Hello ...

[Tuesday Afternoon]

[frogmarch]

1. from Wiki

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaVena_Johnson

LaVena Johnson (July 27, 1985 – July 19, 2005) was a Private First Class in the United States Army whose death, officially ruled a suicide, has attracted international attention amid allegations she was raped and murdered. She was the first female soldier from Missouri to die in Iraq.
...

Johnson's death was officially ruled a suicide by the Department of Defense. However, her father became suspicious when he saw her body in the funeral home and decided to investigate. The Army initially refused to release information, but did so under the Freedom of Information Act after Representative William Lacy Clay, Jr. raised questions about it at the congressional hearings over Pat Tillman's death.[3]
The autopsy report and photographs revealed Johnson had a broken nose, black eye, loose teeth, burns from a corrosive chemical on her genitals, and a gunshot wound that seemed inconsistent with suicide. Several reporters have suspected that the chemical burns were to destroy DNA evidence of a rape.[1][3][4][5]

A spokesman from the House Armed Services Committee said in June 2008 that the committee was looking into Johnson's death, but they were not yet committing to a formal investigation. Christopher Grey, chief of public affairs for the U.S. Criminal Investigative Command for the Army has said that the case remains closed as far as they are concerned.[6]

Following a February 2007 KMOV news report on Johnson's death, an online petition addressed to the House Armed Services Committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee was launched. This was followed by the creation of an official LaVena Johnson website dedicated to developments in prompting a new Army investigation of her death. The petition closed on May 24, 2008 with nearly 12,000 signatures; preparations are being made for delivery to the two committees.[7] In July 2008, the online Black activist group Color of Change launched an online petition[8] calling on Henry Waxman, chair of the House Oversight Committee, to conduct a hearing into LaVena Johnson's death and the Army's handling of her case and others like it.

A documentary film about LaVena Johnson's family struggle for justice was made in 2010, directed by Joan Brooker and titled LaVena Johnson: The Silent Truth.[9]

On July 19, 2011, the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute (CCIRI) at CHI Institute will continue its investigation into the death by recreating the crime scene. Each year the CCIRI investigates a new cold case and this year chose Johnson’s case. The CCIRI’s crime scene reconstruction will help shed light on this case that has attracted worldwide attention.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

2. thank you, frogmarch

truth. where is it?

[Spitfire of ATJ]

33. "truth. where is it?"

Mixed in the Internet with Lizard People.

[In_The_Wind]

6. Thanks for the posting the truth.

[sufrommich]

11. Fucking unbelievable. nt

[yuiyoshida]

14. This.

wow.

[Initech]

17. What was the outcome of recreating the crime scene?

[frogmarch]

18. I wonder the same thing! nt

[stevenleser]

47. Here is what I have been able to find...

https://www.change.org/petitions/it-s-time-to-act-now-claim-justice-for-pfc-lavena-johnson

So far, CCIRI has had their own ballistic and forensic experts and a psychologist who is an expert on suicides, take a good look at the military’s investigative file and autopsy photos. All have serious doubts LaVena took her own life.

“There’s no question the military’s [investigation and conclusion of suicide] has problems,” says Sheryl McCollum, director of CCIRI. “If there are any signs of murder, you can’t automatically call it a suicide.”

But while the CCIRI has found the courage to take on this potential military cover-up, major media such as CBS News’s 60 Minutes and ABC News have attempted to report on LaVena’s death, but backed away from airing the story, even though both CBS and ABC spent thousands of dollars on Lavena, sending multiple teams to the home of the Johnsons. 60 Minutes also paid to have LaVena’s body disinterred for a second autopsy, this according to LaVena’s father, Dr. John Johnson of St. Louis.

“No one will touch LaVena’s story with a ten-foot pole,” says Dr. Johnson about the mainstream and corporate media.
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.
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[840high]

42. Thank you.

[spanone]

61. not yet committing to a formal investigation----WTF?

[frogmarch]

62. Flabbergasting, isn't it?

[one_voice]

3. Fucking shameful!

[Tuesday Afternoon]

4. fucking A

[NYC_SKP]

5. Kicked and, with great sadness, recommended. (nt)

[Tuesday Afternoon]

7. yes. n/t

[uponit7771]

8. +1

[Baitball Blogger]

9. Deplorable.

Open the fucking case and find the animals who are responsible.

[Gormy Cuss]

10. Now that's a massive WTF.

I hope that the perpetrator(s) as well as the cowards who tried to bury this crime are brought to justice.

[Wounded Bear]

12. Disgusting...

and after all these years, it's probably impossible to really investigate fully.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

13. Kick

[MynameisBlarney]

15. Horrific.

If I had kids, male or female, I would absolutely forbid them to join the military.
It is overrun with criminals and thugs.

[frogmarch]

16. VIDEO: The Silent Truth

[countryjake]

56. ...and the list goes on & on & on.

Thanks for posting that video, frogmarch.

