Blogs were just mentioned on the Dead Zone on USA.
Archives for 2004
Rape Shield
Excellent piece in the NY Times by Dahlia Lithwick on Rape Shield laws and the Kobe Bryant case:
This well-intentioned reform in our rape laws has led to two unappealing alternatives: Either the defendant’s legal presumption of innocence is flipped on its head, since rape shield laws unambiguously deny him access to potentially exculpatory evidence, or – as a practical matter – the woman’s sexual history goes on trial regardless, permitting humiliating public scrutiny often likened to a second rape.
With his right to a fair trial and her right to be spared a second assault on a collision course, the role of the media becomes absolutely lethal. In the Bryant case, by insisting on its constitutional right to act as watchdog, the press gained access to the most lurid details of the accuser’s intimate life. Consequently, high-profile rape trials allow the media to do far more damage than rape shield laws ever tried to mitigate.
I don’t know much about the specifics in the case, but I do know one thing. The fact that the accuser may have had sex with someone else after allegedly being raped by Kobe Bryant and before reporting the rape proves nothing. While it does look damning, it is common knowledge that rape victims are oten so traumatized by the rape that they try to ‘egt on’ with their life and ‘act normal.’ It is not unheard of for women to be raped, go home, have consexual sex with their husband/boyfriend, and days later break down and finally report the alleged rape.
There are no winners in rape cases.
Lies and the Lying Liars
Yeah- they were not on his boat so they did not ‘serve’ with him:
As described in the attached affidavits, Al French (Exhibit 2), Bob Elder (Exhibit 3), Jack Chenoweth (Exhibit 7), Larry Thurlow (Exhibit 10), and Bob Hildreth (Exhibit 14) were all officers in charge of Swift boats in Vietnam in Coastal Division 11 with John Kerry. Coastal Division 11 was a small naval unit with about one hundred sailors and fifteen or sixteen boats which operated in groups of two to six boats. Each of these boat officers operated directly with John Kerry on numerous occasions. Van Odell (Exhibit 6) is a retired Navy enlisted man who also served in Coastal Division 11 on the Chenoweth boat, a few yards from John Kerry during Kerry’s March 13, 1969 Bronze Star action.
Captain George Elliott, USN (retired), (Exhibit 4) was John Kerry’s direct commander in Coastal Division 11, while Captain Adrian Lonsdale, USCG (retired), (Exhibit 9) was Kerry’s administrative commander. Rear Admiral Roy Hoffmann, USN (retired), (Exhibit 8) commanded all Swift boats (including Kerry’s) in Vietnam. Each of these commanders interacted on numerous occasions with Kerry and, for example, are discussed for many pages in Kerry’s own authorized book, Tour.
Dr. Louis Letson (Exhibit 5) was the doctor in Cam Rahn Bay who treated Kerry’s first Purple Heart “wound,” while Commander Grant Hibbard (Exhibit 11) was John Kerry’s commander at Coastal Division 14 where Kerry claimed to have suffered the wound. Finally, Joe Ponder (Exhibit 13) and Shelton White (Exhibit 12) are veterans of Coastal Division 11 who were badly wounded near the Song Bo De River where Kerry served most of his short tour.
The Kerry campaign has utilized a revolving group of eight veterans from Coastal Division 11 (none of whom served with Kerry as much as two months). In stark contrast to this small stable of supporters, the veterans on “Any Questions?” have intimate knowledge of John Kerry or (in the case of Ponder and White) of the falsehood and injury of his false war crimes charges. Although many more of the over 250 signers of the Swiftvets’ letter served directly with John Kerry, it would be hard to locate people with more detailed and first-hand knowledge of John Kerry’s short Vietnam stay than those in the advertisement. They are well-suited to respond with first-hand knowledge to Edward’s invitation. Their sworn affidavits are attached (in order of appearance in the advertisement) as Exhibits 2 through 14.
That will leave a mark.
I’m With Teresa
Teresa and I find common ground:
On Thursday, Kerry told a convention of minority journalists that he would have reacted more decisively to the news than Bush, who continued reading with a group of Florida schoolchildren for seven minutes after an aide whispered the news into his ear. It
Explain To Me
Why aren’t conservative leaning outlets scrambling to hire Tacitus?
Swift Boats, Again
Most of the attempts to discredit the Swift Boat Veterans for Truths usually include something like this:
John O’Neill is a right wing whacko who can not be trusted.
This is not just John O’Neill:
Swift Boat Veterans for Truth has more than 250 members, many of whom were wounded or highly decorated in Vietnam.
We purchased with our blood and service the right to be heard, to set the record straight about our unit, and to tell the truth about John Kerry’s military service record.We respect Senator McCain’s right to express his opinion and we hope he extends to us the same respect and courtesy, particularly since we served with John Kerry, we knew him well and Senator McCain did not.
— Rear Admiral Roy Hoffmann (ret.), Founder and Chairman of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth
The Air Up There
There are two sides for the GOP to be on:
1. Principled opposition to John Kerry. You don’t like him personally, or his policy, and don’t think he should be president.
2. Wallow in the mud with racists, Rush Limbaugh, Karl Rove, Matt Drudge and the rest of the smear machine.
Play with fire, gonna get burned.
Right back at ya, buddy:
1. Principled opposition to George Bush. You don’t like him personally, or his policy, and don’t think he should be president. Again.
2. Wallow in the mud with theanti-semites, the religion-bashers, Margaret Cho, Michael Moore, Terry McAuliffe, Molly Ivins, The ANSWER crowd, MoveOn, the Bush Hitler Crowd, the Hollywood pottymouths, “Bush Knew” Conspiracy theorists, Ted Rall
Woops. Seems like you guys already made your choice.
*** Update ***
After reading the pointless pissing contest that the comments to this thread had become, I decided to delete them all and close all comments.
Scream censorship all you want, but the comments didn’t make anyone look good or smart or even someone I would want to know.