I never realized what assimilation was or is. I never gave a thought about genocide or Manifest Destiny and I thought the holocaust only pertained to what Hitler did to the Jewish people. And it didn’t matter to me, because I never gave a thought about it. I was busy living life as I knew how, a Lakota woman. I was raised in our traditional ways but never taught all those things until I was older. I just thought life was about being traditional, with our ceremonies, songs, traditions, and ways. Sure, I went to a Christian church with my friends, went to Vacation Bible School for a popsicle, and I tested out other religions as if dipping my toes in cold lake water, but I never felt right about it. I didn’t feel wrong about it, I just felt as if it wasn’t my thing. And I made my way back to who I was and who I knew myself and my people to be. Lakota. That is where I belonged and where I feel centered.

The first time I realized that a child raised without their culture and forced into another way of life develops a huge hole in their soul was in college. I read an essay by a Vietnamese American student. She was adopted as a baby, from Vietnam, by white parents here in America. She was given a good life, she was raised with little blonde brothers and sisters and she had a suburban sounding name like Caitlyn or something. She did everything right and everything she was supposed to do in life, plus she won a scholarship to a college away from her family. It was her first time on her own and she discovered herself questioning who she was. She was drawn to other Asians and began hanging out with them. She learned of their likes, dislikes, cultures, foods, and she felt “at home and at peace.” Many of them were also adoptees, taken from their families and countries and grew up American. They were drawn to each other to fill a need in their souls. Yet she felt this with a great deal of guilt towards her American family. She loved her adopted family but felt at home, finally, with her friends, who in turn felt the same.

That is the first time I realized how taking the culture away from someone can be somewhat traumatic or really traumatic. How lost it makes that person feel. As I grew older and started seeing cases of this same thing happening with my own Native people and it was shocking. I remember the first time, was when I met a lady in her twenties. I saw her at the casino we both worked at and asked her what tribe she was from. She became angry and said “The lady that gave birth to me was from so and so reservation but I’m white. I grew up white. I was raised white, so don’t ever ask me that again.”

All I could say was “Whoa.” I stood there shocked. I never in my life met another Indian who hated being Indian, and she had to nerve to say she was white, when she was a few shades from midnight? That’s when someone told me she was raised in a foster home, who eventually adopted her.

I began then to understand what it meant to be assimilated and colonized. I began reading of our history and how children were taken by the US government from Native families once they were put on reservations. Children were forcefully taken out of their homes at the age of 5 and put in residential schools until the age of 18. They made handcuffs so small to detain these children. They were beaten for speaking their language, hair was cut, and all for the purpose of “Kill The Indian, Save The Man.”

This generation was our grandparents and great grandparents, who suffered physical, sexual,and emotional abuse in the residential schools. They were never given the chance to heal because these stories were never told. They were kept on the down low by the Catholic church and the government who ran the residential schools. Many of these boarding schools who are now in operation are now making monetary payments, now wanting to hear the stories of abuse and now trying to make amends. After a few were hit with class action lawsuits.

The next generations, also suffered and still suffer. By the foster care systems. Children were taken from their homes and given to white foster families to raise. The families receiving funding for every foster child, would often take on many foster children. The state holds the households they take the children from to the standards set by white society. Without ever listening to how we set family structures, how we take care of our own, or how we live with our traditions, they set everything up to fit a mold, that they live by.

Based on a 1976 study by the Association on American Indian Affairs found that 25 to 35% of all Indian children were being placed in out-of-home care. (Eighty-five percent of those children were being placed in non-Indian homes or institutions.) Congress then passed the Indian Child Welfare Act (25 U.S.C. § 1901) in 1978 in order to keep American Indian Children with American Indian families.

However, this is not being followed in South Dakota. Why? Because South Dakota has a dirty little secret. According to a wonderful and very thorough investigation by National Public Radio that inspired me to find my brother who was lost for 21 years due to failure of the fact that DSS didn’t follow ICWA regulations and place him with family. I was 19 years old when he was taken from his mother. I was employed and had my own place and he was 8 years old. When I asked them why they didn’t ask me, all they said was sorry and also ,sorry we can’t help you find him now. That is when I began to search for him and I also began to investigate why so many of our Indian children in South Dakota are taken from their homes and placed in Non-Native homes, this is when I found their dirty little secret.

South Dakota’s Department of Social Services receives money for Native children they take custody of. They receive more money than the non-Native children they take from their homes. Native children in South Dakota make up 15% of all the children of South Dakota, yet over half the children placed in foster care are Native. And only 13% of those children are placed in Native foster homes. While Native foster home sit empty for months. South Dakota removes children from their homes at a rate 3 time higher than any other state. But according to state figures, less than 12 percent of the children in foster care in South Dakota have been actually physically or sexually abused in their own homes. That’s less than the national average.

I still didn’t get to the dirty little secret yet. South Dakota, years ago, designated all Native children as “special needs.” Which means every Indian child in every school benefits that school with more funding and it also means that every Indian child taken from their home by DSS benefits South Dakota more than non-Native children. And although the state says they match all the money coming in from the feds dollar for dollar, the match is not exact. According

to records from 2010, the feds reimbursed the state three quarters for what it spent on the children they removed from their homes. There is also an adoption incentive program nobody hears about. The federal government gives the states $4,000 for each child who is placed into adoption from foster care. That amount is $12,000 for “special needs” children. And of course over half the children removed from homes in South Dakota are Indian children, who, you guessed it, are designated by the state as “special needs” just for being American Indian. The state has made almost a million dollars in the last ten years off of our most precious resource. Our children. They moved us to dry, barren lands that cannot be farmed, the took the gold and every resource from the lands they stole. And now they are after our children.

