Draft Registration Now Automatic But Still Men Only

In the category of seems like it should have been done a long, military draft registration will now be automated. I remember doing this when I turned 18 which was not much of a chore given that I went to a military high school. They facilitated it quite well. Unsurprisingly. 

My sons also registered when they turned of age.

What did surprise me is learning the penalty for not registering 30 days either side of your 18th birthday can be up to $250,000 or five years imprisonment. Wow. And many apparently do not bother. 

So it is now being automated. Which, if we are to have draft registration, is a good thing as it is far more efficient,  less costly (one would presume), and less error prone. 

What I fail to understand is why draft registration is still male only. There have been several court cases over the years but none have gained traction. It is one of the few blatantly sexist and discriminatory laws still on the books. Furthermore, it make no sense from a military standpoint. Indeed, it is reduces military effectiveness as it cuts the pool of talent available in half. 

When The Victim Is A Man

No surprise here but people view coercive control in relationships as less harmful when the victim is a man. Although with the usual caveat that social science studies are only 50% reproducible. But it does make sense. When a man commits violence against a woman is is an outrage but when a woman commits violence against a man it is often comedy. 

A recent study published in Sex Roles suggests that the general public often underestimates the dangers of controlling relationship behaviors when the victims are men. The research provides evidence that people tend to take emotional and psychological abuse more seriously when it is directed at women, leaving men and LGBTQ+ individuals at a higher risk of being overlooked. These findings indicate that societal stereotypes continue to shape how people perceive and respond to unhealthy relationship dynamics.

It is also true as my divorce case demonstrates, that women often get way and sometimes are even rewarded for crimes which would put men in prison. 

I do not mean to minimize the amount of discrimination and violence against women - which is huge, but certainly there far more discrimination and violence against men than most people realize. 

Writing Really Is Theraputic

Putting feelings into words: affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity in response to affective stimuli is a study published at the National Institute of Health which determined writing down your feelings really does help manage negative feelings. 

Abstract

Putting feelings into words (affect labeling) has long been thought to help manage negative emotional experiences; however, the mechanisms by which affect labeling produces this benefit remain largely unknown. Recent neuroimaging studies suggest a possible neurocognitive pathway for this process, but methodological limitations of previous studies have prevented strong inferences from being drawn. A functional magnetic resonance imaging study of affect labeling was conducted to remedy these limitations. The results indicated that affect labeling, relative to other forms of encoding, diminished the response of the amygdala and other limbic regions to negative emotional images. Additionally, affect labeling produced increased activity in a single brain region, right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (RVLPFC). Finally, RVLPFC and amygdala activity during affect labeling were inversely correlated, a relationship that was mediated by activity in medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC). These results suggest that affect labeling may diminish emotional reactivity along a pathway from RVLPFC to MPFC to the amygdala.

I have often thought this site is for me therapeutic. It helps me cope, although I am sure others would tell me I should just move on. Just let it go. Just accept. 

I still sometimes get a sinking feeling in my gut due to the money I have lost, lost due to criminal fraud not just by my ex-wife but more significantly the lawyers and justice system. I am even more upset by the open corruption prevalent within our legal system. 

It is not, however, just about me and the money I lost and the harm done to my kids. It is about the continuing harm done to others which I have no doubt has caused and continues to generate violence, crime, self-destructive actions, and misery to many innocent victims. 

Moving on is meaningless unless there is an end to the trauma. Although the acute trauma has ended for me, it continues for others which is in fact a type of trauma for me as well. Not only is it an obligation for me to speak up but it is good therapy for me as well.    

Trump Administration Proposes Making Department Of Justice Lawyers Immune From Independent Ethics Investigations.

As if legal violations of legal ethics isn't a big enough problem already the Trump administration has proposed a new rule that aims to shield Department of Justice lawyers from independent ethics investigations.

Why you might well ask. Apparently because so many lawyers have quite the justice and it has becoem very difficult to recruit new ones. 

That was then. Now, under pressure to ignore a range of ethics rules, a large number of Department of Justice lawyers have quit, opting to lose their jobs but save their careers. Between these departures and a purge of legal staff members seen as insufficiently loyal to the president’s agenda, the department has lost thousands of lawyers. It shows: Briefs are riddled with errors. Lawyers come to court grossly unprepared. Worst, court orders stand violated — in some cases, it seems, because there weren’t enough lawyers available to ensure they were carried out.

To fill those empty seats, the department has begun an increasingly desperate effort to recruit hires. (“Don’t be scared off by the transcript requirement,” a conservative law school reportedly told its students. “G.P.A. is not a strong factor.”) Even so, it seems too few lawyers are willing to take the chance. So the Trump administration last week offered up a different solution: a proposed rule that aims to shield Department of Justice lawyers from independent ethics investigations.

An administration so corrupt even lawyers don't want to work for them. 

ICE Branching Out Into Family Court Corruption

In a story that would be comical if it was not so indicative of the deep corruption within the Trump Administration, One of Trump’s Friends Reportedly Asked ICE to Arrest the Mother of His Child in Custody Battle Gambit.

Paolo Zampolli, the man who introduced President Donald Trump to his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, and is currently serving as U.S. special representative for global partnerships at Trump’s behest, asked ICE to arrest the mother of his child last June, according to The New York Times.

After learning that his Brazilian ex-girlfriend with whom he had a son, Amanda Ungaro, had been arrested on fraud charges in Florida, Zampolli allegedly “saw an opportunity” to land a potentially killing blow in his custody battle with her.

To make the matter even more surreal:

In 2016, the Times reported that Zampolli “secured Ms. Trump’s visa to the United States and introduced her to her future husband at a 1998 party he hosted at the Kit Kat Club,” and ” flew with Mr. Trump on his jet to attend the mogul’s wedding at Mar-a-Lago.”

This is the way - of Trump. 

Erika Kirk Comments

I was never a fan of Charlie Kirk, nor his organization Turning Point USA, nor his wife Erika Kirk. Their politics and values are, in my opinion, antithetical to fundamental American values and human morality. 

But, I do not agree with the outrage over Ericka Kirk's recent comment which, quoting, was, 

"Don't let anyone disenfranchise you because you're a young man, especially a young white male man. Don't ever let anyone talk down to you. We need strong men out there, strong men who are convicted that will be good leaders, good husbands, good fathers." 

Maybe the "especially a young white male man" is a bit much but would anyone be outraged it was "especially a young black male man." I think not. The issue is that people need to recognize discrimination and injustice wherever it occurs and to whomever it happens to. 

Now no doubt my experience of losing several million dollars due to fraud and other crimes by my ex-wife, her lawyer and others in the legal system play a large part of that. But clearly I would have lost nothing if I had been male. Indeed my ex-spouse would have paid me money and could very well have  gone to jail if our genders had been reversed.  That is just the truth. It does not negate the fact that women are often the victims of discrimination but to only recognize discrimination as against some groups and not others is a form of discrimination itself. 

Dirty Divorce Tricks

A few weeks ago I posted a video of the top 10 dirty tricks in a divorce. Here is another take on dirty tricks people use. It is sad to see how hate and especially money drive people to do truly awful things.