Tag Archives: Domestic Abuse

The Modern Gladiator Games

Adrian Peterson. Photo by Mike Morbeck – Flickr: Adrian Peterson. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

A week ago, we wrote a piece about Ray Rice and the NFL’s waffling on domestic abuse cases. Normally, we wouldn’t think about the NFL, much less write about it – none of us are huge football fans. However, since our last piece, some very disturbing things have happened that have everything to do with our previous story.

On Thursday, the Baltimore Ravens played their first game since Ray Rice’s indefinite suspension was made public. There were a number of fans wearing Ray Rice jerseys, and saying such things as “I don’t condone domestic assault, but I support Ray Rice.” One woman was given air time in a lot of the media; she said “I don’t condone domestic violence, but she hit him first. I’m sorry, but I think that if a woman hits a man, the man can hit her back.” The other reoccuring theme besides the “I don’t condone domestic violence” bit (which sounds a lot like the “I’m not a racist, but…” theme) was that he brought a Super Bowl championship to Baltimore, which somehow lent respectability to him. Really, people? Is that where your priorities lie?

Then on Friday, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was indicted by a Texas grand jury for child abuse. The charges stemmed from Peterson beating his 4 year old son with a branch as punishment for something the child had done. He beat him hard enough that the boy had welts on his legs, buttocks and back. After the news of the indictment broke on Friday, the Vikings benched Peterson for last Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots; a responsible move on their part. The Vikings lost their game – badly. Yesterday, the Vikings said that Peterson would play this Sunday.

Yesterday was a big day in the domestic abuse crisis surrounding the NFL. After the Vikings reinstated Peterson for Sunday’s game, news came out about another child abuse allegation about him. Ray Rice is appealing his suspension, claiming that at the most, he should be suspended for the six games that the new NFL rules call for. He further claims that he’d told the NFL’s head office everything about the domestic abuse incident in April, contradicting NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s claim that he (Goodell) didn’t know all the facts until TMZ leaked the second video last week. Meanwhile, the three other players who have been charged with domestic assault are playing and practicing with their teams every week.

Does anybody really think that the NFL will take the needed actions to make sure that the families and significant others of their players are safe from domestic violence? We sure don’t. Are these the role models we want for our children? Absolutely not.

The NFL is a huge business, taking in billions of dollars a year. It’s becoming more and more apparent that the NFL cares much more about their bottom line than they do about the players and their families’ health and safety, not to mention that they still promote these people as role models. Late yesterday, Radisson Hotels announced that they were suspending their sponsorship deal with the Vikings. Radisson spokesman Ben Gardeen said in an email; “Radisson takes this matter very seriously, particularly in light of our long-standing commitment to the protection of children. We are closely following the situation and effective immediately, Radisson is suspending its limited sponsorship of the Minnesota Vikings while we evaluate the facts and circumstances.”

Occupy World Writes applauds Radisson’s actions, and we encourage all of the other NFL sponsors to do the same. We’re revolted by the excuses we’ve heard from the media and fans for both the NFL’s and individual players’ behavior. We’d like to think that we as a nation are better than glorifying what’s essentially a replay of the Roman era’s gladiator events.

A One Strike Policy We’d Like To See

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Ray Rice 2012. “Ray Rice 2012” by 1ravenscowboysnflfan – Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

On February 15, 2014, former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice and his fiancée Janay Palmer were arrested in Atlantic City, New Jersey and charged with assault. Most of us have seen the video of Ray dragging Janay out of an elevator, and were horrified by the whole situation. We saw the whisper campaign to blame the victim start up (“Janay provoked him. She spit in his face or something like that. He must have been provoked beyond reason; it can’t possibly be his fault).

The NFL reviewed what had happened in Atlantic City, and in turn dropped the ball by giving Rice a measly two game suspension. This led to understandable public outrage and confusion over why testing positive for marijuana was considered a much more serious offense by the NFL than domestic assault and battery was.

