Monday saw the prosecution call one last witness, then rest its case. Time for Joe Amendola to defend the indefensible. I wrote last week that Amendola had a bad day in opening arguments and his cross examination of the first witness, if anything Monday might have been worse.
We learned today from the testimony of Richard Anderson and Booker Brooks, both former Penn State coaches, that coaches frequently showered with boys. Per Anderson he showered with boys as young as 11 "at the YMCA, at Penn State at other places." Brooks stated that he showered with coaches in high school.
First, what. the. hell? Who does that? I played high school football, never ever once in a shower with a coach, and I went to a Catholic School!
Second, this testimony really worked in the prosecution's favor. Even if the defense convinces the jury that all this wanton showering is pretty normal, the witnesses clearly delineated that they never engaged in the sexual abuse of those boys, nor did they engage in the wrestling, soaping and grabbing that good ol Jerry already admitted to. Simple question from the prosecution to the jury will be "if all this showering was common why did the victims identify only one man as the perpetrator?"
The other line of defense today was that Sandusky was just busy busy busy all the time with the Penn State program. To busy to work out with his young Second Mile charges, too busy to have them over on weekends and rape them, just too damn busy.
Alas for the defense, this theory is so full of holes you could drive a tickle monster through it. Most of the victims discussed abuse that occurred after Sandusky "retired" from Penn State.
At the risk of sounding insensitive to the other victims, the most egregious rape happened six or seven years ago. Victim 9 testified about anal rape and bloody underewear. His mother testified about underwear that was always missing when he came home from Sandusky's rape room. In 2006 he had plenty of time to take his prey under his wing and do with him what he wanted.
Victim 9's rape seems to have been far more frequent and aggressive than some of the other victim's , this suggests that the free time Sandusky had in retirement made it much easier for him to abuse boys. If he was too busy to do all this while he was coaching, it reinforces the credibility of Victim 9 who was abused well after Sandusky stopped coaching.
One final bit. I wrote last week that serial child abusers like Sandusky are not acting, they just don't get that they did wrong.
As if to prove my point, Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports reported today that at the lunch break, Sandusky was pouring over dates of Victim 9's testimony. He determined that the kid really started having problems at school after Sandusky was no longer 'mentoring' him. Sandusky even was heard saying : "See, that was after he was with me."
Yeah Jerry, we all see it. Too bad that even when you're locked up for the rest of your life, you'll never see what horror you've wrought.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Sandusky Trial Day 4: Just Make it Stop
Today marked the end of the prosecutions case, although they did not formally rest. It was a day of intense and unsettling testimony. It had many people who are following this case wondering how to just make all of this stop.
Victim 9 testified. It was compelling and as predicted, the final witness was as strong as the first witness Victim 4. Sources in the courtroom reported this from Victim 9 "What was I going to do? I mean look at him, he's a big guy. He was bigger than me, at the time way bigger than me." This came after tearful descriptions of his abuse both orally and anally by Sandusky. Victim 9 said he weighed less than 70 pounds at the time.
Victim 9 testified. It was compelling and as predicted, the final witness was as strong as the first witness Victim 4. Sources in the courtroom reported this from Victim 9 "What was I going to do? I mean look at him, he's a big guy. He was bigger than me, at the time way bigger than me." This came after tearful descriptions of his abuse both orally and anally by Sandusky. Victim 9 said he weighed less than 70 pounds at the time.
"There was no fighting against it," he said. "Sometimes (I'd) scream, sometimes tell him to get off me, but other than that, who was there? We were in the basement, no one could hear you down there. We were always down there."
Frankly as disgusting and tragic as the testimony was, it was probably the best thing the prosecutor did in a week of really good things. These are the lasting memories that the jury will have while watching the defense try to mount a case. The prosecution is banking on the fact that the testimony of these victims is so overwhelming that the jury will convict Sandusky to make it stop.
