Thursday, May 23, 2013

Assault in the military (and why Maria Shriver should be the last 'reporter' to cover it)

Over the last decade, the military has done little that's addressed or impacted the crises in suicide within the ranks or the issue of rape and assault within the ranks.  On the last crisis, Erin Delmore (NBC News) reported yesterday:

 A sergeant and decorated Iraq War veteran on-staff at the prestigious U.S. Military Academy at West Point is accused of secretly video taping female cadets in the Academy’s showers, locker rooms, and bathrooms.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael McClendon, a staff adviser “responsible for the health, welfare, and discipline” of 125 cadets, has been charged with four counts of indecent acts, dereliction of duty, cruelty and maltreatment, and violations of good order and discipline.

At the end of last week, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel stated the military would demand additional training for those overseeing rape and harassment programs, "And I just signed off on a directive here today on another part of this, and that is the recertification and the review and the retraining of everyone associated with the United States military who has any responsibility for any sexual abuse offices, sexual protection offices, in any way dealing with this program across the board. It will be standardized in all the services.   And all our military recruiters, every military recruiter, regardless of the service, will undergo this. We've got timeframes on it. You will all be given, I think, copies of the directive here after the conference, so you'll see exactly what I said. But that was signed off on today. "

 Kat Stoeffel (New York Magazine) observes, "The military can’t retrain its sexual assault prevention staff fast enough. After three officers (two Army, one Air Force) were relieved of their duties pertaining to sexual assault prevention in the wake of their own sexual assault or harassment charges this month, reports of sexual misconduct continue to roll out."  Those three scandals came one right after the other forcing attention on the issue.


Gen Ray Odierno is the Army Chief of Staff.  Last Friday, he posted the following to his Facebook page:

 Thank you for sharing your opinions and views on this emotional and complex issue. As I read through your comments, especially those who shared very personal experiences, I very much appreciated you sharing those with me.
This is not an easy problem to solve; we will do everything we can to combat sexual assault and harassment. I meant what I said...we have failed in addressing the issue of sexual assault and sexual harassment and it is our duty to combat this.
It is about trust - trust between the Soldier to your right, to your left and across the formation. Without this trust, we cannot be an effective organization.



 Today, Robert Koehler (Chicago Tribune) writes about the issue today:



  Scandals and outrage come and go, but rape is ever-present. In 2011, a Pentagon report estimated that 19,000 sexual assaults had occurred in the U.S. military, of which barely 3,000 were reported because of the stigma and risk involved in doing so. The "I own you" system of military justice traditionally turns on the victim far more than the accused. That year, in response to the shocking statistics, U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) introduced a bill that would, among other things, remove the investigation of rape cases from the military chain of command, which has far more interest in ignoring the problem than prosecuting it.
 Now a new Pentagon report is out, estimating that 26,000 cases of sexual assault occurred in the U.S. military in 2012, with, once again, just over 3,000 incidents reported. And Speier's legislation has been sitting the whole time in the House Armed Services Committee, denied even a hearing.


Also weighing in today is Senator John Cornyn (Longview News-Journal) who notes, "In response to the scandal at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, I placed a temporary hold on the nomination of the current Air Force Chief of Staff until I received a personal commitment from him to fully and aggressively address the issue. I also co-sponsored legislation, passed as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, designed to crack down on offenders, protect victims and prevent future abuses from occurring. Among the policy prescriptions in this legislation are a prohibition on allowing felony sex offenders to join the military and mandatory discharges of service members convicted of sexual assault while serving in the military."

Regarding Cornyn's remarks, let's take that last issue.  In the May 29, 2009 snapshot, we noted a WHAS11 report that's no longer up at the website.  From the report.


Renee Murphy:  This is a cousin of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl raped and killed by Steven Green. He and other family members in this SUV were able to confront Green in federal court this morning. Their words were stinging and came from sheer grief. Former Fort Campbell soldier Steven Green was convicted of killing an Iraqi mother, father and their young daughter. He then raped their 14-year-old daughter, shot her in the head and set her body on fire. Today the victim's family was able to give an impact statement at the federal court house the young sons of the victims asked Green why he killed their father. an aunt told the court that "wounds are still eating at our heart" and probably the most compelling statements were from the girls' grandmother who sobbed from the stand and demanded an explanation from Green.

May 7, 2009, former US soldier Steven D. Green was found guilty on all counts for his role in the Iraq War Crimes from March 12, 2006, when Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi was gang-raped and murdered, her five-year-old sister was murdered and both of her parents were murdered.  Green was one of those join the military or do time 'sign ups.'  He wasn't escaping an assault or rape charge.  When he chose the military over prison (he now resides at the United States Penitentiary in Tuscon -- he has a lifetime reservation for his cell), it was a time when recruiters couldn't meet their quotas.  Since not only is that time currently gone, but the military is cutting back on its personnel, there should be no need for allowing those breaking the law to join to avoid face punishment.  But why in the world does Cornyn (I'm not slamming him) have to work to prevent sexual offenders from signing up?  Shouldn't that have been the first thing DoD did the minute this scandal first started developing over the last decade?