Commissioner Roger Goodell last month admitted that he “didn’t get it right” when he only gave Rice a two game slap on the wrist, and said he would strengthen the league’s domestic abuse policy to include a six-game suspension for first-time offenders and a possible lifetime ban for second offenses.

Then, yesterday TMZ published the video from the elevator’s security camera from that night. In it, we clearly see Rice punch Janay so hard in the face that he knocks her out. Hours after the video appeared, the Baltimore Ravens released Rice, followed by the NFL suspending him indefinitely.

Both the NFL and the Ravens claim that they hadn’t seen the security camera video before TMZ published it. We can only come to one of two conclusions about that statement. Either both are lying, or both deliberately soft-pedaled the investigation. The first thing that would have happened if they were serious about getting to the bottom of the situation would be to look at any security videos of the incident; as the location was a casino, there would be security cameras everywhere. But, they claim they didn’t.

Furthermore – when the video they said they did see has Rice dragging his girlfriend out of the elevator, doesn’t that imply that she was knocked unconscious? After all, if it were just her passing out, there wouldn’t be an assault case, no? How much proof do you need? Are there acceptable levels of violence against women in the NFL’s and teams’ eyes? If you’re under so many broken ribs or so many black eyes, then it’s not as bad?

There’s three players in the NFL currently facing domestic violence charges. The NFL said last month after instating their new domestic abuse policies that “each case will be addressed individually on its merits.” We have a better policy to propose to the NFL, the teams and the players’ union – one strike and you’re out. We can’t think of any situation where domestic abuse would be excusable.

Isolation Nation

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By Andrew Bardwell from Cleveland, Ohio, USA (Jail Cell) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

By Andrew Bardwell from Cleveland, Ohio, USA (Jail Cell) [CC-BY-SA-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Few victims of domestic violence ever get their day in court. When they actually do, it represents a person who has been attacked so heinously that the authorities who wish to dismiss domestic “disturbances” can not turn a blind eye. And the victim will sit through court, hearing the defense for the abuser attack personal character, behavior, values and judgement so as to cause the court to determine what was meted out was asked for, and the REAL victim is the person on trial, as if a marital contract or a “relationship” gave someone control over another.

And every once in a great while, the abuse victim can still win. The abuser is sentenced according to the laws of the state and the federal government of that jurisdiction. The abuser spends time waiting for release so revenge can be taken somehow on the cause of all their troubles, since taking actual responsibility for one’s actions is completely foreign to this type of person.

In a recent article, The Price of Principle, we talked about a personal story with a much larger meaning. Following the posting of that story, I wrote a letter to the organization that oversees a competition, where the winners go on to represent their state in an international competition. When the organization awarded a spot in this competition to the convicted felon, they were not aware of his infractions with the law. When I notified them, their consultation with the parole officer resulted in the exact opposite of what I had hoped for, but points to the larger problem within our society.

The convicted felon’s parole officer was already aware that the felon was breaking the terms of his “extended supervision”; but also stated that he supported the felon in doing so. The parole officer felt it was important that the felon adjust and “be social” rather than live in isolation. As a result, the organization has decided they will take no action or withdraw this person from proceeding in the competition.

When the very authorities given the responsibility to see that the terms of parole and extended supervision are met, instead choose that the criminal be more “adjusted” and “social” in their world than the victims they have created, there is something seriously wrong. Not only with our criminal justice system, but also an obvious failing in the protection of public safety by those who can not or will not demonstrate enough remorse to fulfill the length of their sentence for the crime committed against another.

What we see as the REAL issue and the most fundamental part of the problem: Until our society begins to show more regard, respect and thus more protection of the VICTIMS of these crimes, NOTHING will ever change.

In this particular story, I again am forced back into a life of isolation so that the convicted felon can exercise his “right” to circulate in the very vicinity of where his actual victim, not myself, currently resides. SHE has no protection, even after winning in court and surviving her injuries. I am reacting to the panic disorder and PTSD left by my own abuser, who will never see the inside of a jail cell as a result of his abuse.

