Starting in the US where Anthony Zenkus is addressing realities:
At the heart of criticisms against Tara Reade is a serious lack of understanding on how trauma affects people.
As a professional who has worked with trauma victims most of my career, and who trains judges, police and other professionals about it, I am concerned that this lack of understanding trauma clouds not only Reade's case, but makes it more unlikely that victims will come fwd.
Being obsessed with small details- like what part of a hallway the rape took place in- shows a lack of understanding of how trauma memories get stored in the brain.
The brain doesn't remember traumatic events in a linear, detailed fashion. It stores things like colors, temperatures, smells and sounds - sensory memories. The purpose is to alert us in the future when similar danger might be present.
Tens of thousands of years ago when our stress response systems were forming, it didn't matter exactly where a predator started chasing you. What mattered was it's color, it's smell, what sounds it made, what it looked like. Evolution made it so our brains store things like that.
Our stress systems formed before we had any idea what a calendar was. Fates and times are not part of this process. This is an ancient mechanism designed to keep us alive.
Expecting trauma survivors to have recall of details that the brain does not consider relevant is foolish. Dr. Blasey Ford explained it well when she testified before Congress about Bretr Kavanaugh.
At the time, many lauded her for her intelligence and subject matter knowledge and stood by her. Today, some of these same people are ignoring this knowledge while trying to cast doubt on Tara Reade's story, using the same responses that the GOP senators used against Blasey Ford.
Any understanding of trauma shows us that victims don't recall events in ways that are easy for people on the outside to understand. It can be frustrating for those who try to decide where the truth lies, and even more frustrated for victims who know what happened to them.
Victims of traumatic events find it hard to recall things in a way that satisfies their detractors. Using this against some victims while pretending to be trauma-informed when it comes to thers is not helpful.
Details like time and exact place may matter in a criminal proceeding, and this is why so many rape cases never see the inside of a courtroom. But the case against Joe Biden is not a criminal proceeding.
People trying to determine the veracity of the allegations against Biden need to use the same metric that they used to decide if Blasey Ford was telling the truth: is the essence of what the victim is saying true? Not "does she remember the date or exact place?".
Ultimately, the Tara Reade case is an opportunity to make us more trauma-unformed as a society. Unfortunately, it has fallen along partisan lines and mostly we are missing the boat here.
Instead of listening to the essence of what Ms. Reade has said, doubters are focusing on the details that aren't easily recalled. Ms. Reade's story of how Biden penetrated her with his fingers while pinning her against a wall has not changed.
The memories of her feeling of confusion and shock while it was happening have not changed. Her memory of seemingly innocuous details, like how the marble floor felt hars on her feet, or that the wall was cold, jave not changed.
These are trauma memories. They are not linear and they may seem scattered or irrelevant to those who are not trauma-informed. To those of us who have knowledge of trauma, they are clear indications that the essence of her story is true.
Leading researchers in the field of yrauma like Bessel van der Kolk have written and taught extensively about this. His book, "The Body Keeps the Score", is an excellent guide to understanding how trauma loves in our bodies and our memories.
The way that victims tell their stories can make it difficult for police officers who are trying to take a coherent statement. It can also make it difficult for judges and prosecutors to figure out what really happened.
As a subject matter expert in trauma and sexual violence, I have trained judges, oolice and orisecutora, in addition to thousands of other professionals, on how trauma impacts us.
I had no idea what to make of Ms. Reade's claims when I first heard about them. After listening to her full hour interview on the @kthalps podcast, it was clear to me that she sounded like ao manybither victims of sexual trauma that I have known throughout my career.
What has happened since Ms. Reade came out with her story has been tragic. News outlets have picked apart her past while ugnoring the essence of her story. Most of the people who have said that they believe Biden's denial have never listened to that full podcast.
In addition to the Katie Halper podcast (linked below), Ms. Reade has given 3 other interviews, all on camera, with various news outlets, in addition to conversations with many print outlets.
Instead of listening to her in her own words, many have chosen to dive into bews reports about landlords who said she was late on her rent, or question her truthfulness based on whether she ever owed anyone money and didn't pay it back on time.
None of these things change the fact that the essence of Ms. Reade's story about being digitally raped by Mr. Biden has not changed since she told it, or the fact that witnesses have come forward saying that Ms. Reade has told them part or all of that horrible story.
The fact that it took her 26 years to go public with this story is also irrelevant. Most victims never tell. Those that do, often tell bits and pieces along the way, like Ms. Reade did when she spoke in 2019 about how Mr. Biden touched her inappropriately.
Those who defended Dr. Blasey Ford never questioned why she waited over 30 years before coming forward, or that she couldn't remember specific details. They never interviewed her past landlords or asked old friends if they thought she was a good person.
These defenders of Blasey Ford disn't do these things because these things don't matter when it comes to understanding whether someone has suffered a traumatic event or not l. It would be fair and right if they gave Ms. Reade the same treatment.
#IBelieveTaraReade
#IBelieveTaraReade
It would be fair. So why isn't it happening? Joe Biden.
First and foremost, these attacks are led by the Biden campaign. As we've noted before, you've got one connected to Joe bragging online about feeding Marc Caputo of POLITICO everything that went into the attack piece on Tara. THE NEWSHOUR's 'investigation' was them speaking to 74 people the Joe Biden campaign told them to speak to. That wasn't an investigation, it was a Mickey Mouse Club roll call -- "I'm Cubby! I'm Annette!"
Senator Patty Murray has nothing to say in defense of Tara? Senator Dianne Feinstein and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi insult and degrade Tara? It's Joe Biden. It's an election and we can't have the truth, we can't afford the truth, they believe.
