<^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> ........Catt's Claws # 151 ... March 27, 1997......... ........ A Feminist Newsletter by Irene Stuber......... istuber@direclynx.net is solely responsible for its content Archives are found at http://www.imageworld.com/istuber.html <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> I used to do it from scratch with the kneading and double rising, etc., but have become a convert to a bread baking machine. However, it has brought to the fore one of the great great, unfathomable mysteries of life. A mystery crying to be answered - made more urgent since I have to use an electric knife to slice my bread (I love crusty peasant bread): How in the name of all that's sensible do they SLICE Wonderbread? You can't even pick up a loaf of that stuff without permanently denting it ... And to cut it ... well, when I even try to slice a sandwich in half it's like sealing plastic with a hot wire. Inquiring minds want to know. . . . . . . . ^c^l^a^w^s^ . . . . . . . This particular item in the 03-27-97 newspapers from Associated Press is a classic of misdirecting "journalism" that one may use succinctly to show how journalists twist (misdirect) stories so that the woman is blamed. "Adella Jones, spokesman for the St. Louis Police Department, said a one-car accident that killed three girls and injured 18 people occurred when the driver, Angela Robinson, and her brother began arguing over which interstate exit to take and fought over the steering wheel, causing the minivan, which was carrying 21 people, to run up an embankment and flip three times." Now compare the above with what must have happened since Angela Robinson was actually driving ... " ... that killed three girls and injured 18 people occurred when the brother of the driver (conveniently NOT NAMED!) tried to wrestle the steering wheel away from his sister who was driving ... " English, my dear gentlemen of the press ... English. They didn't FIGHT over the steering wheel. He attacked. She defended. (Of course that spokesMAN title is just another piece of soiled toilet paper in the article. Yeah, it's tough to write "spokesperson," or "speaker for." The ownership of a penis is necessary for being a speaker? Come on, guyz, grow up. There are other toys available in modern society. . . . . . . . ^c^l^a^w^s^ . . . . . . . Molly Ivins just completed a vintage column about Berkeley, California where she has been lecturing for the past few months. She writes, "Personally, I think living in Berkeley is like dwelling with hobbits. Any day now I expect to catch them hiding their furry little feet inside their Birkenstocks. They are so kind and gentle. They all care. They help the homeless. They are proud of their eccentrics. Two of the most notable people in town are the Naked Man and the Pink Man. "A Berkeley story: Some years ago the Berkeley Police Department decided that the drug problem was out of control and that they needed some drug-sniffing dogs to help with enforcement, so they signed up for some trained German shepherds. But locals felt that this might bring up unpleasant memories for Holocaust survivors, besides having Bull Connor overtones, and so they opted for drug-sniffing beagles instead." At the end of the article in which she also describes how most of the students at the college are racially and ethnically "others" and that ethnic sensitivity sneaks up on you, and then finishes: "I have been reading the commentary on the current Clinton administration "scandal"involving Asian political contributions with horrified fascination. If you were to substitute `Jew' for every reference to `Chinese,' and `Israel' for `China,' the biggest fight since the Dreyfus affair would have broken out by now." Oh, Ms. Molly, we have missed you ... . . . . . . . ^c^l^a^w^s^ . . . . . . . In addition to killing women and children, the front seat air bags on news cars that were ONLY tested on big strapping healthy males of line back size are also causing EYE injuries. The design of the air bags, as well as the power of its deployment are so bad (Isn_t American technology great!) that even MEN are getting eye injuries ... MEN getting injured???? Well, NOW we'll get action. By the way, those who want to get rid of those potential killers from their front seats now have help according to an article in U.S.A. Today. Two Texas SALESMEN are touring the nation unhooking the air bags for worried drivers. Air Bag Options of Arlington, Texas will disconnect one air bag for $149 and discount for a second. One of their customers was a Maryland woman who had to get permission from federal regulators to disconnect the potentially murderous devices, but couldn't find anyone to do it. The sales duo are trying to set up franchises. (Betcha a couple of baby butches could do this work really fast. The men practiced on cars in junk yards.) Air bags have killed at least 62 people, mostly women and children. Although current law forbids *mechanics* from disconnecting the air bags, evidently individuals may do so. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - a federal group evidently wholly-owned and influenced by the car manufacturers - are still dragging their collective heels on whether to allow ANYONE to disconnect the air bags without specific permission or just those who "might" be at risk. This debate is analogous to National Rifle Association requiring people to get specific permission to unload a rifle or shotgun. Obviously, it is a man-dominated board that doesn't give a damn about the safety of women and children. Ain't this country wonderful? Nothing about changing the "charge" so it isn't like a deadly rifle shot. . . . . . . . ^c^l^a^w^s^ . . . . . . . We don't often run releases in their entirety unless it is of great import to women. This one is ... and we ask you to spread the word as far as you can ... We must not be SILENT because silence is agreement - and they SHALL come for us the next time. NEWS RELEASE Contact: Chris Lombardi - 1-888-231-2226 NEW ALLIANCE OF SURVIVORS TO CONFRONT WASHINGTON Challenges Congress To Hold Hearings on Military Sexual Assault "We spent too many years being told to shut up by military