And it only gets worse...

NPR's story about Women in the Military continued today, focusing on Sexual Assault for the second day.  For the record, Sexual Assault is only a small part of a much larger look at the lives and roles of women in the Military, but considering the magnitude of the crimes, and the repeated systematic cover-ups that have been going on for decades now, over Tens of Thousands of cases, according the the Pentagon's own  research, this is NOT a issue that deserves to disappear after the overall story is finished.

This segment focused on Myla Haider, who had been raped and did not report it.  Well into a successful career and serving in the Military Police, a case was brought against the officer who raped her. There were dozens of women on this case, most of whom were raped AFTER she was. So she testified. And after that? Here career was over. The next time she testified - in an unrelated case - the defense tainted her testimony with what was essentially an ad hominen attack: "You were a rape victim yourself correct?"

Suddenly Commendation turned into Reprimands and she was forced out.  This is unfortunately the RULE, rather than the exception: NO ONE gets to report thier rape AND keep their career. It's utterly sickening.
And the officer that raped her and so many others? Was not convicted.

The most extreme example was in the Aviano Case, in which the presiding General single-handedly threw out a JURY CONVICTION, and lessened the offense.

The story quoted this "brilliant" response from Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.:

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who is also a lawyer in the Air Force Reserve, says Aviano is an extremely rare case — and the system shouldn't change.


"We have generally held the view that the one person that has the power to determine good order and discipline is the military commander," Graham said.

Well, I have a proposal for The Right, Honorable Senator Graham...

I say we lock him in a room with a large, violent felon; a prisoner with a long history of sexual assaulting other inmates.  Then, when The Senator complains, we so thoroughly impugn his word, judgement and honor that he is no longer capable of functioning in the Senate, and is forced to leave his career behind. The, at trial, even after his rapist is convicted, we'll give some "Liberal," "Activist" Judge carte-blanche to throw out the Conviction, whole cloth. Which he will do.

And THEN, perhaps after offering the Good Senator some ointment, we can ask him how he feels about the Military's system of Justice when it comes to handling Rape cases.

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A quick side note... I should say that moments like this are why Lindsey Graham is like the lowest ranking person on my "List of Republicans that I still like."  Compared to so many others, I think Lindsey Graham is generally a decent and compentant Senator. There are SO MANY TIMES I've heard him say something and and have thought, "WOW! He's so right! I wish more Republicans thought like this guy!" And then like five seconds later he RUINS it by saying something completely fucking stupid.  So, yeah, I still like him. But it's like a 51% to 49% judgement. He's bascially the CUTOFF, the guy on the bubble (as opposed to IN IT) in terms of my being able to tolerate Republicans. 

(If any anonymous posters are curious, some of the others over the years would include Arlen Spectre, Chuck Hagel, Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, John McCain (not since ~2000 though) Lincoln Chafee, George H.W. Bush, and Colin Powell (pre-U.N. Speech). And, more historically, Teddy Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower were very good Presdients as well.)

Two Republicans

You know what's really frustrating? One - someone like Obama who seems to be full of good ideas, but would rather give in to his opposition at the first opportunity.  But even more so?  Hard-Right Conservative Republicans who make sense just often enough to make you think they don't have their heads up their asses.  (I say "often enough" because it usually only takes a few minutes before they prove this wrong, but still...) This started out as a "top X Republicans I like" kind of post, but it was really triggered by recent comments by the whopping total of TWO.  And that's not a list.  All the same, I'd like to tip my cap to a couple of guys who are absolutely hard-core Right Wingers, but who, on many occasions, GET IT RIGHT just often enough to frustrate the hell out of you: Ron Paul and Lindsey Graham.

Ron Paul is always an interesting guy to listen to.  For one thing - as he'll gladly tell you - he really the only TRUE Conservative in Politics today.  And I think there's a lot of truth to that.  And his conviction to stick to his principles, even when it would be unpopular with "conservatives" was on full display recently when he, along with the ACLU, condemned the killing of American Citizen Anwar al-Awlaki.  Yep: One more example of Ron Paul getting it right, while his party and the masses of ignorant Red Necks who support it, CELEBRATE getting it WRONG.  Now I am a true-blue supporter of all that the ACLU does, including those times when the DEFEND Churches and Right-Wing Talk Show Hosts in court.  Because MY OWN principles regareding Civil Liberties are also neither negotiable, nor partisan.  Classic Liberal had a great write up on this a while back too, so check it out! 

How can anyone think that the RIGHT and the AMERICAN thing to do was ANYTHING other that (1) arrest him, (2) extradite him, (3) try him, and (4, most likely) Execute him?  (OK... I know, I know... We've already debated #4. I just threw that in to aggravate you.)