Remember that, survivors, don't tell your story at election time. Never, ever. You're upsetting 'the process.' Most of all you're disclosing the lie that the press vets candidates.
The press hasn't 'vetted' Joe Biden. Joe has lied for decades. He's a known liar whose lying derailed his first attempt to win the Democratic Party's presidential nomination. Stories that vetted Joe would include stories about his son Hunter and his brothers and the sweet-heart (and unethical) deals they made. Tara had trouble paying bills and that's a national story -- even though it has nothing to do with her allegation that Joe assaulted her.
By contrast, a fifty-year-old man, Hunter Biden, who has plenty of money to spend on strippers and drugs and even enough to send them out of the strip club to buy a fresh dildo to peg him with (he's a safety boy) can't/won't pay child support and that's not a major story?
Joe Biden has raked in $15 million in the short time since his term as Vice President ended. And Joe can't pay child support for his grandchild?
That's not a story?
Tara's finances are a story, somehow. She's not running to be president.
She doesn't have a history of family corruption. She doesn't have a history of lying.
Joe's campaign keeps attacking Tara and the worst part of that may be how the press refuses to get honest about that and instead just repeats Joe's on air statements. I
She is not being provided with a safe space to tell her story while Anita Dunn runs the campaign against her. That's a campaign Joe gave the green light to. They are tearing apart a woman and it's shameful that so much of the press is participating in that but it's even more shameful that, as it happens before our eyes, so many refuse to note that Joe Biden is responsible for the attacks.
And we're talking about the press and some may wrongly think I'm just talking corporate media. No, this is All Things Media Big and Small.
Look at the dumpster diver that is BUZZFLASH. Here's something from the recent e-mail that landed in the public account (it's not a private e-mail, they wanted what I'm quoting and everything else in the e-mail to go up here):
BuzzFlash wants to increase Its original reporting on the pathology of Donald Trump and, after his removal from office, advancing progressive issues.
"After his removal from office"? That's when the push to advance progressive issues will begin.
Grasp that BUZZFLASH has spent the time since the election obsessing over Donald Trump. They've been in reactionary mode. They've advanced nothing, they've led on nothing. They've made their whole lives about Donald Trump -- how pathetic. And how useless.
COMMON DREAMS doesn't have much to offer these days -- nothing of real value. With the primaries over, COMMON DREAMS isn't interested in truth about Joe Biden. Instead, they run what amounts to p.r. releases for him.
There really isn't much independent media or independence in media. Manufacturing consent? I wish that was the goal. No, it's morphed into running pep rallies for politicians.
That is why they constantly have to rebuild their audiences, by the way. It's not just that voters stop believing in the system and drop out. It's also that they stop believing in so-called 'independent' media that lies and schills. They get their feel of it and they stop visiting this or that site or following this or that program.
Ronan Farrow and Ben Smith. I haven't read Ben Smith's article (judging by what Glenn Greenwald wrote, the 'harsh' critiques Ben offered are nothing compared to David Walsh's coverage of Ronan's work that Walsh has been writing about for years now at WSWS). I like Ben, he's a media critic. He's not there to hand out flowers. Ronan? Back when he was on MSNBC, in 2014, Ava and I offered "TV: Another idiot for the idiot box" about his TV performance. I don't have time to dive into the latest controversy, nor do I want to. I did check Mia's Twitter feed hoping for some sort of coherent comment that I would post here with no comment.
'You never posted anything!' Because there was nothing coherent.
Ronan's work is flawed. That's true of the bulk of work done by anyone. Ronan's work also has strengths. Ben critiquing it is not the end of the world, it's Ben doing his job. Rose McGowan has stated that Ben misled her stating he wanted to talk about #MeToo.
I love Rose but: And your point is?
That's what reporters do. They flatter and fake and then they stab you in the back. I don't doubt Rose but, again, that is what the press does.
All of this focus on Ben Smith is amazing to me because if I had time to write about something other than Tara Reade or Iraq, I'd be writing about the rank stupidity in article that IN THESE TIMES published. The answer, for the children -- sing it, Whitney, is to give every child a $1,000 fund. That will help them in the next pandemic!
How?
How is that equal, how is that fair -- yes. More to the point, the most likely outcome of such a venture would be harm. The little that was done this go round for We The People would be even less. Nancy Pelosi Let Them Eat Ice Cream would be saying, "Well we gave them that $1,000 trust. Can't they spend that?" In fact, that's what the stupid IN THESE TIMES article offers.
Now when Bernie was still a candidate, these outlets could hide behind Bernie and criticize the party. Democrats in Congress have done nothing for the people of America in the stimulus bills.
That's reality. But it blurs and fades as we get closer and closer to an election and so-called media believes their role is to be a DNC organ, to propagandize for the party. That's not helping anyone, it never has.
Ali Jawad (ANADOLU AGENCY) reports:
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said Tuesday he has assumed power as the country's treasury was almost empty.
"When I assumed responsibility I found only an almost empty treasury and an unenviable situation after 17 years of change," al-Kadhimi said in an article published by Baghdad Today newspaper.
"Our sovereignty continued to be deficient, violated and doubted," he said.
Where did the money go? Yes, the coronavirus pandemic has led to many costs. But does the Iraqi government ever plan to address the theft carried out by various officials? Apparently, the answer is no. If the people suffer because you looted, too bad. That's what the attitude is. It's why Iraqis show up in the streets to protest corruption.
In other Iraq news, the Green Zone has been attacked.
The following sites updated:
The following sites updated:
