Thank you, Veterans, for what you have done and continue to do

November 11, 2009

Thank you, Veterans, for volunteering to risk your life, limbs and sanity to protect our Freedoms. Without you, America as we know it would cease to exist. Please take pride in your accomplishments, whatever they may be, and I hope you feel much kindness today.

Thank you for your service.

Your fellow American.

snprbth

The best National Anthem in sports, performed by opera tenor Jim Cornelison and organist Frank Pellico.

United Center in Chicago, Game 4 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Blackhawks vs Canucks.

National Anthem starts (1:43) preceded O Canada.

Female sexual assault: Military 1 in 3 - Civilian 1 in 6

March 19, 2009

Yep, that’s right. Women in the military are more likely to be raped in the military than on the street and they are more likely to be raped than killed in action in Iraq and Afghanistan. Read that again. And then realize that the Pentagon admits that 80% of rapes in the military are not reported. Forget the don’t ask, don’t tell hoopla - their choice to engage in sodomy is voluntary - address the women who are being forcibly sodomized against their will while voluntarily risking their lives for our freedom.

Imagine what could happen/is happening/has happened to a lesbian service member when her military brothers decide that all she needs is a good f*ck.

Veterans Administration has classified a subset of PTSD: Military Sexual Trauma.

Should this be something women who volunteer to serve our country should have to suffer? Is not going into battle difficult enough? Going into countries like Iraq and Afghanistan where women are already thought of as chattel? What happens to them when they get captured? Even if they never are - the thought has to weigh heavily on them.

Why should they have to fear their fellow soldiers as well?

It is heinous.

And what does the media focus on? Wanting to photograph flag-draped coffins. They have no concern for the walking dead.

Here are some interesting comments from DAVID MARTIN:

A Veterans Administration study found that one in sedical records of 125,000 war veterans, both men and women, showed 15 percent reported sexual trauma. That works out to nearly 2,600 veterans, almost all women. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, since the study covered only a fraction of the 870,000 veterans who have fought - and none still on active duty.

1 in 7 female veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan seeking medical care from the VA suffered sexual trauma - everything from harassment to rape.

And:

A recent survey by the Government Accountability Office of just 13 military bases found that 103 service members who say they’ve been sexually assaulted in the previous 12 months.

And:

And women who suffer sexual trauma are more likely to develop medical and mental problems.

Studies show it ranks high - or higher - than combat as a cause of post-traumatic stress disorder.

The chances of being found guilty?

Congress mandated in 2006 that the military keep track of cases - prior to that there was nothing in place. Not a surprise.

2006: 2,974 cases of rape and sexual assault only 292 cases resulted in a military trial.

Doesn’t say how many were found guilty and how many of them actually received punishment.

2007: Over 2200 servicemen investigated for sexual assault only 181 were prosecuted.

How many women soldiers are going to fabricate a rape when to survive they are already trying to stay under the radar? Not happening.

How many women after the investigation and court cases remain in the military vs the accused who got off?

Katie Couric talked with one brave patriot, Jessica, who was one of three women in a unit with 60 men. Just weeks in she was sexually harassed by her superior and then she was raped by a soldier from another base.

It’s one thing if the rapist is a stranger, an acquaintance, a family member, a religious man, a teacher, a person in a position of authority - but someone who you have sworn to risk your life for? Someone who has sworn to save and protect yours? Someone took the same oath of office and who is supposed to follow the same code of ethics?

And what about the rest of the soldiers at his base? Did they turn him in or laugh and ask for details?

It’s disgusting. And some of the rapists who are found guilty are not dishonorably discharged - they are given pay/rank reductions.

What does the military code of conduct entail? And is it enforced conditionally?

“I am gay” gets a soldier fired but being found guilty of sexual assault gets a demotion in rank or pay?

The only way this is going to stop is if the band of brothers decide to make it stop. These rapists do not rape without at least one of their fellow brothers/rapists knowing. Those who say nothing and know about the crime should be punished in the same fashion as the rapist.

Problem is - not very many of the rapist are being punished.

