Inappropriate or Unacceptable? (Joe Biden’s ‘friendliness’)

I have edited this post by adding this beginning paragraph as I was not happy with the way it came across. So, I want to stress that I have respect for Biden. I hope he doesn’t run in 2020 for reasons unrelated to this issue, however, if he does get the Democratic Ticket I will vote for him and I would be proud have him as my president. The man has character. Character is recognizing that you made a mistake. Character is acknowledging and respecting someone else seeing your actions or your words as a mistake even if you do not. Character is owning up to and taking responsibility for those mistakes. Character is something Joe Biden has an abundance of. That being said,

When I first heard of the accusations of Joe Biden and inappropriate touching of the back or the knee I was outraged at the pettiness of them.

I adamantly protested in his defense and was incensed about the comparison between him and Trump.

Then I started watching clips of Biden’s repeated habit of kissing women on the side of the head or the neck, his embracing and slight caressing of shoulders and backs. I listened to his response to these accusations and respected his apology for making the women feel uncomfortable and respected that he would not apologize for his intentions and believed that they were not sexual or dominating in any way.

Then I started asking myself what exactly were his intentions then? He has not said. The next thing that came to mind was ‘does it really matter what his intentions were when it comes to whether or not his behavior was inappropriate’? I would have to say no, it doesn’t matter what his intentions were or were not.

I have male friends who are very hands on with friends. Myself and my whole family are huggers, we see each other all the time and always hug on departure every single time, with every one. I am grateful that we are all so close. Then it hit me, we are all very close, my family and me. Friends within my immediate circle and even ones outside of that circle and I are close enough to hug on social occasions. Social being the key word here.

Being touchy feely with those close to you in social situations is absolute acceptable and anything but inappropriate. But Joe Biden wasn’t in social situations on the videos I have been watching. He was a man of great power and in a position of authority attending or part of very ceremonial situations with women in a professional setting. This is absolutely unacceptable and anything but appropriate.

Even without the way he treated Anita Hill this is an issue for many women and it should be.

His behavior is at best overly familiar.

Still, the comparison between Biden’s behavior and Trump’s behavior is outrageous.

As For The 2016 Presidential Candidates; Here Is Where I Stand

First let me say that I am a Hillary Supporter through and through, have been ever since the United Nations World Conference for Women in 1995, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXM4E23Efvk  . Nothing she has done throughout her years as a Senator and her time as Secretary of State has or will change or lose my support. Everything that happened with Bill Clinton and women; the way she did or did not react or publicly deal with his womanizing ways (yes I believe he is or was a womanizer but do not believe he raped or sexually assaulted anyone. Monica was a big girl who by choice gave him that blow job, she was a willing participant.) Though it speaks to Bill’s character, Hillary’s marriage is none of my business; and as far as I know nothing that happened affected her ability to do her job. That being said, Benghazi? I fail to see how she is at fault for anything that happened that day, as far as I know she asked for more money to secure the Americans in the embassy’s that were attacked that day; yes there was more than one. The Americans that died, as sorrowful as that was, they knew the risks when they went there. They put their own lives on the line willingly as part of their job. Now, how the White House handled the press and what the public was told sure their was a lot of questions there but again; I fail to see how that was Hillary’s fault or responsibility.

Let’s get to the emails; I watch CSPAN, not the news. I think for myself by what those in question actually say not what the press or someone else says they said. Repeatedly those who are in charge of the investigation and all those who she answers to said that the use of a private email is not encouraged but it is not prohibited. She is not the first in a secure position to do so. Personally I probably would have done the same thing given how easy Snowden got hold of information, knowing the leaks within the government and such her private email was probably safer. And I have to point out that Congress is insisting she hand over Top Secret information; TOP SECRET being the key words here, most if not all of those asking for those emails don’t have the security clearance to read them. If they or those who side with them can’t find them, don’t know what is in them then she made a wise decision; she has kept them from eyes that are not cleared to see them.

I firmly believe that those asking are desperately trying to find something they can use against her, especially concerning Benghazi because they have so far found nothing to convict of.

Now we get to the election process. I am not arguing that the election process is at the very least flawed, the whole super delegate thing is very unfair; but that is not Hillary’s fault, she didn’t and isn’t the one responsible for it.

Many of those that hate her do so on the grounds that she is corrupt; that she is bought and paid for, that she caters to the 1%, that she is against the working class. I don’t see it that way; but admittedly I do not know how or who invests or donates to her that is corrupt or unethical. Is she wealthy? Yes, is that a crime? No.

Now on to Bernie; but first let me point out that Bernie and Hillary don’t differ much if at all on most policies; at least not the important ones. They both want harsher gun laws, they both want universal health care, they both want free higher education (except Hillary doesn’t believe it should be free to Trumps kids or even her own for that matter). They both support funding Planned Parenthood and both support equal rights and pay for women.

