Politics and Religion
Sarah Palin and Rape Kits
Does it bother anyone that Sarah Palin approved of charging women for their rape kits. Only city in Alaska that did and it forced the state legislature to pass a law banning the practice.
Well, this is now the second story I have read about this issue. In neither story have I seen a single quote from Palin herself which still leaves me wondering if she was aware of, and approved of the policy.
Both stories gleefully quote to police chief, can't they dig up a quote from Palin in which she approved of or supported this practice?
I agree that the idea of charging rape victims for their own rape kits is repugnant in the extreme. But show me the goods please. Where is the evidence that Palin supported this policy? Was this a policy already in place when she took office as Mayor? Was the policy started during her tenure as Mayor, and if so, was it started with her knowledge and approval or was it an interdepartmental decision made without aprising her of the change?
Without discussing what Palin may have done, I'm not sure I understand the issue about paying for the Rape Kit.
I would assume any person who is a victim of a violent crime and goes to the hospital, would be charged for all of the services provided by that hospital. Am I incorrect?
So if I was beaten by a group of guys and went to the hospital, I would expect to need to pay for all the services needed to patch me up and get me moving again.
Not sure how the Rape is any different. I would expect the patient (or the patient's insurance) to cover all the services provided to get them healthy again... But wait a minute! Maybe this is the difference - the Rape Kit is purely a crime-fighting tool, not a hospital service. Since I would not be expected to pay for the police to collect evidence of my beating, I think it makes sense for a rape victim not to have to pay for a Rape Kit as well.
Never Mind. I convinced myself!
So anyway, in Alaska who pays for the morning-after pill for rape victims???
That's the purpose of government. They hand out free rape kits. After they take away your ability to defend yourself. All acts of violence are followed by something nice from the government, like a rape kit or a toe tag. Its their way of saying, "Thanks for being a victim!"
The McCain-Palin supporters want to hold up anything "positive" that happened under Palins watch - either as Mayor or Governor - as evidence of her leadership/maverick qualities. No matter how tangential, there is a feverous attempt to make these connections. So feverous in fact that sometimes there is absolutely no connection to anything she did (obvious case in point, the famous "thanks but no thanks" comment she said she made regarding the bridge, when in fact she never said "no thanks" as the bridge was axed by congress by no act of her own).
So...now we have the Wasilla police chief, Charlie Fannon - who Palin appointed - objectiing to a law the Alaska legislature passed in 2000 to finally stop this unusual practice of charging for rape kits.
There's no question this happened under Palin's watch and there's no question, given the attached Wasilla document, that supervision of the city's laws was part of her duty as Mayor.
You can't have it both ways - she was in charge and had supervisory responsibility over a policy that you admit is repugnant (which of course it is).
This issue was covered by the media in 2000. What is really amazing is that you can't find any quotes from Palin denouncing this repugnant policy. She was either asleep at the switch or didn't care enough to speak out.
In any event, doesn't surprise me any.
http://www.cityofwasilla.com/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=485
I'm not saying I want it both ways, I am saying I want more details. I asked three pertinent questions - when was the policy put in place? Before she became Mayor, or during her term as Mayor. Was she aware of the policy? Did she aprove of the policy?
These are valid questions, and until they are answered, I am not prepared to go off half cocked denouncing someone for a policy they may not necearily have been aware of or approved of.
Hmm, kind of like Obama's "I wasn't there" defense to separate himself from the Right Reverend Wright. Except of course that Palin didn't sit through 20 years worth of sermons without hearing a single word.
Question 1. It's hard to determine exactly when the policy was put into place, but it appears likely to have been after the police chief Palin appointed - Charlie Fannon - was put in place. So I believe the answer to your first question is after she became Mayor, but frankly I think it is irrelevant if it was before or after.
Question 2. It's very hard to believe she was not aware of the policy because her police chief - who reports directly to her as Mayor - strongly objected to the law passed by the Alaska legislature. This issue was covered by the media at the time and his comments are easy to find. If I were Mayor and my police chief was making the kind of statements he made in the article below I would not only know about it but he would be fired the next day and I would broadcast a press release denouncing his views on this repugnant policy.
http://www.frontiersman.com/articles/2000/05/23/news.txt
Question 3. Kind of answered that in question 2. There is no indication anywhere that she disapproved of this practice. Remember, this was not a hidden issue. Her police chief was speaking publicly about it and the legislature had to step in to stop it. Given this you would expect you would be able to find plenty of statements from her at the time denouncing this policy. The fact is you can't (or at least I can't - maybe you can have better luck).
Pure rubbish.
I don't believe she knew about it.
If it is true, she should be burned at the stake. Just further convinces me that she is a traitor to her own gender.
I don't use this term lightly..she is a C U Next Tuesday. I swear, I sometimes think- this all MUST be a joke.
XO
Melanie
-- Modified on 9/16/2008 2:24:11 PM
"she should be burned at the stake"
So you're saying Palin is like Joan of Ark.
I'm pretty sure Joan was charging for the rape kits too. Bad Joan.
It is a joke, but its not funny.
This is a smear tactic by the democrats.
This is not a smear tactic. It's just the facts.
The fact is that the Wasilla police department, which Palin was directly responsible for, had a policy of charging the victims of rape for their own rape kits - during the time she was Mayor.
This was not hidden. In fact it was so well known that the state legislature had to step in to stop it.
It's just the facts - that's all. If it causes a smear on Palin then so be it, but it's still just the simple facts.
its a standard political tactic.
Thats you just pulled your head out of your ass. You should thank me for making that happen. lol
Just like Barack supports sex education for elementary age children.
A smear tactic? How dare they!!
That's got to piss of some of you right wingers, huh? Guess you don't have the corner on that market (at least there is ONE market where you aren't getting kick backs).
M
He probably took a lot of heat from his own party for it. And everyone takes kickbacks in one form or another.
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