TOP STORY on CNN.Com - Palin town charged victims for Rape Exams

[RoadRage]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/21/palin.rape.exams/index.html

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (CNN) -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's hometown required women to pay for their own rape examinations while she was mayor, a practice her police chief fought to keep as late as 2000.

A former Alaskan lawmaker says it seems unlikely that Gov. Sarah Palin was unaware of Wasilla's policy.

Former state Rep. Eric Croft, a Democrat, sponsored a state law requiring cities to provide the examinations free of charge to victims. He said the only ongoing resistance he met was from Wasilla, where Palin was mayor from 1996 to 2002.

"It was one of those things everyone could agree on except Wasilla," Croft told CNN. "We couldn't convince the chief of police to stop charging them."

Alaska's Legislature in 2000 banned the practice of charging women for rape exam kits -- which experts said could cost up to $1,000.

Palin, the Republican nominee for vice president, often talks about her experience running Wasilla, population approximately 7,000, and that has prompted close scrutiny of her record there. Wasilla's practice of charging victims for their rape exams while she was mayor has gotten wide circulation on the Internet and in the mainstream media. Watch CNN's Jessica Yellin check the facts in Wasilla »

Some supporters of Palin say they believe she had no knowledge of the practice. But critics call it "outrageous" and question Palin's commitment to helping women who are the victims of violence.

For years, Alaska has had the worst record of any state in rape and in murder of women by men. The rape rate in Alaska is 2.5 times the national average.

Interviews and a review of records turned up no evidence that Palin knew that rape victims were being charged in her town. But Croft, the former state representative who sponsored the law changing the practice, says it seems unlikely Palin was not aware of the issue.

More at link: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/21/palin.rape.exams/index.html



It appears that this is breaking in the wide media... i wonder how this is going to play with "regular women".

[uponit7771]

1. Good, someone needs to say someting about her mindset. She might not have legislated it but she...

...did nothing to reverse the policies and that along with her mindset of no abortion even with incest or rape and supporting abstinence only

[Blue_In_AK]

2. I'm so glad this is finally seeing the light.

We've been talking about it here now for a couple of weeks, at least. This story ties in very nicely with Sarah's "insubordination" claim against Walt Monegan for going to the feds for additional funds to fight sexual assault.

[vaberella]

3. Took these idiots long enough!!! n/t

[SuperTrouper]

4. Troopergate now Rapekitgate. Sarah is the gift that keeps on giving

[Captain Hilts]

5. This even horrifies a lot of pro-Life folks. GOOD! nt

[Dollface]

6. I wonder who she was protecting by reducing the chance of a rapist being caught and convicted?

Rape is difficult to report in any case but how much worse is it if you know you can't afford to "Buy" the evidence to support your charge? Attempts to prosecute the crime would be over before they started unless you had an eye witness.

[RoadRage]

8. Yeah.. you'd think even her own base would question this..

but they won't. St. Sarah obviously couldn't have known about this, so it's not her fault.

Town of 7,000 people.. it's her JOB to know about this stuff.. but nevermind people.. nevermind.

[vaberella]

7. Question?! How in the hell could she be Mayor and NOT know of what was going on?

Does that make any sense to people? You're the mayor of a town you live in and supposedly care about womens rights which mean that you would speak to the women raped or victims in the past and this would be something you would be on top of since the law was changed under your watch.

I don't think you can change the law without her bloody knowing. This fuckin' nonsense pisses me off. She was Mayor when this shit was going on...people had to have complained. Wasilla is not a large fuckin town. They're acting this is fuckin New York. I know what this is like....it's a bloody David Lynch film full of nonsense.

[writes3000]

10. She always promises to go through the budget line by line....

But she didn't do it for this budget? C'mon.

[vaberella]

11. It just shows how incompetent she is and how much of a liar she is.

Either you go "line by line" which would mean she was aware of this practice. Or she is a liar was proven time and time again and which means she's incompetent. They'll ask her what she wants for lunch and she'll say..."Iran...bombed".

[JimDandy]

20. A budget item dispute is her entire DEFENSE in Troopergate.

According to her, she fired the top dog over Alaska's policing agencies, because he didn't do what she wanted him to do with a line item in the budget from his department. And she wants us to believe that she knew nothing about the Wasilla police department's budgeting for rape kits when she was Mayor?

Anyone who believes that, well I've got a... d***, where's that bridge gone to now?

I guess the police budget wasn't one of your "actual responsibilities" as mayor, Sarah?

[tosh]

18. GOOD question, too.

Edited for puctuation.