Bernie in my mind is what my grandma used to call ‘poor proud’. Poor proud is someone who lives like they are poor to prove they are like those that are when in fact they are living poor by choice, without actually knowing the struggle of the lower class and without experiencing the fear of not being able to feed your kids or of becoming homeless. He chose to live in a Sugar shack in college that had no electricity, running waters and had dirt floors; but he did so by choice not because he had no other choice or resources. Don’t let his poor proud act fool you, not only does he make 174,000 dollars a year as a Senator and his wife go somewhere around a 200,000 dollars severance pay after stepping down as president of Burlington College; this was close to here yearly salary. I don’t know how much the Sanders are worth but they are definitely not middle class.

I don’t agree with his free education for all; for those who need it but not for all. I also believe that if he accomplishes this it will lower the quality of higher education; it will be comparable to the poor quality of public education now. This goes for his free medical universally as well. I believe he has the best of intentions but I think he is unrealistic and as my grandma would say…he is poor proud.

But like Hillary he stands for the equality of women, our right to choose, stricter gun laws, cleaner energy, stopping global warming and lowering taxes for the middle and lower class. I don’t know more about his foreign policy other than that he voted against the war in Iraq and he stands against nuclear weapons.

Hillary is the only candidate who understands what is going on in Syria, and the Middle East. She is the only one who knows Foreign policy from the inside. She has already established relationships with other foreign leaders, she has negotiated with them and she understands who they are and what they want and what they will do. I fear Bernie’s higher moral ground attitude will interfere with his policies and his diplomacy with foreign policy.

This is where the thought of Trump in office terrifies me. I am not so much concerned with what he will do to or in the United States, it is what he will do to this country on a global scale. His arrogant third grade attitude; name calling, his bigotry, his misogyny, his lack of understanding foreign policy and his just bomb them all attitude will destroy any and all relationships that have been built with countries like Japan and Russia. His homophobic, Islamaphobic and white supremacy will alienate all foreign peoples and their leaders.

And his support of the NRA will lead to more mass shootings and violent deaths than the already unacceptable rate it is already. His lack of basic manners and his direct political incorrectness; his point to offend; his bullying and his just plain bad manners will only not offend others like him. His reality show on the road to the White House is a testament to the overwhelming number of ignorant people who think Jerry Springer an awesome show.

Yes I will vote for Hillary, and yes the fact that she is a woman adds to her appeal. Not just any woman but a woman who will fight to end the violence and oppression of women world wide. That is the issue that is at the top of my list of wants as far as change in this world; and she alone will not stand on protocol or policy and back down from the fight to end the violence against women.

The Bathroom Battle Won; Mic Is Dropped And She Has Walked Away

I am sharing a post I saw on Facebook. Like I said, drop the mic and walk away; there is nothing more to say;

This woman, Kasey Rose-Hodge, just shut down the whole bathroom conversation in magnificent style!

“Dear creepy heterosexual men guarding our bathrooms,

My entire life, I’ve been told to fear you in one way or another. I’ve been told to cover my body as to not distract you in school, to cover my body to help avoid unwanted advances or comments, to cover my body as to not tempt you to sexually assault me, to reject your unwanted advances politely as to not anger you. I’ve been taught to never walk alone at night, to hold my keys in my fist while walking in parking lots, to check the backseat of my car, to not drink too much because you might take advantage of me. I’ve been told what I should and shouldn’t do with my body as to not jeopardize my relationships with you.

I’ve been warned not to emasculate you, to let “boys be boys”, to protect your fragile ego and to not tread on your even more fragile masculinity. I’ve been taught to keep my emotions in check, to let you be the unit of measure for how much emotion is appropriate and to adjust my emotions accordingly. I’ve been taught that you’re allowed to categorize women into mothers/sisters/girlfriends/wives/daughters but any woman outside of your protected categories is fair game.

So to those of you who think you’re being helpful by “protecting” me and my fellow women, you’re like a shark sitting in the Lifeguard chair. I wasn’t uncomfortable until you showed up at the pool and the only potential predator I see is you.

Your mothers, sisters, girlfriends, wives and daughters don’t need you to walk them to the bathroom for safety. Your fathers, brothers, friends and sons need to walk themselves away from their own double standards. Women are sexually harassed and sexually assaulted on school campuses, on the street, at their jobs, on the Internet, in their own homes, in ANY public place. And it has been excused or ignored for so long because of what you and I are taught from the first years of our interactions with each other: You, as a male, are not accountable for your own actions. It’s MY responsibility, as a female, to not “provoke” you. But then you get to Knight-In-Shining-Armor your way through life for those in your protected categories and I am expected to applaud you. Why the outrage now over bathrooms? Why aren’t you outraged every single day?

If you’re telling me that there are high volumes of boys and men out there, in schools or in general, who are just waiting for a “loop hole” to sexually assault girls and women, we have bigger problems on our hands than bathrooms. The first problem would be your apparent lack of knowledge of how often it happens OUTSIDE of bathrooms, with no “loop holes” needed. This isn’t about Transgender bathroom access. This is about you not trusting the boys and men in your communities and/or fearing that they’re all secretly predators. Why do you have this fear? How many fathers have panicked when their daughters started dating because they “know how teenaged boys can be because they used to be one”? How many times have girls been warned “boys are only after one thing”? A mother can bring her young son into the women’s restroom and that’s fine but a father bringing his young daughter into the men’s restroom is disturbing because men are assumed to be predators and “little girls” shouldn’t be exposed to that.

