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Way to go Calgary police department. I mean really what should we be expecting from the justice system? Five years just seems to fly by while waiting for the people that raped you to go to jail.
Deputy Chief Murray Stooke said:
“Regrettably, we have a situation that demonstrates we don’t have enough checks and balances in place and we’ve had a catastrophic result,” he said. “Our police service does regret very much that we’ve had a file stayed on the basis of system delay.”
What perfectly ugly example to set for those women who right now are considering bringing charges up against their rapists? Like it isn’t hard enough as is.
Alberta Justice spokeswoman Kim Misik said this result is “extremely rare” and they understand the woman and her family must be disappointed.
“We’re taking this seriously,” she said. “We want to make sure if there are any gaps in the process, we identify them to make sure this kind of result doesn’t happen again.”
Well that is nice. It certainly looks like you are managing your public image and spin very well.
The issues women face, once again, are marginalized. How can you justify a five (5!!) year delay in getting this in front of a judge? What kinda of clerical errors are we talking about here?
As the article says the police are profusely sorry. Good for them, it should much to appease their conscious because what was taken from the rape victim does not get fixed by a ‘sorry’ or an ‘oops we screwed up’. A conviction does not ‘fix’ anything either; how could it? Rape is a gross violation of a woman’s autonomy and personhood, leaving lasting scars and traumatic wounds that will follow her for the rest of her life. A conviction is the very least of what should be done.
The police could not have set a worse example for women and their potential rapists. Thanks for nothing CPD.
**Update: You know what absolutely tickles me frakking pink? This post is getting hits from people searching for rape pictures and pictures of pornography depicting rape. If you’re here that reason, welcome to exactly what you do not what to see. Women being treated as people instead of objects for your distortedly pervtacular fantasy world. I savour the sweet irony of you being directed to a feminist blog while looking for rape pictures. Your kind is pathetic.
But, hey if you are not here looking to reinforce mindless observance to patriarchal norms, be welcome and read on!
Andrea Dworkin was a brilliant feminist theorist, activist and writer. The question you should be asking yourself is why does this sound radical? Dworkin makes many brilliant points in her speech entitled “I Want A Twenty-Four-Hour Truce During Which There is No Rape”.
Dworkin pulls no punches:
“We are very close to death. All women are. And we are very close to rape and we are very close to beating. And we are inside a system of humiliation from which there is no escape for us. We use statistics not to try to quantify the injuries, but to convince the world that those injuries even exist. Those statistics are not abstractions. It is easy to say, “Ah, the statistics, somebody writes them up one way and somebody writes them up another way.” That’s true. But I hear about the rapes one by one by one by one by one, which is also how they happen. Those statistics are not abstract to me. Every three minutes a woman is being raped. Every eighteen seconds a woman is being beaten. There is nothing abstract about it. It is happening right now as I am speaking.”
On the Patriarchy:
“The power exercised by men day to day in life is power that is institutionalized. It is protected by law. It is protected by religion and religious practice. It is protected by universities, which are strongholds of male supremacy. It is protected by a police force. It is protected by those whom Shelley called “the unacknowledged legislators of the world”: the poets, the artists. Against that power, we have silence.”
On Male Privilege:
“That is the way the power of men is manifest in real life. That is what theory about male supremacy means. It means you can rape. It means you can hit. It means you can hurt. It means you can buy and sell women. It means that there is a class of people there to provide you with what you need. You stay richer than they are, so that they have to sell you sex. Not just on street corners, but in the workplace. That’s another right that you can presume to have: sexual access to any woman in your environment, when you want. Now, the men’s movement suggests that men don’t want the kind of power I have just described. I’ve actually heard explicit whole sentences to that effect. And yet, everything is a reason not to do something about changing the fact that you do have that power.”
On the Politics of the Right Wing:
“Some of you are very concerned about the rise of the Right in this country, as if that is something separate from the issues of feminism or the men’s movement. There is a cartoon I saw that brought it all together nicely. It was a big picture of Ronald Reagan as a cowboy with a big hat and a gun. And it said: “A gun in every holster; a pregnant woman in every home. Make America a man again.” Those are the politics of the Right.
If you are afraid of the ascendancy of fascism in this country–and you would be very foolish not to be right now–then you had better understand that the root issue here has to do with male supremacy and the control of women; sexual access to women; women as reproductive slaves; private ownership of women. That is the program of the Right. That is the morality they talk about. That is what they mean. That is what they want. And the only opposition to them that matters is an opposition to men owning women.”
Why if Freedom is to be had, Rape must stop:
“And on that day, that day of truce, that day when not one woman is raped, we will begin the real practice of equality,
because we can’t begin it before that day. Before that day it means nothing because it is nothing: it is not real; it is not true. But on that day it becomes real. And then, instead of rape we will for the first time in our lives–both men and women–begin to experience freedom. If you have a conception of freedom that includes the existence of rape, you are wrong. You cannot change what you say you want to change. For myself, I want to experience just one day of real freedom before I die. I leave you here to do that for me and for the women whom you say you love.”
You want to know where to start to fight the Rape Culture? Start here. One teaspoon, one hour, one woman at a time.
Let’s rewind a little to get the background of what has transpired in this rape/unrape situation.
” On the evening of July 29, 2004, then[a female private in the Canadian Armed Forces Reserve] says she was celebrating the end of a military training course with her fellow reservists, including her mom, and instructors at Debney Armoury on Roper Road when her life took a shocking turn.
