~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE WASH RAG published by Women Against Sexual Harassment ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Available on-line ASAP at http://www.washrag.org/ or http://members.tripod.com/~WASHRAG/ along with earlier issues ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Subscribe to e-mail version of this newsletter by going to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WomenAgainstSexualHarassmentNationaland and joining the group. Recent issues are posted here immediately when completed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Issue 11, Number 3 August, 2003 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Contents On Terrorism and Harassment The Mad Girl Thinks She Must Have Been Stupid, Living In The Dark Ages — a poem New Jersey Update Just Part of the Game Interesting New Sites ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ On Terrorism And Harassment ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There have been some rumblings on the internet that I find to be very disturbing. They involve allegations from people who worked in the Oklahoma City Federal Building that they were warned not to come to work on the day Timothy McVeigh bombed it. Another claims that Federal emergency workers were ordered to New York City just in time for the World Trade Center disaster. More recently, an IRS employee in New York City said they were ordered to close down all their computers two hours before the recent power outage, being told there was going to be a blackout. It should be noted that the Federal Building bombing occurred when Bill Clinton was president. I dislike the thought that our government would be behind any activities like this as much as anyone, I just plain do not want to believe it. On the other hand, I know that this is exactly how Adolph Hitler came into power in Germany, because of the chaos caused by him and his followers. I guess this is a “heads up.” I don’t think everyone besides the government is wrong. It is interesting that at the same time as all these catastrophes have been taking place, news items about sexual harassment have become more and more rare. Do I believe there is less sexual harassment:? Of course not. I believe there is more, because harassers know the media is so busy covering the reality TV in Iraq, it can’t waste its time on a sexual harassment victim in Little Rock or Amarillo. Perhaps that is the point. By creating distractions, politicians who want to maintain the status quo as far as women are concerned, or even to reduce their status, can pull out all the stops and make a final push to eliminate feminist authority and undermine their activities. It is inconceivable to me that our president, who has involved us in a lose-lose fiasco in Iraq, can maintain the approval rating he has. After lying to the American public about the reason for an Iraqi invasion, he should even as we speak be being impeached. Oh, I forgot, his party is in the majority in both the House and the Senate. Election validity being what it is — not worth the paper it is written on — I have fears that we may have already become victims of a Nazi power struggle. It hasn’t improved my opinion of our government that I saw an interview of Randy Weaver, of Ruby Ridge notoriety, on Iowa Public Television a couple of years ago (he is a native son) and found him to be a dead ringer for the police depictions of the man who helped Timothy McVeigh rent the truck used in the Oklahoma City bombing. I reported this to various officials, also America’s Most Wanted, and have never heard a whisper of response to this. Perhaps he was a federal agent? Or? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From the Media ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From Anne Louise Grimm of DAWN: Willapa Valley Grange 527 and Willapa DAWN hosted the first annual Eleanor Roosevelt Day weekend picnic early Sunday afternoon, "after church" August 10. More information at http://www.willapadawn.org/schedule.htm NOW Brings "Merchant of Shame" Campaign Into Wal-Mart Stores Nationwide Wal-Mart is the largest employer in the United States and has been charged in the largest employment discrimination lawsuit in history. The Women's Bureau at the Department of Labor e-News is now available on the Women's Bureau homepage or by using this link: http://www.dol.gov/wb/media/newsletter/e-news6artl-01.htm. From a WB newsletter: President George W. Bush proclaimed March 2003 as Women's History Month. In this Proclamation, President Bush called upon all citizens to observe the month of March with ceremonies and activities that recognize the contributions of American women - contributions that continue to shape this country and enrich our society. From NOW: Thanks to your calls and emails, the Senate passed its version of the resolution to officially declare April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month. A new book noted on KMEG TV in Sioux City: Saving Beauty From The Beast: How to Protect Your Daughter from An Unhealthy Relationship: Vicki Crompton and Ellen Zelda Kessner available at www.amazon.com The Compass, published by the Nebraska Domestic Violence Sexual Assault Coalition contains an article with the title, “Men Must Join Women to End Violence against Women.” That is a noble goal, and I have always said that women will never get equality unless men decide they will have it. But indications at this time are that it will never happen. Men benefit too much from the status quo. A strange feminist site was reported to us: http://www.geocities.com/womenclaw with e-mail: claws@aemail4u.com . If there were more sites like this, there would be less of the kind of activity it reports. KELO News on June 9, 2003 at 10:00 reported on abuse allegations at the reservation boarding schools. There is a $25 billion suit against the government. According to the report, the schools were run by Catholic clergy. Some victims were beaten and some were sexually abused. The victims said the schools were run like prisons. One was St. Pauls in Marty, SD. Sherwyn Zephier was one of the victims. Complaints go back to the’20’x. They were punished for speaking Lakota language. One nun has been accused of sexually molesting boys daily. Some abuse led to death. Up to 75 victims were in South Dakota, as many as 100,000 nationally. On June 18, Dateline NBC reported that the Army is having mandatory debriefing and counseling for soldiers returning from combat as the result of 3 Ft. Bragg murders/suicides of soldiers returning from Afghanistan. In line with its normal tackiness, FOX promoted a reality series, Paradise Hotel. One of the tag lines for it was “If you don’t hook up, you have to check out.” I didn’t watch it. I haven’t heard of it lately, maybe nobody else did, either. On August 18, Mystery on PBS had one of the “Hetty Wainthropp Investigates” series, starring Patricia Rutlige. This particular episode had Janet, Jeffrey’s girlfriend, being harassed by a neighbor. They did a good job of depicting