Evening Edition - 11/7/07

I’ll Take It Without Cheese
James Boldt converted to Judaism in 2004 and is the father and sole custodial parent of a 12-year old boy. Since his religious conversion in 2004, James has been in a legal battle with Lia Boldt over whether their son should be circumcised. A lower court had sided with the dad, but urged the father to wait until all appeals were exhausted before having his son’s banana peeled. Now the Oregon Supreme Court is hearing the case. Although there are proponents defending both sides of the issue, this case is really determining whether someone outside the sole custodial parent has a say with regard to a child. Presently, 58% of boys born in the U.S. each year are circumcised, but this procedure normally happens prior to their departure from the hospital. Only 7% of adult males in the U.S. have elective surgery to be circumcised.

This Is My Confession
Matthew Dubay, 25, told his girlfriend Lauren Wells that he didn’t want children. She simply responded that a medical condition prevented her from having any children; so basically, they were all squared away. Except Wells got pregnant and gave birth to a baby girl. Wells then petitioned the court to have Dubay pay child support and so began the case dubbed the Roe vs. Wade for Men. Dubay said that he shouldn’t be forced to pay support for a child that he did not want - even prior to her conception. Dubay's argument is simple – he says that Michigan's paternity law violates the U.S. Constitution's equal protection clause because it didn't extend reproductive rights to men. Ultimately, a federal appeals court dismissed Dubay’s case as frivolous and ordered him to pay $500 a month for child support. The court said that Dubay’s perceived inequity is outweighed by society’s interest to insure children have the support of both their parents.

Puerto Rico, Furniture and My Love of Dogs
As I mentioned in a previous post, my money is more stretched than Monique’s girdle at a BET Awards show. That said, I’m getting the most out of my available cash and still trying to have some semblance of nest-care with regard to my home. On Monday, November 19th, I’m flying out to spend eight wonderful days with my family in Puerto Rico. I’m excited and anxiously counting the days until I can eat mom’s cooking, lay on a beach and just chill. I have three consecutive trips directly behind this one, but second on my stretch-that-cash list is buying new living room furniture. Since returning to NYC, I purchased a new sofa, but now want to give that away and get a whole new living room get-up. This would include a convenient sofa bed that would make my crib more comfortable for me and my out-of-town guests. I’ve researched a few sets and let’s just say that I’ll need to shell out north of $3,500 to get a set I like. Keep your fingers crossed and your sleeping bags available if you plan to stay at my house in the near future. Finally, I complain about Busta (my soon-to-be nine-year old Miniature Schnauzer) and his antics, but the truth is I can’t live without him. He is my faithful companion, my ear when I’m suffering from embarrassing lunacy and my loyal roommate. Since his health scare several months ago, I began saying that if something were to happen to my boy, I would do without pets for good. Now I find myself checking several breeders for puppies and wondering if I should get my best friend a brother now, to give him company and me a safety net in the event of his untimely demise. Like the shoe fetishes and bag afflictions of many, puppies and cars are my weak spots. I’m presently considering either an English Bull Dog or a Doberman Pinscher. I’ll keep the future pooch’s almost-living-room-furniture price to myself for now.

On Blast
There is presently no irrefutable proof that circumcision prevents any diseases or has any medical benefits. That said, do you believe that male circumcision is genital mutilation or a case of socially acceptable aesthetic enhancement – sort-of like having a baby girl’s ears pierced?

Keep passin’ the open windows…