Opinions

So I picked up the Redoubt Reporter yesterday, the new issues come out each Wednesday.
It's the free weekly paper here where I live. In it there is a long article about abortion and I guess there are some upstanding citizens (I hope you hear my sarcasm) around here that make it their mission to put their pro-life, anti abortion views on display. Some dude, Bob, has been holding up a sign at busy street corners around town every year since 1984. WOW Bob, good job! If I see you I will smile in your face and accidentally blast you with thick fumes from my Ford F-250. BRRRRROOOOOM!!!!
Or how about Laura, a proud Mom of 10 kids, YES TEN......She even involves her little angels in her anti-abortion protests and has the kids stand outside with "Stop Abortion Now" signs.
There is even a picture in the paper of the kids, one of them looks young. Too young to be concerned with how she or he stands in the abortion issue. Listen Laura, first of all, tie your tubes ok. Why do you need 10 kids for? Yes, I know that you are against abortion and you are probably a firm believer in God too. If you tie your tubes then you don't have to get an abortion, you just won't reproduce anymore. You should not reproduce anymore! People like Laura and Bob scare me. I think it should be ILLEGAL to make your kids stand outside with anti-abortion signs. Do they even know what that means? Do they grasp what they are protesting against? Laura should take her kids to do some kid friendly activities instead, like skiing or camping.
I think Laura is a bad parent. A bad parent forces their own rabid beliefs on their kids instead of letting them think freely, be open minded, rational and form their own opinions.
I am a firm believer in pro-choice! It's a right. A human right. What's next? No abortion even if you get raped or molested? OF COURSE I do not think it is ok to abort when you are for example five months pregnant, duh - there are many guidelines and rules to be followed regarding abortion.
How about birth control? Maybe we should be anti birth control too because some avid Bible readers can probably argue for that using birth control is also wrong. All women should just pop out 10 kids or so, like good ole' Laura! What an amazing woman she is! It's going to be great when her 10 spawns start having sex and a few accidentally get pregnant (and get an abortion perhaps) or impregnate somebody unwillingly. And NO, I do not think that abortion should be used as a method of birth control. If somebody abuses this I think they should be forced to get a Norplant or something similar implanted. Now there is Plan B easily available, I think that's great.
And the cowards that stand outside Planned Parenthood and hoot and holler? Give me a break! Do something USEFUL with yourselves, like go home and take care of your kids. Volunteer.
Clean up the trash in nature. Planned Parenthood is great! They do lots for women AND men, screen for STD's, cancer, help with family planning etc. You should be GRATEFUL that there is a Planned Parenthood here. Instead it says in the paper that some view Planned Parenthood as the enemy! How sick do you have to be to think of Planned Parenthood as the enemy? I admire the people working at Planned Parenthood. Thinking about it, I am going to get a card and express my gratitude and admiration to the staff that works there.
Sorry to inform you of some facts Laura but women have always had abortions, even when and where it was illegal and unsafe. Women have died from having "abortions" performed on them with clothing hangers and other objects. And women will get abortions even if it is made illegal. And now you might sit there and think that I am pro-choice because I myself had a bunch of abortions. WRONG! I am for women's rights. It's as simple as that.......

And what a coincidence......! Just as I finished this entry I get an email about abortions, here it is. Read and THINK. Do you want your rights taken away? Remember, you give a finger then they (Big Brother) will come for ALL of you sooner than later.

"Republicans in New Mexico are pushing a bill that would force victims of rape or incest to carry their pregnancies to term if they wanted a sexual assault trial – and would charge them with a felony if their pregnancy was terminated. This heinous bill would turn sexual assault survivors into potential felons and force them to become incubators of evidence for the state, robbing them of agency and making them relive their assault through pregnancy in order to “prove” their case. This isn't about preserving evidence, it's about denying basic human rights -- and we cannot allow this heartless, unnecessary and blatantly unconstitutional bill to become law. Please, join us in urging the state legislature to kill Bill 206. Stand up for the women of New Mexico: sign your name to our petition today!
PETITION TO NEW MEXICO LEGISLATURE: Bill 206 infringes on the rights of women, punishes sexual assault survivors for their rapists’ crimes, and forces them to relive their trauma in order to get justice. Don’t let Republicans make this law – vote “no” on Bill 206 today!"