Here is Katie Couric’s interview with the transcript below. Please take the 4:26 to watch.

CBS Transcript

COURIC VOICOVER: They’ve become an integral part of modern warfare - 200,000 active duty women serving alongside their band of brothers. Jessica was one of those women. Born into a military family, at 24 she enlisted in the Army. Following basic training she was posted half a world away at Camp Humphreys in South Korea. She was assigned to an Apache helicopter maintenance crew, one of three women in a unit of 60 men. Jessica worked hard to blend into a very macho world, CBS News anchor Katie Couric reports.

JESSICA: You figure out how to turn the guy off, and become one of the guys. That’s your safety mechanism.

COURIC VOICEOVER: But that safety mechanism failed. Just weeks into her new assignment, her squad leader began making unwanted sexual comments. Then it turned physical when he tried to force himself on her. She was afraid to report it, tried to forget it, but the assault haunted her. In a completely unrelated incident when she was out one night, someone she knew from another base raped her.

JESSICA: The betrayal issues to this day are still pretty deep. You know, I was like, ‘I’m willing to give my life for this guy next to me but how do I know that he’s not going to hurt me?’”

COURIC VOICEOVER: Jessica’s story is not unique. One in three female soldiers will experience sexual assault while serving in the military, compared to one in six women in the civilian world. The Pentagon released a disturbing report Tuesday on sexual abuse in the military, saying that more than 2,900 sexual assaults were reported last year, up nearly 9 percent from the year before. Nearly two-thirds of the cases involved rape or aggravated assault.

COURIC: How big a problem do you believe is rape and sexual assault in the US Military is right now?

Principal Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness MICHAEL DOMINGUEZ:

DOMINGUEZ: Sexual assault injures troops. Injures readiness. So regardless of the numbers we have, it is by definition too much.

[Look at how uncomfortable he is just talking about it. Notice he said "troops". He didn't say women. He completely depersonalized them. And that it injuries 'readiness". It doesn't get more minimizing than that. Rape murders a woman's soul just as assuredly as an IED.]

COURIC VOICEOVER: But how often does it happen? The Pentagon only started a comprehensive program to track incidents in 2006, and only after Congress mandated it do so. That year there were 2,974 cases of rape and sexual assault across the services. And of those, only 292 cases resulted in a military trial. And in 2007 there were even fewer prosecutions.

COURIC: Of more than 2,200 servicemen investigated for sexual assault, only 181 were prosecuted?

DOMINGUEZ: Yes, we absolutely have to get better. [Defense] Secretary [Robert] Gates himself is driving this initiative this year to improve our ability to investigate, to prosecute and convict. This is not where we want to be.

COURIC VOICEOVER: And in a majority of cases, the punishment doesn’t seem to match the crime. Often most offenders only get a reduction in rank or reduced pay.

[That's it. That's all - compared to the ruination of the female soldier and loss of her career. What woman is going to be able to serve effectively after her rapist basically ends up with a fine? And they get to keep their jobs. What type of incentive is that for a women to report a rape? They want to stop it - stiffen the penalty - summarily discharge if found guilty.]

VIVIAN GEMBERA, a retired member of the Army’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps:

GEMBERA: These are major crimes, not misdemeanors. A lot of times what we see in the JAG court is very inexperienced, brand spanking new lawyers being given rape cases, murder cases.

COURIC VOICEOVER: This month, Defense Secretary Robert Gates called for a military-wide “review of the training and experience’ of investigators and prosecutors for sexual assault cases. For many victims their assault remains a shameful secret. The Pentagon acknowledges that some 80 percent of rapes are never reported - making it the most under-documented crime in the military.

CALLIE WIGHT, a military sexual trauma counselor for the Veterans Administration said victims haven’t come forward for a number of reasons.

WIGHT: They didn’t report because they didn’t think they’d be believed. They didn’t report because they were ashamed and humiliated and they didn’t want anyone to know what happened to them.”

COURIC VOICEOVER: The military is trying to reduce the stigma through increased awareness, education and guaranteeing confidentiality to victims reporting such crimes. The army has launched a national program called “I Am Strong.” Installations like Fort Irwin in California credit the campaign with driving assault numbers down. But for soldiers like Jessica any changes came too late.