Why is this not making a splash? Why is it not news? Especially , in South Dakota? Because they will go to any length to cover up what they do to take our children away. Even as our children are being violated in the homes they are placed in. Here is one case that will blow anyone’s mind and still has yet to reach the media in South Dakota.

Former assistant state attorney Brandon Taliaferro and court appointed child advocate Shirley Schwab go to trial tomorrow, January 7, 2013 for crimes they didn’t commit. Mr. Taliaferro and Ms. Schwab have been indicted by SD Attorney General Martin Jackley with witness tampering and disclosure of confidential, Department of Social Services information. They are being accused of these crimes for encouraging two teenage Lakota foster girls to tell the truth about being molested by their non-Native foster parent, who is now serving a 15 year prison sentence for rape of a child under 10.

According to the Daily Kos: Mr. Taliaferro and Ms. Schwab now assert that South Dakota is engaged in a criminal conspiracy to discriminate against Lakota foster children and their mothers, fathers, grandparents and relatives. “It is financially beneficial for the DSS to remove American Indian children from their homes and place them in [white] foster homes,” said Attorney Taliaferro to the Aberdeen News on December 19, 2011. “[Had I followed] the orders of [my boss with respect to the Mette investigation, it] would have required [me] to violate the law, and ethical rules that govern attorney conduct.” Mr. Taliaferro asserts that in 2011 he refused to participate in “a cover-up of misconduct” by the DSS.

The charges are believed to be a direct response to Mr. Taliaferro and Ms. Scwab for criticizing the state’s payroll during the NPR investigation. According to reporter Stephanie Woodard in her article for 100 Reporters “Rough Justice In Indian Child Welfare” where two state Department of Criminal Investigation agents are seen on a Youtube video planning the cover-up by the state against Mr. Taliaferro and Ms. Schwab. They are unaware, that though they are off camera, they left their microphones on.

This is all dirty, low down, Gestapo like tactics used by the Department of Social Services . And it shows how far the state will bend, how low they will go, to keep the millions of dollars they have coming in by stealing yet again from the Indigenous people of this land. Instead they don’t take from the land, they take from the womb.

They won’t get away with this much longer. Something has to be done.

The post South Dakota Rape Cover-Up Case of Lakota Foster Children Ignored appeared first on Madness & Reality.

The last thing I wanted to do today was to revisit Richard Mourdock’s idiotic comment about rape, abortion, and God. Yeah, I’ve said enough here and here. And quite frankly, I’m sick and tired of debating about God, his will, or his infallibility. However, I did catch the Melissa Harris Perry Show on MSNBC yesterday morning as I do almost every weekend. Yesterday while watching, I almost fond myself wanting to jump up and down on my bed while doing a hallelujah stomp like my name was Kirk Franklin. Yes, it took every bit of my secularist fiber and being to resist the temptation. Why? Because what Melissa had to say from the perspective of being a rape survivor, was very profound.

This from Melissa’s letter to Mourdock:

Rape and sexual assault are complicated experiences for survivors. Some of us fight, kick, scream, and resist at every moment. Some of us eventually give in to save our own lives or to manage the horror. Some of us know that what is happening is rape, others of us just know it is wrong, but don’t have the words to describe why. Some of us push the memories down and try to forget, others of us battle openly with the nightmares and scars every day. There is no one right way to survive. There is no one right way to feel.

As we heal, we learn not to judge ourselves or to judge our fellow survivors, because we learn that judgment can wound as deeply as assault. If a woman finds herself pregnant after a rape, we do not judge the choices she makes.

I am descended from American slaves. I have foremothers who found themselves pregnant with children whose birth increased the wealth of the very man who enslaved and raped them. Somehow, through the angst and misery of that experience some of those women found a way to love and embrace the children they bore from rape. So I do not doubt the compassion or judge the choice of a survivor who carries a rape pregnancy to term.

But the whole point is choice. Consent. You see, Mr. Mourdock, the violation of rape is more than physical. Rapists strip women of our right to choose, of our right to say no, of our right to control what is happening to our bodies. Most assailants tell us it is our fault. They tell us to be silent. Sometimes they even tell us it’s God’s will. That is the core violation of rape– it takes away choice.

Richard, you believe it is fine to ignore a women’s right to choose because of your interpretation of divinity. Sound familiar?

Let me explain something to you. When we survive sexual assault, we are the gift. When we survive, when we go on to love, to work, to speak out, to have fun, to laugh, to dance, to cry, tolive, when we do that, we defeat our attackers. For a moment, they strip us of our choices. As we heal, we take our choices back. We are the gift to ourselves, our families, our communities, and our nation when we survive.

Now let me say this very clearly to you Mr Mourdock, and to all of your shameless endorsers: we did not survive an attack on our consent just to turn around and give up our right to choose to you. Not without a fight.

That to me, is the crux of the outrage of any rational thinking mind, to the simplistic justification of a woman becoming pregnant through non-consensual sex as a “gift” from God by drinkers of Jesus Juice. To suggest that women who become pregnant through rape should not have access to a legal abortion, is in fact much like rape. It is, because not being able to have the choice of a legal abortion or not, should a woman become pregnant after being raped, is much like being raped all over again. After all, there’s a fine line between being able to give consent and saying no.

So, unless God in his infinite mystery has a rapist tickle his victim into submission (and pregnancy) whereby being victimized becomes somewhat tolerable; yep, unless that happens, rape is still rape and a child produced as a result of said gruesome circumstance is not a blessing or a gift from some assumed higher power. But as I mentioned in an earlier post, to suggest otherwise is as absurd as the notion that through slavery, God blessed African-Americans with the gift of citizenship.

