~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 12, Number 2 July, 2004 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Contents Terrorist Stalking In America, A Review Telephone Harassment A Paper on Violence Against Women and its Effect S.A.F.E. Act Local Stories National and International Stories Part of the Game SPECIAL POSTING including Domestic Violence Conference ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Terrorist Stalking In America, A Review ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We have repeatedly made the claim that the similarity between the harassment of women in different geographical and working situations indicates that there is a network of some kind that is coordinating sexual (and other) harassment. So I include this item as a victim resource. “I'm Eleanor White, a target of multiple stalkers for the past 24 years. I've also been listening to the U.S. Patriot Movement broadcasts [on short wave radio] for the past couple of years, and find them both encouraging and enlightening. “(Because overwhelming and highly advanced electronics, which can inflict both extreme pain and hypnotic-class influence of the targets' minds and bodies is used by these stalkers, the term "mind control perp(etrator)" is being used to describe these criminals.) “I just received an email recommending a book titled Terrorist Stalking in America, which you can see by scrolling to the bottom of the following page: “http://www.scramblingnews.com/catpage.html “The descriptive blurb for this book follows: “This book describes a very peculiar phenomenon in our Country. Since the mid 1990's, extremist groups in the United States and Canada have engaged in stalking as part of their activities. Participants include those associated with Patriot and similar groups. The leaders of these groups use their followers to stalk various targets. It is part of how they demonstrate their power. A target will be followed everywhere, by groups of individuals who harass them and their families. This activity can last for many years. It is a world of illusion and phony Police badges. You will enjoy reading about these strange people. Only $24.95 “I, and my close colleague from the Austin, Texas area, have come to know some of the brave broadcasters in the Patriot Movement. While there DEFINITELY IS a widespread terrorist stalking problem in the United States (and the entire world, in fact), I am certain the U.S. Patriot Movement, as represented on the short wave broadcast band, is *NOT* in any way responsible. “In fact, the U.S. Patriot Movement has courageously attempted to get the word to the public on a wide range of government, government sponsored, and government covered up crimes for, in many cases, the past ten years. “** It is VERY PROBABLE that the perpetrators of multiple stalking and mind control are MASQUERADING as Patriots, and it is crucial to get this exposed and resolved as soon as possible. “I have a copy of the web page if for some reason it becomes unavailable, temporarily on my site. It is not available to the public but you can view it privately at this direct link: “http://www.raven1.net/scramblingnews.htm “Only the cover image of that particular book is posted on my site; other images will not show.” There is more information at: http://www.raven1.net/private/terstalkx.htm Eleanor White, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Like Eleanor, I can attest that the stalking crosses many geographical boundaries, I experienced the same harassments in Europe as in the various parts of the US. I can also attest to the fact that this is not a new phenomenon. I have had problems for as much as 40 years related to this kind of stalking. I did use these experiences, making lemonade, in Valley of Many Winds, which I published under the pseudonym Mario Edlosi between 1978 and 1983, and there is more information about this kind of stalking in When Medicine Failed, published in 1998. Information on both books is available at http://www.marioedlosi.com and http://www.janetleih.com. The use of similar names and almost the same purpose is also a common ploy to misdirect support away from an organization. I understand that there are a number of organizations using the name “Women Against Sexual Harassment,” but I was the first to use it, already having used it in 1991, and along with “The W.A.S.H. Rag” in 1992, as the very first publication dedicated to exploring the issue of sexual harassment. So I can empathize with the Patriots having not only the name but the intent of their organization prostituted. I have no religious or sexual or political litmus test for victims. A victim is a victim as far as I am concerned. I’m not so sure about those who have hijacked the name I selected for my organization. If they had a sincere interest, why not give me a hand now and then. Their only intent is to misdirect support. MASQUERADING as having an interest in sexual harassment. Janet Leih ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Telephone Harassment ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “I work for a call center for a cable company. At times our call center employees have been subjected to sexual advances made by callers claming to be customers. The company does not permit us to hang up. We can get fired for doing so. They tell us to forward the call to a supervisor (who is not always available). When we try to do that, the caller hangs up. I believe that is sexual harassment because they are requiring us to put up with any one who calls us whereas if a fellow employee said the same things, they would be terminated immediately and the company would be liable for lawsuit. What's the law on this?” Because the laws on telephone use are Federally mandated, and such harassment is illegal, I suggested that they call the phone company and make a complaint to them. I