Michael Moore: Dear Government Of Sweden...

[Hissyspit]

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/mike-friends-blog/dear-government-of-sweden

December 16th, 2010 9:17 p.m.

Dear Government of Sweden ...

By Michael Moore

Dear Swedish Government:

Hi there -- or as you all say, Hallå! You know, all of us here in the U.S. love your country. Your Volvos, your meatballs, your hard-to-put-together furniture -- we can't get enough!

There's just one thing that bothers me -- why has Amnesty International, in a special report, declared that Sweden refuses to deal with the very real tragedy of rape? In fact, they say that all over Scandinavia, including in your country, rapists "enjoy impunity." And the United Nations, the EU and Swedish human rights groups have come to the same conclusion: Sweden just doesn't take sexual assault against women seriously. How else do you explain these statistics from Katrin Axelsson of Women Against Rape:

** Sweden has the HIGHEST per capita number of reported rapes in Europe.

** This number of rapes has quadrupled in the last 20 years.

** The conviction rates? They have steadily DECREASED.

Axelsson says: "On April 23rd of this year, Carina Hägg and Nalin Pekgul (respectively MP and chairwoman of Social Democratic Women in Sweden) wrote in the Göteborgs (newspaper) that 'up to 90% of all reported rapes never get to court.'"

Let me say that again: nine out of ten times, when women report they have been raped, you never even bother to start legal proceedings. No wonder that, according to the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention, it is now statistically more likely that someone in Sweden will be sexually assaulted than that they will be robbed.

Message to rapists? Sweden loves you!

So imagine our surprise when all of a sudden you decided to go after one Julian Assange on sexual assault charges. Well, sort of: first you charged him. Then after investigating it, you dropped the most serious charges and rescinded the arrest warrant.

MORE

[defendandprotect]

1. Oh ... Shame, shame on Sweden!!! Thanks for the info, Michael Moore ....

Finally, someone answered the question about how many others have been tried

under this "law" in Sweden -- looks like the answer is NO ONE!!!

And now mysteriously being after Assange for a broken condom?

Wow!!

[WinkyDink]

2. Money, threats, or both. The "Olof Palme" Effect.

Similar to the "JFK Effect" here.

[defendandprotect]

4. Thank you ....

Somehow I missed Olof Palme -- !!

And I've never taken the time to get more familiar with him and what

happened -- but I will right now!

JFK -- always think as that as the first overt act of violence by the right wing,

but of course, far from it!!

Dag Hammarskjold, for one -- lots of evidence on that -- former head of UN --

and Adlai Stevenson -- suspected -- among many others.

John Lennon -- how many more we haven't even questioned?

[Quixote1818]

3. Um Michael: It's UK Prosecutors, Not Swedes, Who Want Assange in Jail

I would have thought he would be up on the facts.

http://www.aolnews.com/2010/12/15/its-uk-prosecutors-not-swedes-who-want-assange-in-jail/

Un-Recommended

[defendandprotect]

5. ...and on what cause do UK prosecutors want Assange in jail?

Anything to do with still unfiled charges by SWEDEN?

[Change has come]

7. I'm gonna guess...

Mike doesn't read AOL news. :shrug:

K&R

[sabrina 1]

8. The Brits were responding to an Interpol warrant issued by ~

SWEDEN!! I think Mike IS up on the facts. Today, the British judge demanded evidence from the Swedish prosecutors that would make denial of bail to Assange worthy of his consideration. The Swedish prosecutors tried, but failed to convince the British judge that they have that evidence.

He was being held, once again since you do not seem to have the facts, on an Interpol warrant issued by Sweden. Clearly since the British judge granted bail OVER THE OBJECTIONS of the Swedish prosecutors, it is NOT Britain, but as Mike correctly states, Sweden who is responsible for the arrest of Julian Assange.

[Lucinda]

6. TY!

[Liquorice]

9. The other day I read on here that a man practically has to get written consent

to have sex with a woman in Sweden and that's why Assange was charged, and now Michael Moore is saying that Sweden is full of rapists who are not being punished for their crimes. I don't know what to believe anymore.

I do wish Michael Moore cared as much about the rampant sexual violence against women as he does about Julian Assange. He could certainly do a thought-provoking documentary on the subject.