Undersheriff Brian Anderson, his eyes moist and his voice cracking. 'I'm crushed.'

"In the end, Kim's circuitous hike took him to within a mile as the crow flies from the spot where he had left his stranded family in their car. Rescuers said that if he had continued down the road in the direction he was driving when the car became stuck on Nov. 25, he would have reached a lodge and almost certain safety.

"About 100 rescuers from seven counties, two federal agencies and the Oregon State Police had searched for Kim since his wife, Kati, and two young daughters were found alive Monday with the car. His family had rented three helicopters and arranged for care packages to be dropped in Big Windy Creek canyon, where searchers had focused their efforts after finding his tracks and articles of clothing and a torn-up map that Kim apparently was leaving as a trail.

"Even a satellite was moved in space so it could be used in the search. Kim died after picking his way nearly to the end of the steep, 5-mile canyon in the Siskiyou National Forest west of Grants Pass. Wearing tennis shoes, a jacket and sweater, he had left his family on Saturday, following a logging road back the way the family had come, winding around a ridge, first south, then west.

"After walking 3 to 5 miles along the road, he turned east into the ravine, apparently to follow the creek in the hope that it would lead down to homes.

"That used to be a recommended survival tactic, but it has fallen out of favor because people who try it usually become more susceptible to hypothermia.

"Trackers followed Kim's footprints through dense forest and over slippery boulders from one side of the creek to the other.

"'I can only describe him as an extremely motivated individual,' said Joe Hyatt of the local Swift Water Rescue Team, which tracked him along the creek bed. 'There were areas where the only option for us to pass through was to enter the water and physically swim.'

"Kim was almost certainly dripping wet. It's not known whether he realized he was approaching the Rogue River, but authorities said he wouldn't have found civilization even had he made it to where the creek empties out.

"'Based on what the searchers were describing, the terrain they were working in, it seems superhuman to me,'' Anderson said of Kim's effort.

"A helicopter crew spotted Kim's body in the creek at a place where the terrain becomes impassable on both sides because two sheer cliffs line the water.

"'He was probably too weak to get back up out of there,' Jackson County Sheriff Mike Winters said.

"Had Kim known to go the other way down the logging road from the start, he soon would have come to a fishing and rafting resort known as Black Bar Lodge. It was vacant for the winter, but rescuers checked it several times, Winters said.

"'I admire his effort, I truly do,' Winters said. 'He has a lot of intestinal fortitude. He comes from the city without a lot of outdoors experience, and he was thinking on his feet, he was very meticulous. ... He had a strong will to survive.'

"Kim's body was taken to the Oregon State Police Crime Lab, where a medical examiner will determine the cause and time of death. Autopsy results could be released as soon as today.

"Earlier Wednesday, authorities said Kim had been leaving clothing and bits of maps in the canyon, apparently as a trail for searchers to track.

"'He was motivated -- I mean, we were having difficulty in there,' Anderson said. 'That was what has been so frustrating; we couldn't seem to get in front of him.'
 
"The discovery marked the end of a saga that was closely watched in San Francisco, where Kim worked as an editor at the tech news site Cnet, and around the nation.

"Kim left his wife and two daughters early Saturday to look for help a week after the family became stranded off Bear Camp Road in the mountains between Grants Pass and Gold Beach. Kati Kim, 30, and daughters Penelope, 4, and 7-month-old Sabine remained with their car, 15 miles from Bear Camp Road, and were spotted and rescued Monday.

"Oregon State Police Lt. Gregg Hastings said that 'the commitment by those involved in the search for Kati, for the kids and for James has gone nonstop around the clock. This is obviously extremely tough on those who have had an emotional commitment over the last several days here.'

"Winters said he admired the love and intense commitment Kim's father, Spencer Kim, showed for his son.

"'He was there, he was relentless in his support of us, and when he looks you in the eye and says he is depending on you...' Winters' voice cracked, and he turned away to hide his tears before choking out, 'It's tough.'
 
"Spencer Kim paid for 18 care packages that were dropped in the area this week. Each package included clothes, a wool blanket, gloves and other survival items, and each contained a letter from Kim's family.