In cases such as these, where EXACTLY is justice served?

Victim’s Rights are Human Rights.

The Price of Principle

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By U.S. Air Force photo illustration by Airman 1st Class Kenna Jackson [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Letting your mind be “occupied” means you consider the principle at play in most interactions you have in life. From the grocery clerk to the solicitor at the door, you must pause and ask yourself, “How does this align with the tenants and values of the Occupy movement?”

We operate our lives much like our vehicles. We have an assumed trust that the oncoming car will not cross the center line and enter our lane. We assume everyone will stop at a four-way stop, and that motorists will not go down a one-way street the wrong direction. By following the basic rules, we arrive at our destinations safely. It is a grand bargain that works for everyone on the road.

Sometimes there is a collision. Like the scene of any bad accident, you realize that every witness sees things differently. Even if the other driver was impaired, it does not change the fact that the “rules” were not followed and someone pays. Maybe it is as serious as the loss of life, maybe it is simply increased insurance premiums. But someone pays.

So it is when we find things that we may hold very dear to us but, for whatever reason, they no longer align with the tenants and values of the Occupy Movement, nor in the thinking of an “occupied mind.” This is when you pause and say “I must make a choice. What means more, this “thing” or the principles I value and the voice I have chosen? Will making a stand make a difference, and does it matter if I try, or can I just let this one go?”

One of the firmest stands I have made in my life is the solidarity I take with domestic violence and rape survivors. Unwavering in my commitment to educate those who live in ignorance of the cultures in our society that perpetuate these issues and generate more victims, I can not make exception even if I want to.

When I met my husband, he had been participating in a hobby/craft for decades. His involvement introduced me to a new world, where I made many friends and enjoyed myself immensely. It became the center of our social life and allowed us time with other couples with like interests.

Until.

Until we learned that one of the “members” of the group we were not as close to was a convicted felon who had beat the face of his then-wife in with the butt of a gun. He is serving his “extended supervision” portion of his sentence by violating the terms of the court every chance he gets in order to participate in the activities as though every thing is as acceptable as a speeding ticket. When he is arrested for his infractions, he blames his now ex-wife for reporting him, not recognizing it was his choice to violate the terms of his sentence in the first place.

As a result, I have felt forced to withdraw my participation and isolate myself from the group of friends I truly enjoy, all in order to first; teach them that this convicted felon’s behavior is not acceptable, and secondly, to prevent the PTSD and panic disorders triggered by this particular individuals’ actions from occurring. My husband is still considering if he can continue participation much longer.

Is this what I wanted? NO. Did I have a choice? NO.

But when when your principles means more than the things in life that humor you, it is worth the stand. When I know I affected at least one life with my decision, it is the start of change.

What change are you willing to stand up to make?

Arm or Be Armed

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NRA Headquarters. By Bjoertvedt (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

NRA Headquarters. By Bjoertvedt (Own work) [GFDL or CC-BY-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

This last week, the National Rifle Association (NRA) held their annual convention in Indianapolis, IN. Attended by thousands and featuring speeches from the likes of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, retired Lt. Col. Oliver North and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. While we at Occupy World Writes think the dynamic four should be called a therapy group, we understand they drew substantial support from the crowds.

This follows Georgia’s new gun laws, the most liberal in the country, being signed into law this week. The new law, dubbed “the guns everywhere” law, places the burden of restriction inside public places such as bars and churches on the individual business, does not require the gun owner to carry permit papers with them, and even prevents police from inquiring about a permit unless the gun carrier has committed a crime.

10,000 children are injured or killed every year in this country by the same thing. We should be outraged. If it were a corporation doing this, we would demand laws and criminal processing. If it were a terrorist group, we would demand the almighty forces of our military be used to utterly destroy the enemy. If it were a disease, we would demand the CDC and other government agencies pool their resources and stop at nothing until it could be halted in its tracks.

