Palin Made Rape Victims Pay for Their Rape Kits

[strandinthewind]

We really don't need to know anything more about the Sarah Palin celebrity action figure.

We don't need to know where she buys her glasses, when she decided to start wearing her hair in an up-do or how she handles the demands of motherhood and government work.

We don't even need to hear her answers on energy policy, the Iraq war or God's will.

What an awful lot of voters really need to know about Palin may already have been revealed -- years ago -- by one dark and unforgivable policy instituted under her watch as mayor of the small town of Wasilla.

After taking office in 1996, she allowed the town's police department to begin charging rape victims for the forensic work done in their cases. She signed off on the budget that detailed the new police policy -- a directive instituted by her hand-picked police chief after she fired his predecessor. The unexplained reversal in Wasilla's procedure dictated that rape victims, unlike the victims of other crimes, now would have to pay for the investigative work done at the crime scene.

In a rape case, of course, the crime scene is the woman's body.

When Sarah Palin was mayor of Wasilla, the town suddenly started charging rape victims between $300 and $1200 to have the rapist's DNA and other forensic evidence taken, tested, cataloged and investigated.

That meant that women who came to local police for help after being battered, brutalized and victimized, faced one more violation. These women had to pay for the privilege of having their cases treated as crimes.

Palin's then-police chief Charlie Fannon defended this policy with the explanation that he wanted to save taxpayers' money. He said the raped women's insurance policies were billed -- when possible. In those cases, the women only had to pay the deductible. Of course, this being America, many women were uninsured, unprotected from both their attackers and the big bills.

Gee, thanks, guys.

Oddly enough, Fannon did not make the same kind of choice in other criminal cases. He did not make people injured by hit-and-run drivers or mugging victims or the families of murdered men and women cough up money to investigate their cases or collect evidence to catch their attackers.

It only happened in rape cases.

Hmmm.

Now, why would that be?

There is one terrible possibility: that this happened because somebody in charge in Wasilla -- either the police chief or the Mayor or both -- hails from the craziest corner of the pro-life community, the people who believe that birth control is abortion.

These people oppose paying for forensic work in rape cases because as part of that process -- as a final step in a humiliating and dehumanizing procedure -- a woman is typically asked if she would like a "morning after" pill, a medication that will prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the lining of her uterus. The treatment is believed to be about 80% effective in preventing pregnancy.

Sarah Palin has not deigned to take questions from the unwashed masses in the media, but if she ever does, this might be a good place to begin.

Does she believe that giving a rape victim a "morning after" pill is committing murder? Does Palin believe that the taxpayers shouldn't pay for this or that police shouldn't offer this as a matter of course? Does she really believe that a woman should have to bear the child of her rapist?

We already know that's what she would want for her daughter.

During her successful gubernatorial campaign in 2006, Palin declared that she would not choose an abortion for her daughter -- then 14 years old -- even if the girl was raped and became pregnant. "I would choose life," Palin said.

Eric Croft suspects that these pro-life beliefs were the reason behind Wasilla's no pay police policy on rape victims.

He is the Democratic legislator who got the system changed by sponsoring a state proposal in 2000 that required local police departments in Alaska to pay for victims' "rape kits," as the evidence-gathering process is called. He wrote the bill with Wasilla's misguided police procedure in mind.

Croft told me that he was working at the time with a victim support group called "STAR" -- for Standing Together Against Rape. "We kept hearing reports out of the Mat-Su Valley that a police department there was charging for rape kits," Croft says. "We didn't know who it was."

Finally, a rape victim came forward with a copy of her insurance bill, which listed the rape kit charges filed by Wasilla police. Croft says his organization contacted the town's police chief who confirmed the policy but could not be convinced to change it.

Croft says he was dumbfounded. "I thought they'd be shamed out of it. But they weren't. They weren't."

So he proposed a change in state law. As a result, there were public hearings, public testimony and overwhelming public support. The bill passed unanimously. Democratic Governor Tony Knowles made a point of signing the bill into law in front of cameras outside a sexual assault clinic.

The amazing thing is that, through all of this, Palin herself apparently didn't speak publicly, didn't come out for or against her police chief's policy, didn't take responsibility for what her town was doing to already wounded women.

Part of what makes this suspicious is that Wasilla's policy is not the first time rape victims have found themselves in the crosshairs of the country's culture wars over abortion.

In fact, their bodies have long been a battleground.

Right-to-life groups around the country have often stepped into rape cases, fighting to make sure that pharmacists, police and medical personnel don't have to participate in procedures they deem "immoral."

From the Deep South to South Dakota, from Missouri to Arizona, rape victims have too long had to fight for the kind of equality and empathy that other crime victims can regularly expect.

The question of emergency contraception -- who gets it, who pays for it and who gets to decide -- is at the heart of this heated debate.