authorities, or being told `Oh, it's being taken care of.' Now the truth is beginning to come out - and they keep trying to say the same thing. Congress may believe them, but we don't - and we're not going to shut up this time until they act." - Dorothy Mackey, STAMP In late 1996, the nation was jolted when a few brave military women came forward to tell the truth - that they had been raped by their drill sergeants. Ever since, women have been gathering to share their experiences of sexual assault by members of the military. They've also expressed outrage at the inaction of the U.S. Congress, with the exception of a few days of talking heads in Senate hearings. On April 21, during Sexual Assault Awareness Month, representatives of the newly formed Survivors Take Action Against Abuse by Military Personnel (STAMP) will pay a visit to Washington, D.C.. They'll demand that Congress hold military personnel at all levels accountable for their actions. STAMP was formed in the wake of Aberdeen, by women who discovered a set of patterns common to their histories of abuse and betrayal, including: * Hostile work environments where commanders condoned women being subjected to ostracization and innuendoes and then excused inappropriate action of men under their command as "boys just being boys;" * Failure of the military to protect the constitutional rights of women whether they were the victim or the accused; * Failure of the military to protect those reporting abuse from acts or reprisal as required by law (Title 10 United States Code, (1034, Whistleblowers Protection for Military Personnel); * Failure of the military to properly investigate charges of abuse and harassment without significant outside pressure; * Failure of commanders to take appropriate action against those that have committed acts of abuse and harassment once confirmed; * Selective application of the Freedom of Information Act to prevent women from gaining access to materials that would demonstrate inappropriate actions by those entrusted with investigating and resolving allegations made by these women. * Efforts of commanders to minimize exposure of their units using "damage control activities, coercion, and threats against those that come forward to complain of abuse; * Treatment of senior officers, particularly colonels and general officers, far differently than junior officers or enlisted personnel when they were found to be guilty of sexual harassment, fraternization, or abuse; * Lost careers and forced resignations from the service when women pursued administrative and judicial relief against military personnel for sexual harassment and abuse; * The frequent presumption of women as the guilty party by commanders to whom the incidents of abuse were reported; and * Significant financial burdens on the women in their effort to seek justice while the military applied unlimited resources in an attempt to prevent their stories from being viewed publicly. Growing out of these discussions was an understanding that military personnel and the civilian leadership within the Department of Defense are incapable of properly investigating and administering appropriate punishment when cases of sexual harassment and abuse come to light. "What we've seen so far - this token set of prosecutions and slaps on the wrist, most of it at the lower ranks - is consistent with the way the armed forces police themselves," says Chris Lombardi of the G.I. Rights Network, which has worked with STAMP's founders from the beginning. "On the local level, if civilian authorities don't get involved, the military will often excuse or rationalize the offense. On this national level, we're seeing what happens when we expect the military to police itself - and the 'civilian authority' that needs to get involved is Congress." Members emphasize that the pervasive sexist violence in the military is not limited to drill sergeants, lower-level NCOs, and certainly not African-Americans. "More often than not, our attackers were white officers," says Stephanie Calendar, an Asian-American who was raped in the Michigan National Guard. "And besides, the crime of tolerating it goes up the chain of command." In addition to holding a news conference, STAMP members are meeting with the Congressional Women's Caucus, Senators, Representatives and other federal officials, with testimonies of those who couldn't be there and a set of concrete demands for change. "The first thing we need is enforcement of the Military Whistleblower's Protection Act," says Stacey Tyler - a former West Point cadet, assaulted at age 17 by another cadet, who has been working for justice ever since. "Right now, those who come forward are subject to retaliation, isolation, ruined careers and harassment that doubles the trauma of the original attack. I know. I was there." Other changes include the establishment of a civilian investigating authority, with full power to break through the closed system of the command structure; and thorough review of current military by the Department of Justice, the American Bar Association, and the National Lawyers' Guild of current procedures by Judge Advocates and other military agencies involved in the investigation and administration of justice associated with sexual harassment/abuse cases. "Congress needs to pay serious attention and not be afraid of the military," says Dorothy Mackey, STAMP's Executive Director, herself a victim of sexual abuse while in the military. "Now is the time for action by civilian authorities. The military is simply incapable of performing this transformation without civilian oversight." STAMP Survivors Take Action Against Abuse by Military Personnel - 500 Greene Tree Place, Fairborn, OH 45324 - 937-879-8304 Good readers of Catt's Claws - write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper, write your TV stations suggesting local angles of women in your area who have been in the military and have witnessed the harassment, write your congressional representatives and senators, write President Clinton, write the secretary of defense ... make phone calls ... Send a copy of this release to anyone you can think of ... STAMP out abuse of women in our military and thus