"The Kims left San Francisco on Nov. 18 for a combined vacation and work trip for James Kim. They spent Thanksgiving in Seattle with family, then went to Portland, Ore., where they had brunch with a friend Nov. 25.

"The family then left on their way to a stopover in Gold Beach. At 8:30 that night, they ate dinner in the central Oregon town of Roseburg, where authorities say they intended to take state Highway 42 over to the coast.

"But they missed the turnoff, consulted a map, and decided to drive the 55 miles down Interstate 5 to Grants Pass. There they turned onto Bear Camp Road, which is lightly traveled even in the summer and often is closed in the winter.

"It was stormy, and around the 2,300-foot elevation, about 50 miles from their intended destination, James Kim turned off onto the logging road, apparently by mistake. They were soon winding up the mountains, hopelessly lost, authorities said, and finally became stranded in snow.

"The Kims ran the engine of their station wagon to power its heater, and when the gas was gone, they burned the tires. They ate what little food they had, and Kati Kim breast-fed her two daughters.

"Kati Kim and her daughters were spotted Monday afternoon by a private helicopter pilot."

To follow Kim's path using Google Earth, click here.

Late Note: Kim Walked 16 miles, not 10, Before Dying in Oregon Mountains

From the Associated Press:

"James Kim walked more than 16 miles before he died trying to save his stranded family in Southern Oregon's rugged Rogue River Canyon--six miles more than was originally thought, a search official said Saturday."

Read the full article here.

Oregon Logging Roads...

Apparently the Oregon logging road that Kim accidentally turned on to was supposed to be gated for the winter but the gate had been unhitched by vandals. I'm from Los Angeles but I attended the University of Oregon in Eugene. A college friend of mine grew up in Oregon and knew the state like the back of his hand. We often camped out together out in the middle of nowhere, following endless winding logging roads and going to beautiful, out of the way places to set up camp. I used to tell him--only half kidding--that if something happened to him I'd never make it back alive. Sadly, I can understand, at least a tiny bit, the confusion that Kim must have felt and the odds he faced.
 

We've discussed many times how false allegations of domestic violence are used as custody maneuvers. The website DontMakeHerMad.com details some interesting surveillance options for men (or women) who are in contentious pre or post divorce situations and who want to protect themselves from false allegations.

Their motto is "If lies could put you in jail, you must survail," and it's a hard one to argue with. I know some will say "but these things are sneaky and sometimes even illegal." I'm not advising anyone to do anything illegal, and I don't like anybody being sneaky. Yet the wrong committed to defend yourself is a drop in the bucket compared to the terrible crime committed by false accusers. All day long I receive letters from men who've lost their children and had their lives devastated by false allegations--I won't be losing any sleep over advising these men to defend themselves.

This technology is very useful and is also interesting--I was not aware that many of these devices even existed.

(To learn more about this problem, see my co-authored column Letterman Case Shows Problems with Restraining Orders (Albuquerque Tribune, 1/17/06).

There are also many clever recording devices available. Button cams are hidden video cameras built into buttons that you sew onto your clothing. Some button cams record both video and audio. When buying a button cam, the seller will usually include several other identical buttons so that the button cam blends in with the rest of clothing. The camera is so small that it is powered by a 9-volt battery. It can either transmit a wireless signal to any recorder within range, or connect with a wire directly to a miniature recorder in your pocket.

Button cams can be used in conjunction with miniature recorders. Miniature recorders are tiny electronic video recorders that are small enough to fit in your pocket. They store video either to a tiny hard drive, or to a tiny storage chip called an "SD card." The video is stored as digital files that can be uploaded onto a computer.

Tiger Electronics makes a miniature recorder that is technically made for kids, but is perfect for recording surveillance and is very inexpensive. This recorder is perfect when you need to prove child abuse by an adult (including parental alienation tactics by bitter ex-wives against non-custodial fathers), but cannot do so without the child's assistance. In the hands of a child, this recorder will seem (to unknowing adults) like a harmless toy. In the hands of an adult, it could be a potent tool in exposing the truth of an abusive woman.

Voice recorders can also be embedded into Wrist Watches. They usually play MP3 files, and are not specifically surveillance devices. They can record enough for 2-4 hours of audio, either continuously or in separate files. The recording quality is about the same as a tape recorder and its biggest advantage is that it is body-worn and therefore always available.