It is equally appalling that Senator John Cornyn is writing that he helped put into the NDAA that those convicted of rape or assault while in the military must be discharged.  Again, that's should never have been an issue.  You're convicted of a serious crime, you're discharged -- no questions.  This is one of the ways that the crime has become a crisis in today's military -- a refusal to face reality, an urge to cover up.

Last November, Lt Col James Wilkerson was found guilty by a military court of assaulting a civilian woman.  He was to serve time, as determined by a military court.  But in February, Lt Gen Craig A. Franklin gave an order releasing Wilkerson from prison and Franklin tossed aside the conviction.  That was outrageous but part of the 'buddy system' which refuses to see rape and assault as serious crimes.  Franklin's nonsense was noted in a Senate hearing we covered in the March 13th snapshot.  Senator Claire McCaskill had some really important things to say in that hearing (you can see the snapshot).  But we pointed out in the snapshot that, as commander-in-chief, President Barack Obama had the power to bust Franklin for what he did.  He has apparently refused to do so.

Yesterday, Brian Williams (NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams -- link is video) noted that a House Committee had just approved "stripping officers of the authority to overturn court-martial sex assault convictions."  Hopefully, the Senate will back that up.

I'm not highlighting the make-work report NBC allowed someone to file yesterday.  Get another hobby.  I'm getting really offended by this need to play who's-a-friend-in-my-speed-dial.  If you're covering this topic and you're covering legislation, there are two women you go to.

Again, here's Senator John Cornyn, "Despite these steps, it is clear that more needs to be done. Building on these efforts, I have joined a bipartisan group of senators in co-sponsoring the Combating Military Sexual Assault Act of 2013. This bill would plug gaps in current policy, enhance the Pentagon’s power to combat sexual assault and provide victims with greater assistance."

Cornyn, not a reporter, knows about the "Combating Military Sexual Assault (MSA) Act of 2013." But NBC doesn't?


Cornyn can cite the bill joint-authored by Senators Patty Murray and Kelly Ayotte but NBC can't.  You have proposed legislation gaining traction.  Why don't you cover that? Senators Murray and Ayotte aren't press shy, why weren't they included in the NBC report?

 Failure to include them means failure to highlight needed legislation.  This legislation needs to be widely known if it's going to pass.  It needs public support.  Again, the women aren't shy.  Though you couldn't see Senator Patty Murray in the 'report' NBC offered, you can see her on the Senate floor (link is video) speaking about the bill.  You'll hear Murray note many things such as this:

 “Recently, I was told a very disturbing story by a female servicemember from the National Guard in my home state of Washington. After being sexually assaulted during her monthly drill on a military base, she took all the necessary steps, including calling the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator. But when she called, she was told that because the assault happened during monthly drill, and not on active duty, the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator could not help her –that those services were only reserved for those on active duty. This is absolutely unacceptable. When one of our men or women in uniform is the victim of sexual assault, and they have the courage to come forward and ask for help, the answer can never be, ‘Sorry, there are regulations and there is nothing I can do for you.’”




My slam on NBC News?   I'm not referring to Brian Williams, I'm referring to the useless 'reporter' Maria Shriver who could barely handle a segment on Fleetwood Mac releasing Tango in the Night on The Today Show before she left 'reporting' to wallow in personal troubles that she helped make California troubles.  As many know, her wonderful husband slept with her maid.  Now pathetic Maria thinks she can come back to NBC News and NBC think she has some luster.  Whether she does or not, this isn't a story that she can cover.

 As a resident of  California, I damn well remember when women accused Ahnuld of sexual assault, when the Los Angeles Times published their well researched piece on The Grope-anator, Maria Shriver insisted, "He's honest, he's sensitive, he's sincere.  And he is gracious with every bone in his body.  I have met thousands and thousands of women who have come up to me and said they have worked with him, they have worked for him, alongside him and he has been an extraordinary gentleman."

That woman doesn't get to cover sexual assault.

Yes, poor dear, got humiliated.  Those are the breaks.  As early as 1992, she knew damn well her husband was in yet another mini-affair.  This was after she knew of countless one-night stands.  Her husband was a serial abuser of women and she knew it.  She only left him because he had a child with the maid thereby humiliating her (and most point out, that if it had been by a florist and not a maid, Shriver would have probably tolerated that as well).

Her husband was accused of sexual harassment.  She publicly defended him against a well researched LA Times article.  She has no credibility on the issue of rape, assault or harassment.  That's her own damn fault. If NBC insists upon using her, they need to find a lighter subject she can handle and one that she's not a laughingstock on.

 When women came forward to tell their truths about what was done to them, she dismissed them, she derided them.  She doesn't now get to pretend that didn't happen.


She was always useless as a reporter but on this topic she has a public conflict of interest and its no one's fault but Maria Shriver.






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