[Mark Newman]

To: Everyone

From: Marilyn

I am not going to get into a tit for tat with Bennett Maple. There will always be people like Bennett who seek violent answers to problems. Yes, the problems are real, but his solutions aren’t. They will just lead to more problems.

The authorities know about Bennett and will do their best to stop him. But there will be others we don’t know about who think like he does or can be persuaded by others who seek to mislead. These people, and I include girls like Jill, hurt us all. We, and that includes all of you, must stop them.

What I said to and about him applies to everyone. The "battle of the sexes" isn’t a war. It’s a way of describing a relationship that includes love, friendship and, yes, some conflict. But at bottom, males and females want and need each other. We have to learn a new way of being together.

Be part of the solution.

Marilyn

[Pug]

To: Marilyn Knewsome (marknew742@gmail.com)

From: Pizza Pi

Two things I need to say.

One: I have successfully made my brothers life a sufficient hell that he has agreed to counseling with one of the therapists you gave me. He seems to mean it, and is willing to at least consider pressing charges. Talks with the police have been taken seriously, and they are considering what charges to file in the case.

A note for those girls that think this is a male vs female issue. Both the detective and the DA I’ve talked to are female, and in addition to the rape charge serious consideration is being made for the charge of Assault with a Deadly Weapon, despite the fact that no weapon was used, for the same reason that before the changes if I hit someone without reason it was assault with a deadly weapon after I earned fourth dan – because no one could reasonably expect to stop me from killing if I so chose without deadly force. I think this is a reasonable standard for women, and girls, to be held to vis a vis men today.

Two: Regarding Guns. Marilyn may never have been situated to appreciate the ease of which someone who feels weak can look at guns as a solution. I have been.

There are a lot of problems with guns, but they feel very quick and easy, because you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you can kill them before they can hurt you. It’s a godlike power to hold death in your hand on a hair trigger, particularly when you feel defenseless otherwise. If you had godlike omniscience to go along with it, there would be no problem.

Guns do not forgive mistakes. The gun doesn’t care that the guy thought he was flirting, or that the girl looked like the girl that hurt you. It only cares where the barrel was pointed and where that line ends. If I hadn’t gotten past (Been forced past really) wanting a gun and taken up martial arts, there’s at least one man who did nothing wrong that wouldn’t be alive today. Instead I broke his arm for no good reason.

The only nice thing about breaking an arm for no reason is that you can say your sorry. That’s an option I had that a gun doesn’t give you. And it wasn’t even the only man I hurt between the period I thought I was back together and the period I was back together – just the one I hurt worst.

The flip side of which is – I don’t know what options men have open to them now that forgive mistakes. For all the whining about how men were fine with it when they were stronger, the fact of the matter is that it wasn’t something that made women defenseless. A women with training would beat a man without training every time. It took skill, but it was a given.

If I had no training whatsoever, and a male blackbelt challenged me right now, it wouldn’t be a contest. The strength and weight difference is so extreme that I don’t think skill, leverage, speed, all those things I learned to feel safe, aren’t things that can be done when you can only lift 25 lbs and the opponent can lift 300. There may be some kind of theoretical martial art that can balance this out, but there’s no kind of present day martial art that comes close. Some of the soft disciplines might come close, but I don’t think so.

I don’t have a solution for anyone here, but I think we need to put real immediate thought into something that lets a man defend himself when he’s scared, and lets a woman survive it when it turns out he was mistaken – Taser, pepper spray, whatever.

Because right now, if it comes down to letting every man on the planet have a gun so they can feel safe, and risking that women will get killed that way, I’m frankly tempted to give them the guns. Given that I might be the woman killed by mistake, I feel very motivated to coming up with something better though.

One last thing though Bennett – you’re scared and you’ve found your solution for the moment, but you probably need to check rather than just feeling godlike.