Pens are also clever miniature recorders. They are actually real pens that write with ink but also record audio. They are stainless steel, with a few buttons down the side. They might be especially useful when in plain sight, in close range of a sound source. You retrieve the audio by taking off the top half of the pen and plugging it into the USB slot on your computer, where it becomes a virtual hard drive containing audio files.

My recent co-authored column, Coercive Abortion Prevention Act Assumes Male Guilt, Opens Door to Unfair Prosecutions (Detroit News,11/30/06), discusses an incredible--and incredibly bad--new bill which was passed by the Michigan House of Representatives. We squared off against Suanne Thompson, legislative liaison for Right to Life of Michigan, whose counterpoint was Women need protection from undue pressure to have abortions.

I've made the point many times that our movement has advanced slowly in part because we face opposition from both sides of the political spectrum. While most of the anti-male prejudice in our society comes from the feminist left, the CAPA is an excellent example of the way conservatives also bash and blame men, and try to shift blame for society's ills onto us.

Family law attorney Jeff Leving and I wrote:

"Jane is ambivalent about the pregnancy, and her friends think she should terminate it -- she's too young, and Bob isn't very stable. Bob would like to be a father someday, but not now -- he can't pay their bills and wants a better career.

"One day Bob and Jane argue over some things Jane bought with their credit card, and Bob tells Jane he doesn't want to pay their bills anymore. He says he's tired of arguing with her, doesn't want her to have the baby, and wants to move out for a while and think things over.

"Under a bill recently passed by the Michigan House of Representatives, Bob could go to jail.

"House Bill 5882 creates the Coercive Abortion Prevention Act. Its purpose is to prohibit the putative father of a pregnant woman's child from coercing or intimidating the woman into terminating her pregnancy. While preventing violence or threats of violence against pregnant women is an admirable goal, the proposal goes way beyond this by interfering with constitutionally protected personal prerogatives.

"The proposal actually makes it a crime for a man to 'change or attempt to change an existing housing or cohabitation arrangement' with a pregnant significant other, to 'file or attempt to file for a divorce' from his pregnant wife or to 'withdraw or attempt to withdraw financial support' from a woman whom he has been supporting -- if it is determined that the man is doing these things to try to pressure the woman to terminate her pregnancy.

"This violates men's rights. The U.S. Constitution's protected liberty interests safeguard privacy in areas such as contraception, abortion, marriage, procreation, child rearing and sexual conduct between consenting adults.

"Do Michigan legislators believe these protections don't also cover the basic personal choices the proposal proscribes?

"The bill is also laden with unfair assumptions of male perfidy. There are many reasons why a man might be unhappy over his wife's or girlfriend's pregnancy, and consider ending his relationship with her. He may doubt that the child she is carrying is his. He may feel he was deceived into the pregnancy. She may lash out at him during her pregnancy-related mood swings, and he may take offense.

"A talented prosecuting attorney who may be looking for publicity could frame a man's decision as an attempt to coerce an abortion.

"The accused need not be convicted to suffer egregious harm -- the cost of criminal defense is often ruinous, and the emotional toll can be worse.

"The physical dangers from which House Bill 5882's supporters seek to protect pregnant women are real. It's debatable whether the bill's anti-violence provisions are good law, because the acts it specifies are already illegal.

"However, protecting women from violence is one thing -- punishing men for their peaceful, private conduct in their personal relationships is quite another."

A 'Thank You' for an Opponent

In the counter to our column, Suanne Thompson, legislative liaison for Right to Life of Michigan, wrote:

"News stories report, 'Couple kidnaps pregnant daughter, drove to New York to force her to abort'; 'Mother forced pregnant 16-year-old daughter to drink turpentine to induce abortion'; and the latest, 'Arkansas man raped teen, forced her to have abortion.'

"These coerced abortions are a few of the most recent ones we know about. Forced abortions are at epidemic levels, yet are concealed in secrecy. This secret assault on women needs to be discouraged.

"Sixty-four percent of post-abortive women surveyed indicated they felt coerced to abort, having no choice but to comply with the wishes of others.