Check out Melissa reading her letter on air below:

The post Melissa Harris-Perry Blasts Indiana Candidate Rep. Richard Mourdock appeared first on Madness & Reality.

Not to belabor a point, but let’s follow-up on what I wrote yesterday in response to Richard Mourdock’s ridiculous comment. Yes, let’s take another look at the idea that a woman becoming pregnant as a consequence of being raped needs to succumb to “God’s will,” and as such, should not be allowed to legally have an abortion. As I noted yesterday, there are many who support this Mourdock’s stated opinion; and, many are coming to his defense. That said, in an attempt to make the idea of a woman being raped all the more real, let’s meet 37-year-old, Tiana Stevens.

I came across Stevens’ story via News One. The article they did was heart wrenching, but it could not have come at a better time. I say that because as my wife and I discussed, it’s easy for people and politicians like Mourdock to discuss rape and incest without having been victimized themselves; or, without have any close and personal experience with anyone who has actually been through such a horrific experience. But, with women being sexually assaulted every 45 seconds here in the United States; and, with 1 in 15 sexual assaults resulting in pregnancy, rape is very real, folks.

So yes, let’s take a look at one woman’s story. That’s right, meet Tiara Stevens, a rape survivor and single mother to her son who also happens to be her brother. Yep, Tiara was sexually assaulted by her father repeatedly when she was 12-years-old, and gave birth to, well, her brother.

Would you really be willing to go through it?

Unfortunately for Tiara, she didn’t have that option. As she stated in the video above, she had no idea she was pregnant until the baby was born. But I have to wonder, what if she knew? What if she knew she was pregnant, would she want to willingly go through a pregnancy and deliver a child fathered by her father at 13-years-old? I think we can all agree that at that age, life is pretty much complicated as is. Why then would a young woman want to burden herself with the emotional scar of giving birth to her father’s child? Should she too in her not-yet-formed adult mind accept her circumstance as “God’s will,” and her child as a “gift” from God? As a parent, can you honestly say that it would be?

Do you really believe hat?

Tiara Stevens was raped by father when she was 12-years-old and became pregnant — yeah, God gave her the gift of a bouncing baby boy. What’s really awesome, is that she didn’t have an abortion and gave birth to her brother… eww… who quite naturally has a host of medical problems and is blind.

Having said that, I wonder how many of you “believers” are still of the opinion that a woman (or girl) conceiving a child when raped is still a “gift” from God.? I’m only asking because if this is a blessing, then maybe abortion should be illegal and not an option for women who through no fault of their own, are victimized…. oops, I meant blessed by God. I mean, am I wrong, or am I wrong? Oh well, you can watch Tiara’s full interview below. Yep, pay attention to the part where she said her father found out she was pregnant when the baby kicked while he was having sex with her.

The post Single-Mom Confuses Son as Brother Years After Dad Impregnates Her appeared first on Madness & Reality.

So, Richard Mourdock says God uses the uterus of pregnant rape victims as gift wrapping. As such, abortions should be illegal for women who become pregnant as a result of a non-consensual sexual encounter. And why? Because said pregnancy is a gift, and intended by God acording to the Indiana GOP Senate hopeful currently running for office.

Oh well, so much for the idea that it’s the thought that counts.

What’s up with Republicans running for office making ridiculous statements, and then in defense of said dumb shit, they then say that their words were taken out of context? Or, as in the case of Indiana’s Tea Party darling Richard Murdock, his words are being “twisted,” to mean something different than intended.

I realize that “context is everything,” when communicating. However, I’m a strong proponent for saying what you mean, meaning what you say and standing behind your words. Maybe it’s just me, but to do so says a lot about one’s character. Especially when thoughts and ideas are communicated from a position of power, to the powerless in our society. It might be a novel idea, but language and communication is important. It’s also especially important when running for office.

But don’t tell that to Mourdock who after Indiana’s Senate race debate last night, has found himself in hot water for making the following statement on victims of rape being allowed to have abortions: “I’ve struggled with it myself for a long time, but I came to realize that life is that gift from god. And even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen.” Here’s what Murdock offered as an explanation of what he actually meant:

God creates life, and that was my point. God does not want rape, and by no means was I suggesting that he does. Rape is a horrible thing, and for anyone to twist my words otherwise is absurd and sick.

Personally, I think you have to be a sick individual to justify rape. And as is the case with Mourdock’s statement, using “God” to justify rape speaks loudly to the issue of male privilege, patriarchy, and the all out insanity that is the marriage of religion and politics often seen on our political right. Case in point, check out the following defense of Mourdock’s comment from my friend David N. Bass over at The American Spectator – I found the following to be interesting:

It’s easy to be perturbed by Indiana Senate candidate Richard Mourdock’s comments on rape, abortion, and God’s will. But a little context here is important.

One, it’s important to understand what Murdock actually meant. He wasn’t saying that the criminal, immoral act of rape carries the approval of God. Rather, Murdock said that life — that is, the unborn child — produced by the horrible act of rape is still precious to God. The two are quite distinct. Of course, I have no delusion that media outlets will get this right. If they do, it will be buried deep in the story.

Two, many Republican candidates have inarticulately expressed their views on economic and foreign policy concerns. The most damaging part of this presidential campaign for Mitt Romney was his “47 percent” remark. Admittedly, it was said in private and not during a televised debate, but it was both unwise and damaging. Conservatives hoping to see a change in the Oval Office should be just as willing to forgive Murdock as they were willing to forgive Romney.