Can you fire a gun large enough to down a determined women with any accuracy now? I do remember thinking how powerful that beautiful five shot Kasul was in the store, until I’d nearly broke my arm target shooting. I know the policemen are going to a much lighter weapon now, because the 9mm is hard to control.

You probably need to know.

PP

[JimmyDimples]

From: Arielle Sharper

Dear Ms. Knewsome,

Looking at all these posts, there’s one major thing about Sue’s "Big Sister" idea that I don’t like.

I should have thought of that myself, and didn’t. u.u

Here I am, blessed with the power to help others and set things right, and I’m only worried about how my body looks.

Someone tell Sue to deal me in on this one. In fact, I just had a chat with some of my girls in my church’s youth fellowship. We still have a lot of nun’s habits left over from our production of the play, "Nunsense!" last week. Well, we can’t fit into the robe parts anymore, obviously, but we can still throw on the headgear.

So guys, if any girls are harrassing you at all, and you need an escort, protection, or just someone to talk to, just look for the penguin-heads. And ladies, remember… please be sweet. A nun can do nasty things to the knuckles with a ruler. >;-D

To Pat and the guys in the girlcott… you gotta do what you gotta do. And I say more power to ya. But remember… if you never trust anyone, you’ll never find the good guys.

Jill, Bennett… please: for the literal love of God, give up and turn yourselves in. Your anger will hurt yourselves way more worse than a punch or bullet ever will. And boys, if you have a gun, please turn it in, or at least keep it at home.

There is no shame in turning to someone who wants to help. I’d like to think you’d have done the same back when we girls were the less muscular sex.

I refuse to say "weaker." That’s not weakness. That’s letting them do the Golden Rule.

In His love,

Arielle

[minimanmax]

From: Sue

Dear Ms. Knewsome;

I like to thank Arielle Sharper for supporting my idea for that ‘Big Sister’ program. We need as much girls in on it as we can. I know some of the guys think I may be too late with this and if I am I’m sorry. But to advoid any more tragities from happing we must do this and we must set examples for our young sister and daughters who will be growing up in a world where the men would be ‘weaker’. Rules like what the gentalmen where allways tought in treating women.

I seen the type of monsters women can become before the change. I’ve seen my father suffer at the hands of my mother and all that I can say is I’m glad he’s dead right now because if he wasn’t things would be alot worse for him.

Thanks to you all that support me in this.

Sue

[JimmyDimples]

To: Marilyn Knewsome (marknew742@gmail.com)

From: Merita Myrick

Dear Ms. Newsome:

Arielle passed this address on to me. I wasn’t in your session Wednesday; I had been in school in Indonesia on a foreign exchange program this semester, and I’d just flown back that morning. I had to hurry back to the States when the Islamic village we stayed in had a very bad women’s revolt. Sadly, our school got torched by the men in response. So while it’s great to be home, I wish it were for a better reason.

Anyway, all this muscle changing had gotten me in the dumps. My mom and dad decided to cheer me up by taking me out to my favorite all-you-can-eat country style steak buffet for a welcome-home dinner.

Well, like Arielle, I like the power of my new body, but not the shape. Say all you want about muscle being the new feminine look, get used to it, yadda yadda yadda. Well, I. Like. The. Old. Look. And so do many of the boys. And while I’m not going to become an anorexic, I figured I can preserve the female curves by plumping up a little. Hey, like Ms. Dooda kept telling me, it’s MY body. X-P

Of course, I’d work off the fat around the abs, but I figured the chest and butt could use some more. It’d keep me huggable like an old-school girl, anyway.

So Mom and Dad and I packed up in the Buick and took off to eat. The place was crowded! All the women were swarmed around the buffet line stacking up their plates! It was like a Saturday sale at Wal-Mart!

I quickly realized why: it took me eight trips for me to feel the least bit full! Trip after trip, trying to elbow my way to something I liked, things kept disappearing. And the chicken kebabs and cheesecake vanished as soon as the server put it on! Even the waitresses were getting tired!

