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[incendiary_dan]

http://www.planet-mag.com/2009/art/jenna-martin/asgarda/

Apparently a group of Ukrainian women living in the mountains and kicking ass:

In the Ukraine, a country where females are victims of sexual trafficking and gender oppression, a new tribe of empowered women is emerging. Calling themselves the “Asgarda”, the women seek complete autonomy from men. Residing in the Carpathian Mountains, the tribe is comprised of 150 women of varying ages, primarily students, led by 30 year-old Katerina Tarnouska. Reviving the tribal traditions of the Scythian Amazons of ancient Greek mythology, the Asgarda train in martial arts, taught by former Soviet karate master, Volodymyr Stepanovytch, and learn life skills and sciences in order to become ideal women.

[PaleoGardener]

Can this possibly be real? If it is, it's amazing!

[oakcorn]

They are goin to need some men SOMEtime. Otherwise, they'll just end up like the Shakers - adopt and keep adopting, until adoption law changes, then collapse slowly.

[PaleoGardener]

Well, the original Amazons, according to legend, got together with men every once in a while, and then dropped off any male children at the village the men came from.

[bereal]

If they are at all visible to the public, and at all accessible, I highly doubt their numbers will dwindle over time because of not having babies.  As a warrior society, they will undoubtedly attract plenty of women seeking a different path from getting married & having babies (or being victimized in some way like most women in their society).  I expect that their numbers will continue to grow, as long as they aren't shut down by the government (a real possibility, I think).

This isn't the only instance of women organizing to take their power back, and to use that power to defend other women.  I am greatly inspired by a group in India called the Gulabi Gang (if I remember right), aka the Pink Saris, a militant group of women who are doing things like helping (fund, protect?) schools for girls, publicly beating up known domestic abusers, and are sending guns to women in Africa. 

Its about time we all stopped talking about things like child abuse & rape and expecting some mystical force (the police? the government?) to magically solve these problems for us, and instead started exerting our power to do something about them ourselves.  If I knew of a citizen's defense group near me (like the Whatcom county action committee, I think they're called, in Bellingham WA), I would totally join them.  Hmm, once I stop traveling around, maybe I should start one!