Now... Don't get me wrong: RON PAUL IS A KOOK.  One of my thresholds for Right-Wing / Libertarian / John Birch / Kook is anyone who argues for the ABOLITION of the Federal Reserve.   It's one thing to disagree with a specirfic Fed policy or practice, but to argue for the outright abolition? That's kook territory. And if you don't agree with me, then you've never passed a college-level economics or history of economic course.  (Glenn Beck? I'm looking at you!)  But hey - I will ALWAYS give credit where it's due, and Ron Paul makes too much sense, too often, for me to reconcile that with the fact that he's goes off the la-la land deep end as often as he does as well.  It's to bad he's not electable ("conservatives" hate him) though, because of ALL the Republicans out there right now? I honestly think he'd be one of the better choices. (And before all you crazy liberals start flaming me over that, please consider how low I'm setting the bar with that statement!) ;)

The other guy who makes me nod and say "Now see? THAT GUY gets it!" too often for the level of Right -Wing kook that HE is, is Lindsey Graham, one of the few Republicans to recently come out in favor of trade sanctions against China for their unfair currency manipulation:

"The institution I need to be protecting is the American workforce, who is having their clock cleaned by a communist dictatorship who cheats."
~Lindsey Graham

BOOM!

You go, Lindsey!

And this happens A LOT!  There are so many times that I find myself nodded my head and rhetorically high fiving this very Conservative, Southern, Republican Senator!  And yet...  Get him talking about Abortion, Gay Rights, or any other of the Right's pet anti-causes and suddenly he's an ignorant Redneck again!

And please, don't for a minute think that I'm suggesting that OBAMA is somehow winning over some Republicans. No way.  I've been watching these guys for YEARS, vacillating between loving them and laughing at them.  What I DO think is happening, in the case of Graham, is that he's looking at inherently good legislation and, once again, sees his party opposing it on the basis of it still being Obama's watch and he's saying "Fuck You" to his party and their four year plan to screw America for the sake of sinking Obama.

Anyway, as far as Republicans go, I do like these guys...

...But I'd still never vote for them.

(OTOH, I'm still registered as Republican in Michigan, so if there's ever a Paul/Graham ticket, I WILL give them some love in the Primary! LOL.)

(Never happen.) XD

Silver Star Awards, March, 2011

OK, so it's been a really thin month.  By far the thinnest since I started blogging.  Only four pieces, and two of them were Silver Star entries. Which never seem to get ANY comments! :(

Oh well, at least March's will actually happen IN MARCH.  There were no HoF inductees in 1960, so the year is now 1961 and it saw two Veteran's Committee Inductees, so yeah: We're still on the funny stuff.  There are some really good ones coming in April, when there will be a GOLD Star or two, but we're still on Silver's this month.


The Max Carey Silver Star #25: Venus Envy

Another superb web-comic.  Mind you I don't really read it anymore, because the author, Erin Lindsey, kind of pulled the plug on it just over a year ago - and leaving her main character in a rather tight spot to boot!  Oh well.  In short, Venus Envy is a comic about a transgendered (MtF) teenager.  Believe it or not there are a LOT of TG Web-Comics out there, but I think Venus Envy deserves credit for a few things.  First of all, it's kind of famous in TG circles.  It was one of the first TG web-comics (if not THE first), remains one of the longest running, and from what I can tell was for a long time by far the most popular.  Which I think is due to the second reason: Erin Lindsey's powerfully compelling writing, her off-beat and sometimes self-depricating sense of humor, and her ability to create one of the most sympathetic characters I've ever had the pleasure of reading, in Zoe Carter.  Check it out - you'll laugh, you'll pretend not to cry, but most importantly of all, YOU'LL CARE.  You'll CARE about this character, and what she is going through and dealing with. Regardless of how you feel about the transgendered it is impossible to read this not pull for this person. (And not fear for them.) I'm certainly no expert on TG politics by a lognshot, but this 'strip served as the beginning of my coming to better understand TG issues.  As usual, I recommend reading this web-comic from the beginning but with this one, just be aware that the real story takes a little while to get going.  For awhile there, there are a lot of gag strips.  FUNNY gag strips, but not the profound stuff I'm referring to above.  Also - if the name "Erin Lindsay" sounds familiar, I've referred to her political writings / rants before, here and here.  What can I say? I love her stuff, I really do.  And I really miss 'Venus Envy!'


The Billy Hamilton Silver Star #26: DAMN YOU AUTO-CORRECT!

Screw doing sit-ups.  Just read this site and you laugh your way to wash-board abs.  O.M.F.G!  The main site is a collection of iPhone texts that have been 'auto-corrected' by the phone's auto-spell check / auto-fill-in random nonsense as you type feature.  Fucking hilarious!  And much like several other Silver Star winners from the Cheezburger Network (Failblog, Engrish, etc...) the site linked to several others that are every bit as funny, sometimes much funnier.  The Bad Gifts site is EPIC funny.  Bad Food was a riot as well. (I've eaten a lot of that stuff!) (Shit, I LIKED a lot of that stuff! LOL)  This site was sent to me a few weeks ago by a guy at my office.  I couldn't link to it form my desk (web-sensed) by I pulled it up on my phone and couldn't get any work done for three days. XD  So Check it out, and let me know what you think!