The anarchists are right in the assertation that, without Authority, there could not be worse violence than that of Authority under existing conditions.
Leo Tolstoy
The Musings of Your Friendly Neighborhood Anarchist
I want to apologize for all the abuse related posts recently. Seriously. It’s kind of a downer, but these stories keep finding themselves in front of me.
I abhor violence. It breaks my heart, and I cannot and will not tolerate it. In my eyes there can be nothing more despicable than someone taking advantage of his or her power over another living creature to cause it physical or psychological pain. Any person, church, group, organization, or government that encourages this sort of blatant disregard for the sanctity of an individual’s right not to be harmed by any other human being is corrupt, evil, and untrustworthy. The people who engage in this behavior should be called on it publicly and shamed until they stop.
That’s why the Andy Levy post reminding the world that Chris Brown beat the ever living hell out of his girlfriend brings me great joy. Quite a few comments from Mr. Brown’s fans decry the fact that he has undergone rehab for his wrong doings. That’s great. I wish him the best, but the world should never stop reminding this man what he did. If the world doesn’t forget, then Chris Brown will never forget. And he will be much less likely to ever do it again.
If you hit your child as a means of correction, stop. It does not make you a good parent. Just because your parents did it to you doesn’t make it right. If you can’t keep the peace in your home without resorting to violence, then you have no moral integrity and your children will pick up on it. Remember that they may be smaller than you right now, but it might not always be so. You are teaching them that violence is a means to control behavior. It is only a matter of time before they try to control others (romantic partners, children, friends, relatives, etc.) in this same manner. Ask yourself what might happen when they are older and stronger and decide that they need to control your behavior. Is violence the lesson you really want them to learn?
I’ve ranted about this long enough. I hope to have happier posts soon.
Your humble Secretary,
Ree
(Source: socialuprooting)
Rape within the US military has become so widespread that it is estimated that a female soldier in Iraq is more likely to be attacked by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire. So great is the issue that a group of veterans are suing the Pentagon to force reform. The lawsuit, which includes three men and 25 women (the suit initially involved 17 plaintiffs but grew to 28) who claim to have been subjected to sexual assaults while serving in the armed forces, blames former defence secretaries Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates for a culture of punishment against the women and men who report sex crimes and a failure to prosecute the offenders.
Since the lawsuit became public in February, 400 more have come forward, contacting attorney Susan Burke who is leading the case. These are likely to be future lawsuits. Right now they are anxiously awaiting a court ruling to find out if the lawsuit will go to trial. The defence team for the department of defence has filed a motion to dismiss the case, citing a court ruling, dating back to 1950, which states that the government is not liable for injury sustained by active duty personnel. To date, military personnel have been unable to sue their employer.
Whether or not the case goes to trial, it is still set to blow the lid on what has come to be regarded as the American military’s dirty little secret. Last year 3,158 sexual crimes were reported within the US military. Of those cases, only 529 reached a court room, and only 104 convictions were made, according to a 2010 report from SAPRO (sexual assault prevention and response office, a division of the department of defence). But these figures are only a fraction of the reality. Sexual assaults are notoriously under-reported. The same report estimated that there were a further 19,000 unreported cases of sexual assault last year. The department of veterans affairs, meanwhile, released an independent study estimating that one in three women had experience of military sexual trauma while on active service. That is double the rate for civilians, which is one in six, according to the US department of justice.
Proof that the government can take an already horrible and traumatic experience and somehow make it even worse. When you create an entire system (the military) based around aggression, dominance, and mindlessly obeying orders, is it any surprise that this sort of terrible injustice is so common?