Did she not replace the police chief once elected mayor?

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5713866&page=1

<snip> "After taking over as Mayor of the small town of Wasilla, Palin fired the longtime local police chief. The former police chief, Irl Stambaugh says he was fired because he stepped on the toes of Palin's campaign contributors, including bar owners and the National Rifle Association. "<snip>

So, to me, that leads to another GOOD QUESTION:

When did this policy begin?

http://alaskareport.com/news98/x61620_rape_palin.htm

According to blogger Shannyn Moore

<snip> "Former Chief of Police Irl Stambaugh included forensic rape kits (up to $1,200 per kit) in his budget requests. He was fired by Palin in 1997. In her termination letter, Palin wrote, “…I do not feel I have your full support in my efforts to govern the city of Wasilla. Therefore I intend to terminate your employment. . . ” Staumbaugh headed the police department since it was created in 1993. Before that, he served 22 years with the Anchorage Police Department rising to the rank of captain. Sarah Palin hired Charlie Fannon as the new Wasilla Chief of Police and said it was one of her best decisions as mayor. Fannon eliminated the forensic rape kits from the budget. Though the number of rapes weren’t reported, Fannon claimed it would save Wasilla taxpayers $5,000 to $14,000 a year."<snip>

I am glad this has finally gotten through to MSM.

[JerseygirlCT]

30. Right. Either she didn't know and so is a complete failure as

a mayor (of a town of 7000 no less - geez, she should have known every kid in town's grades and shoe sizes with a place that size!)

or, and more likely given her record

She's lying. Again.

[JenniferJuniper]

9. Glad this is finally getting some major attention

It's the sort of thing that freaks ALL women out.

And Alaska's rape rate is 2.5 times the national average. This is one way of bringing that down, huh? You can't afford your own rape kit? Then I guess you shouldn't bother even reporting the crime.

[mikekohr]

12. One Way To Make Rape Statistics Fall Is To Revictimize the Rape Victim a Second Time

Charging the victim for part of the investigation of the crime would accomplish this.

following are some statistics on rape and incest in the land of the midnight bribe:


Senator Murkowski (R)AK, said funding is needed for every aspect of sexual assault, including initial investigation, prosecution and incarceration. She is seeking an appropriation in the upcoming budget, she said.
The senator gave an alarming list of the statistics that describe Alaska's "epidemic" of sex crimes: One out of five adults will be a victim of forcible rape in their lifetime, or nearly 44,000 adults; an adult Alaska woman is raped every 18 minutes; more adult women have been raped than wear glasses or contacts.
"Our statistics are almost unimaginable, given our population," she said.
http://www.adn.com/209/story/190180.html

• 80-90% of rapes against women (except for American Indian women) are committed by someone of the same racial background as the victim. (US Dept. of Justice 1994)
• American Indian victims of rape reported the offender as either white or black in 90% of reports. (Department of Justice 1997)
http://www2.ucsc.edu/rape-prevention/statistics.html (the breakdown of rape perps against Native Women is 12% Black, 78% White)

Only Alaska (20.9% of its women raped versus 20.6% in Utah compared to 13.4% of all women nationally) has a higher rate in the United States. The estimates are said to be conservative because they do not include the cases of women who have experienced attempted rape; rapes where the women were unconscious or impaired by drugs or alcohol; or statutory rape where there was no force. (Salt Lake Tribune, 7/12/03)
http://www.mazeministry.com/mormonism/statistics/rape.h ...

Alaska has the highest incidence of rape and incest in the nation. Alaskan Senator Barbara Murkowski ® AK said, “"Our statistics are almost unimaginable… more adult women have been raped than wear glasses or contacts.” Yet as mayor, Palin’s administration charged victims of rape and incest for their own rape kits, ($230.00) an action so outrageous that it was cited as the reason that the Alaskan State legislature passed a law forbidding the practice.
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/mikekohr


mike kohr

p.s. I'm from a small, rural community, in Illinois. Rape and incest are not values we practice or appreciate, but in the rare case these abominations do occur we DO NOT charge the victim for the rape test. Never did. Never will. Never even considered it.

[ramapo]

13. How many women got raped in that small town?

What the hell goes on there?

Violent crimes such as rape are quite rare in the small towns of North Jersey despite the fact that this is a blue state of heathens in the middle of the liberal, elitest northeast.

Now true-red Alaska seems to have a problem with sexual violence and drugs.

What's up with that?

