Barack Obama: Violence against women, at home and abroad, must cease

[Colobo]

Violence against women, at home and abroad, must cease
Chicago Defender | October 31, 2007
By Senator Barack Obama

President Bush has an opportunity to assert America’s moral leadership in the aftermath of last week's meeting with President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). President Bush should seize it by stepping up efforts to stop the epidemic of sexual violence in the DRC -- an epidemic that is similarly devastating places like Darfur, where rape is the weapon of choice.

In recent years, tens of thousands of women and girls have been raped, tortured, and assaulted in the DRC by disgruntled soldiers and bands of marauders. One expert says this is so common in some places that it is "almost normal."

The decision to stop the violence rests with the Congolese, but the United States has a number of options -- many of which were included in legislation I helped pass last year and addressed in a letter I sent to Secretary of State Condolleezza Rice earlier this month. These options range from making U.S. support contingent on Congolese efforts to stop the violence and care for the victims to building a coalition of donor nations to pressure the DRC into action. President Bush should make it clear that no diplomatic option is off the table.

But asserting America's moral leadership abroad requires more than strong, principled diplomacy. It requires setting a better example by stopping the violence that’s committed against women here at home. One in four women suffers from domestic violence in her lifetime. In 2005, over 175,000 women reported being victims of rape or sexual assault. These statistics are numbing; they are also heartbreaking.

And yet, they only dimly reflect the full scale of the problem. Too often, women fear their stories of abuse will not be believed or blame themselves, and as a result, they don’t come forward. But while a crime can go unreported, its consequences cannot be undone.

More at:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/invite/domesticviolence

[Colobo]

1. Obama: Our Next Great Leader!

[MethuenProgressive]

25. Did he lead the Gospel sing-a-long with Donnie McBigot?

You follow his "lead" if you want.

[monmouth]

37. I thought Joe Biden handled this already.....

[murbley40]

41. HE DID!

The violence against Women Act of 2005. Bush signed it into law on January 5,2006.
Biden,Specter and Hatch co-authored it. Go to http://biden.senate.gov to view the bill.:patriot:

[gateley]

46. BIDEN/LUGAR Introduce the International Violence Against Women Act TODAY! nt

[FredScuttle]

2. Barack Obama: Homophobia against LGBT people can continue

Bully for him, but I'd like to hear him atone for his pandering to bigots right here in the good ol' USA

[Colobo]

3. Thanks for bringing your dislike for Obama to a positive thread.

[FredScuttle]

4. No problem

I'm happy to oblige when I see hypocrisy celebrated.

[Colobo]

6. You are in the wrong thread then.

This is about violence against women, not about a celebration of hypocrisy. Sorry.

[FredScuttle]

10. This is a thread to remind everyone that Obama's high moral stand on the Congo

is completely undercut by his continuing insults to the LGBT community in ths U.S.

Sorry

[sandnsea]

14. Hypocrisy? Like you ignoring Hillary's SC Co-Chairs

who voted to put discrimination in the South Carolina Constitution?

And you tell me to stop hi-jacking threads?!? Pssht.

[FredScuttle]

17. Will you not denounce Obama?

Huh? You must in this thread because I have demanded it!!!

[sandnsea]

18. I'm denouncing hypocrites n/t

[FredScuttle]

20. Excellent.....so you are joining me in denouncing Obama the Hypocrite

Cheers!

:toast::toast::toast::toast::toast:

[sandnsea]

22. No, DUers who are hypocrites n/t

[FredScuttle]

24. Oh...you mean DUers who post about Hillary's SC co-chairs ad nauseum

but don't have a word to say about their own candidate's embrace of a homophobe and putting him in the spotlight to spew his homophobic filth, right?

I know....those hypocrites drive me nuts!

:crazy:

[sandnsea]

27. I'm the only one who will keep exposing this

It's clear who the hypocrites are and I'm sure not among them.

[FredScuttle]

33. Well then, Keep On Truckin'

[mrreowwr_kittty]

47. You mean like Clinton's endorsements by bigots?

Every time anyone tries to bring those up they are told to stop changing the subject

[FredScuttle]

48. And I care about that, why?

Do I look like a Clinton supporter to you?

[mrreowwr_kittty]

50. As a matter of fact you do right now. You're using their favorite lines. n/t

[FredScuttle]

51. And you're using the Obama defense - "But, but...Hillary has bigots in her campaign too!"

That's a pretty pathetic defense and hearing it for the zillionth time does not make it any more convincing.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

53. Tell me how you feel about that if she's the nominee

And panders to the same religious bigots to get votes in the General. She's already pandering to them now, isn't she?

I'm not excusing ANY candidate, Obama included, for doing this. You can reach out to the faithful without embracing bigots. Unfortunately, our 2 frontrunners haven't gotten this point yet.