JESSICA: The worst letdown is people who didn’t believe in me to help get through this and keep me in the army. I really wanted to be a good soldier.

COURIC VOICEOVER: Traumatized by assault and re-traumatized by inaction, she has left the military and is now trying to help other victims.

***

In this bit - I don’t know if it was Jessica’s choice - Couric didn’t interview her and there was no grilling of Dominguez or interview of Gates.

Pat Robertson/Colin Powell on Don’t ask, don’t tell

Women in military more likely to be raped than killed

UNITED FEMALE VETERANS OF AMERICA

Quote of the day: "open homosexuality in the showers not a good thing for the discipline of the troops"

December 22, 2008

I am appalled at what gay code words folks use and get away with. The bashing that occurs right out in the open. Racism is the only prejudice that has been discussed. No other prejudice is taken seriously. First sexism - whining. Ageism - punchline. Homophobia - you can't be serious. How is this a step closer to a More Perfect Union? Bigotry is bigotry. Either all are offensive or none are.

This election cycle has been a farce. barry's transcending race and partisanship? Bringing people together? Uniting the cosmos and transforming the world! Kumbaya my Lord, what are you people drinking?

Hope is an individual choice. Change! is another sunrise. Reality requires action. barry has not yet made a single unilateral decision with personal consequence. The very first time he does it will be in the White House. You ok with that? At 3am or otherwise? Do you really believe he can make a decision in 15 seconds?

Here's Pat Robertson doing what he does best while discussing Don't Ask Don't Tell with Suzanne Malveaux on CNN after he says "he's very pleased so far" with barry. So far the operative words. So far he has done nothing but appoint people. His most important appointment - his Chief of Staff - may end up being subpoenaed. barry may too...just like he was named on Rezko's indictment.

Courtesy of SwimmingPolarBear

CNN Transcript

MALVEAUX: Are you looking forward to an Obama administration, a change?

ROBERTSON: You know, I am remarkably pleased with Obama. I had grave misgivings about him, but so help me, he's come in forcefully, intelligently. He's picked a middle-of-the-road cabinet. And so far, if he continues down this course, he has the makings of a great president. So I'm very pleased so far.

MALVEAUX: What do you think of the pick as Rick Warren, the evangelical leader, as the one to deliver the invocation at his inauguration? Obviously, a controversial pick. And there are some conservatives who believe that, perhaps, he's being used as a pawn. I want to give you this quote here by Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council. He says, "Let's hope that Rick Warren will use his channel of communication to the new president to press him for more pro-family policies, rather than simply being used by Mr. Obama to make political inroads with evangelicals." [One of the enlightened few.]

Do you think that Warren is being used by Mr. Obama?

ROBERTSON: I don't think so. I think Rick is an extraordinarily able person....He's a very dynamic individual. And I don't think he's going to be anybody's pawn. He has his own agenda and I think he'll stick to it. But after all, all he's been asked to do is give an invocation. He isn't asked to endorse Obama. He's going to stand up there on the steps of the Capitol and he's going to say, "God, please bless this country," and he will do that very well.

MALVEAUX: There are others who are upset by that pick. Obviously, there are some gay activists who have expressed concern about it because he's not for pro-gay marriage

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: We definitely should reevaluate it. It's been 15 years since we put in "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which was a policy that became a law. I didn't want it to become a law, but it became a law. Congress felt that strongly about it. But it's been 15 years and attitudes have changed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Do you think it's time to put that policy aside and to let gays serve openly in the military?

ROBERTSON: Well, you know, I think I would leave that to the field commanders. And it seemed to be the unanimous decision of the military leadership that the question of open homosexuality in the barracks and showers and all the rest of it was not a good thing for the discipline of the troops...I'm not sure that we ought to change that. It's worked pretty well so far.

That may be - but not for women in the military. Female soldiers are more likely to be raped than killed by enemy fire in Iraq. Gay men in the shower is a blip on the radar, especially when it is consensual.