[Mnemosyne]

19. Woman troops were being so abused in Iraq that they were causing themselves horrible UTI's because

was not safe to use the restrooms during the night. I remember reading about at least one young woman that did commit suicide several years ago, rather than return to the hell some male soldiers created for them.

I threatened to break my daughter's legs (I never even spanked her), if she ever tried to join the military. She suffers from Compound PTSD already.

I am so sorry you suffered like that, LaVena. I remember when it happened.

Thanks for the reminder, TA.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

20. .

<---- for you, Mnemosyne

[cinnabonbon]

44. +1

I also remember reading about a soldier being raped on duty too, but who were restricted from talking about it because she had signed a "non-disclosure" agreement before joining the military. She took it to court, obviously. I wonder how many cases we're not hearing about, because of agreements like that.

Anyway. What happened to LaVena shouldn't happen to anyone. It's terrible.

[DamnYankeeInHouston]

21. The horror that is the United Staes war machine.

[freshwest]

22. Another case of *suicide* that doesn't pass the logic test. How long will this go on? n/t

[Oakenshield]

51. It will go on for as long as the knuckle-draggers worship the military.

If the public leveled a critical eye at the military instead of just writing a blank check and waving flags these kind of horrific incidences wouldn't happen. At the very least I'd like to think such incidences would at least be properly investigated. This story is just plain sickening.

[idwiyo]

23. k&r

[AAO]

24. I guess they didn't have her back.

[AAO]

25. She must have been asking for it.

The way she coyly sports those sexy camo khaki's, and that giant phallic symbol she's holding. Why, no military man in the world is going to be able to resists fucking her and then killing her to hide the evidence! Yeah.... that's the ticket!

[BlancheSplanchnik]

26. can we talk about misogyny, male aggression and male privelidge yet?

"And other cases like hers".

Sure most men don't do these things....but we need to look at those who do. As a group--what factors contribute to such male male behavior?

Did you know that the most recent surveys show that 35% of college age men would rape if they were certain they would not be caught or punished.

The largest percentage of perpetrators on college campuses were fraternity members ir athletic team members.

Similarly, the military is a brotherhood of male bonding where protection against discovery is fairly assured.

We here all know that tribal groups forge intergroup attachments and loyalty through normalizing contempt and dehumanisation of those outside the group.

I think it's time the phenomenon of male bonding and brotherhoods be examined.

[laundry_queen]

28. +1 nt

[AAO]

32. I think its time to catch and punish the rapists and leave the rest of us alone...

"Sure most men don't do these things....". "Most" is kind of squishy. You are talking about 99% of us that DON'T RAPE PEOPLE, and the 1% of weirdo's that do. Let's just concentrate on the 1 percent.

[2naSalit]

36. Excuse me but

if one in four women/girls in the US are raped by the time they are twenty, I'm pretty sure there's a hell of a lot more than 1% of the male population who are perps.

So that would imply that there are quite a few perps on the prowl at any given time which also implies that it is a really big social problem that is - much like the wall street bankster issue - of concern to the general population regardless of butthurt feelings the sensitive males who can't handle the fact that this is such a big problem... they are either part of the problem or part of the solution, there are so viable sidelines on this one as it affects society as a whole.

"Not my problem" isn't an option here.

[AAO]

43. Thank you for your insight.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

37. Exactly AAO!! You are exactly on point.

99% of you guys DON'T RAPE people.

You're thinking of yourself and all the men you've ever known. Since we tend to hang with people like ourselves, it'd be pretty likely that you'd have always been around men like you, who don't act out aggression against women!

First thing I want to say is, please remember, there are an awful lot of people you don't hang with and who don't hang out here on DU who DO act out male aggression against women. Like teabag mentality, rageful personalities, for example.

Second thing I want to affirm in what you said: YES PLEASE can we concentrate on catching and appropriately punishing those FUCKS?????

The problem is that Brotherhood I mentioned. It exists at high levels as well as among working class, middle class (if such a thing still exists) ordinary people.

That Brotherhood at high levels and low levels has always covered up, or just plain disbelieved women---because they are women. Even if the evidence is blatant, the danger of cover up at high levels is clear in too many cases to count---

For example: The chain of authority that covered up in this, the LaVenna Johnson case.

For example: The chain of authority that covered up the Steubenville rape.

For example: The case of the girl in India that we are JUST hearing about here of the girl who was gang raped twice and burned alive….the chain of authority in India outright stole the body and has been covering up since October (I think Oct.)

What I am asking is that we--You and I, right here, right now, talking to each other on DU-- realize that we are both talking about the same people that NEED to get what they deserve, but HAVE NOT BEEN. For centuries.

Whether loudly or more quietly amongst ourselves, what we the majority of women here have been talking about, here and everywhere is that the buddy-pal connections that work together to protect THOSE 1% (or whatever the fairly small percentage is of men who DO act hostile towards women) needs to be concentrated on!!!!

Can we agree on this? I think we are actually thinking of the same end point.

[AAO]

41. I absolutely agree with you. Thank you for that explanation!

I would NEVER cooperate in such terrible harm against anyone. Anyone that covers up, or ignores, or condones such crimes, should be held accountable in a civilian court of law. And there needs to be a big change in the military to fix this disgusting situation.