A few years ago, there was a dustup down here in Texas, when a pharmacist in a Dallas suburb refused to fill a rape victim's prescription for the "morning after" pill, saying that he couldn't dispense the medication "because it ends life. " This poor woman had to go to a different pharmacy in order to protect herself in the most personal, most private, most important way possible.

When the story became public, dozens of outraged Texas women showed up outside the pharmacy with signs saying, "Rape violates my morals."

Those same women -- and thousands more who feel the same way -- could be headed for a Republican rally soon if Sarah doesn't start talking.

Her partner in the old policy seems to have gone to ground.

Charles Fannon, the former police chief, now has a disconnected home phone number.

And Sarah Palin seems to be in the process of completely disconnecting herself from the policy.

Palin's spokeswoman, Maria Comella, told USA Today in an e-mail last week that the Governor "does not believe, nor has she ever believed that rape victims should have to pay for an evidence-gathering test.

"Governor Palin's position could not be more clear. To suggest otherwise is a deliberate misrepresentation of her commitment to supporting victims and bringing violent criminals to justice."

According to USA Today, Comilla would not answer other questions, including when Palin learned of Wasilla's policy or whether she tried to change it.

Maybe this is all some kind of unthinkable misunderstanding. Maybe Palin didn't know this was happening, didn't hear about it even the whole state joined the conversation, maybe this tough-talking Mayor couldn't control her police chief.

Maybe she has changed over the years, maybe she now recognizes the immorality of treating rape victims this way.

Whatever the answer -- before we vote -- before we are treated to another story about her taste in shoes or her time as Governor, would someone please pin Palin down and ask her what the hell was going on with rape victims in Wasilla?

And more importantly, why?

This person who says she's prepared to be a heartbeat away from the presidency could clear this whole thing up in a heartbeat.

Why won't she?

When Palin's name was announced as McCain's vice-presidential pick, I initially viewed her as some kind of sop to disgruntled Clinton supporters, somebody who was supposed to appeal to those of us who would rather have seen Hillary at the head of the ticket.

In the campaign, Palin has been presented as a kind of born-again Christian comic book hero -- the ultimate in multi-tasking mothers -- a woman who flies around the country in labor, kills big animals in the woods and dictates the details of other people's lives while juggling babies, Bibles and bullets.

It is beginning to look like she may be something colder, creepier and more complicated.

She has run Alaska like Dick Cheney in drag, a person who thrives on secrecy, loyalty and control.

On foreign policy, she's reminiscent of George W. Bush, without the sparkling curiosity.

And if she worked to deny rape victims emergency contraception, she is women voters' worst nightmare -- she is Phyllis Schlaffly with PMS, power and an automatic weapon.

It is long past time to figure out who Sarah Palin really is.

Getting answers on how and why she allowed her hometown to adopt a policy towards crime victims that was so beyond the pale, so outside the bounds of human decency, so heartless is a good place to begin.

In the end, it may be all we need to know.

Like Sarah Palin, I believe in the power of prayer.

I am praying that reporters can pull themselves out of the fetal position and start asking Palin some hard questions -- about hers.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mary-mapes/palins-fetal-position_b_126670.html

[strandinthewind]

I deliberately chose this artice because it expresses outrage, which I felt was warranted.

This just makes me conclude again, that Palin is Falwell with a vagina. In fact, given that she thought it was okay to charge women in any way for a rape kit makes me believe she is not a woman at all.

On edit and to be clear - Chief Fannon did say that he believed the criminal should be held responsible for the costs, which run from $5,000-$14,000 per year for all assault cases, which I 100% support if the man is convicted. However, making the woman/rape victim front the cost even one penny much less have that on her record with her insurance company is outrageous.

[strandinthewind]

Palin's town used to bill victims for rape kits

By Ken Dilanian and Matt Kelley, USA TODAY

WASILLA, Alaska — In 2000, Alaska lawmakers learned that rural police agencies had been billing rape victims or their insurance companies $500 to $1,200 for the costs of the forensic medical examinations used to gather evidence. They quickly passed a law prohibiting the practice.

According to the sponsor, Democrat Eric Croft, the law was aimed in part at Wasilla, where now-Gov. Sarah Palin was mayor. When it was signed, Wasilla's police chief expressed displeasure.

"In the past, we've charged the cost of exams to the victims' insurance company when possible," then-chief Charlie Fannon told the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, the local newspaper. "I just don't want to see any more burden put on the taxpayer."

Now that Palin is the Republican nominee for vice president, Democrats such as former Alaska governor Tony Knowles — who signed the rape-kit bill into law and was defeated by Palin in 2006 — are raising the issue to question Palin's commitment to women's issues and crime victims. Palin appointed Fannon after firing his predecessor shortly after she took office in 1996.