"Surprisingly, the No. 1 cause of death among pregnant women is homicide. Pregnant black women are seven times more likely to be murdered than pregnant white women. Often times the woman's refusal to abort precipitates the crime. Boyfriends, husbands, parents -- the very people who should protect the health and welfare of their pregnant spouse or daughter -- are the ones who selfishly demand the baby be eliminated.

"When women are threatened to abort, up to 80 percent feel guilt, regret, loss and depression afterward, especially if the coercion violated their conscience. They subsequently have shorter relationships, more divorces, live in poverty, repeat abortions, experience substance abuse and many more risk factors. There is a solution to this secret assault on women...

"After months of researching and evaluating numerous medical journal studies and thousands of personal testimonies, a package of bills has been written that makes it a crime to coerce a woman to abort her baby against her will.

"This legislation, known as the Coercive Abortion Prevention Act (CAPA), is sponsored by Michigan women legislators. It would give women the backing they need to stand up and say, 'You can't force me; it's against the law.'

"For those bullies who refuse to live up to this standard and continue to violate women, this law will identify perpetrators and bring them to justice. Abortion clinic personnel will screen every woman for coercion. If she identifies herself as being forced to abort, the clinic personnel will follow intervention protocols and develop a safety plan that may include a call to law enforcement or to a domestic violence shelter....

"This legislation is revolutionary first in the nation. This can also be a coming together of all factions who are interested in rescuing women from harm."

Read the full column here.

Several of Thompson's claims are questionable, to say the least. I would love to know more about the study where "Sixty-four percent of post-abortive women surveyed indicated they felt coerced to abort, having no choice but to comply with the wishes of others." Probably it was a self-selected survey where they took a group of women who feel they were victimized in relation to abortion, surveyed them, and then passed off the results as an indicator of how all women who have had an abortion feel.

The feminists do this all the time--for one example, see California NOW's Family Court Report 2002: Faulty Research, False Conclusions (Los Angeles Daily Journal, San Francisco Daily Journal, 7/11/02). In it I debunked a self-selected survey by the California branch of the National Organization for Women which they claimed showed that family courts were biased against women. California NOW didn't like my criticism, and complained about it in another report which they issued this October.

There are well over a million abortions a year, and have been for over three decades--do Thompson, Michigan Right to Life and their cothinkers really expect us to believe that in two-thirds of these cases the women only had the abortions because they "had no choice but to comply with the wishes" of the children's fathers? That's preposterous. The anti-male feminist left shifts all blame for gender-related problems onto men. Conservatives (or many of them) believe that abortion is wrong, so they try to shift the blame for abortion onto men.

Thompson claims "Surprisingly, the No. 1 cause of death among pregnant women is homicide." It's a "surprise" because it isn't true--see my next entry below for the details.

Thompson writes, "Pregnant black women are seven times more likely to be murdered than pregnant white women." Since black women are far more likely to be murdered in general than white women, it's hard to see what significance this statement is supposed to have. And women in general are vastly less likely to be murdered than men, the safest people of all being white women.

Thompson writes, "When women are threatened to abort, up to 80 percent feel guilt, regret, loss and depression afterward, especially if the coercion violated their conscience." Again, this is probably from a self-selected sample. And many women feel guilt or regrets over their abortions--I guess that's men's fault, too.

One of the main pillars of Thompson's castle is her claim--commonly made by misguided feminists and the mainstream media--that "the No. 1 cause of death among pregnant women is homicide." This claim got a big boost from the Washington Post and its affiliated papers in December of 2004 when it published a highly-publicized series of articles which detailed an alleged epidemic of maternal homicide by male intimates.

There are two main points to be said about this claim. One, death among pregnant women is very rare, so even a relatively small number of homicides of pregnant women could make it the top cause of death. Two, as best as one can tell, murder is not the top cause of death among pregnant women, and probably is not even close. In my column New Report on Maternal Homicide Crisis: Myth-Making and Manbashing (Lexington Herald-Leader, 1/3/05) I discussed the issue in more detail:

"'Pregnant women murdered at an alarming rate.' 'Killings of new, expectant mothers mount.' 'Many new or expectant mothers die violent deaths.' 'Violence trails expectant mothers.' 'Pregnant mothers often die of murder.'