Bye Blanche!

[BlancheSplanchnik]

58. thank *you*

I should have replied sooner. I get so distracted….

When I wrote that post, my hope was that we could encourage a different kind of discussion than what's been going on for too long--at DU and in general.


it seems that some percentage of guys get defensive when women are speaking our upset at how we've been treated in this system. That's what we're talking about when we discuss "rape-culture".

Some men are reacting defensively at the outset of discussion and some women are reacting angrily.

Understandable, if you think about it. Women's opinions and experiences on the subject have been dismissed and even twisted to mean irrelevant and false ideas, such as that we're prudes for discussing and disliking how we are treated in this system.

I mean, really, we are viewed as sex objects, that concept gets reinforced continuously all around us: That's GOTTA leave a mark.

Do you know what I mean?

[AAO]

59. Yes I know what you mean. I've seen it up close my whole life.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

60. :)

Cool.

If we can create allies where once there was misunderstanding or hostility, i think it would be a good thing.

[chervilant]

35. Please watch "The Bro Code" documentary.

The research cited in this documentary puts the percentage of college-age men who would rape if they were certain they wouldn't get caught at 54%. That's over half of our young males!

But, too many of our fellow DUers have asserted that "there is no rape culture," and that the incidence of rape is lower now than it's ever been. Those of us who advocate for awareness of the rape culture are denigrated and belittled; told to watch our tone; ridiculed as 'radical feminists' with an 'agenda.'

My agenda is:

~help our children learn to experience and express their sexuality--and their full range of emotions--in healthy and productive ways;

~help our children learn respect for themselves and others, regardless of their sex or their sexual orientation;

~help our children learn that patriarchy is damaging to us all, regardless of our sex or our sexual orientation.

I hope this young woman's parents--and the families of all the young women who've been sexually assaulted or murdered while in the military--will get the truth AND justice!

[BlancheSplanchnik]

38. I checked google for the stats on that..I saw 51% as well as other numbers.

some were older stats, some were from questionable sources. So I didn't want to say something I didn't have time to go in-depth research. Anyway, they weren't good, no matter what….

Please read too the reply I made to AAO. It took me a long time to compose but I think I maybe got at the problem we've all been gong nuts about lately. Maybe…. if you have critique, fire away.

[chervilant]

39. Please watch this

video to understand that too many of us--particularly men--participate in cover-ups and denials. This has to stop.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

40. thanks!! I definitely want to see that.

yes. we're seeing repukes covering up major shit all the time. Majority of whom are men. Why wouldn't they circle the wagons to prevent "fine young men" (like from their fraternities or teams or departments or battalions…….)?

[CrispyQ]

27. No words.

[onlyadream]

29. I hope the bastards that did this are forever haunted. Nt

[quakerboy]

55. Preferably in a jail cell

and ideally one on a cell block that they share with every member of the chain of command involved in protecting them from the swift movement of justice.

[Aerows]

30. Plain horrible

How that got ruled suicide is disgusting.

[Enthusiast]

31. "Greatest country in the world!"

[LittleBlue]

34. Truly unbelievable

The officers who covered this up should be thrown in prison. The rapist traitor should be handed over to the Taliban to do with as they please.

[valerief]

45. Poor kid. Those savages. Why anyone joins the military is beyond me. nt

[etherealtruth]

46. OMG

Kick and recommended

[rustbeltrefugee]

48. This is hideous!

I am sad to say I am not surprised. As a Navy vet and current contractor writing this from Iraq, todays military is not the same as when we defeated Hitler or even when we bumbled our way through Vietnam. I have worked with former and current soldiers for a long time and the people who will go back to civilian life after this atrocity will not make our world better. Mostly racist, entitled staunchly right wing and HEAVILY armed! Wont go into details but this is the tip of the iceberg.

[sammythecat]

49. Wellcome to DU

Considering your background and current situation, I'm sure you've got some interesting insights on today's military and everything going on 'over there'. Hope to hear more from you.

[whathehell]

50. What monster did this?

I hope they NEVER give up the search for the murdering piece of shit.

[sabrina 1]

52. There has never been a more empty phrase than 'Support The Troops'. She is not the ONLY suspicious

death of a female soldier, ruled 'a suicide'. Shame on this country for not even caring, for waving the flag. for mouthing the words 'support the troops' like robots, for sending them into a war that was based on lies, and most of all, for allowing the liars responsible for all of the horror to get away with it.

And shame on ANYONE who still supports any of this!

RIP Lavena Johnson! Another tragic victim of the War Criminals, there are so many.

[Hekate]

53. Can't believe I'm the first to request a Graphic Warning

Thanks for spreading the truth about this atrocity, but for gods' sake, some of us are saturated already and can't take any more and still function. I would willingly have skipped this, already having learned the basics long ago from my friends in the VFP.

Thank you for your consideration.

[ScreamingMeemie]

54. No words...

Absolutely none.

[countryjake]

57. kick & recommend