abuse of women everywhere. My GAWD, if we can't protect women in the service WITH guns, how the hell can we women civilians WITHOUT guns be protected from this macho attitude of "if it's a female, it's mine to rape and beat and assault, etc., because GOD and the military code of "honor" is on my side." . . . . . . . ^c^l^a^w^s^ . . . . . . . One of our most religious Republican hypocrites in the U.S. Congress filled with religious hypocrites if Rep. Henry Hyde (news article found on an email list): "Seems like House Judiciary Committee CHAIR Henry Hyde -- a favorite of religious groups such as the Christian Coalition -- was not thoroughly investigated for his role in the collapse of an Illinois Savings and Loan firm which resulted in a $68 million public bailout. The director of the Congressional Accountability Project has now called upon the chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to reconsider the case of Hyde and other directors of failed Clyde Federal Savings and Loan. In a letter to the FDIC, project director Gary Ruskin asks: `Has Chairman Hyde used his position as Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee to escape responsibility in a civil suit against him and Clyde's other directors.' "Hyde, a religious conservative with strong ties to groups like the Christian Coalition, has been instrumental in using his committee as a sounding board for the fundamentalist political agenda. Hyde is also author of a Religious Equality Amendment (also known euphemistically as the Religious Freedom Amendment) which would amend the constitute and allow prayer and other religious ritual in taxpayer supported public schools." Mr. Hyde was on the director's board of the failed Clyde Savings & Loan, and along with eleven other members was sued in 1993 for $17.2 million for breach of fiduciary duties, gross negligence and other charges. This is BIGGER than Whitewater, yet the Religious, "responsible" Republicans are busy sweeping it under the rug and the radical right which has taken over the leadership of our newspaper reporting is letting it happen. Ironically, another great darling and follower of the religious right is Charles Keating, another big S&L swindler. Who do these guyz *really* swear to when they raise their right hands???? . . . . . . . ^c^l^a^w^s^ . . . . . . . Looks like the "honor" displayed by "An Officer and Gentleman" is continuing in this MAN'S army as the little guys get thrown into the meat grinder to save the brass's ... behinds. The army announced Sgt.1st Class Elizabeth Weaver has replaced 1st Sgt. George Watlington as head of the Darmstadt, Germany training center, where 11 women soldiers have alleged they were recently sexually assaulted, sodomized, or harassed by male sergeants. Watlington was "reassigned." The army sex abuse scandals are still being contained in the army's non-commissioned officer ranks. Its top enlisted man, Army Sgt. Maj. Gene McKinney, was suspended from duty in after he was accused of sexual harassment. I always thought the buck stopped at the top ... at the General of the Army. Why hasn't anyone - ANYONE - asked Ret. General Colin Powell why things went so wrong under his command? OR the other GENERALS ... . . . . . . . ^c^l^a^w^s^ . . . . . . . Remember, if they get away with driving women out of the army, what will stop them from continuing the harassment and rapes in colleges (as they used to do with impunity) to keep women from advanced education ... and then in high schools ... and then to any reading or writing??? Historically, women were forbidden or greatly discouraged from learning to read and write, or to attend schools of any kind. They were FORBIDDEN BY MEN to attend college and obtain training such as medical, legal, or anything else that made money. Even within the past generation, they have had quotas to prevent too many uppity women from getting big bucks. AND THAT WAS ALL DONE IN THE UNITED STATES UNDER OUR CONSTITUTION! Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. . . . . . . . ^c^l^a^w^s^ . . . . . . . A Catt's Claws special feature From a June, 1996 UNICEF report: About 585,000 women die worldwide each year during pregnancy or childbirth...and about 17.5 million suffer injuries, infections or disabilities related to pregnancy and childbirth, many of them humiliating and painful problems or morbidities that will continue for life. That comes to 1,600 women dying worldwide because of pregnancy or childbirth EVERY DAY! May of these death are preventable according to Carol Bellamy, UNICEF director. In the U.S. the death rate of women due to pregnancy is 2.5 EVERY SINGLE day or approximately 950 deaths a year. And since nearly 25% of all deliveries result in serious complications for the mother, that means almost ONE MILLION women suffered serious medical problems because of birthing. ONE MILLION !!! Every Year!!!! And our church fathers, our medical profession, and our society refuses to acknowledge the pandemic because we need a growing population to increase consumer product usage. SHAME ! Pregnancy is dangerous - very, very dangerous. Let the truth be known and to hell with the stock market that is booming on the bodies of wrecked and dead women. . . . . . . . ^c^c^ . . . . . . . Women's rights are young and tender and we must protect them from the plagues of holy hypocrisy and newts. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- >>> Send your ideas, comments, and news to istuber@direclynx.net for inclusion in the Catt's Claws feminist newsletter which will be emailed up to three times a week. This is NOT an interactive discussion net but an exchange of information. Catt's Claws is NOT sponsored by any organization. We are accepting *limited* donations (only what can be spared) to help offset the online costs of posting Catt's Claws and archiving them. Copyright 1997, Irene Stuber. PO Box 6185, Hot Springs, AR 71902, email istuber@direclynx.net<<<< To receive Catt's Claws by email, write and in the body of the note We thank Jennifer Gagliardi for handling the madding subscription list through her listserv. And a BIG thanks to Sam McMillan for doing our Web site: http://www.imageworld.com/istuber.html -- End --