why is she old even to consent to change her sex?] (05/2! 5/08) Aussie artists back naked kids photographer http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10070 Australia's arts community has defended a photographer whose exhibition of images of naked children was shut down. Bill Henson's installation at a Sydney gallery was over before it even began when police acted on complaints about frontal nudity in the photos of 12 and 13-year-olds. Other critics declared the images were pornographic. The country's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd even described the exhibition as "absolutely revolting," adding that the photos were without artistic merit. [Ed.: I am pleased that people are growing a spine. There is nothing inherently or apriori obscene about the naked human body and it is a travesty to legally define it as such.] (05/26/08) COMMENTARY AND OPINION A village of sexual abuse http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugi...php?item.10098 The story of children taken from parents, of families wrenched apart, has produced enormous concern and worry in the past weeks. Is this a rescue operation or a state-sponsored attack on parents? Should the state enforce a set of values or tolerate "alternative lifestyles" and religions? These questions themselves say something about our own cultural moment. Who, after all, doesn't do a double take when hearing that these "endangered children" were never exposed to the Internet or television or processed food? The children's requests for a bread-making machine and prayer time have led to some ironic comments about exactly which culture is protecting children. (05/22/08) Does the Bible discriminate against women? h! ttp://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10137 Many people feel that the Bible discriminates against women. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a 19th-century pioneer for women’s rights in the United States, felt that “the Bible and the Church have been the greatest stumbling blocks in the way of women’s emancipation.” Of the first five books of the Bible, Stanton once said: “I know of no other books that so fully teach the subjection and degradation of woman.” (06/01/08) Indoctrinate U, the movie http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10136 Evan Coyne Maloney, the creative genius behind the documentary Indoctrinate U, thinks that universities, once the market place of ideas and free thought, have become monocultures of political correctness. Maloney believes that it is in the universities where ideas like race, c! lass, and gender have become so institutionalized, that alternative viewpoints (in the form of speech, letters to the editor, or class assignments), are not only wrong, they are punishable acts of "hate." To make his case Maloney has crossed the nation visiting public and private institutions and interviewing students, professors, and administrators. His examples seem so absurd that they border on the unbelievable. (05/30/08) Clinton supporters vent frustration http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10134 They converge on Washington feeling robbed -- by Obama, by Democratic Party leaders and by the media. Outside the stately Marriott Wardman Park Hotel were clusters of women with "Hear Me Roar" placards in their fists who came from all over the country -- $4 a gallon be damned -- to make what could be a last stand for their Hillary. (0! 6/01/08) 1 in 4 US teens has STD? http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10132 On March 11, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that one in four teenage girls has a sexually transmitted disease. A close examination of the CDC’s star statistic reveals several serious shortcomings that undermine its validity, as well as its usefulness to parents, legislators, health officials, and advocacy groups on the left and the right. [Ed.: the stat caused wide spread panic and is being politically used. This is a cautionary tale. You should approach ALL studies and statistics with skepticism until you know such basics as margin of error, the population studied, etc.] (05/31/08) Speech police should ease up on candidates http:! //www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10129 If there is any other reason to be sick and tired of the presidential election campaign aside from the fact it has gone on longer than America's participation in World War I, it is the sudden emergence of the speech police ready to parse every remark for political correctness. Thus, Hillary Clinton's mention of Robert F. Kennedy's assassination is regarded as a serious breach of campaign protocol that not only required an immediate apology but now may make her seriously unacceptable to join Barack Obama on the Democratic ticket. Add to that her statement in Florida where she compared disenfranchised voters to those in Zimbabwe, and her lack of racial sensitivity is certified. (06/01/08) Dunkin' Donuts pulls ad after complaints http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10127 ! Dunkin' Donuts has pulled an online advertisement featuring Rachael Ray after complaints that a fringed black-and-white scarf that the celebrity chef wore in the ad offers symbolic support for Muslim extremism and terrorism. The coffee and baked goods chain said the ad that began appearing online May 7 was pulled over the past weekend because "the possibility of misperception detracted from its original intention to promote our iced coffee." In the spot, Ray holds an iced coffee while standing in front of trees with pink blossoms. Critics, including conservative commentator Michelle Malkin, complained that the scarf wrapped around her looked like a kaffiyeh, the traditional Arab headdress. (05/30/08) Body Mass Index, a big fat lie http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10126 Continuing our debate on ‘The Best and Worst of Medicine’, Pat! rick Basham and John Luik argue that BMI has led to a needless ‘war on obesity’. There are four central problems with Body Mass Index (BMI), a method of comparing someone’s weight and height first proposed by the Belgian researcher Adolphe Quetelet in the