the harassment, Janet’s embarrassment and fear, but unfortunately, Janet herself did not make any complaints other than telling her harasser that his advances were not welcome. Jeffrey, off on a job at the time, confronted the harasser when he gets home, and pimp-like, tells him to back off. Since most women do not have anyone to fend for them when they are harassed, this creates the unreal expectation that someone will protect the victim, which is almost never the case. America’s Most Wanted on August 30, reported on a case in which a Los Angeles woman, Carmen Carbrera, had an affair with her boss. She was the classical prostitute working a business. When her boss tired of the affair and decided to break it off, she murdered him. Not that I recommend that, but if it happened more often, that would definitely lead to a decrease in sexual harassment. Maybe that is the only thing that would. On August 30, ABC Evening News had a story about sexual harassment at the AF Academy. They stated that one female cadet in five was a victim. This fall, the Army and Naval Academies will also be scrutinizing the sexual harassment issue. They reported that among college students, 3% of female students report being raped. Some believe the problem is that women and men define consent differently, but feminists believe that most college rape cases go unreported and the statistics are actually much higher. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Mad Girl Thinks She Must Have Been Stupid, Living In The Dark Ages — a poem ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Feels as dumb as her mother did when, hearing of good and bad cells, she still didn’t realize it was cancer. She really believed when the director motioned her toward the bed it was to imagine her in a domestic scene, ironing, doing the bedding. Not that she was supposed to flick out a condom and flip off the light. Sure, the piece she read for the audition wasn’t the story of a nun’s life. But art is art. Or, isn’t it? Maybe she should have kneeled down, as if praying to Jesus or scrubbing the floors, or begging forgiveness and let her mouth form an O around his stick. She should have been more like O she thinks, her mouth shut. Every other part of her open. Obedient, malleable, able to play any part, convince you she enjoyed it if you chose. Though she’d heard a powerful director can make you, she can’t believe she didn’t understand just what that meant Lyn Lifshin www.lynlifshin.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ New Jersey Update ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Currently, nothing is happening with my case. I did switch attorney's, so it is like beginning the process all over again. My court date is years away. However, I don't even think God knows what or when things are going to happen. I believe I told that you one of my defendants is running for State Senate in New Jersey his name is Frederick Madden. Which is just unbelievable. A man who did nothing and let me get abused by his subordinate. It is fitting he would become a politician. Dirty is dirty no matter where you go. I have tried to get my story into numerous local papers, however it has been difficult, because it seems that the state of New Jersey controls what is printed. I can't prove it, however, it is my opinion . My case is pretty much at a stand still. I am however, investigating on getting a book written, however it is expensive, and with my attorney fees, that alone is killing me. Not to mention medical bills, etc. Jennifer Morse ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Just Part of the Game ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I have just gone through a horrendous experience with computers, having had at one time five computers in the house, only one of which worked (Windows 3.1 with no modem), having lost three hard disks, two 3-1/2” floppy disks, and a monitor in a month’s time, and a brand new Hewlett Packard computer that I got was so corrupted when I unpacked it, that I had to finally restore the operating system. I then spent the better part of a week recovering from the Blaster Worm. The software I use to maintain web sites is still not functioning correctly. It has been a six month nightmare. I have to believe that since prior to this experience, in twenty years of using a PC, I had only two hardware failures, and software normally functioned correctly, that this was hardly a coincidence. Someone is apparently infuriated at the information we try to get to individuals interested in the subject of sexual harassment. Not that I enjoy being exposed to harassment this intense and for this long, but I do understand that some people want to manipulate so victims think that they are the only victim, and so they have no source for information about harassment. Perhaps they feel that they do not control W.A.S.H., and want victims to seek out web sites of organizations that they do control I intend to continue putting out The W.A.S.H. Rag for as long as I can, and getting as much information up on the web site as I can. I appreciate any support in the form of donations or submissions to the newsletter that I get. I even appreciate those who just e-mail their kind wishes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Interesting New Sites ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thirteenth International Conference on Sexual Assault and Harassment on Campus Hyatt Orlando Hotel Kissimmee, Florida October 23, 2003 www.thesafeschools.org Women in Magazine Publishing WIPP www.wipp.net jhoelzle@fawcette.com CLAW Coalition of Los Angeles Women The CLAWS of Reform investigating The Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women http://www.geocities.com/womenclaw e-mail: claws@aemail4u.com Patriot Movement We are not anti-government, we are anti corrupt government Includes a links for various kinds of harassment http://www.StopCovertWar.com information about their short-wave programs at: http://www.raven1.net/shortwav.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WE’RE ON THE WEB http://www.washrag.org/ and at http://members.tripod.com/~WASHRAG/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This on-line version of THE WASHRAG is being sent to you free. A print version can be obtained by subscribing. In the US, send $10.00 to Women Against Sexual Harassment, P. O. Box 164, Canton, SD 57013-0164. Outside the US, send $20.00 to join. For a sample issue, send a #10 sized SASE. For a Publisher98 print module, e-mail washragezine@yahoo.com E-mail comments can be sent to washragezine@yahoo.com. Go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WomenAgainstSexualHarassmentNational to sign up for a free e-mail subscription to the W.A.S.H. Rag If you do not wish to receive further copies of this newsletter, unsubscribe at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WomenAgainstSexualHarassmentNational ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ copyright 2003 Tesseract Publications, P. O. Box 164 Canton, SD 57013-0164 (605) 987-5070.