Flowers for those who died in the Sandy Hook shootings. By VOA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWCnbZaqP40) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

But since it is because of gun violence, we can’t even talk about it. America has passed no federal gun restriction laws since 1993, when President Clinton signed the Brady Bill into law. Since then, we have had a few executive orders signed, the most recent by Pres. Obama in January of 2013 following the Newtown shootings. But there has been no congressional action on this issue, despite studies and reports proving the statistic of our children being slaughtered by 10,000 per year.

I am not an advocate of those who subscribe to the notion that all guns are bad. I hunt, I grew up with firearms and I understand the traditions most Americans cherish in that regard. But I also believe that parents should be able to send their children to school without wondering if they will come home that day. They should not hope someone starts making bullet-proof clothing for children. They should be able to count on their elected officials to respond when the nation faces the loss of our greatest national treasure.

Join Occupy World Writes in our support of Americans For Responsible Solutions. It is worth your time to at least explore and consider the topics presented on their website.

Go ahead – pull the trigger.

“Emotional” Damage

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Barack and Michelle Obama greet guests following the Women’s History Month reception in the East Room of the White House on March 18, 2013.
By Pete Souza [Public domain], via Wikimedia Common

Patriarchal society has dominated human culture for centuries. With rare exception, men are seen as the providers of safety, economic income, the head of the family and the leaders of the community.

International communities recognize the absence of women in the most important discussions taking place today. The UN has questioned why more women are not involved in the peace processes. More women are now involved in parliaments and governments the world over. But it is still not representative of the populations being represented. In October, 2013, the United Nations Security Council and senior UN officials “issued a strong call on the international community to strengthen its commitment to ensuring that women play a more prominent role in conflict prevention, resolution and in post-war peacebuilding,” according to a UN News Centre article.

But I am becoming increasingly concerned when I see a country attempt to go back from over 50 years in progress toward women’s rights – and for the purpose of polarized politics in a reprehensible soup of despicable vitriol. And at the end of the day, the damage done is not to the women themselves, but to those who lose their credibility by sacrificing their morality in a verbal jihad resulting in sentiments that will linger long after the battles are seemingly over.

Women Grow Business bootcamp 2010 for #dcweek #wgbiz.
By ShashiBellamkonda [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

I never thought I would find myself defending Bridget Kelly until Chris Christie’s attorneys released their “document” that accused Kelly of being “emotional” and therefore causing the traffic problems in Ft. Lee, or their description of Dawn Zimmer as being “emotional” about her allegation of Christie’s office holding Sandy Aid money in exchange for support of a development project. It was done again when former CIA Director Michael Hayden called Dianne Feinstein “emotional” in her CIA investigation remarks. Lois Lerner was said to be “emotional” when she took the fifth during the IRS investigation. I could only think of the rape victims who were not allowed to testify at the trial of their rapist because their testimony would be too “emotional” and might sway the jury. In all these instances, “emotional” is meant to convey weakness, poor judgement, lack of knowledge and unprofessionalism.

It started a few years back, but we’ve watched the momentum increase. Since 2009, legislatures across the country have introduced new bills that repress women’s rights. While they may seem insignificant when viewed individually, collectively they represent a regression that appears to be orchestrated by men that feel threatened by women’s empowerment.

You look confused – let me explain. You already are familiar with the claw back of abortion access in America. We have also seen laws that attempt to redefine rape so fewer women can receive abortion when impregnated by their rapist. The IRS was almost forced to audit rape victims before this was struck from a pending bill due to public outrage. And let’s not forget the Michigan “rape Insurance” bill, requiring a pre-purchased policy that covers the “just in case” scenario, and then the state made the policy itself unavailable to women in the state.