nineteenth century and which has found increasing currency as a measure of the ‘obesity epidemic’ in recent years. (05/28/08) The great American baby bottle scare http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10125 Cynical official scaremongering about a harmless plastic in baby bottles has panicked moms and dads throughout America and Canada. Canada’s government announced in April that it is holding a consultation on whether to label as toxic Bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical used in clear plastic containers and also to line tinned foods (05/27/08) Bias against women in politi! cs? History says no http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10118 Can women's suffrage in the late 19th and early 20th centuries help explain the growth of government? While the timing of the two events is suggestive, other changes during this time could have played a role. For example, some argue that Americans became more supportive of bigger government due to the success of widespread economic regulations imposed during World War I. A good way to analyze the direct effect of women's suffrage on the growth of government is to study how each of the 48 state governments expanded after women obtained the right to vote. [Ed.: I disagree with Lott's analysis but he raises intersting points.] (05/26/08) NY uphill fight v. same-sex policy http://www.if! eminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10113 Legal challenges to Gov. David A. Paterson’s plan to recognize same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions are likely to come thick and fast. But they face an uphill fight, legal experts said on Thursday, given New York’s unusual legal terrain. The plan, issued by the governor’s office in a memorandum on May 14, was, for starters, in one sense, unremarkable. The usual idea, after all, is that married couples who move from one state to another remain married, and New York is not among the many states with constitutional provisions or statutes that expressly forbid the recognition of same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions. (05/30/08) Jerry Pournelle on the Texas sect kid removal http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10111 SF writer Jerry Pournelle responds to an anonymo! us letter from an alleged foster parent in Texas. Pournelle opens, "In other words, the kids improperly removed will eventually be returned. We'll only partially disrupt their lives, so it's all right? And the problem of finding places for 400 kids is not real and there won't be compromises made, and all the places they are sent are safe, so it's all right. If kidnappers are nice about it, then they won't really traumatize 4 year old children? I don't believe that and neither do you." (05/29/08) The cycle of abuse by government http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10107 The infamous 1980s Manhattan Beach McMartin abuse case was the first of its kind. It established the standard for how not to handle child abuse cases. Skip twenty years. Four years of investigation with an informant had failed to provide the Eldorado sheriff's office with ! any evidence of criminal conduct at the FLDS compound. An unverified phone call was all it took for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) to raid the ranch. (05/28/08) Did Texas go too far? http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10096 Reflexive trust in the benevolence of the state's intentions (specifically those of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services) likely stems in part from the multifarious horror stories that have filled heads and minds in recent decades -- accounts of child abuse by adults, of the reduction of the innocent to objects of prey by the powerful. Priests, day-care center operators, youth workers and, yes, parents -- whom can you trust any more? We seem to have overdosed on these stories -- some true but many constructed on flimsy evidence -- to the point that child-adult relation! ships now invite almost automatic suspicion. We appear to sometimes no longer trust adults in general to do right by children in general. The flip side of too much trust -- alas -- is too little, which could be where we are now. [Ed.: I have no reflexive trust in the state; it is just another child abuser.] (05/28/08) Joe Biden and lawyers for feminists http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10095 Limbaugh states, Biden's got this thing called the Violence Against Women Act and it's grown and grown and grown. It was originally part of his failed, almost invisible presidential candidacy that he introduced all this stuff back in November-December of '07, which would be last year, and it's from his website. I don't know what the date of this is, however. The date of this particular piece. But there's a piece on his website, I think it's dated ! last December. Anyway, 100,000 volunteer lawyers for battered women. "Senator Biden's National Domestic Violence Volunteer Act would harness the skills, enthusiasm and dedication of these lawyers and infuse 100,000 new volunteer lawyers into the justice system to represent domestic violence victims. [Ed.: I oppose VAWA as well. A shame that Rush Limbaugh is alligned in that stance but, then, you can't choose your allies.] (05/23/08) Rebirth of abortion http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10094 Now, because of Sen. Barack Obama's perceived problems with blue-collar Catholic voters in the late Democratic primaries, some on the right think they see an opportunity to hammer once more on the abortion wedge. Their most public target is Kansas' second-term governor, Kathleen Sebelius, who many believe is the front-runner for the vice presidenti! al slot if Obama secures the nomination. (05/28/08) Hillary hits sexism http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10092 In an interview with The Washington Post's Lois Romano, Hillary Clinton hit "sexism" in media coverage of her campaign as "deeply offensive to millions of women." She criticized the "vitriol" from "misogynists" and said that the race factor was often discussed but not gender: "[E]very poll I've seen