This is an area in which I strongly disagree with Obama. I am extremely disappointed in him for allowing McClurkin to perform. However, Hillary Clinton is no better on GLBT issues and anything that hurts Obama only helps her.

[FredScuttle]

54. Kucinich is the ideal candidate in this topic area

but you and I both know he won't get within sniffing distance of the nomination. So, we should bang our nominees who have a realistic shot to remind them that they will be called on the carpet when they pander to bigots.

I'm no Hillary fan, but I have yet to see her place a homophobe in a starrting role in one of her campaign events, then proclaim she's proud she didn't dump him as LGBT groups from across the country were asking for.

[jonnyblitz]

7. if you want your threads to be nothing but Obama lovefests

than I do believe their is an Obama subforum here at DU where you can go without any detractors commenting.

[jefferson_dem]

42. They can't resist.

Pavlovian-like responses to the mere mention of his name. Ack!

[jonnyblitz]

5. I can't take anything this clown has to say seriously anymore. nt

[jefferson_dem]

43. You never did, silly.

Who are you trying to fool?

[FredScuttle]

49. I did

and his actions of the past 2 weeks are a grave disappointment.

[NMMNG]

13. We know now that he dislikes bigotry against blacks and women

(at least the straight kind) but is OK with bigotry against LGBTs--in fact he helps support that through his campaign efforts. Sweet.

[sandnsea]

15. Where's your thread on the SC Gay Marriage Amendment

that Hillary's Campaign Co-Chairs voted to put into the state constitution?

[FredScuttle]

19. Hillary who?

I thought we were talking about Obama and how much he hates teh Gay.

[sandnsea]

21. I'm talking about hypocrites

who have proven the entire Obama issue was and is concocted by their refusal to even discuss Hillary's co-chairs voting for discrimination in the state constitution.

[FredScuttle]

26. That's right. - the entire Obama issue was about...Hillary?

:wtf:

Fess up, Sand....how many Donnie McClosetCase CDs do you own?

[sandnsea]

28. If you care about discrimination against gays

then you can't not care about legislators who vote for it in a state consitution. You can smear me all you want. I have right on my side and I know it.

[FredScuttle]

31. You are absolutely right , Sand

I care about discrimination against LGBT and it disturbs me greatly that Senator Clinton's SC co-chairs voted for an anti-gay measure.

But I wasn't going to vote for her in the primaries, so I could give a fuck. Let her supporters defend that.

I've been asking you, as an Obama supporter, how you can rationalize supporting him as a "change" and a difference from politics as usual (read: Senator Clinton) when he's gone above and beyond anything she's (or any other Dem candidate) done in terms of abandoning the LGBT community and, by extension, Democrats who value civil rights?

Can you answer that?

[NMMNG]

30. We are

Is someone talking about Hillary again? Why can't they start their own thread if they want to talk about her so badly?

[sandnsea]

32. Why don't you care about her anti-gay co-chairs

who voted to put discrimination into the SC State Constitution?

[Dawgs]

45. When did he say he was okay with bigotry against LGBT's?

[FredScuttle]

52. When he hired a bigot to host his campaign fundraiser last weekend

gave a well-known homophobe a microphone and the MC role to spew his homophobic filth.

Then, this week, after the shitstorm that ensued, he continued to defend this asshole and his decision to make him the star of the show, all in the name of "inclusiveness". Because, as you know, we have to give bigots a microphone and an audience in order to "understand" them. :sarcasm:

[MuseRider]

8. It would be nice

if we really had the moral authority. In a few short years we lost all of it. We need to use peace as an organizing principle and it begins at home, everyone's home.

The Department of Peace Dennis Kucinich

The United States was founded on hope, optimism, and a commitment to freedom. We can once again become a beacon of hope for the world. To do that, we must reject the current administration's policies of fear, suspicion, and preemptive war. It is time to jettison our illusions and fears and to transform age-old challenges with new thinking. This is the idea behind my proposal to establish a Department of Peace. This is the idea to make nonviolence an organizing principle at home and abroad and dedicate ourselves to peaceful coexistence, consensus building, disarmament, and respect for international treaties. Violence and war are not inevitable. Nonviolence and peace are inevitable.

[aquart]

9. "Must cease."

Well, it's safe and politically correct. No one would dare challenge it. It's remarkably fatuous but it won't be challenged.

Question: Does he plan to stop doing business with every mineral-rich nation that abuses women? Because China says, "Thank you!"

[Lord Helmet]

11. I believe they call that leadership.

[NMMNG]

35. Is crapping on LGBT people in the name of winning votes and $ "Leadership"?

???

[FredScuttle]

40. It's called "The Audacity of Audacity"

n/t

[iverglas]

12. good for him ... except ...

