![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
There's some friends on my friends list that aren't gonna like this. However, I think that it's incredibly important. It is a basic issue that goes beyond most of the debates between Republican and Democratic philosophies. This isn't "what's the federal government's purpose," or "who should pay what taxes," or "what are a fetus' rights?"
This is Justice.
Justice is something that every American believes in. That our police and system of laws exist to protect the victims of crime, to discourage and prevent future crime, and to punish those who commit crimes is universally acknowledged as CORRECT. No matter what your party.
Palin's town, under her stewardship as Mayor, charged rape victims for their own evidence collection kits.
That's not opinion. That's fact. It took action by the then Governor of Alaska, Gov. Knowles, to force the town of Wasilla to acknowledge that the burden of investigation of ANY crime falls not on the victims, but on public officials and their department charged with upholding the law.
What that says about Former-Mayor Palin IS opinion.
To my mind, that gives us 2 options:
1. She knew about this despicable policy. It was brought to a STATE-LEVEL legislative body for correction. The former representative Eric Croft, who sponsored that bill, is sited by the Associated Press as saying "he was disappointed that simply asking the Wasilla police department to stop didn't work." It would be hard to believe she did not know. That she did not act to correct it means she either agreed with the police chief she appointed, Charlie Fannon, that rape kits and examinations are too expensive for taxpayers (that apparently JUSTICE is too expensive for taxpayers), OR the whole issue was not important enough to be addressed.
2. She did not know. In a town of only 6,000 people, she was ignorant of the policies of her own police department. She was unaware of the state-level interest in the complaints. She was out of touch with anyone who could have told her there was a problem with her rape investigative department. Her inaction was not out of misplaced thriftiness, apathy, or a dismissal of the suffering of the victims, but out of sheer ignorance of the voices of complaint which were loud enough to be heard in Juneau, the state capital.
Regardless of your party affiliation, I'm sure you're as disgusted by this situation as I am. America may not always agree on how to best serve justice abroad, but we damn sure know what justice is at home.
This is Justice.
Justice is something that every American believes in. That our police and system of laws exist to protect the victims of crime, to discourage and prevent future crime, and to punish those who commit crimes is universally acknowledged as CORRECT. No matter what your party.
Palin's town, under her stewardship as Mayor, charged rape victims for their own evidence collection kits.
That's not opinion. That's fact. It took action by the then Governor of Alaska, Gov. Knowles, to force the town of Wasilla to acknowledge that the burden of investigation of ANY crime falls not on the victims, but on public officials and their department charged with upholding the law.
What that says about Former-Mayor Palin IS opinion.
To my mind, that gives us 2 options:
1. She knew about this despicable policy. It was brought to a STATE-LEVEL legislative body for correction. The former representative Eric Croft, who sponsored that bill, is sited by the Associated Press as saying "he was disappointed that simply asking the Wasilla police department to stop didn't work." It would be hard to believe she did not know. That she did not act to correct it means she either agreed with the police chief she appointed, Charlie Fannon, that rape kits and examinations are too expensive for taxpayers (that apparently JUSTICE is too expensive for taxpayers), OR the whole issue was not important enough to be addressed.
2. She did not know. In a town of only 6,000 people, she was ignorant of the policies of her own police department. She was unaware of the state-level interest in the complaints. She was out of touch with anyone who could have told her there was a problem with her rape investigative department. Her inaction was not out of misplaced thriftiness, apathy, or a dismissal of the suffering of the victims, but out of sheer ignorance of the voices of complaint which were loud enough to be heard in Juneau, the state capital.
Regardless of your party affiliation, I'm sure you're as disgusted by this situation as I am. America may not always agree on how to best serve justice abroad, but we damn sure know what justice is at home.
Company Invoice
I'd be most curious to see how people would react.
Company Invoice
Company Invoice
You're perfectly correct.
Oh, she also thinks that victims of rape who become pregnant should be forced to bear their rapists' babies.
Just another fun fact you can run by any pro-Palin people you meet.
Is Palin pro-rape, or is she just a complete fuckface?
You decide!
Company Invoice
Silly raped people.
Company Invoice
Unfortunately, when faced with facts - the Right will just blithely ignore them and make up their own.
Company Invoice
No matter what I post, I'll be on everyone's shit list.
This country is not Communist China. This country has many views that are accepted and not suppressed no matter what SOME people think. And this country will weather this election as it has weathered other elections since way back when.
I hope you all don't feel the need to screen me, the way Kevin feels at the moment.
Don't think I've not thought of the same when it comes to posting my own beliefs. I've thought about disabling comments and also creating special communities.... but for some damn stubborn reason I've not done either. And yes, I get pissed when I think that people are not respecting me the way I believe I'm trying to respect others.
There are ALWAYS two sides to the story-- even this "rape kit" one.
Why am I posting? Because I'm tired of being a coward in the face of offending friends.
NEITHER SIDE IS FREAKING THIS SIDE OF JESUS CHRIST!!!!!
Ah well...
So, before you screen me-- HOW are the kitties???
Company Invoice
*HUGS* YES. You're still invited to the wedding. Yes, the kitties are just fine. (Berlioz is sleeping on my desk below my monitor right now. Fat and sassy as ever).
I had hoped not to pin this piss-poor piece of municipal judgment on a PARTY--and therefore an entire mass of people who have never been to Wasilla (or heard of it before S.Palin) and have absolutely no culpability in its deplorable policies. It was very clearly a horrible situation and one that a specific candidate should be asked to defend--NOT every American with conservative tendencies on this planet.