Amendola is putting on a defense next week. His job is to rehab his clients character. We can expect a stream of tearful family and friends telling the jury what a great guy Jerry is. People like Joyce Porter, who told Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports, "he's a saint, a wonderful guy". This was troubling to a lot of people today. What most people don't understand is that to people like Joyce, Sandusky is a wonderful guy.
Serial child sexual abusers are most often "wonderful" guys. They are charming, smart and friendly. They lure their victims with charm. Think of it like this, if you've got a significant other, did you woo them with charm, humor and kindness? For most of us the answer is yes. Serial child sexual abusers use the same tools. Once they have their prey, its about power and control, but the chase is the thing for a lot of these guys. The charm they use on their victims is also employed in their daily life, making them seem like great guys to their friends and community.
This brings me to my final point, one which frankly may be off putting for a lot of people. Today there was speculation about why Sandusky has not taken a plea, why he's put these men and the rest of us through this.
I've seen this before and I can't say with 100 percent certainty about Sandusky, but a lot of serial child sexual abusers like to relive their old conquests. I have been trials in which the defendant has become tumescent during testimony. I've helped law enforcement get a confession here and there because while questioning the perp, he started rubbing his hand on the table or his leg in the same fashion he abused his victim.
While the rest of the world is done with this entire mess, Sandusky has no desire to 'just make it stop.'
Amendola is putting on a defense next week. His job is to rehab his clients character. We can expect a stream of tearful family and friends telling the jury what a great guy Jerry is. People like Joyce Porter, who told Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports, "he's a saint, a wonderful guy". This was troubling to a lot of people today. What most people don't understand is that to people like Joyce, Sandusky is a wonderful guy.
Serial child sexual abusers are most often "wonderful" guys. They are charming, smart and friendly. They lure their victims with charm. Think of it like this, if you've got a significant other, did you woo them with charm, humor and kindness? For most of us the answer is yes. Serial child sexual abusers use the same tools. Once they have their prey, its about power and control, but the chase is the thing for a lot of these guys. The charm they use on their victims is also employed in their daily life, making them seem like great guys to their friends and community.
This brings me to my final point, one which frankly may be off putting for a lot of people. Today there was speculation about why Sandusky has not taken a plea, why he's put these men and the rest of us through this.
I've seen this before and I can't say with 100 percent certainty about Sandusky, but a lot of serial child sexual abusers like to relive their old conquests. I have been trials in which the defendant has become tumescent during testimony. I've helped law enforcement get a confession here and there because while questioning the perp, he started rubbing his hand on the table or his leg in the same fashion he abused his victim.
While the rest of the world is done with this entire mess, Sandusky has no desire to 'just make it stop.'
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Sandusky Trial Day 3: Wondering Why?
On day 3 of the Sandusky trial the question "why?", has come up several times.
Media pundits were wondering why the prosecution isn't calling a Psychiatrist specializing in pedophiles to explain Sandusky's behavior. Some people in social media were wondering why the victims didn't come forward sooner. Finally defense attorney, Joe Amendola, questioned why Victim 7 wrote nice things about Sandusky in a Second Mile scholarship application; why Victim 10 returned to Second Mile camps after being abused and why Victim 5 changed the year of his abuse from 1998 to 2001.
First off, I hesitate to call Sandusky a pedophile because that is a clinical definition and I'm not a clinician. Serial child sexual abuser serves the same purpose. An "expert" in child sexual abuse could help, but could also be detrimental. Sandusky's behavior was obvious grooming and that is very typical of most child sexual abusers. However, if an expert is called to delineate that for the jury, they will also be asked questions from the defense like "Is grooming behavior present in 100 percent of sex abuse cases?" " Is it possible that my client was just affectionate with his charges?" These type of questions are used to foment doubt in that one juror they're trying to get to hang the jury. Most jurors are smart enough that they don't need an expert to tell them that Sandusky was grooming, abusing and bribing victims.
