LINES OF THE DAY

". . . But the past does not exist independently from the present. Indeed, the past is only past because there is a present, just as I can point to something over there only because I am here. But nothing is inherently over there or here. In that sense, the past has no content. The past -- or more accurately, pastness -- is a position. Thus, in no way can we identify the past as past." p. 15

". . . But we may want to keep in mind that deeds and words are not as distinguishable as often we presume. History does not belong only to its narrators, professional or amateur. While some of us debate what history is or was, others take it into their own hands." p. 153

Silencing the Past: Power and the Production of History (1995) by Michel-Rolph Trouillot

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

DOJ Evasions Concerning Rape Investigations

From ABC NEWS:

[ In an apparent reversal of policy, the Justice Department will send an official to answer questions before Congress on the investigation and prosecution of alleged sex crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Last December, the department declined to send an official to testify before the House Judiciary Committee hearing on law enforcement efforts to protect U.S. contractors in Iraq. The hearing featured testimony by Jamie Leigh Jones, a young Texan woman who says she was gang-raped while working for government contractor KBR in Iraq. ]

The KBR rape case:

Warning: The Nation article contains graphic description of what was done to the victim.

Then there is this:

[ The Greatest Silence: Rape in the CongoToday, in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, rape is taking place on a scale that is almost unimaginable. In the last ten years, hundreds of thousands of women and girls have been raped - but their suffering goes unacknowledged. Instead, they are invisible, shamed and mute. This is the story of one filmmaker's crusade to break the silence surrounding this shocking reality, armed with a firsthand connection with the women and men she meets. Winner of a Special Jury Prize (Documentary) at this year's Sundance Film Festival, The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo premieres Tuesday, April 8 at 10pm ET/PT. ]

From what I could handle of this documentary (made by a rape victim herself) it seems these guys believe that rape makes them stronger, and thus, then, is 'good for Congo.'

So convenient a 'belief' isn't it. Like the one that 'meat is bad for women,' so only men get to eat it.

1 comment:

Frank Partisan said...

I think I heard on "Democracy Now," that there is a belief in Africa (Congo?), that rape strengthens soldiers during war. It is ok to rape in war time, not in peace time.

OT: I saw an advance screening of Young @ Heart. You have to see it. There is a scene where someone sings "Ghost Riders in the Sky." I'm not sure if you heard that song before, but I think you'll like it.