Three, the pro-life issue isn’t a liability for Republicans. Democrats’ pro-abortion extremism — defined as abortion on demand, without restrictions, up to the point of birth (and after) — appeals to their base, and their base only. Republicans’ pro-life instincts appeal to their base and a growing number of moderates who truly want abortion to be rare. Far more Americans today identify as pro-life than pro-choice. Republicans are winning on this issue, and must take a principled stand.

Fourth, I agree that Republicans need to be more careful of “inartfully” (to borrow a phrase) articulating their views on the sanctity of unborn life. Don’t give the media or your opponent anything to run with. But the same holds true for their economic views. It’s easy for a wrongly phrased answer to come across as plutocratic and dismissive of the legitimate needs of the poor and the welfare of the middle class— and, in our current economic situation, that type of gaffe is far more damaging to one’s electoral hopes than misspeaking on a social issue that most voters are ignoring right now.

Yep, typical right-wing commentator response: “Our guy’s words are being misrepresented by the media who fails to provide proper context.” Maybe I’m wrong, or maybe it’s just the secularist in me oozing out; however, there is no other way to explain Mourdock’s comment as being what it was. His comment wasn’t “inartful,” it was downright ridiculous — becoming pregnant as a result of non-consensual sex is not a gift from God. No, it’s called being a victim of rape. It’s called being forced to have sex, and a woman not having the choice to protect herself from pregnancy.

If God is a God of love, I doubt seriously whether he, she, or it would use rape as a method of conception for a woman. But then again, maybe rape is one of God’s many mysterious ways.

That said, why should a woman be “forced” to accept an unwanted pregnancy because God, Jesus, or whomever you choose to believe in decided to slide down a chimney bearing the “gift” of life? Belief aside, is it too much to be human and give a victim of rape the option to legally terminate a pregnancy? See, that’s the problem: You can’t argue or debate belief. Nope, because belief is just that: belief. And thankfully there’s this awesome thing called Separation of Church and State that protects individuals from any one God’s plan or rules being imposed on the entire population.

In response to Mourdock’s comment, a childhood friend of mine on Facebook asked: “Who are these crazy men?” My response to her, was that “these men,” are believers. Unfortunately for her and all the women across the country, they’re also believers employ religious dogma to justify control of the female body. Which is interesting since God gave the world the gift of his son through Mary, a virgin. But yet if a woman becomes pregnant because of an act non-consensual sex, she should take comfort in knowing that this was God’s will. Yeah, in spite of how unpleasant experience of being raped, the bright side is that God chose her uterus as the gift wrapping.

Yep, rape victims should be honored; you know, just like the descendants of African slaves.

For men like Mourdock — and the countless number of people who may agree with him — it’s as though God gave men dominion over everything in the land just as he “allegedly” gave Adam. And what better way to impose one’s belief than to be in a position of power within government, right?

The post Richard Mourdock Says God Uses the Uterus of Pregnant Rape Victims as Gift Wrapping appeared first on Madness & Reality.

As a woman who often labels herself a feminist, and who mostly spends time fighting, tirelessly, for equal rights, I’ve long dreamed for a day where rape would become a major talking piece that the political bigwigs had during election season. And while my dreams have recently turned to reality quite recently, I have questions and concerns about the circumstances surrounding how these conversations happen. Unless you have been hiding in a cave and your big fancy smartphone’s have been dead, you know all about Rep. Todd Akin’s comments regarding women’s bodies and legitimate rape. If you have, in fact, been hiding under a rock with a dead smartphone battery, Rep. Akin’s comments, in response to asking whether there should be an exception for abortion in cases of rape, were:

“If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”

Video:

Foremost, I think that most of the faithful readers of this blog (and the people who may be new and jumping on) know better than to even use the phrase “legitimate rape”. For those of you who don’t, though, I’ll address this very briefly: this phrase is bad. Got it? Unfortunately, there are people who believe that women’s bodies just magically sprout microscopic sperm-fighting Xena Warrior Princesses as a last-minute saving grace when they are raped. I regret to inform you all that, while I am no doctor (and neither is Mr. Akin), this is incorrect. In fact, I would like to invite Mr. Akin to do research on the Black women who were raped during slavery (often by white slave owners) to “breed” more slaves.

However, the weight of those words go far beyond the correlation between rape and pregnancies.

The idea of “legitimizing” rape is something that every single victim of rape and sexual assault face throughout the aftermath of the event; whether or not the rape/sexual assault is reported to law enforcement, family, friends, or kept within, women who are raped/sexually assaulted often face issues with having to make the case for whether or not the rape is legitimate. The phrase is troubling, and it makes it incredibly clear that the people who use it do not know what victims of sexual assault and rape experience. Moreover, the governments already set standards which decide (for them) whether or not certain rapes are valid, which further traumatized victims of rape and devalues women’s bodies and worth. If you don’t believe this, I would encourage you to read your state government’s statute on rape/sexual assault (because they are not often considered the same thing) and then contact your local DA’s office and rape crisis center to see what the prosecution rate is for rapes locally. I’d be willing to guess that it may be 10% or less.

This often surprises people but some prosecutors, while under an obligation to see justice served, only take cases which they have a chance at winning. So, when Mr. Akin, in his apology and clarification, says he meant to say “forcible rapes” and that rape is a “violent” act, there are a number of rape victims whose rights, needs, and situations are being completely overlooked. There are victims, Mr. Akin, who would not classify their rape/sexual assault as “violent” because they did not sustain bruises or injuries, or because they did not scream but survived through it. There are victims, Mr. Akin, who would not classify their rapes as “forcible” because they may be married to their rapist, and though they’ve said no, they have been told on different fronts that they’ve had no right. Mr. Akin, you have no right to define the experiences of women who have been victimized by rape/sexual assault.