The defense continues to try to form a conspiracy theory around why the victims did not come forward sooner. I've already commented on the emotional torture these victims go through but there are other reasons not to come forward. According to their testimony, some of these young men were threatened. Victim 10, a foster child at the time of the abuse, said that he was threatened with never seeing his family again. This is powerful and scary stuff to a young kid. Especially a foster child. Foster children pretty much feel like everything bad in their lives is their fault. Pretty easy for someone as slick as Sandusky to prey on that. Other victims have said, they wanted to keep going to games, they wanted to keep getting things, they didn't want to get in trouble etc.
As to why he returned to camps after the abuse? At camp he was never really alone with Sandusky. In his world, camp was a hell of a lot safer than Sandusky's car, house or office. Plus camps in general are fun. 11 or 12 year old kids seldom apply the logic of adults to their decision making.
Victim 7 testified and was cross examined. According to reporters in the court room, Amendola made "some headway" with his cross of Victim 7. Victim 7 admitted that he wrote wrote "Jerry Sandusky, he has changed my perceptions on life in a positive way"; "Jerry Sandusky, he has changed my perceptions on life in a positive way"; and "Jerry Sandusky, he has helped me understand so much about myself. He is such a kind and caring gentleman and I will never ever forget him" on a scholarship application.
This is not the bombshell it appears to be at first glance. Child sexual abusers can display good qualities and be "nice" (a relative term) to children. Its part of their game of grooming victims, be nice, play nice etc. Victims can and frequently do compartmentalize their abuse. Their abusive relationship is just one facet. In their minds, the gifts, going to games, trips and the like are all too good to pass up. Since this kid was applying for a scholarship, of course he's going to write nice things about a guy who in some way did help him.
Victim 5's testimony was fairly brief. The cross examination was short as well. Amendola was concerned that Victim 5 changed the year of abuse from 1998 to 2001. Victim 5 stated simply and I think truthfully that he matched up the calendar year with his school grade after testifying in the Grand Jury. Again, nothing here that will derail the case.
These first three days have been riveting. I'm curious to see who the prosecution closes with. They started with a strong witness. My guess is that the final witness will be just as strong. At the end of their case, the prosecution doesn't want anyone on the jury asking 'why?'
Media pundits were wondering why the prosecution isn't calling a Psychiatrist specializing in pedophiles to explain Sandusky's behavior. Some people in social media were wondering why the victims didn't come forward sooner. Finally defense attorney, Joe Amendola, questioned why Victim 7 wrote nice things about Sandusky in a Second Mile scholarship application; why Victim 10 returned to Second Mile camps after being abused and why Victim 5 changed the year of his abuse from 1998 to 2001.
First off, I hesitate to call Sandusky a pedophile because that is a clinical definition and I'm not a clinician. Serial child sexual abuser serves the same purpose. An "expert" in child sexual abuse could help, but could also be detrimental. Sandusky's behavior was obvious grooming and that is very typical of most child sexual abusers. However, if an expert is called to delineate that for the jury, they will also be asked questions from the defense like "Is grooming behavior present in 100 percent of sex abuse cases?" " Is it possible that my client was just affectionate with his charges?" These type of questions are used to foment doubt in that one juror they're trying to get to hang the jury. Most jurors are smart enough that they don't need an expert to tell them that Sandusky was grooming, abusing and bribing victims.
The defense continues to try to form a conspiracy theory around why the victims did not come forward sooner. I've already commented on the emotional torture these victims go through but there are other reasons not to come forward. According to their testimony, some of these young men were threatened. Victim 10, a foster child at the time of the abuse, said that he was threatened with never seeing his family again. This is powerful and scary stuff to a young kid. Especially a foster child. Foster children pretty much feel like everything bad in their lives is their fault. Pretty easy for someone as slick as Sandusky to prey on that. Other victims have said, they wanted to keep going to games, they wanted to keep getting things, they didn't want to get in trouble etc.
As to why he returned to camps after the abuse? At camp he was never really alone with Sandusky. In his world, camp was a hell of a lot safer than Sandusky's car, house or office. Plus camps in general are fun. 11 or 12 year old kids seldom apply the logic of adults to their decision making.