"In retrospect, I would have asked the female working-mother mayor of that town why her police chief was against this," said Croft, the former Anchorage state representative.

Palin spokeswoman Maria Comella said in an e-mail that the governor "does not believe, nor has she ever believed, that rape victims should have to pay for an evidence-gathering test."

"Gov. Palin's position could not be more clear," she said. "To suggest otherwise is a deliberate misrepresentation of her commitment to supporting victims and bringing violent criminals to justice."

Comella would not answer other questions, including when Palin learned of Wasilla's policy or whether she tried to change it. The campaign cited the governor's record on domestic violence, including increasing funding for shelters.

Knowles criticized Palin to USA TODAY, and again Wednesday in a teleconference organized by Democrats. "It seems like one of those pieces of legislation that you can't imagine it would ever have to be written," he said.

Until the 2000 legislation, local law enforcement agencies in Alaska could pass along the cost of the exams, which are needed to obtain an attacker's DNA evidence. Rape victims in several areas of Alaska, including the Matanuska-Susitna Valley where Wasilla is, complained about being charged for the tests, victims' advocate Lauree Hugonin, of the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, told state House committees, records show.

In cases when insurance companies are billed, the victims pay a deductible.

Fannon told the Frontiersman that the tests would cost the department up to $14,000 per year. He said he would rather force rapists to pay for the tests, not taxpayers. Fannon, who is no longer police chief, could not be reached for comment Wednesday; his home phone number has been disconnected.

It is not known how many rape victims in Wasilla were required to pay for some or all of the medical exams, but a legislative staffer who worked on the bill for Croft said it happened. "It was more than a couple of cases, and it was standard practice in Wasilla," Peggy Wilcox said, who now works for the Alaska Public Employees Association. "If you were raped in Wasilla, this was going to happen to you."

After calling Wasilla Mayor Dianne Keller for comment Tuesday, USA TODAY was instructed to submit a public records request, under which the city has 10 days to respond. As of Wednesday, the city had not responded to a request for records reflecting Wasilla's prior policy, including when it took effect and the cost to sexual assault victims.

In 2000, there were 497 rapes reported in Alaska, FBI statistics show. That's a rate of 79.3 per 100,000 residents, the highest in the nation.

Nationally, victims' advocates have for years reported scattered instances of rape victims being required to pay for their forensic tests, says Ilse Knecht of the National Center for Victims of Crime in Washington. Those complaints have subsided somewhat after Congress in 2005 passed a law requiring states to provide rape exams free of charge or reimburse victims for the costs, says Knecht, whose group supported the provision.

"The reason we passed the legislation was that we saw it was prevalent enough to be a pretty considerable problem," Knecht says. "There are no other victims of crime that end up being billed for evidence collection."

The Senate version of the legislation that included the rape-exam provision was sponsored by Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, the Democratic vice presidential nominee. Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama was one of 58 co-sponsors; Republican presidential nominee John McCain was not.

Matt Kelley reported from Washington

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-09-10-rape-exams_N.htm

___________________________________________

Here is a more fair and balanced artice.

This is still outrageous that a woman would in any way support this practice. I just do not know how it is a "burden put on the taxpayer" to investigate a crime, which is what his fukcing job is.

[BombaySapphire3]

"Dick Cheney in drag?!" They stole my line!:laugh:But anyway this creature ,this disgusting sow of a woman is just too much to be believed .ANY woman who is planning to vote the McCain/Palin ticket that was a Hillary supporter really needs to seriously look at the record of this pig in lipstick..I just don't understand how they could do it.:shrug:

[strandinthewind]

. . . I just don't understand how they could do it.:shrug:

Moreover, let one of them get raped and let's see how fast they choose to abort. That anyone would take away that right just astounds me.

[estranged4life]

We really don't need to know anything more about the Sarah Palin celebrity action figure.

it isnt as cool as my Freddie Mercury, yes, Freddie Mercury action figure:

<div align=center><img src="http://z.about.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/p/H/2/palin-action-figure.jpg"></div>

<div align=center><img src="http://images.tfaw.com/covers_tfaw/400/ne/necafm0669.jpg"></div>

[Sorceress]

Every woman in America needs to know about this--those who are considering voting for McCain/Palin AND those who already know better but need to spread the word about this woman's misogyny.

[estranged4life]

More I read about palin, the more Palin does seem familiar...

...Just...cant...put...my...finger...on...it:

<div align=center><img src="http://z.about.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/n/H/2/palin-bush-lipstick.jpg"></div>

[strandinthewind]

Every woman in America needs to know about this--those who are considering voting for McCain/Palin AND those who already know better but need to spread the word about this woman's misogyny.

Can you imagine limping into a police station with the rapist's fluid still dripping from your likely torn vagina - and then while in tears with likely the thought of death in your mind, some cop asks you for your not only your insurance card, but $50 in cash for the deductible.