[RoadRage]

15. It seems to be a male dominated rural state...

the kind of place where things get shoved under the carpet until that backfires... hence, it's got the largest sex abuse problem per capita in the country.

If I had to pay $1000 for a rape kit, I probably would think twice about reporting it too.

FUCK PALIN.

[livedemocarticordie]

14. The Perfect Storm

This IS a great story for a variety of reasons.

1) It shows utter lack of commitment to women if not outright contempt.
2) It spotlights the horrible social record of ALASKA not just rape but domestic violence and drop out rates (all hideous)
3) It tells you that even if she claims ignorance, it looks very dubious. You're the mayor of a town smaller than my city neighborhood..LOL...and you didn't know? What?
4) It dovetails nicely with her belief that ALL rape and incest victims should carry their unintended pregnancies to term..

[RoadRage]

28. Welcome to DU!

And perhaps this will be our October Surprise.. that ironically - we didnt' have to do anything for!

[vanderBeth]

16. Now let's see if this can make the TV...

[progressoid]

17. Well, it only took them a couple weeks to catch up with the rest of us

[Lucy Goosey]

19. CNN is missing the real issue - emergency contraception.

The reason that Palin authorized charging for rape kits is that they contain Plan B emergency contraception, because wingnuts like her think that the pill is murder or whatever.

WHY would Palin refuse to fund rape kits? Here's your answer, on Daily Kos

Edited to add wingnut defence of Palin, from World Net Daily, that addresses the issue from the other side, but seems to confirm that this is about emergency contraception.

Palin attacked over rape-kit controversy, Alaska law forces taxpayers to fund 'emergency contraception'

[JimDandy]

26. Did the kits contain those pills back when she was Mayor, though?

They apparently did in 2000, when Alaska passed the rape kit bill.

[RoadRage]

29. Good Point.. you're right.. but baby steps..

The whole troopergate story didn't come out in one day... let them dig a bit more.

Honestly - if she just opposes them in general though it almost looks worse. To the right-wing fundies, her opposing a swab kit on a girl who's been raped seems kinda hard core. But, if she opposes it because of her moral line with abortion.. well then, it's totally justified. :eyes:

NEVERMIND THE FUCKING MORALS BEHIND THE POOR GIRL WHO WAS RAPED IN THE FIRST PLACE!

[Lucy Goosey]

31. Oh, I agree...

that if EC is her reason for defunding rape kits, it plays right in to her Fundie base, but I think that, if this gets out, a lot of undecideds might see a reason to jump to Obama. Am I maybe being overly optimistic?

[medicswife]

21. They're trying to say she didn't know....

which to me, as they've billed her as being so "hands-on", is even more damning than anything else they could say.

I hope that this means GAME OVER for McCain/Palin.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

22. Sarah Palin either LOVES Rapists or HATES Rape Victims. Connect the dots.

As Mayor of Wasilla she had rape victims pay for their rape kits. This woman had control over the police chief, and in fact had the power to fire the one before him.

She is against abortion in the case of rape and now her new excuse for firing Monegan in Troopergate is because he wanted to lobby Washington DC for funds to fight rape in Alaska. Alaska has the highest rate of rape and incest in the country.

Every woman voting for this woman should know this and do a reality check.

[firedupdem]

23. they will try to spin the "she didn't know" angle but remember

she made the quip about having "real responsibilities" in her community organizer crap against Obama. She knows....meth capital = rape capital

[sudopod]

24. Look at the URL name

Google is going to eat that shit up, lol.

Guess what will be right on the front page when someone searches for "Palin" from now on? XD

Let's help it along, though, and make sure there are PLENTY of links to it everywhere. LOL.

Here, let me start the ball rolling: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/21/palin.rape.exams/index.html">Sarah Palin

[jjanpundt]

25. I thought I heard this morning on Morning Joe that this

story was debunked. I could be way wrong. I have to admit I was flipping between The Weather Channel, CNN, and local news so I only caught a blip as they were going to a commercial. They didn't have the details on before I left for work but I was sure I heard that whiny voiced creep saying "not true". He also said something about 60,000 people somewhere for mcstupid?.....

[ihavenobias]

27. K & R, I'm glad the MSM finally picked up on this n/t

[Disturbed]

32. If she didn't know about this it makes her incompetent.

She claims that she was focused on the budget of her town, so I suspect that she did know about this.
In a few days there will most likely be proof that she knew surfacing via documents. This women lies about things that are easily proven to be lies when the research is done.

[RoadRage]

33. No.. her INCOMPETENCE makes her Incompetent. ;) NT