So instead of picking up your sword and heading to Target or the girls’ locker room to defend our “rights”, why don’t you start somewhere that could actually make a difference? Challenge your children’s schools to end sexist dress codes and dress codes that sexualize girls as young as age 5. Advocate for proper (or any) sex education classes in all public schools by a certain grade level. Focus more on teaching your sons not to rape vs teaching your daughters how to avoid being raped. Stop asking “How would you feel if that was your mother or sister?” It shouldn’t take the comparison to clue you in to what’s right or wrong. Question why you’re more worried about your daughter being around men than your son being around women in bathrooms and dressing rooms. Stop walking by Victoria’s Secret with no problem but covering your son’s eyes if a woman is breastfeeding in public. Stop treating your daughter’s body as some fortress you’re sworn to protect as if that’s all she’s got to offer the world.”

– Kasey Rose-Hodge

Pass it on!

To Richard, From a Feminist; A letter to Richard Dawkins

“Human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights.”

Hillary Rodham Clinton

 

Dear Richard Dawkins,’

Feminism is not an issue and it isn’t political. Feminism is a stand for what is a moral, ethical and international dilemma, the violence against, the oppression and inequality of women. I believe that Dawkins is a good man, rational, reasonable, moral, enlightened, empathetic, intellectual activist who believes, sees, speaks out and stands up for women’s rights, secular freedom and scientific education for the good of the whole of humankind. What he isn’t is a run of the mill man, biased, sexist, racist, misogynistic, religious or hypocritical. He is educated, brilliant, secular and extremely influential and is or at least should be held to a higher standard. He has put himself in a position to make a difference on a global scale for the cultural, intellectual economical, scientific and political advancement and enlightenment of humanity. He has placed himself among those who know they can and will make not only a difference but history. His work is and will be studied, taught and remembered alongside of Newton, Einstein, Darwin, DeCartes, Hume, Oppenheimer, Krauss, Tyson, Bethe, Bohr, Feynman and others who have changed the course of our very existence. So yeah, I expect more of him than most.

Recently Dawkins has been misquoted, , misinterpreted, misunderstood and had completely missed the point of feminism. This is not entirely his fault but it is entirely his responsibility. It is his responsibility to clarify, rectify and unify this divide among free thinkers that he has caused, the cause in which he has fought so hard for; secular freedom and reason depends on him. This cause of secularism and reason isn’t his to divide but it is his to unite. Common Richard, don’t group all feminists into this rape culture and militant feminism; just as you don’t like being lumped in with atheists that have caused harm in the world, those that have damaged your cause; don’t let a few damage ours.

Your’s truly;

and atheist feminist.

 

Vice President Joe Biden and Lady Gaga?

This Sunday Vice President Joe Biden will introduce Lady Gaga when she will perform the song ‘Til It Happens To You’. The VP’s presence at the Oscars is to promote the ‘It’s On Us’ Campaign. He is bringing awareness to the problem of rape on college campus. Support this campaign.

http://itsonus.org

Biden drafted the Violence Against Women Act, he has been an outspoken advocate in the fight to stop the violence against women.

 

MISS Representation

An insightful look at how media, including national news, misrepresents women and causes political efficacy. Interviews with great women like Hilary Clinton, Katie Couric, Geena Davis and many professional and educated women in media, the press, film, politics and educational fields. Brought tears to my eyes more than once.

I give this 5 plus stars

It is available on Netflix

Berkeley In The Sixties

 

This is a great look at the most progressive college campus during the radical sixties. Interviews with actual protesters who had a hand in the great political rallies that led to the draft protests, the Vietnam War protests, Womens Rights movements and Civil Rights……plus much much more.

I give it  5 stars.

It is available on Netflix

Domestic Violence is a Man Problem – Are we man enough to do something about it?

An inspirational man…

Chrisitan Empathy For Nigerian Girls?

I by no means am trying to divert the focus of the kidnapped girls in Nigeria away from the Islamic terrorists that took them, but, I find it really disturbing to hear Christian leaders and clergy expressing empathy and outrage about it. Why? Because the only reason they are doing so is because they do it just to show how bad Muslims are. They do it to in a way that says Christians are better than Muslims. These are the same Christians who will be praying for the kidnapped girls AND for their kidnappers. These are the same Christians that will in the end forgive these Islam terrorists. I do not for a second believe that they have concern for these girls outside the scope of their being kidnapped by Muslims.

The Manhattan Declaration

Manhattan_Declaration_full_text

First a note, I refuse to capitalize the words catholic, christian, christianity, bible or god. That being said….