Finally, the manager came out and said, sorry folks, we’re out of food. They had to close the buffet down. It sounded like a Jerry Springer episode! Mom, Dad and I paid up, but lots of others wouldn’t, and stormed out angrily without coughing up a cent.

On the ride home, it dawned on me: all these appetites are now multiplied by about 3.2 billion now! And we already have 800 million people facing hunger and malnutrition worldwide! Not only that, in 2003, 36.3 million people in the United States, including 13 million children, had to skip meals or eat less just to make ends meet.

Sure, the men might have smaller appetites now, but that’s nowhere near enough to offset things, what with women’s muscle bodies inflating like wildfire.

You say that the battle of the sexes isn’t a war. Well, at least wars are organized. Starvation riots aren’t! I’m scared that this new change is going to result in a total breakdown in civilization!

What do we do? Anorexia’s looking a lot less unpleasant. :~(

Merita

[alex]

To: Marilyn Knewsome (marknew742@gmail.com)

From: Prof. Clitus Van Praagh

I student of mine showed me these forum , more specifically the concerns of the one named Merita Myrick and I felt I had to adress these matters here.

Ms Merita’s concern is a valid one which has been closely monitored by many academic and governmental institutions through out the world. The good news, from our latest studies, shows that the level of caloric consumption by females has lowered significantly in subjects that have already gone through their full growth cycle. Our numbers have shown that their stabilized levels of nutrient requirements are very close to the double of the amount of a normal female, which is a mystery to us scientists since most females have now up to 2.7 to 3.5 times their previous body mass.

So to address ms Verita’s concern regarding famine and starvation, all I can say is that once this period of transition is over, things will pretty much settle down as they were before these changes. And I also would like to advice you Ms Myrick, that it’s a waste of effort and even unhealthy to try to prevent the changes that your body is going through. Good luck to you and your family.

Prof. Clitus Van Praagh

[Mark Newman]

To: Merita Myrick

From: Marilyn Knewsome

I’m not a biologist, so I can’t comment on the Professor’s views. But I do recall that females do process food more efficiently than males. Perhaps that’s because we take smaller bites and chew more carefully. Or maybe there’s a more fundamental reason. But I too would expect that the overall food consumption level will not be too different from what it is today.

Also, since in much of the world women are involved heavily in food production and preparation, it would not surprise me if the priorities women place in good nutrition and caring for their dependents would result in an increase in food production and less waste. But that’s just a guess on my part.

Naturally at a time of transition there will be all sorts of rumors flying around. I’ve posted a few in the letters I’ve received from all of you. Here are some others, all of which are untrue.

* At some high schools in the South, boys are being barred from participating in athletics because of concerns about the fragility of their bones. NOT TRUE!!

* Females now not only have attained male strength, and more, but their performance in math and science has also exceeded former male levels. NOT TRUE!!

* Females have gained the ability to read men’s minds. NOT TRUE!! (at least no more true than before)

* Female militants have taken over the Army and are plotting to overthrow the government and install a new feminist regime that will take the vote away from men and the rest of their legal rights. NOT TRUE!! Not in the US or anywhere else. (although it is true that in Sierra Leone some former members of a guerilla force have been massacred by a band of women seeking revenge for mass rape)

If any of you have heard rumors that disturb you, or even that amuse you, let me know. It’s good to air these fears. The rumors themselves are representations of our psychological reactions to the changes and will tell us more about each other and our new society.

Marilyn

[minimanmax]

From: Sue

Dear Ms. Knewsome;

Thanks for clearing some of that up. And thank you for saying that women are capable of doing all those horrorable things that meny men did to most women. But I am writing this post because I’m worried I may become like my mother was before the change. I metioned how she adbused my father untill he took his own life. Some times I think that I should end my friendship with david because I don’t want to lose controll and end up hurting him and making him fear me and all other women. But I fear for him if I did that. I don’t trust my friend Mary (who was a rape victim). She was talking about getting her revenge on men for what was done to her. Plus some of the other girls may be worse. Some times I wish what ever caused this change would reverst it’s self. I don’t like the temptation or even the idea that I could become like my mother. What do you think I sould do?