Additionally, I have some problems with the foundation of the conversation in general. Why do we perpetually have to bring up rape in order to discussion abortion and choice? It gets tiring to hear “what if so-and-so was raped and needs an abortion” every time we have a conversation with political hopefuls on the issues. I’d like to see a day where we can say “what if so-and-so has made a decision to have an abortion and her reasons are none of your business.” I have a dream.

We also shouldn’t have to bring up, by extension, “what if your sister/daughter/mother/cousin” was raped when discussing issues of rape. I understand why people attempt to make rape (of women) an issue that hits close to home that will, hopefully, open the eyes of some cranky Right-Wing Scrooge, but I’ll tell you why this entire argument is so silly to me: because everyone knows a woman. Whether or not they are family, every person on the planet knows a woman. The hypothetical situations should not matter because if it was Shaneeka-down-the-street-who-you-used-to-go-to-school-with, her body is her body, she does not deserve to be violated or disrespected, and if she is — you should be repulsed. Period.

I really appreciated President Obama’s response to Rep. Akin’s comments. I think they were right on, and I completely agree (because he kinda said everything I just said.)

Video:

Yes, I have a dream where the (mostly male) politicos discussion what happens to women’s bodies will also discuss the budget cuts rape crisis centers and domestic violence agencies face. I have a dream that Planned Parenthood will receive funding so that women who don’t have access to affordable healthcare can receive the assistance provided by them. Oh, readers, I have a dream.

It gets exasperating to hear language as expressed above, and then hear the denial of a war on women. The entire government can miss me with that.

The post The War on Women Redux: The National Rape Conversation appeared first on Madness & Reality.

Ever heard of a victim of rape or incest getting pregnant? If so, maybe you can clue Rep. Steve King in. According to King, he has never heard of a victim of rape and incest getting pregnant.

Truth be told, I believe some of the GOP politicians are in fact a products of incestuous relationships. How did they rise to prominence with such low intelligence I’ll never know. But, there’s no other way one can explain the downright stupidity that falls as turds from the mouth, from the likes of Rep. Steve King, Rep. Todd Akin, and the idiots defending the concept of “legitimate rape”.

Speaking to a local KMEG-TV reporter while on the campaign trail in his district, King said, “Well I just haven’t heard of that being a circumstance that’s been brought to me in any personal way.” However, as for allowing victims of rape and incest having abortions, King added, “and I’d be open to discussion about that subject matter.” This was said after King sung praises of Akin and touted him as a “a strong Christian man, with a wonderful family.” He also said that he support’s Akin’s character and had nothing specific to say about his remarks, because he was not sure of the context of his statement. Now I don’t know about you, but I think Akin’s statement was pretty clear.

Context aside, in case you’re of the knockle-dragging kind much like King and Akin, check out the following piece by Sarah Kliff of the Washington Post. In the following, Kliff presents the results of a study published in the journal Human Nature by Jonathan A. Gottschall and Tiffani A. Gottschall, that argues that rape victims have a higher rate of pregnancy than other women.

Rep. Todd Akin caused a public outcry Sunday when he suggested that women who were “legitimately raped” would rarely become pregnant. Study after study has proven that theory false. But one provocative study, published in 2003, went even further: It found that a single act of rape was more than twice as likely to result in pregnancy than an act of consensual sex.

The study, “Are per-incident rape-pregnancy rates higher than per-incident consensual pregnancy rates?” was published in the journal Human Nature by Jonathan A. Gottschall and Tiffani A. Gottschall, two professors at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y. They used data from the federally administered National Violence Against Women survey. There, they found a sample of 405 women between the ages of 12 and 45 who had experienced one incidence of rape that included intercourse.

Of those 405 women included in the sample, 6.4 percent — or 26 women — reported a pregnancy that year. A separate large-scale study showed that, for the general population of women that age, the per-incidence pregnancy rate for a single act of intercourse is 3.1 percent.

As to why rape victims would have a higher rate of pregnancy, the Gottschalls put forward a few theories. They look at previous research, which suggests that men are more attracted to women who are fertile and ovulating. In consensual sex, women can decline sex at a time where there might be a high likelihood of pregnancy. That’s not the case in rape.

“Rapists do not wait to be chosen, rapists choose,” they write. “As such, within the limits of opportunity, rapists would be able to target women bearing cues [of fertility].”

The Gottschalls do acknowledge that their study was at odds with previous research, which showed a lower rate of pregnancy among rape victims.

Facts and science be damned, while Republicans are stampeding away from wackjobs like Akin and King. The truth is, the notion that it is impossible rape victims to become pregnant and thus should be forced to carry a pregnancy to term, as Rachel Maddow shows below, this is nothing new to folks on the political right. And for many, this belief is used to justify the personhood movement in an attempt to ban abortions. I know, hard to believe that they support this.

The post Rep. Steve King Has Never Heard of Pregnant Rape or Incest Victims appeared first on Madness & Reality.

Rape survivor, Gabrielle Union has weighed in on Tod Akin’s “legitimate rape,” comment, and she’s not happy.

By now I’m sure you’re aware of the epic shit storm sparked by comments made Missouri Rep. Todd Akin yesterday. In the event that you’ve been living in a bubble and may have missed the controversy, you can read fellow blogger and contributor, The Skeptik One’s take on the absurdity that is his comments here. Akin’s comments were so abhorrent that members of the Republican Party have been distancing themselves from him; and, many have called for him to withdraw from this November’s Senate race.