I recently became aware of this document when researching the current Hobby Lobby Supreme Court Case. This document written by

Drafting Committee
Robert George Professor, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University
Timothy George Professor, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University
Chuck Colson Founder, the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview (Lansdowne, VA)

This is a committee of the catholic church and evangelical christians.

is a vital document used in cases like the Hobby Lobby suit and the recently vetoed bill that made to Gov.  Brewer’s desk here in Arizona that looked to allow christian businesses to refuse services to gay customers.

Instead of stating all the obvious civil rights issues I am going to dissect this document using their bible to do it.

This documents preamble begins with citing that theirs is a 2000 year old tradition of resisting tyranny. I stand firm that the worst tyrannical leader in history is god. They try to add to their self-righteousness by acknowledging, very vaguely, any past ‘indiscretions’ by some christian institutions, and claim a christian heritage from those that rescued discarded babies from the trash heaps of Roman cities, those who risked their own lives by helping those struck with the plague and those that rather than deny their faith died in the coliseum. They continue on to say that it was christians that saved not only their literature but that and the art of western culture after barbarians invaded Europe. They don’t however say when.  Here I must begin to interject. History very clearly tells us that the church burned unapproved art that got by their all-seeing eyes to be created in the first place. And the church is solely responsible for the book burnings of non christian literature all throughout history. They also claim sole responsibility for ending the slave trade in Europe. Next is the boast of the hundreds of societies that help the poor, imprisoned and child laborer. I stand alongside the late great Christopher Hitchens that christians have made a career out of the exploitation of the poor.They even go so far as to claim that it was the christians that challenged the royalty of Europe that made modern democracy possible. Really? Wow. But there’s more. They say they have a devotion to human dignity by working to end human trafficking and sexual slave trades. Next is one of my favorite claims. The work they do in Africa to help end Aids. Help? Sure with conditions. The church has conditions that if aids victims practice abstinence and monogamy they will receive their help. They actually claim scientific studies show that the use of condoms has not stopped the spread of aids AT ALL. They have the nerve not to distribute condoms because it promotes promiscuity and does nothing to prevent the spread of aids. They have that audacity to enforce their contraception beliefs on victims of aids.

Now for their declaration, they declare to fight for the rights of the unborn, the sick and the elderly. In other words against abortion, contraception, DNR’s  and assisted suicide. Then there’s the protection of the sacred institution of marriage where they don’t stop at same-sex marriages but continue marching on against divorce, against premarital sex, against cohabitation and against polygamy.

First they tear into stem cell research claiming that there will be mass production of embryos produced to be destroyed. This boils down to the when life begins debate and the actual ‘production’ of embryos. This is not conception from procreation.  And one could argue that the embryos are not destroyed they are transformed into new life as new cells. This is a practice that saves lives. It can prevent people from suffering cure a number of horrific diseases. They are being hypocrites. Their issue with this is really about science creating life instead of god. The argument that global warming can’t be true because only god can destroy the earth man cannot is behind this view, theirs is the view that mankind cannot create life only god can. Well obviously since the splitting of the atom and the industrial revolution mankind can destroy the earth, and obviously science has proved through stem cell research that we can also create life.

Medically speaking life does not begin until the embryo becomes a fetus. That’s my argument there.  Here though I must throw in my question as to who exactly is going to support all these unwanted children? Who is going to raise them? If women get abortions because they can’t care for them stopping the abortion isn’t going to change the fact that these children won’t be cared for. They will either be condemned to a life of abuse, neglect and poverty. But then again a life time of suffering is essential in christian dogma. And what about the pregnancies that are a result of rape and incest. I refuse to adhere to statistics that are supposed to reflect the number of these pregnancies because it is a fact that only a small percentage of rapes are reported let alone make it to court. That however is another issue but a directly related one. Now, if the christians could fix that problem…they can however fix the other problem of preventing unwanted pregnancies in the first place by not fighting the use of contraception. Without contraception, even in the perfect christian delusional world where only married people have sex denying women the ability to control how many children they will have and when is condemning us to a life of legalized prostitution. This is the ultimate oppression of women, it results in a womans inability to obtain an education and to embark on a career or even have a minimum wage job in an economy where it is next to impossible to live above the poverty line without two incomes. And lets not leave out the fact that this ensures countless numbers of children that will be born into and live in poverty lapse of proper nutrition and education. Oh but wait, without the poor who would the christians exploit. Seems to be a little to convenient for their cause.

Now to assisted suicide. This is one of the most blatant forms of abuse there is. These servants of god who claim to spend their life putting an end to suffering are doing anything but yet again. Forcing a person to live in pain is well, fucked up. Speaking as a person who has chronic pain due to spinal stenosis and who has a family history of early onset Alzheimer’s they have no right to condemn me. If I inherit the Alzheimer’s gene, which it is a sure bet either me or one of my two sisters will, I have asked my family to either help me end it when I lose all moments of clarity or to look the other way when I decide it is time. How dare they say that they would be saving me by forcing me to live in a state of dementia and undeniable pain. How dare they impose that on me. And what right have they got to tell anyone that their lives would be of quality if they were only breathing because of artificial means. Aren’t they playing god here themselves? If god has ceased my breathing let me die, not that I believe god has that ability or uses it, who are they to play god?