Connie Reece and others offer “social media therapy” sessions during the Austin Women in Technology (AWT) Business Conference.
By TheSeafarer [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Washington committees review policies on women’s health, yet will not allow women to testify to these committees. They state myths as facts and claim facts are myths, and refuse to allow anyone to correct their misinformed ignorance. Medical science and facts be damned, these men know what’s best for womens health.

Some cities have passed rules that take domestic violence off the “calls we respond to” list for local police departments, citing budget cuts. Those cities report domestic violence being so high that the police spend “excessive” time dealing with the issue.

Voter ID laws make it especially difficult for women who have changed their name, either through marriage or divorce, to attain proper voting documentation. The restricted hours for voting target single working women.

Budget cuts in Washington have resulted in SNAP funds being slashed – hitting single mothers hardest. The response of “women need to get married as a means of improving their lives” mantra we are beginning to hear is not a policy or solution.

Pell grants, currently being threatened in Washington, benefit women overwhelmingly, offering a means to rise above their economic restrictions.

Federal minimum wage increases would benefit women, who work more entry level and service sector jobs than men.

This week, we are hearing people argue that women don’t need or want equal pay for equal work. Yet women make on average, .77 for every $1.00 earned by a man doing the same work with the same qualifications.

Targets now include birth control in general, single mothers, making divorce more difficult, health insurance coverage, banking and lending policies, the list continues to grow.

All this takes place in the backdrop of men who were elected for their “family values” who then pass laws that they exempt themselves from regarding sexual harassment, get caught on camera in extra-marital affairs and worry about how men will be impacted if the Violence Against Women Act allows white rapists on Indian reservations to be prosecuted in court instead of falling through the legal loopholes. And now they are using the “negative impact” on men as an excuse to not pass the Equal Pay Act.

What is it called when you say one thing and do another? H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-S-Y

How America Celebrates Women

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New York City, May 6, 1912. Public Domain via Wiki Media Commons.

Today is INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY. Here is a glimpse of what caught our attention while looking for motivational stories or events to mark the importance of women throughout the United States:

MASSACHUSETTS: Court ruled there is nothing illegal about “upskirting”, the practice of using a phone or other device to photograph under women’s skirts while in public. Responding to public pressure and outrage, the legislators in that state quickly passed a law that would protect the expected privacy rights of women who are brave enough to venture out into public while dressing like – GASP! – a woman! Check your local listings for laws in your state.

TEXAS: By September of this year, all but six abortion clinics will be closed as state laws are passed limiting the ability of most to remain open. There are 26 million women in the state of Texas. Meanwhile, women are going back to pre-Roe days to find a means to terminate pregnancy, even in cases of rape, incest or when the mother’s life is endangered. As a result, more women are suffering serious health issues and death from self-induced procedures gone wrong.

On March 6, a bill to reform how the military handles cases of rape and sexual harassment in the military was once again defeated. Meanwhile, 40% of assault victims report the perpetrator was their ranking officer. 79% of women serving in the military during the past 40 years report persistent experiences of sexual harassment. The Army is investigating its top sex-crimes prosecutor, Lt. Col. Joseph Morse, on allegations that he groped a female lawyer at a sexual-assault conference in 2011, Army officials disclosed Thursday. Sexual assaults in the military during 2013 rose by 60% over the reported numbers from the year before.

The recently passed Farm Bill, with its reductions in SNAP spending, in addition to the recent budget and sequester that took cuts to the same program, targets low-income, predominantly single parent homes by reducing their benefit by 50%. Most of these recipients are single moms.

We repeatedly see rapists and domestic abusers released by the courts, while the victims continue to suffer public trial and internal terror as their nightmare never ends. Their justice is not served when restraining orders are not enforced, probation violators are not locked up and communities rally behind the perpetrators if they happen to be athletes or prominent figures.

Refusal to pass a minimum wage increase impacts more women than men, and in addition, women make less than men in the same positions. Economic hardship is a means of control for many women who desire to achieve higher goals in life.