"These headlines top a highly-publicized new series of articles by Donna St. George of the Washington Post. The series, which appeared in many major newspapers and media outlets this week, details an alleged epidemic of maternal homicide by male intimates.

"The series powerfully depicts the tragedies of murdered expectant or new mothers. The mother-to-be killed the day her mother ordered the cake for her baby shower. The pregnant 14 year-old murdered by her 14 year-old ex-boyfriend. The bank manager killed because she wouldn't convert to her husband's religion before their twins were born. However, despite the emotion, alarm bells and blaring headlines, the series fails to build the case that maternal homicide is an epidemic, is on the rise, or is even a significant social problem.

"According to the Post's numbers, there are about 100 documented murders of pregnant women in the United States each year. Yet according to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly four million women give birth each year. One out of 40,000 is not an epidemic. The Post  speculates that the true number could be significantly higher but also notes that 30% of these killings are not related to childbearing, but instead involve drug dealing, robberies, errant gunfire, or other causes. And some pregnant women are killed by other women, as in the recent Missouri murder of Bobbie Jo Stinnett by a woman who cut her live baby from her womb.

"St. George and others point to a Journal of the American Medical Association article which states that in Maryland a 'pregnant or recently pregnant woman is more likely to be a victim of homicide than to die of any other cause.' This sounds alarming until one considers that there are an average of eight murders of pregnant women each year in Maryland--alongside 75,000 live births.

"St. George also cites a study by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health which allegedly showed murder to be the biggest cause of death for pregnant women and new mothers. When this study was released the Boston Globe summarized its findings as follows:

"Murder is the leading cause of death for Massachusetts mothers in the 21-month period from when they become pregnant until their babies reach their first birthday, according to a state review that shows domestic violence today is more dangerous than medical complications from childbirth."

"However, when public health specialist Ned Holstein of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine examined the report, he found that murder was well down the list of alleged causes of maternal death. According to the study's own data, the leading causes of death of pregnant or recently-pregnant women over a 10-year period were Medical conditions (152), Motor vehicle accidents (21), Domestic violence homicides (20), other homicides (10), and Miscellaneous (29). The epidemic of domestic violence-related homicides sweeping Massachusetts consists of an average of two deaths per year.

"'The risk of murder by an intimate is extremely small, not an epidemic,' says Holstein, a physician who also heads Fathers and Families of Massachusetts. 'Although every death is tragic, murder of pregnant women simply does not rank as a significant public health problem.'

"St. George's article series expresses commendable concern about battery of pregnant women but errs in claiming a link between domestic violence and pregnancy. According to longtime domestic violence researcher Richard J. Gelles, co-author of Behind Closed Doors, 'to be pregnant alone doesn't put a woman at risk.'

"'Women between the ages of 20 and 34 suffer the highest rate of domestic violence, and that is also the most likely age to be pregnant,' he says. 'Age is driving the risk, not pregnancy'...

"St. George uses anecdote and emotion in place of facts and research in order to find a mythical crisis of maternal homicide. It is another example of how legitimate concern for battered women often devolves into an alarmist and anti-male view of domestic violence and gender relations."

Glenn Discusses the Coercive Abortion Prevention Act on the Nationally-Syndicated Lars Larson Show

Family law attorney Jeff Leving and I discussed our co-authored column Coercive Abortion Prevention Act Assumes Male Guilt, Opens Door to Unfair Prosecutions (Detroit News,11/30/06) on the nationally-syndicated Lars Larson Show on December 4.

In a recent column Kofi's Legacy Misfires Wendy McElroy of iFeminists discusses the United Nations new Secretary-General's Study on Violence Against Women (SVAW). The SVAW suggests removing "obstacles" to eliminating violence against women. McElroy writes:

"[One] identified obstacle is 'privacy rights' - that is, 'legal doctrines protecting the privacy of the home and family' (e.g. Fourth Amendment guarantees in the Constitution). Such doctrines are accused of 'justifying' the failure of the State and society to intervene when violence is committed against women in the family.'

"Next, 'obstacles' should be overcome by instituting new policies at 'federal, state, provincial and local levels, as well as...the judiciary, legislature and executive.'