Now let’s look at their views on marriage and divorce.  I have always defended the Westboro church, you know the god hates fags people, in that they are right. Not right in their actions but in that god does hate fags. The bible very clearly states that he who lies with another man as he lie with a woman shall be put to death. I don’t think there is any way to misinterpret that. This bullshit they spew about not hating the sinner just the sin, well that doesn’t and can’t apply here. God offers no forgiveness of options of repent and be forgiven on this one. This sin is to god so bad that when Lot offered up his virgin daughters to the men that wanted to rape the male guests in his house god destroyed the city of Gomorrah for that attempt of the sin of sodomy but spared Lot before doing so for offering his daughters rather than commit the sin of not protecting a guest in one’s house. That says to me pretty plainly which god sees as the greater sin. For that matter offering up daughters against their will is something god did from the beginning. He himself in a sense raped Mary, or at least his spirit did when it impregnated her without her consent. And I will use scripture against them as they are using scripture for their defense.

Throughout the book of Genesis alone there are numerous condoned, encouraged and even ordered occasions where barren wives gave maidservants to their husbands so that they could have children.  Sarah did it for Abraham,  even after he let the Pharaoh of Egypt take her after lying and saying that she was his sister so that the Pharaoh wouldn’t kill him so that he could have his wife. Sarah gave Abram a woman named Hagar. After Sarah regretted this decision Abram told Sarah she could deal with Hagar as she pleased and Hagar ended up fleeing from them. Well god directly intervenes by sending an angel to convince Hagar to return telling her that she will give birth to a son and promises her many more if she obeys. She does. Ismael is born. Then god decides that he will give Sarah who is not of the age that she has ceased to bleed, god gives back her bleeding so that she too can conceive and give Abraham another son. I must add here the fact that Sarah is also Abraham’s half-sister, they have the same father but different mothers. This decadence is what the christians claim will happen if they don’t put an end to same-sex marriages and sex out of wed lock. Abraham’s story is not over yet. He sent a servant to the house of his kindred to fetch a wife for his son Isaac. It is important to note that Abraham insists that his son marry a daughter from his father’s house. Abraham’s servant took an oath to take his master’s brother’s daughter to be Isaacs wife. In other words Isaac was to marry his first cousin. Out of this marriage comes a son, Jacob. Jacob wants to marry a girl named Rachel but to do so he must be her fathers servant for seven years, which he does. He ends up getting tricked into marrying the older sister Leah but asks to live seven more years as a servant to ‘pay’ for Rachel which he does. Well Leah bears Jacob children but Rachel is barren so Rachel gives him her handmaid Bilhah and she bears Jacob sons. Then when Leah could no longer bear sons she gave her handmaid Zilpah to Jacob to wife and conceive more sons. Their decadence goes even deeper but don’t relate here. Jacob is rewarded with wealth and lands for his fruitful multiplying. And we’re still in Genesis. This is the sanctity of marriage that christians are fighting to preserve?

 

Whatever.

The Spastic Tubes Theory

Recently Rep Todd Akin brought the abortion laws to the forefront of the Republican Party platform when he referenced the “Spastic tubes” theory when argued his case for changing the abortion laws for rape and incest victims. This theory is that of Dr. John Wilke which he explains in his book Abortion and Slavery. To emphasize my fear of this man and the Pr0-lifer’s that support him I am first going to give this man’s ‘credentials’. Dr. John C. Wilke is a medical practitioner who was a senior attending staff member at Providence and Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati Ohio where he worked for 40 years. Currently he is president of the Nationwide Educational Life Issues Institute, on the board of Reference Academy of Medical Ethics (AAME). For 10 years he was president of the United States National Right To Life Committee and The United States National Right To Life Federation which he founded in 1984.

He has his own radio show 5 Mins that is broadcast on 400 stations world-wide and his 1 min comment “Life Jewels” airs on over 1000 English and Spanish stations around the world.

Dr. Wilke and his wife Barbara are the authors of Abortion and Slavery, History Repeats and Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia Past and Present. In 1971 they published The Handbook on Abortion, Abortion Questions and Answers which has sold over 1,000,000 copies world-wide and translated into 21 languages. This was the first in a series spanning 25 years. In 1985 they published the 3rd book in this series Abortion: Questions and Answers, Why Can’t We Love Them Both? Dr. and Mrs. Wilke have also published 7 books on Sexual Health.

I have selected some excerpts from the Q and A in ‘Why Can’t We Love Them Both?” which contain the Doctor’s theory on why victims of rape and incest don’t get pregnant in the first place. The doctor argues that women can’t get pregnant when raped because their bodies will not allow the sperm to fertilize the egg if a woman was ‘legitimately raped, therefore there is no need legalize abortion for victims of rape and incest. He states his views as ‘scientific fact’ and mathematically concludes that women cannot get pregnant when raped or molested.

I have entered in my thoughts on each answer given in italics after each one. The questions and answers are copied word for word out of the book.