For Republicans to call for his withdrawal is a bit of a surprise. After all, most Republicans agree with Akin; and, ironically when Rep. Ron Paul made similar comments about “Honest Rape” no such outrage was seen from members of the Republican Party elite. My guess is that this unfortunate comment came a tad bit too close to the elections for some.

Unfortunately for them, Akins isn’t showing any signs of withdrawal from the contest. Akin, a Missouri state Rep running for Senate, while appearing on Jaco Report,  said the following as an advocate for making abortion illegal, even if women are victims of rape: “From what I understand from doctors … if it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” I may have missed that particular day in biology class, but I don’t remember learning about a woman’s ovaries being able to detect when sex is consensual, or illegitimate (?).

This from the Washington Post:

Rape Survivor: Gabrielle Union

National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn (R-Tex.) informed Rep. Todd Akin on Monday that the national GOP will not spend money to help elect him to the Senate after Akin’s controversial comments about “legitimate rape,” according to an NRSC aide.

Cornyn also told Akin that, by staying in the race, he is endangering Republicans’ hopes of retaking the majority in the Senate, the aide said.

Akin had refused to withdraw his Senate campaign earlier Monday as Republicans, hoping to contain damage to the party brand, stampeded away from the staunch anti-abortion Senate candidate after he used the phrase “legitimate rape” in talking about abortion and pregnancy.

Akin, who has become a flash point of the 2012 campaign, responded to Republicans’ calls for him to drop out during an interview Monday with Mike Huckabee on his radio show.

The House member from Missouri apologized, calling his remarks “a very, very serious error.”

“The good people of Missouri nominated me, and I’m not a quitter,” Akin told Huckabee, a Republican and former governor. “My belief is we’re going to take this thing forward. And, by the grace of God, we’re going to win this race. To quote my old friend John Paul Jones: ‘I’ve not yet begun to fight.’­­ ”

Speaking on MSNBC, film star Gabrielle Union, herself a rape survivor, shared the following:

The post Gabrielle Union Talks Women, Todd Akin, & “Legitimate Rape” appeared first on Madness & Reality.

Yes, you read that right: A man used the Bible to threaten a woman with rape at a Gay Pride Parade in Michigan.

I realize I haven’t said anything about the Chick-Fil-A anti-gay marriage turned pro-gay marriage controversy in recent weeks. And to be honest, I’m not going to say anything about it; frankly, I don’t give a rats ass. I mean, it’s not like anyone who has spent time on this blog doesn’t know that I’m a secularist, and supportive of gay marriage. That said, without bringing up old arguments, there’s very little anyone can say to me from a Biblical perspective to convince me that being gay and wanting or advocating same-sex marriage is morally wrong. Besides, the Constitution protects freedom of religion and expression as well as the right to peaceably assemble and seek redress from government.

That said, the CEO of Chick-Fil-A was within his right to express his opinion of same-sex marriage, and use his religious faith as the basis for said opinion. Also, activists are also within their right to protest said establishment even as silly as it may sound to some. They can have all the kiss-ins they desire just as long as it doesn’t lead to lewd and lascivious behavior, which is totally against the law. Advocate for gay marriage and protest Chick-Fil-A all you want, but you won’t be having sex in public to show said support. As I see it, advocating for gay marriage isn’t a problem. However, it is the people hiding behind the Bible to justify their bigotry that are. Case in pint, check out what happened at a Gay Pride rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan recently.

Apparently, the Bible justifies raping lesbians:

Police in Grand Rapids, Michigan say that there was nothing they could do after Bible-preaching protesters threatened to rape and murder pro-LGBT activists at a “Gay Day” event over the weekend.

In a video posted to YouTube, several protesters with Bibles can be seen shouting at a woman celebrating in the inaugural “Gay Day” celebration, an event organized by the human rights group Tolerance, Equality and Awareness Movement (TEAM) to showcase the community’s diversity.

“Back in the day there was no free power, there was no going to the mall,” one protester tells the woman. “There was, ‘sit your ass in this house until I bring my ass home.’”

“And if your ass get to going out there like you said, guess what?” a second protester adds. “You get raped. And that’s what’s going to happen to you. … Keep your pussy clean, that’s all you need to do. Do you understand?”

After one man claims, “the Lord said that,” the woman challenges him to find the corresponding Bible verse.

He responds with Isaiah 13: “Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.”

“What does ‘ravished’ mean? It means, we going to rape your ass,” the protester explains. “And I’m going to have fun doing that shit. And you going to like that. I promise you.”

After briefly arguing that he is misinterpreting the Bible, the woman observes, “Anything I say, you say it doesn’t matter.”

“It’s going to matter right now,” the man shoots back. “It’s going to matter when your clothes off and I’m going inside of you repeatedly. That’s when it’s going to matter. Because you going to enjoy yourself.”

Mr. Unidentified Bible-Thumping Would-Be Rapist

The woman in the video told WWMT that the men also recited her boyfriend’s license plate number and promised to find and kill him. She said she called 911, but the Grand Rapids Police Department officer told her that there was nothing he could do.

Lt. Mark Ostapowicz explained to MLive.com that the report was closed because no one came forward with a specific complaint.

“The Gay Day celebration group was upset that the Bible group was able to protest, but in their protest they weren’t doing anything wrong, according to the (responding police officer’s) report,” Ostapowicz said. ““When the officers got there they were not threatening each other. As long as they’re not breaking any of the protest rules, there’s nothing we can do.”