So most people that live in the US heard about the horrific rape that happened in India back in December, unless you live under a rock or do not care about any kind of media, well good that you read my blog at least.
I felt SO bad for the girl that suffered through that and have thought of her pretty much every day since I heard about that rape. If you do not know about it.....the girl got gang-raped on a bus by six men and brutally sodomized, she later died from her injuries. She was only 23. As I am writing this I am fighting back tears. I know that there have been other rapes in India and all over the world since then. It happens all the time.
The problem with India and countries where many view woman as property or second class citizens is that rape often goes unpunished when reported. The men get a slap on the wrist, they might pay a bribe and get away with no punishment. Many of the women are ashamed that they got raped, many do not report it because they do not want to bring shame on their family.
I even read that the scumbag defense lawyer appointed to a few of the so called human beings that committed the rape made a public statement in where he put some of the blame on the victim. You know, she was asking for it type of mentality. Really? She was asking for it? This poor girl, OMG my heart aches for her. Yeah, she asked to get her intestines pulled out, to get a metal rod shoved in her, to have six nasty strangers taking turns gang-raping her.
" The lawyer representing three of the men accused of gang-raping a student aboard a bus in India last month blamed the victim for the attack, saying "respected" women in India are not raped.
Manohar Lal Sharma said 23-year-old Jyoti Singh Pandey and her male friend were "wholly responsible" for the horrific torture they suffered in the Dec. 16 attack in New Delhi because they were an unmarried couple on the streets at night, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
"Until today I have not seen a single incident or example of rape with a respected lady," Sharma told the newspaper. "Even an underworld don would not like to touch a girl with respect."
WTF????????!!!!
Or how about a statement made by some obviously delusional self proclaimed Indian "spiritual" leader.
"Asaram Bapu told followers in a sermon that the victim was as responsible as her attackers, and that she should have "chanted god's name" and "fallen at their feet" to beg for mercy. "Guilt is not one-side" Bapu said in the sermon. “She should have called the culprits brothers and begged before them to stop," he added."

I am sure she did BEG THEM TO STOP!!!!! I want all six to die, execute them! Why waste any money on keeping them alive, feeding them, giving them space. Kill them. Of course they are all pleading not guilty and might get out of this free. But you know what, if even one of them did not want to participate in the rape or felt against it, I guess he could had gotten off that bus!
But none of them got off the bus.

I am not saying that rapes do not happen here in the US, yes women get raped here too. But the majority of the public's ATTITUDES towards rape differs. You are not going to have some defense lawyer making a public statement in a case like this saying that the victim asked for it or that respectable women don't get raped. I mean, that would cause huge protests and I don't even think a defense lawyer would dare say something like that here (in the US), he would get fired and shunned by society. And rightfully so. Or dudes walking around thinking that raping somebody is not a big deal and that they can just rape and most likely get away with it. Yes, men rape women here but I suspect most of them are aware that rape is punishable and not accepted.
You know, I thought about it when I was at the gym last week. I was walking on the treadmill, in the same room as me were five guys also working out. I was the only girl. Not even once did I feel afraid that even one of them would dare put a finger on me, let alone that all five would gang up and hurt me in any kind of way. I feel that I can move around freely and do whatever without some man acting in a threatening way towards me. Sure there have been times when I have looked over my shoulder, walking home alone at night for example. Or to my car. I rather make sure I am safe. I've had confrontations with dumb asses that mouth off to me at work but I am not afraid that they are going to rape me. And I do not feel that a woman should EVER feel shame if a man rapes her.
But I guess in places like India and many other countries as a woman you can't ever feel safe. You live in fear or you just stay away from society and stay inside or hide under a burqa when doing errands because men supposedly can't control themselves when around women that show some skin, even if it's just some arm or a lower leg or form fitting clothing.
FUCK THAT! It makes me so pissed off! Women should carry around tasers or guns and blast perverts in the nut sack if they even step an inch too close for their comfort. It is not the women that should avoid going about their business in society. If men can't control themselves and their sexual "urges" or whatever it is that makes somebody commit a rape then it is the men that need to avoid being out in society. Impose mandatory chemical castration on men that show a behavior that might lead to rape.
And don't think for a second that I am some kind of an angry man hater or think that all men are no good rapists. Absolutely not. I would never be around men as much as I am if I hated them,
I could never torture myself like that.

I found a blog called www.whiteindianhousewife.com
It's really interesting and Sharell, the woman writing the blog touches on the rape issue slightly, you can read that entry here
And make sure to read the comments too!
Well, with having said all of this, I am going to take out my contacts and try to sleep. It's almost 4 am and dark outside. I feel sad for the Indian girl and her family......... deep sigh . I hope she is in a beautiful place now. And I am grateful that I am free and that my snoring baby Chhaya is laying next to me in bed. Kicking me and showing her teeth, she is dreaming. So cute!