By the way I have talked to the vice princable (excuse my spelling) and she said she’ll do all she can to help with the ‘Big Sister’ program. She said that the students safty wheather they are male or female must come fist

[Mark Newman]

Dear Sue:

Whether we are strong are weak, we always have the power to do good in our lives or evil. It’s up to you how you use your strength. If you truly care for David then I’m sure you will be good for him. Just don’t confuse your strength with the idea that your might makes you right. It doesn’t make you right — or wrong. It does mean that you’re the one who gets to open the pickle jars.

As for wishes, well, it’s natural to wish that things be different than they are. There’s nothing harmful in it, so long as you know that a wish is just a wish. Wishes can’t change people or things. Only your own actions can.

Good luck!

Marilyn

[JimmyDimples]

To: Marilyn Knewsome (marknew742@gmail.com)

From: Morty Bank

Re: My Mom and Dad

Sorry I’m way late on this. I didn’t have anything to add to our pow wow with the other students. But something happened this evening in the wake of the Big Muscle Switcheroo that I’m kind of concerned about.

One evening last week, I had to go down to my mom and dad’s bathroom since the toilet upstairs wasn’t working right. Passing by their bedroom, I heard them getting ready for … well, what they said tells it better than I could.

Mom said, "Monty, I don’t feel like it, I just want you to hold me."

Dad said, "Say WHAT now?!"

Mom sighed and said "You’re just not in touch with my emotional needs as a woman enough for me to satisfy your physical needs as a man."

Dad went, "Wh… wha… wha?"

"Can’t you just love me for who I am and not what I do for you in the bedroom?"

And it was totally quiet after that. Realizing that nothing else was going to happen that night I went to the bathroom, looked out for number one, and went back to bed.

Then the Big Switch happened. Last night, I went down to their bathroom to get some hydrogen peroxide. I didn’t hear what they were arguing about, but then the door swung open, and Ma carried Dad in her arms right out of the bedroom, toted him into the den, and dumped him into the couch with a blanket and pillow. They didn’t want to talk about it.

Anyway, this afternoon after school, Dad got off early from work to do some clothes shopping; Ma’s wardrobe was too small, and Dad’s and mine were too big.

But we didn’t go to Wal-Mart as usual. No, we went shopping at a big, big fancy department store.

I walked around with them while Mom tried on several different very expensive outfits. She couldn’t decide which one to take so Dad told her we’ll just buy them all. She wanted new shoes to go her new clothes, so he said lets get a pair for each outfit. Then we went on to the jewellery department where she picked out a pair of diamond earrings. Let me tell you…she was so excited. I hadn’t seen her this giddy since Arielle and Merita won free tickets to the Great Honking Flejeebers concert.

I was worried about how we were going to pay for everything. And we hadn’t even gotten clothes for Dad or me.

Mom then asked for a tennis bracelet and she doesn’t even know how to play tennis. Dad said, "That’s fine, honey." I realized something was up.

Well, Ma was so excited, I thought she was going to make out with Dad right there in the store right then. Smiling with excited anticipation she finally said, "I think this is all dear, let’s go to the cashier."

Dad folded his arms and simply said, "No honey, I don’t feel like it."

Her face just went completely blank as her jaw dropped with a baffled "Huh?!"

Dad then said, "Really honey! I just want you to HOLD this stuff for awhile."

"WHAT?!?"

"You’re just not in touch with my financial needs as a man enough for me to satisfy your shopping needs as a woman."

And just when she had this look like she was going to kill Dad, he added, "Martissa, dear, why can’t you just love me for who I am and not for the things I buy you?"

She dumped all the stuff, grabbed my wrist, stomped off to the SUV, and we left him at the store.

Something tells me Dad’s sleeping on the couch again tonight.

Should I say or do anything?

Morty Bank

[Author]

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