“As of right now, we just have two groups in disagreement with each other. Nothing happened that led the officers to do more.”

In a letter posted to their website on Tuesday, TEAM called on authorities to take action to protect the LGBT community.

“It is our position that these actions should not be tolerated in this community, and that the perpetrators of such actions be brought to justice,” TEAM president Chris Surfus wrote in the letter. “[H]ate speech that incites violence, rape and other criminal actions is not constitutionally protected.”

“It is our hope that the Grand Rapids Police Department will formally charge these men for these atrocious and unwelcome actions in our community,” he added.

WWMT reported that the men were part of a Christian black supremacist group called the Black Hebrew Israelites. According to the South Poverty Law Center, the quickly spreading movement preaches “a frightening, racist theology that says Jesus Christ is returning soon to kill or enslave white people, Jews, homosexuals, and others.”

Certain cultures practice “corrective rape” to “correct” the sexual orientation of Lesbian women. (story here)

I had hoped to post the video, but apparently it has been pulled by the YouTube user who posted it. Some may believe that it’s a good thing that the video was removed, but I disagree. I firmly believe that it is imperative that people like the gentleman captured on tape — who was black, by the way — should be exposed. Why? Because it’s important that people understand that the violence members of the LGBT community face is very real. More importantly, oftentimes the perpetrators of said violence believe they’re doing the Lord’s work, and are justified in inflicting pain emotionally or otherwise. But if you let some opponents tell it, “the gays” are trying to force their “lifestyle” on others. Which is really funny since my Conservative friends thinks the following is racist.

The post Man Uses Bible to Threaten Woman with Rape at Gay Pride Parade appeared first on Madness & Reality.

I must admit, Graham Spanier’s latest job in crisis management for the US government is extremely appropriate. I cannot see a better candidate who can cover up a fuck up (literally) for more than 10 years like the ousted president of Penn State.

Spanier said in a recent email:

“For the next several months, as I transition to my post-presidential plans, I will be working on a special project for the U.S. government relating (to) national security. This builds on my prior positions working with federal agencies to foster improved cooperation between our nation’s national security agencies and other entities.”

I know people who were fired for being short on a cash register by $25, and couldn’t find a job dealing with money, but this guy conspires to hide sexual abuse, and leaves a hero who already has a gig.

Can I say white privelege?

I am scratching my head at how many people I have read about getting life for drug conspiracy and this guy knowingly held information that caused the harm to a number of boys, some we will never know, and he gets carte blanche and high level clearance.

But that shows you the power of institutions, and the length that people will go, even in their ignorance, to protect something that kills them too. We will defend universities and governments the convenient argument that these are individuals, and not representative of the institution.

Welp, journalist Chris Hedges says, “Inherently, all institutions are demonic.”

The post Graham Spanier: From Penn State Sex Scandal Cover Up To National Security Job? appeared first on Madness & Reality.

So here I was giving Atlanta hell for its fuckery last week, and up jumps some foolishness from literally around the corner from where I live. Boy I tell you: Karma is a half-naked sista sucking dick on cam up in the club. OK, so maybe you haven’t seen the latest installment of madness straight out of the mid-south. Just if you haven’t, it is a video released on none other than the black community’s favorite online source of all things pro-niggerdom, ridiculously buffoonish, and superbly coontastic known as World Star Hip Hop. You know, that really educational site mostly visited by black folks?

Last Friday night just before going to bed, my wife thought it was important for me to see the video that err’bpdy and their mama was talkin’ ’bout here in Memphis last week. Which is really funny because I hadn’t heard a word about this in the news locally; but, I suppose that’s what I get for paying attention to national politics and the foolishness that comes out of other cities other than my own. So I look at this video, and my initial thought after my jaw hit the floor was: “Damn, the strip club is off the hook like a mugg!” Yeah, being as married as long as I have, let’s just say that it’s been a while since I stepped into such an establishment to be, er, entertained. But then it was explained that it was an actual nightclub around the way and not your everyday booty shake joint, and I was floored. I wasn’t the only one appalled by the display of reckless hedonism:

(Memphis) – Video that was posted online promoting a racy Memphis party has captured the attention of police.

The party was thrown by a group called Team Taboo

WREG caught up with the spokesperson of the organization to talk about what Team Taboo does.

“It’s an organization for the people of Memphis,” Kenny Lee said. “People who don’t have family we take them in.”

That’s how Kenny Lee originally described his organization Team Taboo.

The same group who promoted one of its community functions with a steamy video.

It shows young adult popping champagne bottles and engaging in various sex acts.

Some so explicit we can’t show them on TV.

“I am not proud of the video. I was upset after watching it,” he said.

Lee originally denounced the video and even wrote a statement to the media saying Team Taboo does not promote anything illegal or demeaning.

But after questioning Lee for several minutes he admitted his group did in fact release the video.

“We released the video,” he said.”We did.”

He also admitted the groups real focus is on the party.

“We’re an organization in the City of Memphis just like a number of the organizations. We’re just more on the X-Rated side I would say,” Lee said.

That X-Rated content captured in this video has captured the attention of local law enforcement. They are trying to figure out if any laws were broken at the party held at Club Elements.

“We are in the process to see what the owners knew. What information they were privileged too. If we have enough, we’ll proceed with public nuisance charges,” Memphis Police Chief Tony Armstrong.

We couldn’t get hold of Club Elements, but Lee says his group did nothing wrong. He added everyone at the party was consenting adults.

“You had to be 18 years of age to get into that party,” he said. “They I.D.’d everybody.”
He also vowed his parties won’t be stopping anytime soon.