I mean what did they do when people could not pay?


Also - Brian J. you are killin me with that :laugh:

[BombaySapphire3]

More I read about palin, the more Palin does seem familiar...

...Just...cant...put...my...finger...on...it:

<div align=center><img src="http://z.about.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/n/H/2/palin-bush-lipstick.jpg"></div>

As much as I can't stand him I believe in Palin we have much more of a fanatic..this crazy b*tch is a true believer ,a fringe nutcase..Any respect I once had for gramps McCain has gone down the crapper with this terrible choice.

[estranged4life]

<div align=center><img src="http://z.about.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/F/I/2/palin-bomb-ride.jpg">
"I Can see Russia from my house"</div>

[estranged4life]

ended up with this frikkin' card:

<div align=center><img src="http://z.about.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/X/G/2/sarah-pain-monopoly.jpg"></div>

[estranged4life]

<div align=center><img src="http://z.about.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/K/I/2/mccain-palin-incontinence.jpg"></div>

[strandinthewind]

As much as I can't stand him I believe in Palin we have much more of a fanatic..this crazy b*tch is a true believer ,a fringe nutcase..Any respect I once had for gramps McCain has gone down the crapper with this terrible choice.

I never thought W was a true far right religious nutcase. I pretty much have always thought W and Cheney used that faction to achieve their own goals.

[estranged4life]

Sidekick!!!

<div align=center><img src="http://z.about.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/_/G/2/mccain-w-sidekick.jpg"></div>

[estranged4life]

<div align=center><img src="http://z.about.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/g/F/2/stay-course-mccain.jpg"></div>

[estranged4life]

Review wise, I give it two middle fingers up!!!

<div align=center><img src="http://z.about.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/l/n/1/mccain_gopocalypse_now.jpg"></div>

[ajmccarrell]

Actually, under athiest communism, you have more deaths in the name of "no religion" than you do for all the religious wars combined. Read The Gulag Archipelago.

[ajmccarrell]

You forgot to mention that McCain was the rapist. Mwahahahahaha! You guys are so desperate it's hysterical! :laugh:

[strandinthewind]

Actually, under athiest communism, you have more deaths in the name of "no religion" than you do for all the religious wars combined. Read The Gulag Archipelago.

How is this relevant to Palin either not giving a flying fukc about women paying or actually making women pay for their own rape kits?

[GoldDustOrphan]

I have a theory.

Palin's drug addict son was also a serial rapist who preyed on the town's most vulnerable women who were typically economically disadvantaged, or sex-workers/strippers/barflys, etc. - whose accusations of rape would be dismissed.

In an effort to cover up her son's crimes - she introduced legislation that would effectively derail any rape investigation. Poor women, single moms trying to make ends meet - they'd never be able to afford the cost of obtaining the required evidence to effectively make a rape charge stick, so they'd never even file charges.

Palin's son, by the way, is no longer a serial rapist. Palin prayed, and God advised Palin on how to cure her son, even though she thinks rape is just another of God's methods of making new babies.

She took her son deep into the woods on a moose hunt. She forced him to watch as she blew the nuts off nearly a dozen Bullwinkles - and more than a few squirrels for effect. She made him wear a pair of bloody antlers to school the next day and he never did it again.

If Christine McVie wasn't so busy solving crimes for Scotland Yard, I bet she could follow the blood trails and moose droppings, back it up with forsenics, and finally put Palin where she belongs: on stage, as the host of that new TV game show - Hole in the Wall.

[SuzeQuze]

I've heard a lot of f*cked up things but this really takes it.

[omigodstevie]

The bottom line is, the woman's a nutcase.
Which is exactly why they'll most likely win.

[BombaySapphire3]

The bottom line is, the woman's a nutcase.
Which is exactly why they'll most likely win.

a few days ago I might have thought they would win too..but with the economy now spiraling down worse than anyone had really anticipated and with McCain's myopic denial I'd say that all bet's are off now.

[BombaySapphire3]

How is this relevant to Palin either not giving a flying fukc about women paying or actually making women pay for their own rape kits?

Don't expect a reasonable response to this question.

[DavidMn]

does this woman have a permanent beehive? I'm starting to think that.:laugh:

[estranged4life]

Read The Gulag Archipelago.

to busy to be reading...have to worship Satan while plotting the demise of the brave platypus, while doing drugs, having unprotected sex with a $2 hooker, plot terror attacks on white/black churches, while eating some poor tortured before its death KFC chicken, while taking the Lord's name in vain while I am listening to Milli Vanill - reading would upset a rather typical day in my life.

Forgot to look at porn of Sarah Palin too...and run my car without the catalytic converter to smog up the planet while getting my chainsaw ready to hack down some RedWoods filled with tree-hugging students from Cal Berkley.

