news that concerns me...

1)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/story/2012-08-30/paul-ryan-fact-check-republican-convention/57432326/1

why this concerns me: well that answer is twofold. this information- which does nothing more than point out the contradictory truth of his false statements rather than promote an obama party line- underscores a blatant misrepresentation of the truth. and i can only figure that this happened because paul ryan and the rnc think a- the american people are too damn stupid (or lazy or ambivalent) to dig a little deeper, or b- they were not aware that a good portion of the claims they were making were outright fabrications. both notions being equally concerning going into a presidential election...

2)

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2012/08/agent-leaves-gun-uncovered-on-romney-plan/1

what is with the secret service? get it together already.


(and the absolute most appalling of them all...)


3)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-08-30/defendant-texas-rape-vanishes/57426736/1

and rather than paraphrase, i will copy the text in this story that is downright alarming:

"early in the investigation, some residents suggested the girl was partly responsible because they say she wore makeup, looked older than her age and wasn't properly supervised by her parents..."

to save you the trouble of reading the entire story if you haven't, the girl in question in this rape case is 11. 11.

certain individuals not only believe, but felt compelled to state OUT LOUD, that an eleven-year-old-girl is somehow at fault for violations by upwards of twenty men because she was allowed to wear make-up and, by nothing else other than sheer biology and genetics, looks old for her age. apparently to them, she is somehow partially responsible for being sodomized REPEATEDLY by grown men.

is anyone really surprised that in a society where attitudes like this subsist, over 50% of sexual assaults and rapes go unreported? i was the victim of a sexual assault in college i never reported because i was SURE that because i was on an unfamiliar campus in an unfamiliar town and had been drinking, a larger case would be made against my accusation- and what i had done wrong to "encourage" my attack- than against the guy who attacked me.

and certainly i know there are men and women out there that have fallen victim to a false accusation of rape or sexual misconduct, but moving to find fault with the victim is not the answer. because if anything, it causes those women to fall victim to these kinds of attacks over and over again. our society does not adequately empower individuals to confront their attackers first and foremost, because of bullshit attitudes like that.

and to be clear: no means no, regardless of whether or not you are walking down the fucking street drunk, half dressed, wearing a t-shirt that says "i heart making out" or hell, completely naked. and if you decide to commit a combination of all three, REMEMBER THAT does not give anyone the right or the justification to force you into any sexual activity you do not choose!


i think this disgusts me even more than the DCCCD tax hearing story...