How to Prevent Rape

One of the hats that I sometimes wear, is that of certified victim's advocate. I have occasionally gotten into debates with others about domestic violence and rape and the role of the victim. Our society has a long history of blaming the victim, particularly in cases of domestic violence. Why does she stay? How can any woman allow a man to treat her like that? When rape is called date rape, it is typically written with quote marks and although not often spoken out loud for fear the speaker might be accused of political incorrectness, many believe that date and rape are mutually exclusive. After all, she must have led him on. Right? I've seen articles suggesting that Rhianna was partially responsible for Chris Brown's attack - after all, they were together, they were both arguing, so she was partially at fault. Right? Wrong.

Have you noticed that the word rape has been appearing in the national headlines recently? In the political headlines?

Recently, 30 Republican lawmakers voted against a bill that would have denied government contracts to companies that refused their employees the ability to sue them for sexual assaults committed by other employees. Senator Sessions said the bill was a "political attack against Halliburton." He (Sessions) claimed that arbitration was a fair substitute for a court case and that the government should not be in the business of re-writing contracts. Excuse me? A significant portion of what government does is write (and re-write) contracts. Law is a contract. A social contract that in exchange for certain behavior, we will be safe, and those who engage in other behaviors will be separated from the rest of us by government. Goverment also engages in contracts with companies to provide services all over the world, so Session's remarks are as usual, self-serving.

A google search using the key words rape and politcs time limited to the past week returned a result of 956 hits. Results included, but are not limited to, the above mentioned amendment, Fox News attempt to smear Kevin Jennings, and the problems rape victims are having finding health insurance, especially if they received prophylactic AIDS treatment after being raped.

So, we have not only our elected leaders, but health insurance companies seeing profit and corporate convenience as more important than the health and welfare of women who have experienced a sexual assault. Even Rhianna, well known as a strong, independent woman, is seen as being at least partially deserving of being beaten by her boyfriend.

In light of this prevailing attitude of women as victim, women as deserving of rape, women as somehow at least partially at fault for what happens to them, here is a guide on how to prevent rape.

How to Prevent Rape

A lot has been said about how to prevent rape. Women should learn self-defense. Women should lock themselves in their houses after dark. Women shouldn’t wear short skirts. Women shouldn’t leave drinks unattended. Perhaps they shouldn’t dare to get drunk at all.

Instead of further curtailing women’s freedom, how about:

• If a woman is drunk, don’t rape her.
• If a woman is walking alone at night, don’t rape her.
• If a women is drugged and unconscious, don’t rape her.
• If a woman is wearing a short skirt, don’t rape her.
• If a woman is jogging in a park at 5 am, don’t rape her.
• If a woman looks like your ex-girlfriend you’re still hung up on, don’t rape her.
• If a woman is asleep in her bed, don’t rape her.
• If a woman is asleep in your bed, don’t rape her.
• If a woman is doing her laundry, don’t rape her.
• If a woman is in a coma, don’t rape her.
• If a woman changes her mind in the middle of or about a particular activity, don’t rape her.
• If a woman has repeatedly refused a certain activity, don’t rape her.
• If a woman is not yet a woman, but a child, don’t rape her.
• If your girlfriend or wife is not in the mood, don’t rape her.
• If your step-daughter is watching tv, don’t rape her.
• If you break into a house and find a woman there, don’t rape her.
• If your friend thinks it’s okay to rape someone, tell him it’s not, and that he’s not your friend.
• If your “friend” tells you he raped someone, report him to the police.
• If your frat-brother or another guy at the party tells you there’s an unconscious woman upstairs and It’s your turn, don’t rape her, call the police and tell the guy he’s a rapist.
• Tell your sons, god-sons, nephews, grandsons, sons of friends it’s not okay to rape someone.
• Don’t tell your women friends how to be safe and avoid rape.
• Don’t imply that she could have avoided it if she’d only done/not done x.
• Don’t imply that it’s in any way her fault.
• Don’t let silence imply agreement when someone tells you he “got some” with the drunk girl.
• Don’t perpetuate a culture that tells you that you have no control over or responsibility for your actions. You can, too, help yourself.

If you agree, repost it. It’s that important.   -Author unknown

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Ps. If you're interested in a post on why women (and men) stay in abusive relationships, leave a comment.

Jon Stewart Exposes the Serial Stupidity of Jeffery Beauregard Sessions III, Again

I've remarked a number of times on the serial stupidity of the GOP and of Senator Sessions. It would be an amusing sideshow watching Congressional Republicans as a group, and Mr. Sessions in particular, if it weren't such a serious matter.

Freshman Senator Al Franken has introduced an amendment that would deny government contracts to companies that deny their employees the right to sue. The bill came about as the result of an incident involving a young woman employed in Iraq by KBR. Gang-raped by her fellow employees, she was then locked into a shipping container overnight to ensure that she could not report the crime. Although injured, because the rape occurred outside the United States, it was not subject to United States criminal codes. When she attempted to sue KBR, she was informed that "such incidents" were resolved through arbitration by the terms of her employment contract. Arbitration. How comforting.

Remember Acorn? How a video clip of pretend prostitutes talking to Acorn staff about an imaginary business plan (however illegal) caused an immediate public outcry? And an immediate bill on the floor of the House calling for a stop to all federal funding of Acorn? You might not be aware of it, but several governors, including Louisiana Republican governor Jindal and Minnesota Republican governor Pawlenty issued executive orders that no more state funds could be used by Acorn. Sounded good, except that Acorn has never received state funding in Louisiana or Minnesota.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Rape-Nuts
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How many other such clips are there showing the serial stupidity of the GOP? Will they learn? Of course not. They do not have the self-awareness to recognize the disconnect between their words and their actions. If they do, they are not reflective enough to acknowledge.The mind cannot continue in a state of such cognitive dissonance. When our behavior is dissonant with our beliefs, then we must change our beliefs to return to congruence. The Senator Sessions of the world have convinced themselves that Senator Franken's amendment is a political attack on Halliburton, therefore bad, while their bill about Acorn is a political attack on President Obama, therefore good. It is not goverment's role when it suits them, but it is when it does.

The serial stupidity of the GOP and Jeffrey Beauregard Sessions, III.

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