Brian "Reading is Unfundemental" j.

[DavidMn]

I have a new twist on the separated at birth. This time a voice instead of a picture. I swear Palin sounds like Sherriff Marge from Fargo....:nod:

[BombaySapphire3]

does this woman have a permanent beehive? I'm starting to think that.:laugh:

Be-yotch probably has a small new-clear bomb hidden up under it.:laugh:

[DavidMn]

new-clear Thats nu-CUlear to you asshole!:p:laugh:

[mylittledemon]

Ok Strand, we get it already. You don't like Palin. Nobody in politics is a saint.

[GODDESS6]

does this woman have a permanent beehive? I'm starting to think that.:laugh:

that is funny~ i don't find her attractive at all~ the pic perez posted of her in her stars & stripes bikini w/ gun was hysterical~ i think her hubby aint to bad tho:o~

i have to say, she scares the hell out of me~ to me she comes across as a polished female forest gump~ i was reading that she had an affair w/ her husband's friend or business partner, something like that~ & that all of a sudden, this guy petitioned to have his divorce records sealed~

& i am wondering if reports re true that she wanted her eldest to enlist because of his drug problems?~

the gossips were also saying that bristol isn't any angel & that levi, the baby's daddy was in a 3 yr realationship w/ her friend, when she pressured the friend to break up w/ him because she said levi was cheating on the friend~ then whamo bristol is w/ his child~ sounds like the apple didn't fall to far from the tree there~

i know we aren't going to find a perfect candidate, but i fear that if mcsame were to be voted in & something happens to his old ass, am i ready for her to make our country's decisions & i say, HELL NO!!!~

& mcsame needs to find a new wave~ i know his shoulders are permantly damaged, but he looks like hitler when he waves~

[BombaySapphire3]

Ok Strand, we get it already. You don't like Palin. Nobody in politics is a saint.
True that ..but this b*cth is crazy ..she was not vetted properly I am certain of that ..one malignant melanoma away..too ****ing scary for my nerves.

[gold_dust]

I really hope for the sake of America, McCain/Palin don't get in.

Don't get me wrong, I love America. I've spent most summer's there since I was 7 and I'm now 22, and I only have the fondest of memories of the country and the people. I'm even in the process of planning my trip there next year. I just can't understand how people can see the positive in someone who would make a rape victim have to pay for their rape kit. How can you justify that? What's worse - how can you support that? Not quite content with the knowledge that rape victims often feel ashamed, she's making them pay for it - literally.

[BombaySapphire3]

I really hope for the sake of America, McCain/Palin don't get in.

Don't get me wrong, I love America. I've spent most summer's there since I was 7 and I'm now 22, and I only have the fondest of memories of the country and the people. I'm even in the process of planning my trip there next year. I just can't understand how people can see the positive in someone who would make a rape victim have to pay for their rape kit. How can you justify that? What's worse - how can you support that? Not quite content with the knowledge that rape victims often feel ashamed, she's making them pay for it - literally.

There really is no positive to see .Let me apologize in advance if this thing ever makes it into the Oval Office . I thought our international rep couldn't be any more damaged after 8 years of W..brother I was wrong.:distress:

[gold_dust]

There really is no positive to see .Let me apologize in advance if this thing ever makes it into the Oval Office . I thought our international rep couldn't be any more damaged after 8 years of W..brother I was wrong.:distress:

As I said, I respect the American people a hell of a lot more than your government, but then, I'm the same way with mine. It goes without saying that I'd like to see Obama in the White House, but I have this awful fear that that may not happen. Someone mentioned on another forum that I go on that they feared more people were willing to vote for McCain than Obama based purely on race. I hope that this is not the case and that people are willing to hold no prejudice against potential candidates.

[ashton]

Actually, under athiest communism, you have more deaths in the name of "no religion" than you do for all the religious wars combined. Read The Gulag Archipelago.

Palin isn't a communist, she can just see Russia from her house. I don't know that she actually ever visited the Soviet Union at any point, so I really don't see any relevance to what was originally posted.

[BombaySapphire3]

As I said, I respect the American people a hell of a lot more than your government, but then, I'm the same way with mine. It goes without saying that I'd like to see Obama in the White House, but I have this awful fear that that may not happen. Someone mentioned on another forum that I go on that they feared more people were willing to vote for McCain than Obama based purely on race. I hope that this is not the case and that people are willing to hold no prejudice against potential candidates.

It concerns me as well .There is still plenty of racism in this country particularly with older white voters.I'll never forget the California gubernatorial election in 1982 when as an idealistic 20 year old I voted for the mayor of Los Angeles .a black man named Tom Bradley who all the exit polls had as winning the election but instead a lame Republican and Reagan wannabe ,George Duekmajian won the election .It is believed to this day that people said one thing and then couldn't bring themselves to vote for the black man once they were in the booth..I would hope we have moved past that kind of racism here but I still have my trepidations.