show more people would be reluctant to vote for a woman to vote for an African American, which rarely gets reported on, either."While some of the quotes have already surfaced, here is a full transcript of the Sunday interview. [Ed.: playing the oppression card] (05/20/08) Sex-ed class designed for parents, too http://www.ifem! inists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10088 Sex education has long sparked controversy, with some believing it does not belong in public school curriculums. Budget constraints, meanwhile, have recently forced some districts to drop the subject altogether. In this environment, a nurse at a private medical practice in this area has come up with an instructional program that appears to have taken the edge off for many parents by pitching sex education to them as well as to youngsters. The pilot Smart Sex Education Program, offered free and conducted outside of school, has drawn rave reviews from parents, who say it has made them more comfortable about discussing the awkward subject with their children. (05/22/08) Women advocacy gorup threatens boys http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10086 The American Association of Univers! ity Women, an advocacy group, made a big splash in the national media this week with a report arguing that the "boys' crisis" in education is a myth. Instead of offering new research, the report provided the AAUW's take on research already out there. It omitted any discussion of statistics showing that boys are far more likely than girls to be suspended or placed in special education or to commit suicide. (05/23/08) Should FLDS kids be taken? http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10084 Are the beliefs of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), the polygamous sect that the state of Texas has also accused of child abuse, sufficient grounds for removing all the children from the group's compound in Eldorado, Texas? The state's Supreme Court is expected to rule this week on DFPS's petition for emergency relief fr! om the appeals court decision, possibly as early as Tuesday. If the appeals court decision stands, most of the children will be returned to their parents at the sect's ranch. (05/27/08) Hillary, please exit with dignity http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10083 Check out CNN.com tonight for Bill Clinton's vent about how a "cover up " is hurting Hillary Clinton's chances of becoming the Democratic nominee. This is a man who has trampled on his spouse's voice every time, in this campaign, that she's found it. The women of the Nation are the first to deplore the sexism in media commentary this primary season, but a "cover up"? (05/26/08) Big girls cry http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10078 Nothing fr! ustrates grievance peddlers more than a rival victim group threatening their turf. Regardless of any official mission statement, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) exists to complain about how unfair the world is for women and to leverage sympathy into favors from government or academia’s power brokers. (05/22/08) Why do we defend liberty? http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10076 People often look upon those of us who choose to defend liberty with some curiosity. What could be our motivation? Recently, thanks to some remaining understanding of what is right and wrong, the Texas judiciary has ruled the kidnapping of more than 400 people from FLDS to be illegal. The thing was based on propaganda, as was the Waco incident, which didn’t end as peacefully. And this is an important point. What made Waco different was that! people resisted. The state is always a threat to the most basic rights. (05/24/08) Narnia girls get feminist makeover http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10069 Altering a much-loved book for the big screen is a bold move. But it's one director Andrew Adamson felt he had to make with CS Lewis' second Narnia tale, Prince Caspian, to update it for a modern female audience. (05/26/08) INTRODUCTIONS AND BACKGROUNDERS Questions and answers about abortion rights http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10079 On May 20, a federal appeals court in Richmond overturned for the second time Virginia’s law on late-term abortions. The court ruled that the law created an “undue burden” on women by going! beyond the guidelines set last year by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Gonzales v. Carhart. I and many others argued against the Virginia law when it was passed in 2003, principally because it appeared to rest on shaky constitutional grounds. No matter. The politicians in Richmond passed it anyway. The bill was authored by Del. Robert G. Marshall, R-Manassas, a far right politician who has long opposed abortion rights. Before Virginia’s elected representatives go down this road again, they need to acquire at least a rudimentary knowledge of abortion rights. Perhaps the following questions and answers will be helpful to them. (05/27/08) MISCELLANEOUS A woman against feminism http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.10097 The full name of the site is A Woman Against Feminism and For Men’s Rights. Just like the title says. ! Feminism has given women privileges without responsibility, and men are left with no choice but to pick up the slack. It’s not fair, it’s not “equal rights” and I won’t stay quiet about it. ifeminists.com is edited by Wendy McElroy; it is made possible by support from The Independent Institute and members like you. For information or to report problems contact adminATifeministsDOTnet.

PS. I put the bold and verdana typeface in the last bit, just for those who made it all the way to the bottom.

Well, the radicals will argue the point Percy, but in principle I have no problem with women like Kelly (and Wendy McElroy) getting the word out. Hell, Kelly has done more good work than many here, myself included. If more eyeballs are drawn by ifeminists to Kelly's and others' writing that is a good thing imho.

I find the ifems interesting because of their libertarian leanings but wonder just how man-friendly they really are.