That it is something that should alarm anyone with a pulse is the reason I posted it. I can respect that there are inherent differences of opinion about issues pertaining to HOW we govern. That's why we do that voting thing and all, right?
This didn't seem to be a 'method of governance' so much as a 'constitutional rights violation.' And believe you me, if I had found that BIDEN or OBAMA or MCCAIN were guilty of the same, I would be posting about them.
If you know of any, PLEASE TELL ME. I want to vote for a candidate that supports (in both actions, words, and policies) the basic rights guaranteed in our Constitution-Bill-of-Rights Combo-Pack. I am not happy about the direction a number of Bush policies have taken us in that regard, and if there's one thing I want above all others, it's to have a Leader that must live by the same laws and rules as the rest of us.
It's no judgment on 'all republicans everywhere.' It's an alarmed citizen posting about something that really, REALLY scares her about a candidate.
And you're welcome to post in my journal whenever you like, with whatever you like. Whether you think i'm a dirty hippy or not. ;)
Company Invoice
Ron Paul is your man. Too bad he's a little on the crazy side.
Company Invoice
Kevin wanted to be sure you knew--he's not screening you or anyone else. He's setting up a filter where he can babble about politics without distressing people. It's not a matter of squashing dissenting opinions--ALL political stripes are welcome under the filter. Just give him a heads up.
The point is to avoid putting any politics at all on anyone's friends list who does not want it.
He wants to talk politics with anyone who wants to talk politics with him. You're hardly our only republican friend. You'd be welcome if you wanted in.
Company Invoice
I will not violate his free-speech zone.
Company Invoice
If you don't fall into either category, I'll gladly put you on it. In fact, I'll go ahead and do that since it seems you were kinda hurt by the idea of being filtered, and that's not cool. If you change your mind, let me know. I don't have a "free speech zone", but I do wanna be courteous to people I care about (and everyone else for that matter).
Company Invoice
Company Invoice
The only thing I saw was that she was not apart of the solution. Daily I am guilty of that one. I have to pick and choose my battles knowing that I am out numbered by them and would loose if I take on too many at a time.
It sounds like something thought up and imposed upon the Police Department by manipulable bean counts trying to balance the budget. Was it her place to do something about it or should it have been taken care of by any number of her underling or people in the legislature? Yes this was a failure of character, but is was the failure of many in the city only one of whom is running for VP. The Police Chef could have change the policy when asked to do so. I think this is primarily his failing.
Not changing that policy is not the same as endorsing it. She could have also tried to veto the bill that adventively changed the policy. Show me that she took action to reinstate that policy after it was dissolved, and then I am right with you on this because that would be proof.
No this is redrick not worthy of notice in this campaign. I can only hold people accountable for there own actions.
And for the record I am not Pro Palin. No one has done anything worthy enough to earn my vote. I will not try and choose the lesser of two Evils again. The next runner up is probably going to be some third party candidate that has not desraced them selfs. I will need good luck hunting. I will pick my candidate next month. This race is a kin to a slap fight between retards. It might make for good TV, but honesty who wants to see it.
Company Invoice
Complaints ardent enough to be acknowledged and dealt with in the capital should have blipped on the radar SOMEWHERE in the town. I respect that you don't see a strong link between the police policies and the town's mayor.
We have different definitions of the mayor's responsibilities. I say it was her job to know, her job to listen, and since she appointed the police chief, also her job to address policy with him.
What I've gotten from your reply is that you do not feel negligence in duty is the same as wrongful actions. Or perhaps that this, even in such a tiny town, could not be construed as negligence at all.
Am I getting your message correctly?
And yeah, best of luck finding your candidate who's not a politician. I know you're still pulling for the old-school Greek system where we pick random people out of a hat and draft them to presidency for short terms. If I knew who we should talk to about that, I'd be right there with ya.
:)
Company Invoice
In short the only thing she could have done is relieved the Police Chief of his post. He was the source of the enthusiasm to keep the policy in place. He was the one who took action to keep the policy in place.
The Military believes that a suburbanite must follow orders. The only exception being following an illegal order. They can resin afterwards but they must follow that order. That's not the case to my understanding on the civilian side of things. They are aloud to use their own judgment, good or bad.
The policy was not illegal until the state legislature changed state law. How do you force an appointee to do what you think is right when they don't agree? I can't tell you how much I despise micro management. If that's the only point you don't agree on why dismiss them? Is the superior responsible for the subordinate actions? I subscribe to the theory of personal responsibly. The Chief should be held accountable for his own actions, if he was to run for VP let him have all the scorn dew him. This is a small town maybe there were locale reasons for letting this go to the state level. We as reads do not know.
I think all media lies. Did the reporter lie by structuring the article to in sight a reaction or did one of Palin's crony's lie by conveyancing this statement. Palin "does not believe, nor has she ever believed, that rape victims should have to pay for an evidence-gathering test." I can't tell. Nor do I care.
My point is I read this article and I think mole hill. More exact someone else mole hill. I take it you see the smoking gun of an affective character assassination. I feel you are reading to far into the article and drawing conclusion not found in this text. You might have good reason to do so however. Like you just finish reading the Palin / Unibomber Manifesto or something.
This is how I draw my political conclusions by licensing to my friends reaction to stuff like this. If you are interested next time we meet I will tell how I distill this stuff in to what I consider useful information.