CPAC: Paul Ryan tells a story of a boy who asks for a brown bag lunch instead of free lunch at school. Ryan declares “a full stomach and an empty soul” to describe the outcome of allowing children a free lunch at school. “A brown bag lunch means someone cares about me,” Ryan says the little boy claimed. What Ryan is really saying, in addition to his continued assault on low income families, is that if your mom doesn’t pack you a lunch instead of having you participate in the school lunch program, your mom doesn’t care as much about you. Shaming a parent for poverty by using their child is reprehensible.

Affordable Health Care Act: Bills introduced in Washington would allow corporations to decide contraceptive coverage under health insurance policies for female employees, based on the religious convictions of their superiors, most time men. The measure would allow invasive questions including how often they intend to have sexual relations.

Voter ID laws target women who have changed their name through marriage or divorce. If the photo ID is not an exact match to the name in the voting record, the voter must provide documentation. By abiding by most state requirements to replace driver’s licenses or other identification within 30 days of a name change, women risk not being able to vote in their next election.

If I were to list everything that has taken place recently, this posting would go on forever. My point is that until we treat women the way our laws and media say we do, these things will continue to happen. Never have we seen such a concerted effort to retreat to an era we fought to emerge from so many decades ago.

Celebrate this day by making the decision to inspire change where you can.

No Self-Defense For Abuse Victims

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Photo courtesy “Support for Marissa Alexander” via Facebook

Florida State Attorney Angela Corey, in what appears to most as a retaliatory decision, has tripled down on the sentence to be served should the retrial of Marissa Alexander deliver a guilty plea.

Marissa Alexander’s nightmare began that fateful night when she defended herself by firing a warning shot to stop her abusive husband from beating her. Just days before, she had given birth. Her estranged husband, Rico Gray, accused her of being unfaithful and alleged the baby was not his. When he went into a rage, Marissa locked herself in the bathroom. He broke the door down and shoved her to the floor. She somehow was able to escape his grip and ran to the garage, where she retrieved a gun from a car. She then fired a warning shot to stop Gray from attacking her and following through with his threat to kill her.

Prosecutors say the shot hit the wall, not the ceiling, and could have hit Gray or his children. At one point they offered Alexander a plea deal of three years in prison. She turned that down and chose to go to trial.

By moggs oceanlane (Flickr: Abuse: power & control behaviors) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

By moggs oceanlane (Flickr: Abuse: power & control behaviors) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

According to a report in The Grio, “Corey has argued vehemently that the victims were Gray and his two sons, who were in the kitchen when Alexander returned from the garage and fired a gunshot into the kitchen ceiling of her and Gray’s home. Corey contends that they were the true victims in the 2010 gun incident, and that Gray was subsequently victimized in a second confrontation with Alexander on December 30, 2010, in which Alexander was arrested for misdemeanor battery, and her bond back then was revoked. In their bond motion this week, Alexander’s lawyers argued that it was she who was beaten in that December 2010 incident, providing email messages from Gray that included the line: “If I can’t have you nobody can.”

Corey’s triple-down sentence of 60 years in prison for Alexander stems from Florida’s 10-20-Life law. This law provides that possession of a firearm while committing certain felonies is punishable by at least 10 years in prison, while discharging a firearm while committing those felonies is punishable by at least a 20-year sentence. Hurting or killing someone in those circumstances requires 25 years to life in prison.

Alexander has to be found guilty of a felony for the 10-20-Life sentencing guidelines to apply. This case has now brought legislation forward in Florida that would make exceptions to this law for cases like Alexanders, but it does not address the underlying issues that make this particular case so reprehensible. Also at argument is whether the three 20-year terms Corey holds over Alexander will be served concurrently or consecutively.

Corey does not seem to understand that one in every four women in the US will experience domestic violence during her lifetime. Every nine seconds in America, a woman is abused or assaulted. In 2010, 113,378 crimes of domestic violence were reported to Florida law enforcement agencies, resulting in 67,810 arrests; a fact Corey seems completely oblivious to. These statistics do not reflect the incidences that are never reported.