Dr. Wilke, “First and foremost this issue concerns forcible or assault rape, not consensual or marital rape”.

What exactly is consensual rape?

That is an oxymoron. And the law recognizes marital rape; only a male chauvinist would say that there isn’t rape in a marriage, only someone who believes that a woman is obligated to have sex with her husband.

Are assault rape pregnancies common?

No they are very rare.

-I don’t know where he gets this.

Are there accurate numbers?

The Justice Dept. from 1973 to 1987 surveyed 49,000 households annually, asking questions on violence and criminal acts. The results of those reported were: 1973-completed-rapes 95,934, 1987-completed rapes-82,505. The study stated that only 53% were reported to police. Accordingly the total numbers were: 1973-completed rapes-181,016. 1987-completed rapes-155,667. A more recent Justice Dept report using a study designed differently with more direct questions, returned a result of: 170,000 completed rapes and 140,000 attempted rapes.

-For starters let’s look at the years he uses for his statistics. Enough said.

And how many pregnancies result?

About 1 or 2 for each 1,000. Using the 170,000 figure, this translates into an overall total of 170 to 340 assault rape pregnancies a year in the entire United States.

One or two out of 1,000? Please explain.

There are about 100 million women in the United States old enough to be at risk for assault rape. Let’s use a figure of 200,000 forcible rapes every year. The studies available agree that there are no more than two pregnancies per 1,000 assault rapes. So much for the numbers. Let’s look at it from another angle and see if that figure makes sense. Of these 200,000 women who were raped, one-third are either too old or too young to get pregnant. That leaves 133,000 at risk of pregnancy. A woman is capable of being fertilized only three days out of her 30-day month. So divide 133,000 by 19 and 13,300 women remain. One-fourth of all women in the United States of child-bearing age have been sterilized. That drops the figure to 10,000. Only half of the assailants penetrate her body and/or deposit sperm. Cut it in half again. We are down to 5,ooo. Fifteen percent of non-surgically sterilized women are naturally sterile. That reduces the number to 3,600. Another 15% are on the p;ill or/are already pregnant. Now the figure is 3,070. Now factor in something that all adults know. It takes from five to ten months for an average couple to achieve a pregnancy. Using the smaller figure, to be conservative, divide the 3,000 figure by 5, and the number drops to about 600. In a healthy, peaceful marriage, the miscarriage rate ranges up to about 15%. In this case, we have incredible emotional trauma. Her body is upset. Even if she conceives, the miscarriage rate is higher than in a more normal pregnancy. If she loses 20% of 600, there are 450 left.

Finally, we must factor in one of the most important reasons why a rape victim rarely gets pregnant, and that is psychic trauma. Every woman is aware that stress and emotional factors can alter her menstrual cycle. To get pregnant and stay pregnant, a woman’s body must produce a very sophisticated mix of hormones. Hormone production is controlled by a part of the brain which is easily influenced by emotions. There’s no greater emotional trauma that can be experienced by a woman than an assault rape. This can radically upset her possibility of ovulation, fertilization, implantation and even nurturing of a pregnancy. So what further percentage reductions in pregnancy will this cause? No one really knows, but this factor certainly cuts the last figure by at least 50%, and probably more, leaving a final figure of 225 women pregnant each year, a number that closely matches the 200 found in clinical studies.

-I don’t even know how to respond to that. Here are some statistics I came up with

Rape-related pregnancy: estimates and descriptive characteristics from a national sample of women.

Holmes MM, Resnick HS, Kilpatrick DG, Best CL.

Source: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston 29425-2233, USA.

OBJECTIVE: We attempted to determine the national rape-related pregnancy rate and provide descriptive characteristics of pregnancies that result from rape.

STUDY DESIGN: A national probability sample of 4008 adult American women took part in a 3-year longitudinal survey that assessed the prevalence and incidence of rape and related physical and mental health outcomes.

RESULTS: The national rape-related pregnancy rate is 5.0% per rape among victims of reproductive age (aged 12 to 45); among adult women an estimated 32,101 pregnancies result from rape each year. Among 34 cases of rape-related pregnancy, the majority occurred among adolescents and resulted from assault by a known, often related perpetrator. Only 11.7% of these victims received immediate medical attention after the assault, and 47.1% received no medical attention related to the rape. A total 32.4% of these victims did not discover they were pregnant until they had already entered the second trimester; 32.2% opted to keep the infant whereas 50% underwent abortion and 5.9% placed the infant for adoption; an additional 11.8% had spontaneous abortion.

CONCLUSIONS: Rape-related pregnancy occurs with significant frequency. It is a cause of many unwanted pregnancies and is closely linked with family and domestic violence. As we address the epidemic of unintended pregnancies in the United States, greater attention and effort should be aimed at preventing and identifying unwanted pregnancies that result from sexual victimization.

PMID: 8765248 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]

Why not allow abortion for rape pregnancies?