Victim 7 testified and was cross examined. According to reporters in the court room, Amendola made "some headway" with his cross of Victim 7. Victim 7 admitted that he wrote wrote "Jerry Sandusky, he has changed my perceptions on life in a positive way"; "Jerry Sandusky, he has changed my perceptions on life in a positive way"; and "Jerry Sandusky, he has helped me understand so much about myself. He is such a kind and caring gentleman and I will never ever forget him" on a scholarship application.
This is not the bombshell it appears to be at first glance. Child sexual abusers can display good qualities and be "nice" (a relative term) to children. Its part of their game of grooming victims, be nice, play nice etc. Victims can and frequently do compartmentalize their abuse. Their abusive relationship is just one facet. In their minds, the gifts, going to games, trips and the like are all too good to pass up. Since this kid was applying for a scholarship, of course he's going to write nice things about a guy who in some way did help him.
Victim 5's testimony was fairly brief. The cross examination was short as well. Amendola was concerned that Victim 5 changed the year of abuse from 1998 to 2001. Victim 5 stated simply and I think truthfully that he matched up the calendar year with his school grade after testifying in the Grand Jury. Again, nothing here that will derail the case.
These first three days have been riveting. I'm curious to see who the prosecution closes with. They started with a strong witness. My guess is that the final witness will be just as strong. At the end of their case, the prosecution doesn't want anyone on the jury asking 'why?'
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Money Money Money: Sandusky Trial Day 2
Brief post tonight, but there's a couple of things that just need to be addressed.
The defense that these victims are in it for the money is ridiculous. There are many opportunists in this world. There are always scam artists looking for a buck. Here's the problem, when was the last time you knew someone who faked sexual abuse for fun and profit? When was the last time 10 men you knew faked sexual abuse to roll in a bed of money? It just doesn't happen.
Statistics show that 1 in 10 boys are sexually abused, but due to the stigma of reporting, that number is probably closer to 1 in 6. I won't go into the shame of abuse and the horror of reporting in this post. Suffice it to say, in my years of doing this, its been a lot harder to get boys to talk about what happened.
The second point I want to address tonight, is the breakdown of Victim 1 on the stand and his admission that he may have said different things in the grand jury testimony. If I had a nickel for every kid whose story evolved over time, I wouldn't still be working for the state.
The fact is that victims are human, horribly beaten down humans. Victim 1 was the kid whose guidance counselor didn't believe him. Memory is imperfect. Sometimes kids say things happened once or twice, and those things happened many more times. Its tragic that they have to relive it in trial, but at least Victim 1 was strong enough to be on the stand.
This trial is an ugly business, it is not going to get better. For whatever reason, Sandusky has decided to take this to the end. Here's hoping his end is in a State Penitentiary for the rest of his miserable life.
The defense that these victims are in it for the money is ridiculous. There are many opportunists in this world. There are always scam artists looking for a buck. Here's the problem, when was the last time you knew someone who faked sexual abuse for fun and profit? When was the last time 10 men you knew faked sexual abuse to roll in a bed of money? It just doesn't happen.
Statistics show that 1 in 10 boys are sexually abused, but due to the stigma of reporting, that number is probably closer to 1 in 6. I won't go into the shame of abuse and the horror of reporting in this post. Suffice it to say, in my years of doing this, its been a lot harder to get boys to talk about what happened.
The second point I want to address tonight, is the breakdown of Victim 1 on the stand and his admission that he may have said different things in the grand jury testimony. If I had a nickel for every kid whose story evolved over time, I wouldn't still be working for the state.
The fact is that victims are human, horribly beaten down humans. Victim 1 was the kid whose guidance counselor didn't believe him. Memory is imperfect. Sometimes kids say things happened once or twice, and those things happened many more times. Its tragic that they have to relive it in trial, but at least Victim 1 was strong enough to be on the stand.
This trial is an ugly business, it is not going to get better. For whatever reason, Sandusky has decided to take this to the end. Here's hoping his end is in a State Penitentiary for the rest of his miserable life.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Say It Aint So Joe! Sandusky Trial day 1.