It was during those celebrations that she says she was raped.”
(Trigger Warning) – This story is fairly repugnant from beginning to end.
The title of this newspaper article, from the SUN, one of my favorite newspaper chains to hate for their artless casuistry is patriarchal gold – “Career dream shattered“. Not “brutal rape in bathroom stall” or “Female Recruit Assaulted and Raped” … no no nothing like that. That might actually place the focus on the victim, and that clearly, is unacceptable (and worth a post all on its own).
“Officers in the course really need to have their training down because no one knew what to do,” she said.
Let me go out on a limb here and speculate that “no one knew what to do” really meant that is ‘how are we going get out of this situation with Savage’s reputation intact’. The Armed Forces are not exactly known to be a bastion of liberal ideals and progressive thought.
“I was told to seek medical attention before I went to the police. Then, at the base, the nurses explained they didn’t do rape kits, so I had to wait until they were all done for the day before they would take me to the Royal Alex.
“The site nurses didn’t have a kit and said the police had to bring it.”
Some 17 hours after the alleged attack, Santonne says she was finally assessed by a doctor.
Hmm…raped, shuffled around for 17 hours – we certainly do not live in a patriarchal society here.
Her comments:
Now, [she] claims she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and has no intentions of pursuing a career with the military, adding she initially entered the reserves because she was anxious to serve her country and see the world.
“For me, it’s now a lost cause,” she said.
The results of the first trial on January 8th, 2008 (note the time of the rape, was 4 years ago) was a conviction, but watch the defense comments for the set-up…
“An Edmonton soldier was sentenced Monday to three years in prison for raping a young female recruit. Orman Savage, 38, was convicted in August of sexually assaulting the woman during a party following basic training three years ago.
Provincial court Judge Albert Chrumka agreed with Crown prosecutor Avril Herron, who argued that a prison term is the only just sentence for Savage.“
Right on forces of justice! A sorely won victory…?
“Savage and his supporters have steadfastly maintained his innocence throughout the trial. Defence lawyer Brian Beresh said Monday his client will immediately launch an appeal.
“The appeal will be based on what we consider to be procedural unfairness at the trial,” Beresh said.”
I am curious about what procedural unfairness (you will see this material again) really means in the context of this case. As the judge says the defense managed to shoot itself in the foot several times during the trial –
“In his ruling last summer,[Judge] Chrumka called Savage’s testimony at trial “ludicrous” and “concocted.”
“You seem to be your own worst witness,” he said, adding the testimony was “so fanciful it is unbelievable.
“Chrumka said he believed the testimony of the woman, who was 21 when she was attacked.”
The case was appealed and brought before a different court. The previous ruling was overturned and a woman was ‘unraped’.
“A former Edmonton soldier said he feels as if he’s been released from a nightmare after being acquitted Friday on sexual assault charges following an earlier conviction.”
— “All I can say is that I am glad to see that this nightmare is over after five and a half years and to finally see justice actually be done,” Savage said outside court.”
You should not say anything. You found a judge and jury willing to listen to the archetypal anti-woman, rape culture approved, victim-blaming that is so perversely common in our society. Watch and weep…
1. “Savage claimed it was the woman who made sexual advances.”
And therefore got what she deserved because one alleged “yes” cancels out the sobbing, pleading, resisting “no’s” that come after. This is bull-cookies of first fracking order, the legal notion of consent needs to be changed NOW.
2. “The young recruit fell backwards while she was hunched over the toilet, vomiting, Savage told the jury. As he helped her up, she threw her arms around his neck and said, “I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time.” Then she tried to kiss him, Savage said.”
Because it is so obvious that she wants it, oh damn, for sure with all the vomiting retching and other pleasantness that goes along with expunging your stomach contents. It just screams ‘sexy time’.
3. […] defence lawyer Brian Beresh challenged the credibility of the female recruit.
“I would suggest much of her story is like a Hollywood script,” Beresh told jurors. “But she’s written the scenes to be all in her favour.”
Ah yes, here we have the procedural unfairness rearing its ugly head. The last time around we did not actually properly attack the female victim and her integrity; instead we made ourselves look stupid – recall Judge Chrumka’s previous comments: Savage’s testimony at trial [was] “ludicrous” and “concocted.”
How one gets from essentially incriminating oneself to suggesting that the female private’s story is like Hollywood script is really quite beyond me.
The immoral of the story if she’s puking drunk and mumbles something vaguely coherent toward you, its a fracking green light for the frak-fest to begin. Don’t consider the physical context (vomiting in a bathroom stall), her state (drunk enough to lose consciousness and void her stomach), or her rights (not to be used as a piece of meat for your momentary pleasure).
When do we start treating women as fully sentient, autonomous beings – ya know, the default setting for men?
The Daily Show once again scores a home run showing the insipid, misogynistic and obstructionist nature of the current republican party.
See the clip here.
Essentially, it is a anti-government contractor gang rape bill. The bill would remove the option for US government contractors to put clauses in the contracts of their workers denying them the right to sue the company for being raped.
The American people let this party represent them for eight years.
*headdesk*
Update: Rob F. from the Words on What with the stats on the vote (see Misogyny) in the Senate . If the republicans keep this up I might begin having stirrings toward feeling proud to be Canadian.
Whoops…never-mind; latent nationalism squelched.
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