[gold_dust]

It concerns me as well .There is still plenty of racism in this country particularly with older white voters.I'll never forget the California gubernatorial election in 1982 when as an idealistic 20 year old I voted for the mayor of Los Angeles .a black man named Tom Bradley who all the exit polls had as winning the election but instead a lame Republican and Reagan wannabe ,George Duekmajian won the election .It is believed to this day that people said one thing and then couldn't bring themselves to vote for the black man once they were in the booth..I would hope we have moved past that kind of racism here but I still have my trepidations.

That sounds terrible.

I don't condone racism, but I do understand people think in the mindset they were raised in. And a lot of elderly people, certainly here in Britain, are as stubborn as hell. They use a lot of names that are completely offensive now.

What really makes me uneasy about Palin, and I'm speaking from the viewpoint as a woman since I'm not American, is the idea that she's not for abortion.

Should I become pregnant it doesn't mean I'll abort my child. But the idea that I wouldn't have the choice makes me very uneasy. My mother has a friend whose step-daughter had to abort her baby because the fetus wasn't forming properly. She could've given birth to it knowing it would've been still-born, which is just horrific, or she could've aborted it when it was under the 24 weeks, given herself a little more time to grieve. She had the choice, and though it pained her so, she aborted her child and has allowed herself to heal.

She's even anti-abortion in the cases of rape and incest! Doesn't she know that in the case of incest, it's actually harmful for the child, not to mention illegal? The case of Josef Fritzl springs to mind. She wants to play God with something that's illegal, and there are people who would support that?

I don't scorn the American public, because, just like we did Obama, our paper's are now gushing at how we need our very own Sarah Palin. They are only looking at the superfical appearances - her hair, her clothes, her beauty queen image, her 'hockey mom' persona - thus, neglecting the issues that need addressing. This woman appears to hate the idea of other women.

[BombaySapphire3]

I think you're correct gold dust ..For all of Palin's invoking the names of other women like Hillary and painting herself as some champion of women I see her as a misogynist..Her ratings among white male voters is actually higher than women.What I don't understand is how some women who were supporting Hillary could now support Palin ?only because of gender:shrug:Palin is demonstrating that she is anything but pro-woman .If her making these poor rape victims pay for their own kits doesn't convince them I'm not sure what will..just despicable .

[gold_dust]

I think you're correct gold dust ..For all of Palin's invoking the names of other women like Hillary and painting herself as some champion of women I see her as a misogynist..Her ratings among white male voters is actually higher than women.What I don't understand is how some women who were supporting Hillary could now support Palin ?only because of gender:shrug:Palin is demonstrating that she is anything but pro-woman .If her making these poor rape victims pay for their own kits doesn't convince them I'm not sure what will..just despicable .

I guess some are sore loser's - they'd rather vote for the opposing party, than the man who pipped Hilary.

But there are women are voting for Palin in their droves and it's under the pretense that she's a woman's woman. She's attractive, comes off as the average working mother, and aside from Hilary, some women want a woman in power. She seems like the ideal feminist. Though, in reality, she's going against everything women work and yearn for - the desire to choose what is best for them.

As stupid as her child is, being pregnant at 17, did she even think that she may not want to marry? Did she ever acknowledge that her future son-in-law may not want to marry? I have no doubt that she had a hand in that. I know of plenty of cases where divorce was the only solution because the couple were simply 'too young'. Is she only setting her daughter up for the same fate? And should she become a single parent, what would she do then?

I say this in the best possible way, we had a woman run Britain during the '80's. She was a Conservative - Britain's Republican equivalent. Never again. She left us in such crap it was unbelievable. And, whilst we have many women in Parliment, none since Margaret Thatcher have become leader of a party. And they're very wise not to do so.

[rubytuesday]

You forgot to mention that McCain was the rapist. Mwahahahahaha! You guys are so desperate it's hysterical! :laugh:

So desperate??? And then the laughing icon is even more insulting!! how could brining up this part of her history be desperate? It's an absolute disgrace and probably qualifies as a violation of human rights. But to bring it up is funny cause of how desperate of an issue it is?

Ok Strand, we get it already. You don't like Palin. Nobody in politics is a saint.

Like I said above don't you think it's a very important issue to be brought up? It's not just another person wanting to bring her down, that's the biggest disgrace i've heard so far and without knowing anything else about her it alone would qualify as a definite reason not to vote for her.



Thanks for the article, that's a really important issue. It makes me so sad for those who had been affected by it living in her region.

[strandinthewind]

. . . Thanks for the article, that's a really important issue. It makes me so sad for those who had been affected by it living in her region.