Today marked day one of the trial of Jerry Sandusky. His attorney, Joe Amendola, had what could charitably be called a bad day. Starting with opening arguments and sinking from there, Joe just doesn't seem up to the title of Best Defense Attorney in Pennsylvania.
Here's a few thoughts about the day.
Amendola opened with typical defense attorney tactics. In this case, they were complete nonsense. "If my client did this why did four adults not come forward?" "This case will show that these so called victims have a financial stake in this" Amendola might as well have led with "If my client is a liar, why are his pants not on fire?" (thanks to Tim Baffoe AKA @ten_foot_midget on twitter for that line).
One of the oldest ploys in the book is to blame the victims. In this case, Amendola and by extension Sandusky are blaming the victims "financial stake" as their reason for coming forward. In the 18 years that I have been investigating child abuse and child sexual abuse, I have heard a riff on this hundreds of times. It's a pet peeve for myself and anybody who does this work.
Occasionally there are cases in which child abuse and child sexual abuse allegations are made for some gain. Those cases usually involve custody battles. In cases where a group of victims comes forward against an authority figure, the chances that they are making up something for any gain, are extremely low. When kids try to get someone in trouble, they don't say they were sexually abused, the say someone hit me, lied about me, etc.
The key here is that the victims were boys and now are men. There is no amount of financial recompense that can assuage the stigma of being a male survivor of sexual abuse. The guilt, fear, and self loathing are abysmal. These men would not be making up facts about being abused sexually if it didn't happen. Period.
Given that all of these victims were recruited through Second Mile, if they wanted to make money, they could write a book about how great Jerry was in saving them. A lot easier to make money singing the praises of a savior than it is to get money making up false sex allegations.
I'd also like to briefly discuss Sandusky's demeanor. Today, people mused that he must be the best actor in the world, or he just doesn't get it.
Again, calling on years of experience, my gut says the latter is true. The experiences that me and my fellow investigators have had clearly show that the hard core abusers, just don't get it. Sandusky is incapable of believing that what he did was wrong. His particular paraphelia is such that as long as he "loves" his victims he is never wrong.
Having said all this, a word of caution. A good first day does not conviction make. Unfortunately, bad guys go free because of one stupid juror.
I'll continue to add opinions as the trial progresses. For those who find this whole thing disgusting, welcome to my world.
Here's a few thoughts about the day.
Amendola opened with typical defense attorney tactics. In this case, they were complete nonsense. "If my client did this why did four adults not come forward?" "This case will show that these so called victims have a financial stake in this" Amendola might as well have led with "If my client is a liar, why are his pants not on fire?" (thanks to Tim Baffoe AKA @ten_foot_midget on twitter for that line).
One of the oldest ploys in the book is to blame the victims. In this case, Amendola and by extension Sandusky are blaming the victims "financial stake" as their reason for coming forward. In the 18 years that I have been investigating child abuse and child sexual abuse, I have heard a riff on this hundreds of times. It's a pet peeve for myself and anybody who does this work.
Occasionally there are cases in which child abuse and child sexual abuse allegations are made for some gain. Those cases usually involve custody battles. In cases where a group of victims comes forward against an authority figure, the chances that they are making up something for any gain, are extremely low. When kids try to get someone in trouble, they don't say they were sexually abused, the say someone hit me, lied about me, etc.
The key here is that the victims were boys and now are men. There is no amount of financial recompense that can assuage the stigma of being a male survivor of sexual abuse. The guilt, fear, and self loathing are abysmal. These men would not be making up facts about being abused sexually if it didn't happen. Period.
Given that all of these victims were recruited through Second Mile, if they wanted to make money, they could write a book about how great Jerry was in saving them. A lot easier to make money singing the praises of a savior than it is to get money making up false sex allegations.
I'd also like to briefly discuss Sandusky's demeanor. Today, people mused that he must be the best actor in the world, or he just doesn't get it.