Image By moggs oceanlane (Flickr: Abuse: cycle of violence) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Image By moggs oceanlane (Flickr: Abuse: cycle of violence) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

The “Stand Your Ground” laws we have seen in the headlines does not apply to Alexander. The court has determined she can not use this law in her defense. Apparently the “Stand Your Ground” laws are only a defense if you are a man wielding the gun, not if you are a woman defending herself. “Stand Your Ground” is a MAN’S law, so they can control popcorn throwing and texting in theaters, as well as radio volumes and the use of hoodies and ice tea in their neighborhoods. Can you imagine what would happen if women were empowered with laws that would allow them to escape their abusive situations without fear of separation from their children or of serving prison time? For not having taken a life, Florida intends to punish Marissa for the rest of her life.

We Fought This War Already

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Photo by Harris & Ewing [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Women in America are fortunate. At least that what the laws will would tell you. Enforcement of those laws and the very rights of women are so threatened in today’s landscape that we have reached a new level in our oppression of over half the US population.

This is not about just contraception and health care rights. It is not a question about abortion alone. It is not just about our right to equal pay for equal work. It is more than about our right to live in a society where we can be safe in our homes and on our streets from domestic violence and rape. It goes beyond the voter ID laws that target women who have changed their names.

This is about control. Today’s atmosphere is so ripe for the oppression of women that ALEC and certain lawmakers are now introducing stone-age era legislation – here’s just some of the latest highlights in the battle:

Legislation making it harder for women to escape abusive marriages by labeling single mothers as “child abusers,” locking them up and awarding custody to either the father or the state.
Not enforcing current laws that are supposed to keep abusers behind bars – instead, they are released and their anger is unleashed on the victim.
Debates and committees in Washington meet to discuss women’s healthcare, “legitimate” rape and other issues, yet women are barred from the committees or from testifying.
Some communities are no longer prosecuting domestic violence because of budget cuts, yet this crime continues to skyrocket as economic and social conditions worsen.
SNAP, WIC and other programs are being slashed at both state and federal levels, worsening conditions for struggling women who earn .23 cents less an hour than their male coworkers..
Numerous laws at state levels are designed to make it difficult if not outright impossible for women to exercise their rights to control their own bodies.

One must question what men fear so much that causes the same approach to handling women’s issues as is orchestrated in anti-trust monopolies. If SCOTUS can rule that corporations are people, than women should be considered corporations. Then we could file a class action lawsuit on the merits of an oppressive monopoly that denies us our right to compete, to function safely and to protect our interests.

I declare myself a non-profit so I no longer have to pay taxes to a government that suppresses me.

Defenseless

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Sanaz Nezami is seen in a photo provided by her sister, Sara Nezami.

There are those in our society that turn a blind eye to domestic violence. There is nowhere in the world where women can feel truly safe from violence against them.

The most insidious of this violence is when it is delivered by the hand of someone the victim trusts and loves – their spouse.

So imagine, if you dare, the nightmare of a family who recently celebrated their daughter’s marriage and moving to a foreign country. Then, to find out she has been beaten fatally – and with only hours of life left, your only means of providing her comfort is through an internet connection and asking a nursing staff to act on your behalf. Seem unlikely?

Woman dies in Michigan as Iran family weeps while watching over Internet

What is wrong with society when any person can beat another to death? What have we as a society sunk to, when outrage is not our first reaction? What if it were your daughter? Sister? Mother? Friend? How do we stop the madness?

Editorial Note: There are times when the stories we read hit home more than others. As a survivor of domestic abuse, I could not help but conclude that this could have been me. I live with a disability as a result of the violence. But at least I get to live. Others, like this beautiful, bright and promising young woman, do not survive. Sanaz will never be forgotten. It is her story that gives determination to all of us, that this MUST STOP.