You are welcome.

You know, I got to thinking earlier that this rape kit abomination fits into the good ole boy network not just with the morning after pill issue, which I believe to be real and the main cause. But, I also think it dovetails with many a man's thinking that a woman is rarely raped and that the woman likely asked for it. Even scarier, there are some women who think this way as well. Horrifying!

[BombaySapphire3]

Good point strandie..just disgusting to comtemplate the "blame the victim "mentality that some people still have..I'll bet the snowhag itself would make her own daughter have the baby if she was raped..Where are all the Mooseilini supporters on this one anyway.?.The ones that did chime in seemed to have no logical argument this time.

[trackaghost]

I say this in the best possible way, we had a woman run Britain during the '80's. She was a Conservative - Britain's Republican equivalent. Never again. She left us in such crap it was unbelievable. And, whilst we have many women in Parliment, none since Margaret Thatcher have become leader of a party. And they're very wise not to do so.

Are you serious? I hope I'm reading this the wrong way but are you saying that the reason Thatcher was a bad Prime Minister was because she's a woman? And that the political parties here are wise not to have another woman as party leader because of her?

I never liked Thatcher but the reasons why she wasn't a good PM have nothing to do with her gender. In fact Palin reminds me a lot of Thatcher, because Thatcher hardly did anything positive for women while she was in power.

[strandinthewind]

Good point strandie..just disgusting to comtemplate the "blame the victim "mentality that some people still have..I'll bet the snowhag itself would make her own daughter have the baby if she was raped..Where are all the Mooseilini supporters on this one anyway.?.The ones that did chime in seemed to have no logical argument this time.

I know. That is the thing. I get she did not write the law, but she enforced it without any problems.

As for blaming the victim, I think people just conclude incorrectly for many reasons. Do I think it is a bad idea for some chick to haul out to the roughest bar in town to get wasted while wearing stilettos, hot pants, and a tight midriff with "WHORE LOOKING TO GET LAID" in glitter across her nipples - yes, I think that is bad judgment and she should not act all surprised when guys are all over her. Having said that, if some a$$wipe smacks her across the face while she is walking to her car and then violently rapes her while she is saying "no," he is wrong no matter how stupid she was for dressing like that and no matter how much attention she asked for by wearing that. Sadly, many people and many women (perhaps out of jealousy) would think she got what she deserved for going out dressed like a ho.

[strandinthewind]

Are you serious? I hope I'm reading this the wrong way but are you saying that the reason Thatcher was a bad Prime Minister was because she's a woman? And that the political parties here are wise not to have another woman as party leader because of her?

I never liked Thatcher but the reasons why she wasn't a good PM have nothing to do with her gender. In fact Palin reminds me a lot of Thatcher, because Thatcher hardly did anything positive for women while she was in power.

I liked Thatcher :o I did not, however, agree with any of her policies.

[SuzeQuze]

Well I had to argue with a couple of conservatives last night about why this is wrong. They got the point though to their credit.

One said he will never vote for a n-----. I told him he was ignorant. He said no I am racist. Yes there are scary narrow-minded people out there.

[gold_dust]

Are you serious? I hope I'm reading this the wrong way but are you saying that the reason Thatcher was a bad Prime Minister was because she's a woman? And that the political parties here are wise not to have another woman as party leader because of her?

I never liked Thatcher but the reasons why she wasn't a good PM have nothing to do with her gender. In fact Palin reminds me a lot of Thatcher, because Thatcher hardly did anything positive for women while she was in power.


Oh, god, that came across the wrong way didn't it? I meant they are wise in Britain. Not America. If a female polictician here became leader it would be a disaster - not because she's a woman, but because they're all so detatched from reality.

I meant Thatcher was terrible, and not because she was a woman, but because she had no clue. We had such high hopes for her when she came in, believing she could make the country a fairer, more equal place. We were left in such a state after she went. When I said many women haven't become leader's of their party, they are very wise. Not because they are women, but because they aren't actually good enough - that and they would, inevitably be compared to Thatcher. She was single handedly the worst PM we ever had. And you won't find anyone in Britain who'll disagree with me.

Many female politicians in Britain are no better than the men. Some are worse. And I'm a woman. I have no problem saying that. I'm not about to vote for a woman just because she's a woman. If the man is the stronger, better candidate I'll vote for him. Visa versa. We have have one female polictician called Jackie Smith, she's the Home Secretary, she lives in the same area that two kids have been stabbed to death in in London - two of 26 stabbings of children this year. She still says that knife crime in London is at it's all time lowest. Yet when she did a photocall and was pictured at her local Kebab shop (trying to look 'ordinary') she failed to mention the mention police who escorted her there - and she only lives yards away from the shop.

