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OK.

Here's the situation.

My parents are away on a week's vacation, and... they left the keys to their brand-new Porche. Would they mind? Hmmm... well, of course not!

I'll just take it for a little spin, and maybe show it off to a couple of friends. I'll just cruise around the neighborhood. Well, maybe I shouldn't... Yeah, of course I should.

I know that I haven't written anything for ages.

Since I've last blogged, there seems to have been a sea change in mass communication. Not in the principles of communication, but in the communication with the masses. Twitter, for example. Most of what I would want to blog about can now be fit into 140 characters. And, you can follow my tweets about my bowel movements if you want to. I'm RawkStah on Twitter. (Note: There are no tweets about my BMs. Even though they have been FANTASTIC lately.)

Blogs are now for lengthy rants, raves, and suchandsuch. And, boy howdy, do I think that I have one for you today!

Senator Mike Johanns (R-NE), tacitly supports rape.

I don't just go around saying that people support rape for no reason. So, when I say that someone tacitly supports rape, I have some information to back me up.

Sen. Al Franken (isn't that a strange thing to see in print?) introduced an amendment to the 2010 Military Appropriations Bill that would forbid subcontractors from introducing clauses in their employment contracts that would prevent employees from taking legal action against co-workers or their employers. Like, if one were gang-raped.

Let's say you get gang-raped. By co-workers. In Iraq. While working for a security company.

Let's say that you then return to America. Let's say that you could identify your rapists.

Now, let's say that you want to press charges against your attackers. But, upon reviewing your employment contract, you discover that the best you can hope for is arbitration, and, hopefully, an out-of-court cash settlement.

Wouldn't that just be a bitch?

Sadly, it has happened. Many, many times.

Sen. Al Franken introduced an amendment to make sure that bullshit like that doesn't happen any more.

Seems like a good idea to me. How about we make sure that we don't do business with companies that prohibit their employees from reporting crimes. Makes sense, don'it?

30 people voted against this amendment.

30 Republicans.

Including Sen. Mike Johanns (R-NE).

Thirty Senators tacitly support Rape.

Let that sink in for a bit. I'll wait. In fact, Ima have a cigarette while you read that.

Back?

K.

Thirty. Senators. Are. More. Concerned. With. Profit. Than. Rape.

I am so incensed by this notion that I am literally shaking. Now, impotent rage is an emotion that I am well acquainted with. There is very little that I can do to change the world. I can try to make it better one person at a time.

(Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.

Thanks to my friend Tara Kuipers for that quote)

Impotent rage. Yeah. I am entirely against Capital Punishment, but, I know that Nebraska will never, ever get rid of it. I will keep trying to prohibit it, but, I know it will never happen. It is not, to paraphrase Eric Bogosian, like pounding nails into the floor with my forehead. If I can just get one person to change their mind, I will be happy.

But, how in the hell do you go up against a system that has 3/4 of one political party that tacitly supports rape?

What hope does health care reform have when 3/4 of Republicans tacitly support rape? How in fuck does one vote against an amendment that supports victims rights?

Times like this make me want to make Debaser. If I haven't already told you about that film, well, it's for another time.

I'm done ranting for now. But, never let it be forgotten that Sen. Mike Johanns (R-NE) tacitly supports rape.

Go forth, and listen to some rocknroll.

Labels: Glenn Beck, health care, rape, Republican, Republicans, Sen. Johanns, supports, tacitly, Tara Kuipers

posted by Grant Bennett at 1:21 AM