Oh hey. 9 years later. Nothing's changed.

I haven't posted to this blog in 9 years.  Literally nothing's changed.

In the past 24 hours:

• Former pastor sentenced to 12 years in prison for repeated rape of adopted daughter. The outpouring of support from the community on HIS behalf led to the lenient sentence, by the way.

• Complaint: 37-year-old man sexually exploits 16-year-old girl in Green County. He wasn't SURE she was underage...but did hear her talking about being in high school.

• Man Who Forced Himself On 12-Year-Old Given Legal Custody Of Her Child. "Despite being convicted of that crime AND ANOTHER assault on a child, he has been awarded joint custody of her child." (emphasis mine)

• Oh, and don't forget the latest state abortion ban, designed to control and subjugate women, and also designed to head straight for the supreme court. 

This is no fluke. It is exactly the same story, over and over again. 

trend watch

see if you can spot the trend in these stories:

Man Punches Bus Driver for Staring at His Wife

Waterloo Teen Taken into Custody for Stabbing

Man Killed One Woman, Wounded Another, Before Shooting Self


survey says....?

if you said 'violence is primarily perpetrated by men', you would be right!!!



ugh. i want to move to iceland.

you take the good, you take the bad...the facts of life?

the good: Girlafesto! the coolest thing i've seen in a LONG time. i'm going to print it out for my nieces' bedroom walls!


the bad: the reality of life for women and girls. this particular story is from iraqi kurdistan, and is actually really beautiful and inspirational- but it only highlights the DAILY fight for equality women face, everywhere. (via the awesome thefbomb.org )


the facts of life: violence against women harms men too, and men have a vitally important role to play in ending it. A Brother's Story is a great insight into the perspective of one man fighting against intimate partner violence. (via http://www.vday.org/)

FAIL

who can find the common denominator in these three stories, (other than the awesome reporting & commentary by the women at Ms. Magazine Blog)?

Feds Lied in Tribal Rape Case

U.S. Has "Failed" Rape Victims: Senate to Hear Testimony

A Call for Self-Defense Against Victim-Blaming AND Against Rape


here are the common themes i see:

1. Rape is the lowest priority violent crime...
2. ...because really, it's the woman's own fault...and it's just a "women's issue" anyway...
3. ...so why bother spending any actual resources (time, money, attention) addressing it?


rape culture says that 'it's all in our heads'...that most rape is perpetrated by terrifying strangers in alleys (not true), that most women 'cry rape' falsely (not true) just because they regret a sexual encounter or because they want to get back at a man with whom they are upset, and that it's our responsibility as the VICTIMS of violence to somehow ward off that violence before it begins...otherwise, well, what did we expect?

I expect law enforcement to take my report of a violent attack on my person seriously. I expect that if i submit to an often painful, embarassing and psychologically difficult physical exam so that evidence of my rape can be collected, that said evidence will actually be TESTED. I also expect that women of all races and ethnicities and orientations and classes will be protected under the
LAWS of the united states. Frankly, I expect a life free from fear of rape and sexual assault.

i know, i have very high expectations.

ya think?

"What is so piquant here is not the fact that Hillary understands that Obama is president. It is the growing sense that Hillary would have made a much, much better president than Obama."

(via Shakesville)

smart girls are scary, cont.

as school started over the last few days, i've heard a lot of complaining from students about having to go back, leaving carefree summers behind, and especially, new school uniform codes (shudder). all relatively normal, understandable, even expected complaints from american kids.

the gratitude we should all feel for the fact that our students can attend school free (generally) from fear or danger is easily forgotten.

40 afghan school girls were apparently poisoned in a gas attack as they sat in school this week.

and previously in may.

and april.

and last year.

always girls schools.

but they keep going to school, believing fervently in the value of education, their right to knowledge.

they are braver than i will ever be.

no words

(trigger warning for stories about rape)

afghanistan.

democratic

republic of

congo .

iowa.