Sorry, I didn't mean it to come out that way. I merely meant, our female politicians are crap in Britain, and people are comparing Palin, who could be your first female President, to Thatcher, who was ours. In Britain we all know how bad Thatcher was - and people voted for her in on the same principles that Palin is getting voted on.

[trackaghost]

^^ Ah, thanks for clarifying gold_dust, and yes I agree, people should vote on merit not gender, although I don't think women are any worse than men as politicians. I also think it's a shame that the first time a woman could be vice president that it's simply a voting tactic. Whatever you think of her politics, Hilary Clinton was well qualified to take up a position of power whereas Palin is just a plain scary prospect the more I hear about her.

[gold_dust]

^^ Ah, thanks for clarifying gold_dust, and yes I agree, people should vote on merit not gender, although I don't think women are any worse than men as politicians. I also think it's a shame that the first time a woman could be vice president that it's simply a voting tactic. Whatever you think of her politics, Hilary Clinton was well qualified to take up a position of power whereas Palin is just a plain scary prospect the more I hear about her.

I completely agree. I was disappointed that Hilary went out of the running, I think she'd have been more than capable of running America, either as Vice President or as President. It's just a shame she went out of the race.

[CelticGypsy]

<div align=center><img src="http://z.about.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/K/I/2/mccain-palin-incontinence.jpg"></div>



Those are too funny! Thanks, Brian:lol:

[CelticGypsy]

I completely agree. I was disappointed that Hilary went out of the running, I think she'd have been more than capable of running America, either as Vice President or as President. It's just a shame she went out of the race.


AMEN to the above. Hillary would have made an excellent President:xoxo:

[strandinthewind]

AMEN to the above. Hillary would have made an excellent President:xoxo:

I agree. Moreover, could you imagine Hillary making rape victims pay $0.01 for their rape kits :eek: Someone actually had the audacity to suggest that a rape victim paying the $50 or so deductible was not that bad and they should be willing to do it :eek: Personally, I think that when all is said and done, the state certainly could have that option on the form and if the woman wants to go that route, she should have the option to do so. That seems like a fair deal to me. But, for the woman to be compelled to disclose her rape alegations to some third party is insane. Can you imagine if her insurer calls her a few times to dispute the bill? Moreover, if rape is not proven, does she have to reimurse the insurer? That Palin in any way supported this autroity is appalling.

[CelticGypsy]

^^ Ah, thanks for clarifying gold_dust, and yes I agree, people should vote on merit not gender, although I don't think women are any worse than men as politicians. I also think it's a shame that the first time a woman could be vice president that it's simply a voting tactic. Whatever you think of her politics, Hilary Clinton was well qualified to take up a position of power whereas Palin is just a plain scary prospect the more I hear about her.


That is what I told my hubby. Sarah Palin is a voting tactic. I totally believe that is why McCain chose her or maybe Cindy helped to choose her.

I honestly think some men will vote Republican only because Sarah goes hunting and she is female. DUM, DUM, DUM:D

I honestly do not think she is qualified to run our country in case McCain dies in office.

[gold_dust]

I don't want to come across as ageist, but does any not worry that McCain could be too old for the job? Being the President of one of, if not the, most powerful countries in the world isn't exactly a 9-5 job. I admire anyone who has the belief and determination to run a country, but I wonder if age goes against McCain. And if Beelzebub should take control, I imagine his age is even more of a worry. Can someone of a different generation really be contemporary when it comes to national and international affairs?

[BombaySapphire3]

I don't want to come across as ageist, but does any not worry that McCain could be too old for the job? Being the President of one of, if not the, most powerful countries in the world isn't exactly a 9-5 job. I admire anyone who has the belief and determination to run a country, but I wonder if age goes against McCain. And if Beelzebub should take control, I imagine his age is even more of a worry. Can someone of a different generation really be contemporary when it comes to national and international affairs?

Yes he is too old and has too serious of a health history ..he could buy the farm at any moment leaving Mooseilini in the most powerful postition in the world.The very thought of this unmitigated disaster gives me the cold chills and a hollow sick feeling in my gut.

[JWS]

"Dick Cheney in drag?!" They stole my line!:laugh:But anyway this creature ,this disgusting sow of a woman is just too much to be believed .ANY woman who is planning to vote the McCain/Palin ticket that was a Hillary supporter really needs to seriously look at the record of this pig in lipstick..I just don't understand how they could do it.:shrug:

Ain't that the truth. There has never been a more unqualified VP candidate. The GOP would have done better with Dan Quayle.

[JWS]

Yes he is too old and has too serious of a health history ..he could buy the farm at any moment leaving Mooseilini in the most powerful postition in the world.The very thought of this unmitigated disaster gives me the cold chills and a hollow sick feeling in my gut.

How true. The big Moose alright. At least he made the trains run on time.