Joe Biden's still using last century's tired rhetoric about the US president being the leader of the free world, and Obama's wanting to be "asserting America's moral leadership abroad".

The urge to say PISS OFF to the whole lot of them becomes almost overwhelming.

We Canadians are rather proud of many things about our society, in particular our attitude toward diversity. We think there are places in the world where our experience in that regard can be useful -- places that would be nicer if disparate groups learned to live together in relative harmony as we do, and to value their differences. But we don't talk about "leading" anybody. We talk about sharing.

I wish to hell somebody in the public eye in the US would give that a try.

Jeez, you might even find a few more people wanting to listen to what you have to say.

[MuseRider]

16. WOW

well said. Here in the Good Ole USA, home of the leader of the free world, land of the home of the brave we do not share. Get thee behind us and follow us as we circle the toilet bowl.

Very well said.

[iverglas]

34. just read a post you might like

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2149750&mesg_id=2153577

from my Canadian DUer pal IntravenousDemilo:

We've been trying hard to set an example up here, not only in so far as guns are concerned (we have plenty of them, but we have nowhere near your average rate of violent crime), but in health care, equal marriage, old-age pensions, labour law, international relations, etc. Canada has had a great deal of success in these things, and we're hoping you'll notice the success say, "Hey, that's working for them," and try to duplicate the success. When you don't do so, we find we have to remind you, and eventually we become insistent. Basic human nature, that. All we want is for you to be as happy, comparatively speaking, as we are.

But what do RWers in the US have to say about, for example, our system of medicare? "Oh, oh, oh! You won't be able to keep your own doctor! You'll have one assigned to you by the government! The sky is falling, peep, peep!" We didn't send soldiers to Iraq. What do voices on the right say? That we're abetting the terrorists, that we're bad neighbours, that we don't care about blah blah blah..." Even Mrs Clinton was convinced that the 9/11 bastards had come to the US through our supposedly porous border with you. We have paper ballots (one style), pencils, and hand counting of votes in our elections, both provincial and federal, which dramatically cuts down on election fraud. Your country has been moving in exactly the opposite direction with hackable voting machines. Hello, what the hell are you guys doing?

And when we mention that gun control has led to a more peaceable society in Canada, the fact is completely ignored or even pooh-poohed by gun fanciers admittedly from all parts of the polical spectrum. But we're so used to being discounted by the right wing in the United States, I guess we feel that ALL the criticism comes from the right. This feeling is amplified by the additional fact that most if not all of anti-gun-control lobbyists in Canada are Conservatives. Michael Moore seems to think that our citizens are so much more peace-loving than yours, but I would dispute this. I think we're more alike than different, and the things that work here should work just as well where you are.

Now, we're not the type of people who would invade your country (not that we could, even with most of your forces overseas) and impose our ways on you. That's not our style. But we don't like to have our example thrown in our faces over and over and over. So at first we feel a little sad, and then indignant, and then we speak up.

What he said!

[MuseRider]

39. Thank you for posting that

for me and for others to read. I don't even pretend to understand the mindset that cannot or will not recognize what anyone else does that is successful. I do have to admit to being very US-centric when it comes to political systems so I can kind of understand the nationalism to a point. I know little of your government sad to say but it seems to work for the people much more often than ours does anymore. Maybe that is not even correct but at some point it was established that the common good is something to work for. I hope you all do not get swallowed up by the US one day. Stay strong. :)

You all keep setting a good example and one day if we are very very lucky we will elect a government who can look outside itself and forget that we are but one part of the whole and that others also have good ideas and good plans. I can hope for that to happen in my lifetime but I doubt I will ever see it. A nation founded by yahoos tends to keep the yahoo forever I think. Yahoos are not so bad, heck I am a yahoo, but when they are kept ignorant or remain so by choice (that is something I will never understand) you get the kind of government that we are seeing now.

[goodgd_yall]

36. It's an American myth

I don't understand why candidates keep perpetuating it. We really have a reputation of arrogance which is resented in much of the world.


Oh, Canada!:hi:

[Lord Helmet]

23. good cause

[Think82]

29. YET AGAIN, Obama does a great job of adopting Joe Biden's originial ideas.

[goodgd_yall]

38. Blah, blah, blah

Sounds pretty hollow to this lesbian.

[gateley]

44. BACK TO THE TOPIC - VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

It's wonderful to hear Obama's views and support on this issue, and I'm not surprised he's a champion for it.

But I have to point out that Biden SPONSORED Violence Against Woman and Victims legislation years ago - and it was passed.

Since then he's continued to introduce legislation to further protect women and victims. i THINK he did something fairly recently, as a matter of fact.

Just wanted everyone to be aware that Biden's been a mover on this issue for quite some time. :hi:

[jillan]

55. Biden has legislation on this already - from 10 years ago? VAWA.

He will be a great VP for Biden ;)