“I mean we are party people you know what i mean,” Lee said. “We get down.”

A community-based organization that’s into giving back, my ass! What are they giving back? A new generation of single mothers struggling to survive while lil’ Raheem or Keisha wonders, “Where’s my daddy?” I’m sorry, but aren’t they contributing to the already startling numbers that places Memphis, TN. number one when it comes to STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases) and Infant Mortality rates? Shit, I don’t know what Team Taboo spokesman Kenny Lee is talking about; but hell, they might as well be running around handing out free crack to the community.

Here’s what they’re about from their Facebook Fan Page:

Team Taboo Heaux

A couple of pep have asked me how did I come up with the idea for the group. Well the meaning of “Taboo” is prohibited., and is defined as a social prohibition relating to any area of human activity or social custom. For example, its considered as a “Taboo” from a societal standpoint if people: have oral sex, 3somes, are bisexual, swallow nut, lick ass, lick toes, balls, smoke weed, drink liquor, go to strip clubs, fuck doggy style,etc and basically do all of the fun shit in life. Ironically, people still do all of these things and go through extreme measures to hide it..some people pay thousands of dollars and go to Vegas to have their first 3some, some millionaires don’t live the exotic lives that we live in our empire…

[...]The people who you would least expect, the celebrities, doctors, judges, preachers, political figures, teachers, lawyers, judges, and any other human being damn near all do what we do, they just try to hide it from the eyes of society. It feels great being able to be yourself without being judged. Me personally, I don’t give 2 fucks about what people think about me and have lived my life freely, but im aware tht there were females who were hesitant to admit that they wanted a 3some w 2 guys or that they wanted to experience a woman…but they never acted upon their thoughts or fantasies outta fear of ridicule from their peers and embarrassment..

[...]but what they fail to realize was tht their peers actually was prly thinkn the same freaky shit as them…Ive saw where people had went thru molestation as children and felt dirty n had low self-esteem. The Taboo is a place where a person can sit back and laugh at the obstacles tht they encountered in their past and actually discuss them with open-minded people without being judged. I was molested by my babysitter at the age of 7, she use to beat my ass n force me to eat her pussy, but now I can laugh at it and prly would thank her for the training at such an early age lol..

[...]I could hypnotize a female with my tongue along at the age of 12 lol… I wanted to bring people inside of my world and my life and experience the fun that ive been havn for years. It’s a great feeling be able to express yourself freely without caring about what people think about you. We are trend-setters in the Taboo. The Taboo is a liberal empire that doesn’t live by societal expectations and views, we have our own set of rules and moral codes in this empire that basically plays as an advocator for self-happiness, a place of peace, solace, and an eradicator of stress, and low self-esteem for each loyal Diamond and King within us. I know half of yall prly didn’t read all of this, but this is for the pep who our really interested in what they are representing. When someone asks “What is the Taboo”, I don’t like when people reply tht we are a “Sex Group”….yes true enough we are some freaky mofos but this group represents way more than sex…..I could actually write all day about other things we reperesent…. But just know tht the Taboo is also a place where you don’t have to be a rapper, rockstar or pornstar, to have an amazing sex life…….

Now I don’t know if you grasp just how utterly ridiculous the video happens to be. Maybe in your mind I’m just a typical old dude hatin’ on the activities of young folk. Yeah, you know, just like our parents and grandparents did to us back in the day? Although I haven’t been to a nightclub in some years, trust me, I’m definitely not that guy. As a matter of fact, everyone who knows me will tell you that I’m the guy who will forever stay young at heart; heck, most of them will tell you that I don’t even look my age. Be that as it may, this stuff is out of control; and as far as “community organization,” the group Team Taboo needs their asses kicked for this bullshit. I’m gonna warn you, this isn’t safe for work; again, the following is very explicit; and shouldn’t be viewed around children:

Yeah, I could see a rape case developing at one of these parties…

Now I don’t know if any laws were broken, but I’m willing to bet that many were. First of all, the party was open to folks 18 and older. Now I don’t know how things are where you may live, but strip clubs here in Memphis are strictly open to adults 21-years-old and above. And you wanna hear something even crazier? I showed the video to my 18-year-old daughter who’s on her way to college next semester in Atlanta of all places, as a teachable moment. She was just as stunned as I was after viewing it; and, even more shocking is that she recognized a few kids that attend the high school she recently graduated. Yep, and she also noted that some of them were younger than her.

So yeah, I’d say there were laws broken. The one good thing, however, is that I know my daughter refuses to attend or participate in any fuction foolishness that mirrors anything like Team Taboo has produced here in Memphis, in Atlanta, or anywhere. I don’t know about you, but I’m comfortable knowing what my kid is up to; unfortunately, there are a lot of parents who cannot say that they are.

At the end of the day I don’t know who to blame, nor can I figure out just how we got here. I do know that this isn’t a “black thing” as much as some may make it out to be; or an example of one of the many pathological issues associated with the lived African-American experience. No, this isn’t a direct result of a lack of education, poverty, or single motherhood often used to explain dysfunctional and destructive behavior. Instead, I see this as a societal problem; a problem which if anything, exacerbated by explosion the internet, in an attempt to feed our already voyeuristic nature, now more than ever. I could be wrong, and I’m open to correction by way of a discussion; but, at the end of the day it’s about corrective action.

Am I right, or am I right:

But hey, don’t tell that to the folks on Twitter who obviously approve.

The post Team Taboo Under Fire: Police Investigate Memphis Group’s Nightclub Sex Party Viral Video [NSFW] appeared first on Madness & Reality.