Women in the military more likely to be raped than killed

January 14, 2009

While Kurdish women in Iraq are being held down and having their genitals mutilated without anesthesia, while young girls are being disfigured with acid for daring to go to school and while child marriages are sanctioned in Yemen, Saudi Arabia and throughout the Arab world, American woman continue to be killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But not all of them die.

Some come home broken, having had their bodies forcibly invaded and souls murdered. By rape. By their fellow countrymen.

Raped while they are defending our freedom.

Raped by their fellow soldiers, while others look the other way.

Raped by their superiors, who are supposed to protect them from harm.

Why the focus on "Don't ask, don't tell" and not on the epidemic of rape?

Rape cannot be blamed on war or explained away by conditions on the battlefield.

It's a heinous crime that has no cure or retribution. What gets stolen can never be given back or replaced. A hole remains that can never be healed.

Rape murders a woman's soul just as surely as a bullet.

Imagine you are a woman covering your buddy's back during the day only to be raped by him at night. Where could you go to seek help? Safety? Sanctuary?

Would you have the courage to speak up in a place where all you have are your fellow soldiers - many of whom know what is happening but do nothing to stop it?

Who could you tell? Would you think anyone would listen - let alone believe you?

And even if someone did - how would you get away from the immediate environment? From the rapist? From the shame?

I read this article, "Alarming Sex Assault Rate Found Among Vets" by CBS News national security correspondent DAVID MARTIN. It's more horrific than I imagined. But how can a man report on the full impact of rape in ways other than statistics?

He can't.

How many female soldiers feel safe enough to speak up (even after they've left the military)? And if they do, who treats them? A man?

MARTIN (highlight added):

Tuesday, researchers reported that an alarming number of female soldiers have sought treatment for sexual assault committed by fellow soldiers. A Veterans Administration study found that one in seven female veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan seeking medical care from the VA suffered sexual trauma - everything from harassment to rape.

Medical records of 125,000 war veterans, both men and women, showed 15 percent reported sexual trauma. That works out to nearly 2,600 veterans, almost all women. And that's just the tip of the iceberg, since the study covered only a fraction of the 870,000 veterans who have fought - and none still on active duty.

"I do feel that it is much higher than that, and if they could get the records of all the women that have returned that had been sexually assaulted, those afraid to come in, they would find that it's a lot higher," said Wanda Story.

Story, who was raped twice during her military service 20 years ago, now heads the United Female Veterans of America. She says the military has done a lot to improve the climate for women, but war makes it worse.

"They're out there, they're away from their families, they're away from their girlfriends, you know, their wives," she said. "They see an opportunity."

A recent survey by the Government Accountability Office of just 13 military bases found that 103 service members who say they've been sexually assaulted in the previous 12 months.Numbers like that produced this jaw-dropping statement by Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif.:

"Women serving in the military today are more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than to be killed by enemy fire in Iraq."

And women who suffer sexual trauma are more likely to develop medical and mental problems.

Studies show it ranks high - or higher - than combat as a cause of post-traumatic stress disorder.

And what is being done about it? What does she come home to? What does she say to her husband ? Her family? Her children? Her community?

Why should a woman, who volunteered to defend our freedom, come home with such shame when she did nothing but serve her country honorably?

Why should a man, who dishonored the Military Code of Ethics and broke the law while killing their fellow soldier's soul, come home to silence and face no punishment?

How many of you are right now thinking: It's their own fault...women shouldn't be allowed in the military...they're just faking it to get a free pass home...c'mon what do you expect guys to do?

Look inward and answer to your own conscience. Remember that rape is under reported in the regular population and much more so in the military. If moved, do something. Show some support in whatever way you can - if only being kind to the women you know.

Go to the United Female Veterans of America website. "Holding Aloft the Torch of Patriotism." They are a non-profit veterans organization founded in May 2006 "out of a necessity to bring women veterans together in a unified organization." Their dream?

That no veteran ever spends another day without a friend, a home, a family, a meal, a job, a healthy mind and body and a heartfelt thanks for their sacrifices for our country.

Is that too much to ask?

And why should they need to?