We must approach this with great compassion. The woman has been subjected to an ugly trauma, and she needs love, support and help. But she has been the victim of one violent act. Should we now ask her to be a party to a second violent act-that of abortion? Unquestionably, many would return the violence of killing an innocent baby for the violence of rape. But, before making this decision, remember that most of the trauma has already occurred. She has been raped. That trauma will live with her all her life. Furthermore, this girl did not report for help, but kept this to herself. For several weeks or months, she has thought of little else. Now, she has finally asked for help, she has shared her upset, and should be in a supportive situation. The utilitarian question from the mother’s stand-point is whether or not it would now be better to kill the developing baby within her. But will abortion now be best for her, or will it bring her more harm yet? What has happened and it’s damage has already occurred.

She’s old enough to know and have an opinion as to whether she carries a ‘baby’ or a ‘blob of protoplasm’. Will she be able to live comfortable with the memory that she ‘killed her developing baby?’ Or would she ultimately be more mature and pregnant unwillingly, she nevertheless solved her problem by being unselfish, by giving of herself and of her love to an innocent baby, who had not asked to be created, to deliver, perhaps to place for adoption, if she decides that is what is best for her baby. Compare this memory with the woman who can only look back and say, “I killed my baby”.

Considering the previous answers and his previous statements that a woman who is legitimately raped won’t get pregnant because her body won’t allow it how compassionate do you think he and his followers really are?

But carry the rapist’s child?

True, it is half his. But remember, half of the baby is also hers, and there are other outstretched arms that will adopt and love that baby.

I don’t see how she could!

Interestingly, the pregnant rape victim’s chief complaint is not that she is unwillingly pregnant, as bad as the experience is. The critical moment is fleeting in this area. It frequently pulls families together like never before. When women are impregnated through rape, their condition is treated in accordance, as are their families. We found this experience is forgotten, replaced by remembering the abortion, because it is what they did. In the majority of these cases, the pregnant victim’s problems stem more from the trauma of rape than the pregnancy itself. As to what factors make it most difficult to continue her pregnancy, the opinions, attitudes, and beliefs of others were most frequently cited; in other words, how her loved ones treated her.

-This is just bull. What an ass! If there is any truth to this at all it would be a result of how people like him treat rape victims.

But many laws would allow for this exception.

That is because many only think of the mother. But we should also think of the baby. Should we kill an innocent unborn baby for the crime of his father? Or let’s look at it this way. Do we punish other criminals by killing their children’? Besides, such laws pose major problems in reporting, and also women have been known to report falsely.

You accuse women of lying?

We don’t have to. Radical feminist guru Gloria Steinem, in a 1985 interview with USA Today said that “to make abortion legal only in cases of rape and incest would force women to lie.” The story of Jane Roe, of the Roe V. Wade decision, is well-known. Norma McCorvey (her real name) fabricated a story, that she had been gang raped at a circus, in the mistaken impression that this would permit her to obtain a legal abortion in Texas. Not until 1987 did she reveal that the baby was actually conceived “through what I thought was love.” Up until 1988, Pennsylvania’s Medicaid program funded abortions, for women who claimed they had been raped, without any requirement for reporting the purported assault to a law enforcement agency. Under this law, abortion clinic personnel issued thinly veiled public invitations for women to simply state that they’d been raped, and the state ended up funding an average of 36 abortions a month based on such unsubstantiated claims. In 1988 the legislature added a requirement for reporting the rape to a law enforcement agency, and the average dropped to less than 3 abortions per month.

-This man and his followers are obviously bias against ‘feminists’. He uses a quote from Gloria Steinem out of context. You have to look at the big picture, which I will paint after the following answer.

You said reporting was a problem?

The problem is requiring proof. If the woman goes directly to the hospital, her word is accepted. But, sadly, through fright or ignorance, she may not report it and quietly nurse her fears. She misses her period and hopes against hope that it isn’t what she thinks it is. Sometimes months ago by before finally, in tears, she reports to her mother, her physician, or some other counselor or confidante. To prove rape then is impossible. The only proof of rape then is to have a reliable witness corroborate the story, and such a witness almost never exists.

-It is unbelievable that this man assumes that every woman would do what he suggests. In tears she finally tells her mother. How could anyone accept any of this as factual information? Again, I don’t know where he gets this stuff, her word is accepted? Really? Hospital personnel cannot and do not make assessments on whether a woman is raped or not. They do a rape kit. That’s all. They can provide information on where to go for help and can offer them a way to call law enforcement. That’s it.

What proof would be needed early on?

Reporting the rape to a law enforcement agency is needed. Any hospital emergency room will handle this. If done within a day or two, she can be examined, given medicine for sexually transmitted diseases and counseled. Her word will rarely be questioned. But if it is many days later after a missed period, her word may not be enough.

-Let’s look at why rapes aren’t reported. It is not due to the reasons Dr. Wilke claims. First, her word is never enough. Rape has to be proven in court. As a rape victim I can personally attest to the treatment of rape victims by law enforcement and in court. Today it is not as bad, there has been significant improvement by the police in the attitude about rape but it is still not good. I, like most women, are subjected to their personal life being put on trial. Whether or not they are virgins, whether or not they are have had several sexual partners, even how they dress and the places the frequent. I don’t care if you are a prostitute in the middle of having sex, if at any point you say no or stop and the man does not it is rape. REGARDLESS.