Again, calling on years of experience, my gut says the latter is true. The experiences that me and my fellow investigators have had clearly show that the hard core abusers, just don't get it. Sandusky is incapable of believing that what he did was wrong. His particular paraphelia is such that as long as he "loves" his victims he is never wrong.
Having said all this, a word of caution. A good first day does not conviction make. Unfortunately, bad guys go free because of one stupid juror.
I'll continue to add opinions as the trial progresses. For those who find this whole thing disgusting, welcome to my world.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Chattel Rhymes With Cattle
I stand corrected. I stand dumbfounded. Due to this debacle The Ultrasound Opportunity Bill , I'm standing up for the rights of women in my state.
If you want to support the push back on the War on Women you can follow @TeamUterati on Twitter, Team Uterati on Facebook and the web site www.teamuterati.com.
In my previous post here , I mentioned that Illinois has a Democratic Governor and State House. I said that there were no direct assaults on the rights of my wife and daughters. Well I was wrong.
The Ultrasound Opportunity Bill was brought to the floor of the House by the House Agricultural Committee. Let that sink in for a moment . Here in Illinois, we don't just treat women like chattel, we treat them like cattle. It passed with votes from Republicans and Democrats and many of the sponsors on the floor are DEMOCRATS and by my count at least two Democratic women co-sponsored. What the hell?
The Ultrasound Opportunity Bill was brought to the floor of the House by the House Agricultural Committee. Let that sink in for a moment . Here in Illinois, we don't just treat women like chattel, we treat them like cattle. It passed with votes from Republicans and Democrats and many of the sponsors on the floor are DEMOCRATS and by my count at least two Democratic women co-sponsored. What the hell?
This outrage cannot stand. The bill calls for a transvaginal ultrasound be taken 24 hours prior to an abortion, then the pregnant women is offered a chance to view the ultrasound. If she declines she has to sign a waiver that stays on file at Public Health. So not only is a woman treated like livestock, but if she refuses to view the grainy computer image of the Area 51 experiment growing in her gut, she goes on a list! Great idea, truly grand.
Oh and for those playing at home, I have a beautiful wife and two amazing daughters. I take assaults on their freedoms seriously. Last year my wife had to have a transvaginal ultrasound for a possible cyst. She said its very painful and uncomfortable. There were mutterings of "let me stick a ball bat up your ass to give you an idea", but I digress..
Sponsors like Rep. Joe Lyons (D-Chicago) (D for dumbass, douchebag, dickcheese take your pick) say that its a pro-choice bill. Heres a tip Joe, if the Illinois Catholic Conference supports legislation regarding abortion ITS NOT PRO CHOICE!
Conventional wisdom on this is that it will be killed in the House, but with so much bi-partisan support, I'm not so sure of that. One thing I am sure of, I'm voting pro-women, pro-choice. If you're a Democrat who supports the war on women, you're on my list too. I trusted that Democrats would use common sense, common decency, and at least the amount of compassion you'd show a farm animal, guess I was wrong.
UPDATE 2/29/2012 some dumbass cracker named Lou Lang added Amendment 6 to the bill. This is even more frustrating. As I read it, the woman shall be informed of the costs of the ultrasound and make arrangements for payment of that fee as well. Hell ladies you didn't think that pleasure rod stuffed in your naughty bits was free. You're gonna pay, you bunch of brazen harlots! Seriously, I would love to meet Mr. Lang, punch him in the sack and tell him to pay me for it.
UPDATE 2/29/2012 some dumbass cracker named Lou Lang added Amendment 6 to the bill. This is even more frustrating. As I read it, the woman shall be informed of the costs of the ultrasound and make arrangements for payment of that fee as well. Hell ladies you didn't think that pleasure rod stuffed in your naughty bits was free. You're gonna pay, you bunch of brazen harlots! Seriously, I would love to meet Mr. Lang, punch him in the sack and tell him to pay me for it.
