Women Can Be Abusive Too (http://www.intellectualconservative.com/2007/03/29/women-can-be-abusive-too/) By Michael J. Geanoulis
In what can only be described as a conspiracy of misinformation, data on assaulted husbands is swept under the rug.
A revealing research paper on domestic violence (DV) published in the Florida State University Law Review provides a promising new twist to a thorny problem - assuming, of course, it can overcome stereotypcal attitudes and get the attention it deserves.
According to author and Indiana School of Law Professor Linda Kelly, women can be batterers. Men can be victims. And abuse by females needs to be eradicated, as well as abuse by males. (Kelly, L, "Disabusing the Definition of Domestic Abuse: How Women Batter Men and the Role of the Feminist State;" Fla. St. Univ. Law Rev, Vol 30:791)
It will be interesting to see how Kelly's 65-page paper is received, as she treads on ground long held sacred and untouchable by women's rights goups, who, according to Kelly, have been influencing every state's DV policy using double standards and biased data which discriminate against men.
As long ago as 1981, Straus, Gelles and Steinmetz discovered some of the data referred to by Kelly, reporting it in "Behind Closed Doors: Violence in the American Family." Nearly 1.8 million American women were assaulted annually by their husbands that year -- shameful data that was elevated for all to see via insightful ads posted everywhere trumpeting the fact that "Every 17 seconds a woman is assaulted by her husband."
What the general public never saw, though, was the "real surprise," to quote the authors: 2 million husbands (200 thousand more) who were assaulted by their wives.
In what can only be described as a conspiracy of misinformation, the data on assaulted husbands was swept under the rug. No ads were ever produced depicting the average 16-second time span between assaults by wives on their husbands, or the fact that women are hitting men with higher assault rates.
And so it is, as Kelly warns against, with educational seminars like New Hampshire's annual Conference on DV sponsored by the Governor's Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence, whose purpose is to "Improve the Investigative, Judicial, Administrative and Community Response."
Efforts to "improve" seem fair on its face -- except that judges who want to "improve" themselves should not be attending DV conferences loaded with sexist half-truths, innuendo and special agendas.
The slide presentation of one Mary Bettley provides us with the best evidence of such bias. What judge could be expected to make fair decisions after being exposed to half-truths like, "50% of men who assaulted their wives also abused their children?" Shouldn't judges also be taught the rate of child abuse for women who assaulted their husbands? And be made aware that women are twice as likely to assault their children than men?
Only half the story, furthermore, was given for the cycle of violence: "He (the boy) sees hitting and learns," reports Bettley. Don't girls learn about hitting from their moms when they see it? Was it Bettley's intention to teach the hundreds of judges and criminal justice people gathered to "improve" themselves, that only males learn about, and do the hitting around the house?
Another example of questionable scholarship comes from Dr. James Knoll, who echoed the Rule of Thumb, a damaging bit of nonsense and myth that was debunked long ago as a libelous falsehood by Who Stole Feminism author Christine Hoff Sommers. The rule, which serves as an unfair character assassination that refuses to die and which never existed except in the mind set of the feminist state, held that "men could beat their wives so long as they used a stick no bigger than their thumb."
Dr. Knoll seemed loathe to acknowledge that men have a long record of loving, protecting and glorifying the fair sex -- building magnificent temples to honor women and installing them on high pedestals. Apparently it's more PC and profitable to malign men as cruel beasts, especially at federally-financed conferences constructed to teach that only men are responsible for DV.
Noticed for his absence from the conference was Murray Straus, PhD, director of the Family Research Lab at UNH and world class expert on DV who lives and works in New Hampshire. He was not invited. Was this because of his position that female aggression should not be ignored? Or his revelation that men are compelled to stay in abusive relationships for the same reasons heretofore reserved for women? Or that his life might again be threatened for treading on untouchable topics?
Will Kelly be ignored, too?
DV is equal opportunity abuse, and we should demand that all perpetrators be held accountable on an equal basis, if only as a matter of safety for women. Let's hope that reasonable and objective people like Kelly and Straus, et al, can be part of the dialogue going forward.
Michael J. Geanoulis, Sr. sits on the New Hampshire Commission on the Status of Men.
[email protected]
The fact that there ever WAS a bias shows that our precious justice system has failed its name. And this is just more nails in the casket.
I call for a new court system.
And new judges.
And equality under court.
For once.
TODAY (http://unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Couple+argues%2c+then+his+clothing+goes+up+in+flames&articleId=cff7540e-e5a9-4b90-933c-71cced803ffa)03/30/07
edited for brevity
By PAT GROSSMITH
New Hampshire Union Leader Staff
A man, not to be outdone by his girlfriend who sopped a pile of his clothes in wine, doused them with gasoline and set them on fire.
"You think that you can ruin my clothes. I'll show you," Mario Camacho, 19, of 67 Oakwood Ave. told his girlfriend, Jessica Capille, according to police.
The fire department extinguished the small blaze prior to officers arriving at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Oakwood Avenue address.
Fire Inspector Paul Allard said the flames left "tiny little singed marks" on the deck. There was no damage.
"He only destroyed his own clothing," Allard said.
Curious that the Chief chose to phrase it that way. I think Mr. Allard has a clue. Actually, Mr. Camachos girlfriend destroyed his clothing, he merely attempted to dispose of the now unusable staple of life in a rather harsh manner. By the way, it's still a fairly harsh climate in NH this time of year.
Police said Capille and Camacho had an argument. She piled his clothes on a rear deck and then poured wine on top of them. Infuriated, Camacho got a can of gas from the garage, poured it on his clothes and set them on fire.
He was charged with reckless conduct.
And rightfully so. I don't think it's unreasonable to say the guy didn't choose the best venue. Personally, I MOST CERTAINLY
would be lounging around in an orange jump suit if some bitch ceremoniously stole my clothes and destroyed them with premeditated malice. I wonder why this woman behaved so brazenly? Did she expect no consequences or accountability for her behavior?
Now, police are looking for him since he did not show for his arraignment yesterday morning in Manchester District Court on the misdemeanor charge.
Apparently the police didn't deem
Jessica Capille,of 67 Oakwood Ave, Manchester NH, a clear threat of domestic violence behavior as clearly outlined by the power wheel described in "The Duluth Model", Education Groups for Men who Batter, by Ellen Pence and Michael Paymar, both associated with the Duluth DAIP.
Our governmental system needs to be dismantled in an orderly fashion and rebuilt according to the framework of the constitution.....starting with the judicial system.