"A specific example of a policy change: when prosecuting cases of violence against women 'rules of evidence and procedure, should be conducted in a gender-sensitive manner to ensure that women are not 're-victimized'.' This means criminal trials should provide 'in-camera proceedings where appropriate.' Specifically, courtroom procedures should 'protect the privacy of victims' by 'allowing evidence to be given by video link or restricting [public] access to courtrooms.'

"These changes alone would overhaul American courtrooms. The right of an accused to face and directly question an accuser is a fundamental principle of Western jurisprudence; the presence of transparency is an effective check on judicial corruption. Presenting evidence by video link to a closed courtroom would eliminate both."

As I've commented before, to the radical feminist mind, all that stuff about due process, the presumption of innocence, the right to face your accuser, etc., is just a patriarchal scam designed by men so they can rape and abuse women without consequence. The SVAW is another example of this thinking.

According to the Associated Press story 7M in U.S. jails, on probation or parole:

"A record 7 million people -- or one in every 32 American adults -- were behind bars, on probation or on parole by the end of last year, according to the Justice Department. Of those, 2.2 million were in prison or jail, an increase of 2.7 percent over the previous year, according to a report released Wednesday.

"More than 4.1 million people were on probation and 784,208 were on parole at the end of 2005. Prison releases are increasing, but admissions are increasing more."

Of course, even though this tragedy disproportionately affects men--particularly men of color--the author can't resist explaining why the problems is so bad for women, who make up all of 7% of the prison population:

"Men still far outnumber women in prisons and jails, but the female population is growing faster. Over the past year, the female population in state or federal prison increased 2.6 percent while the number of male inmates rose 1.9 percent. By year's end, 7 percent of all inmates were women. The gender figures do not include inmates in local jails.

"'Today's figures fail to capture incarceration's impact on the thousands of children left behind by mothers in prison,' Marc Mauer, the executive director of the Sentencing Project, a Washington-based group supporting criminal justice reform, said in a statement. 'Misguided policies that create harsher sentences for nonviolent drug offenses are disproportionately responsible for the increasing rates of women in prisons and jails.'

"From 1995 to 2003, inmates in federal prison for drug offenses have accounted for 49 percent of total prison population growth."

I sympathize with women incarcerated for nonviolent drug offenses, of course, but I see no reason to separate their situations from those of all of the (many more) men who are incarcerated for the same reasons.

From the Detroit News article Dad's goodbye stokes fears (11/29/06):

"A five-county police lookout for a would-be child abductor ended Tuesday morning with a nervous phone call and the realization the suspect was nothing more than a father waving to his own daughter.

"In an incident police acknowledge stoked fears about pedophiles, the manhunt began when another 9-year-old at a playground at Lafayette Elementary School said a man motioned to her about 11:15 a.m. Monday, then fled in his vehicle as she ran to tell teachers.

"Police said the man never noticed the other girl and her reaction, but realized the mix-up after watching reports about the incident on TV.

"In reality, he was simply passing by, saw his child and stepped out of his pickup to motion hello.

"'I think we are just in a society of fear right now. It's unfortunate, but I don't know if we want to be less cautious either,' said Lincoln Park Lt. Ron Szalay.

"Police issued a bulletin Monday to law enforcement agencies in Wayne, Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw and Monroe counties.

"They were looking for a man in his 40s, driving a blue pickup truck.

"By 3 p.m., police received a report from Sterling Heights about a truck and driver that fit the description.

"However, after getting a call from the school's principal, Szalay called off the search.

"'We had a fair description and extra cars patrolling around the school (Tuesday morning) so we probably would have stopped him if he had come to drop off his kid,' Szalay said.

"Police aren't releasing the man's name, but Lafayette Elementary Principal Craig Stanczyk said he and his family are 'great folks.'

"He was happy the man's wife called him Tuesday morning to clear up the misunderstanding.

"'She said, 'My husband is very nervous,' Stanczyk said.

"'Nobody wants to be falsely accused.'

"But, Stanczyk said the girl who made the report did everything she was taught.

"'It proves that we have a plan and it works,' Stanczyk said.

"'In this situation, it is better to be safe than sorry.'"

Best Wishes,
Glenn Sacks
GlennSacks.com

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