What percentages of rape pregnancies are aborted?

Less than half. The balances carry the baby to term. In one study of 37 rape pregnancies, 28 carried to term.

What is her chief complaint?

Perhaps, surprisingly, it is not the fact that she is pregnant. Her chief complaint is “how other people treat her.” This should be very sobering to everyone. How is she treated? Do others understand the trauma she has experienced, and love and support her? Or, do they avoid her and act as if it was partly her fault, or worse? Just think, if all such victims were given generous love and support, many more than at present would carry their babies to term.

-I would like to know how many women feel that way, seriously. And again, he offers so much love and support.

What is she could not cope with raising the child?

We must let these women know that it is all right to feel that way. We truly understand. That does not mean, however, that the baby is unwanted. There are innumerable arms outstretched, asking for a child to love. Any number of couples will want the child. She should be supported and encouraged if she chooses to place the child in a loving adoptive home.

-Let me point out the practical here. Who is going to pay for the prenatal care?

What of incest?

Incest is intercourse by a father with his daughter, uncle with niece, etc. It usually involves a sick man, often a sick mother who frequently knows it’s happening (even if not consciously admitting it), and an exploited child. Fortunately, pregnancy is not very common. When incest does occur, however, it is seldom reported and, when reported, is hard to prove. Most pregnancies from incest have a very different dynamic than from rape and must be counseled in a very different manner.

Even strongly pro-abortion people, if they approach an incest case professionally, must be absolutely convinced before advising abortion, for abortion is not only an assault on the young mother, who may well, be pregnant with a “love object”, but it may completely fail to solve the original problem. It is also unusual for wisdom to dictate anything but adoptive placement of the baby.

Love object?

When pregnancy does occur, it is often an attempt to end the relationship. In a twisted sort of way, however, the father is a love object. In one study, only 3 of 13 child-mothers had any negative feelings toward him.

In incest is pregnancy common?

No. “Considering the prevalence of teenage pregnancies in general, incest treatment programs marvel at the low incidence of pregnancy from incest. “Several reports agree at 1% or less.

How does the incest victim feel about being pregnant?

For her, it is a way to stop the incest; a way to unite mother and daughter, a way to get out of the house. Most incestuous pregnancies, if not pressured, will not get abortions. “As socially inappropriate as incest and incestuous pregnancies are, their harmful effects depend largely upon reaction of others.

-This is hard to even give a response to. There is usually a sick man involved? Really? And the presumption that there is usually a sick woman, ie the mother, who doesn’t do anything is just more evidence of his attitude towards women in general. To suggest that the victim gets pregnant as a way of stopping the incest or to reunite her with her sick mother…wow. To say that 3 out of 13 victims had negative feelings toward him? Again where does he get this stuff? Victims of incest, especially daughters raped by their fathers are confused by the entire issue. I blame Christianity and those in society who have for hundreds of years said that one should honor they father, obey thy father etc. And these victims not understanding what is happening to them because the father usually convinces them that is how fathers love their daughters, or they say it is because they are bad or they threaten harm to someone the victim loves if she tells.

-And incest can be between brother and sister and cousins, and ‘socially inappropriate’? How about unacceptable and illegal.

-This man and his large following are dangerous. When I don’t understand where they get their ideas from, and how anyone could possibly believe any of this, all I have to do is remember that they are Christians, that believe Adam and Eve and Cain populated the earth.

Pat Robertson Suggests Beating Insubordinate Wife

Pat Robertson, on Monday’s 700 Club, responds to a viewer’s cry for help concerning his wife in his usual fucked up Christian way.

Where do I begin? I am left speechless by this ignorant man once again. And once again this man fills me with dread and a sense of despair. How can it be that our country, the world actually adhere to Christianity and it’s ‘leaders’?

Government is not run by law, by politics, by democrats and republicans, by monarchs or the people. It is and has been since our government and European government has been in existence, run by Christians.

We are no longer a population of uneducated illiterate people. For 1500 years the Church managed to keep the people from knowing how to read Latin. For 1500 years scripture was written in Latin. For 1500 years the Church told the people what the Bible said and no one questioned it. For 1500 years on Clergy was ‘allowed’ to read the Bible. For 1500 years they had complete control. For the past 5oo years the populace has become educated, women too, and the Bible has been written in English. For the past 500 years anyone, even women have been ‘allowed’ to read the Bible for themselves. For the past 500 years we have still allowed the Church it’s authority and dared not defy it. For the past 500 years the populace has asked questions. For the past 500 years the Church has not answered.

The Church still influences, controls, governs and oppresses.

Christianity should be illegal and Church should be held accountable for Crimes against humanity and it should be against the law for Christians to hold public office, positions of authority or be in law enforcement. They are ignorant haters who shouldn’t be allowed to teach or to preach.