If you want to support the push back on the War on Women you can follow @TeamUterati on Twitter, Team Uterati on Facebook and the web site www.teamuterati.com.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Why I'm Voting for Democrats
The Republican War on Women must be stopped. I'm not just talking about voting for President Obama, I'm talking about every level of government. If my dog catcher has a tea party sticker on their car I want to run them off the road. This is how serious I am about this time in America.
Okay, to be fair, women are my life. I have two daughters aged 11 and 5 who I love more than life itself and a my beautiful and talented wife makes my world go round. My sister is one of my best friends and Mom, rest her soul was my role model, so you get the picture.
There are those on the left who say patently stupid things like "there's not a nickel's worth of difference" in the two parties. (Michael whore for relevance Moore) Others who say that backers of President Obama have sold out their liberal values (Glenn "is my cabana ready" Greenwald). Still others that eschew the argument that small steps to the left are better than no steps at all ( Katrina Vanden Heuvel and Jane Hamsher I'm looking at you). These puritopians fail to see that the only person standing between them and a probe in their collective vaginas is President Obama.
The fact that state after state is passing anti-woman laws, the GOP controlled house is outright lying about Planned Parenthood, and even douche bag state assemblymen like this guy : Bob Morris , are attacking the fucking Girl Scouts, doesn't even register with the far left. They're too worried about indefinite detention, drone strikes and other liberal straw men.
I live in the real world. While I disagree with the President on some issues, the future of my daughters is way more important to me than the others. I'm more concerned that no one orders a drone strike in my daughter's ladyparts if she chooses to get an abortion. I want my girls to get free contraception if they want it without having to visit some back alley crack dealer who's running progesterone on the side.
My wife had surgery a few years ago and literally can have no more children without threatening her life. I got the old snip snip, but if that had failed and my wife was pregnant I don't want some fundamentalist asshat like Rick Santorum saying she can't choose to terminate the pregnancy.
I live in Illinois. Right now, we have a Democratic controlled State House and Governor, so there haven't been any direct assaults on the rights of my wife and daughters. Given that, I stand united with my sisters in other states and their champions in the blogosphere, the Uterati if you will.
If you're so blinded by ideals that you can't see the War on Women is the most important issue in the next election then you might as well move to Brazil....oh wait.
Okay, to be fair, women are my life. I have two daughters aged 11 and 5 who I love more than life itself and a my beautiful and talented wife makes my world go round. My sister is one of my best friends and Mom, rest her soul was my role model, so you get the picture.
There are those on the left who say patently stupid things like "there's not a nickel's worth of difference" in the two parties. (Michael whore for relevance Moore) Others who say that backers of President Obama have sold out their liberal values (Glenn "is my cabana ready" Greenwald). Still others that eschew the argument that small steps to the left are better than no steps at all ( Katrina Vanden Heuvel and Jane Hamsher I'm looking at you). These puritopians fail to see that the only person standing between them and a probe in their collective vaginas is President Obama.
The fact that state after state is passing anti-woman laws, the GOP controlled house is outright lying about Planned Parenthood, and even douche bag state assemblymen like this guy : Bob Morris , are attacking the fucking Girl Scouts, doesn't even register with the far left. They're too worried about indefinite detention, drone strikes and other liberal straw men.
I live in the real world. While I disagree with the President on some issues, the future of my daughters is way more important to me than the others. I'm more concerned that no one orders a drone strike in my daughter's ladyparts if she chooses to get an abortion. I want my girls to get free contraception if they want it without having to visit some back alley crack dealer who's running progesterone on the side.
My wife had surgery a few years ago and literally can have no more children without threatening her life. I got the old snip snip, but if that had failed and my wife was pregnant I don't want some fundamentalist asshat like Rick Santorum saying she can't choose to terminate the pregnancy.
I live in Illinois. Right now, we have a Democratic controlled State House and Governor, so there haven't been any direct assaults on the rights of my wife and daughters. Given that, I stand united with my sisters in other states and their champions in the blogosphere, the Uterati if you will.
If you're so blinded by ideals that you can't see the War on Women is the most important issue in the next election then you might as well move to Brazil....oh wait.
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