had a similar problem a couple of times. The phone company finally developed a system for tracking harassing telephone calls on Qwest. I cannot say if that is available on other systems. To register a complaint, you hang up, pick up the phone and dial *57. If you just want to get the number of the caller, you dial *69 instead. You will be charged a modest fee for doing this, but it is a pittance compared to the irritation of getting vulgar or hang-up calls. The first time I had the problem, I kept talking to the person until I convinced him to tell me his name, which I promptly reported to the phone company. The calls stopped. The second time, I used the *57 feature, and the hang-up calls stopped immediately. The phone company is very hard on these people if they catch them. I also suggested that the problem might be from someone else working for the call center. When I worked as a medical receptionist in the early ‘60’s, we started to get calls from patients who reported getting surveyed by a “doctor” who asked them many personal questions. It was ultimately discovered that one of the employees who worked at night was perusing the patients files for phone numbers and making the calls from his home. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Paper on Violence Against Women and its Effect ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ By Hasina Kharbhih, President, Impulse Ngo Network, INDIA Violence is the result of economical, psychological, social, cultural, environmental and educational problems in the society. Domestic violence raises devastating emotional and physical wounds – and sometimes it kills. Although men are also victims of domestic violence, women are ten times more likely than men to be victimized. Domestic violence occurs when an intimate partner or a former intimate partner—a husband or a wife, or boyfriend or girl friend (or an ex)—uses physical force or other abusive tactics to coerce or control his or her partner. In brief this paper reflects diversified areas of violence i.e. gender- based violence and its effects, violence and stress, violence awareness programs, violence and culture of silence and psychological studies towards violence. In fact, the long term impact of violence raises diversified problems i.e. fear psychosis (major mental disorders), depression, suicide, alcohol and drug addiction, and self imposed isolation. Introduction Gender-based violence is recognized today as a major issue on the international human rights agenda. This violence includes a wide range of violations of women’s human rights , including trafficking in women and girls, rape, and wife abuse. Violence against women or girls has a direct bearing on their reproductive and sexual health and rights , and is recognized by the world health organization (WHO) as a priority health issue. The trauma of sexual coercion and assault at different stages of their life-cycle leaves many women and girls with severe loss of self esteem and autonomy. Domestic violence or spouse abuse includes, physically or emotionally harmful acts between husbands or wives or between other individuals in intimate relationships. The cycle of violence is composed of three phases: the tension building phase, active battering phase and calm loving respite phase. During the tension building phase, the victim is subjected to verbal abuse and minor battering incidents, such as slaps, pinches and psychological abuse. Domestic violence is sometimes referred to as intimate violence. It may include emotional or verbal abuse, denial of access to resources or money, restraint of normal activities or freedom (including isolation from friends and family), sexual coercion or assault, threats to kill or to harm and physical intimidation or attacks. In extreme cases, domestic violence may result in the death of a partner. Many experts and lay people use the term domestic violence and spouse abuse interchangeably. Throughout societies worldwide, women are beaten, battered and killed because of their subordinate status as women. They are killed for dishonoring relatives, having sexual relations outside of marriage, choosing a partner against parental wishes, or seeking a divorce. This violence threatens women’s lives, health choices, decision–making in the home and society, participation in government, education and overall economic and social well being. Evolving often from women’s lower status in society, gender-based violence is endemic and affects women in every corner of the globe. The United Nation Children’s Fund estimates that as many as 17 women were murdered per day when their families failed to make dowry payments to the families of their husbands in India in 1997. in a report presented to the Beijing+ 5 Special Session of the United Nations General assembly, the Government of India indicated a 15.2 percent rise in dowry deaths in 1999. Rajyasri Roa, BBC correspondent in Delhi, has highlighted the news of woman’s violence pertaining to dowry demand on 14 May 2003. In news, Rao states that a bride who got the police to arrest her bridegroom has become something of a celebrity in India. The bride called the police after her father was asked for more dowry money just minutes before her wedding ceremony. The custom of dowry is outlawed in India although it is still widely practiced. Her plucky decision has won widespread media coverage and she says she has received offers of marriage from men who supported her courage. Violence against women and girls is a major health and human rights concern. Women can experience physical or mental abuse throughout their lifecycle, in infancy, childhood and/or adolescence, or during adulthood or older age. While violence has severe health consequences for the affected, it is a social problem that warrants an immediate coordinated response from multiple sectors. Domestic Violence And Its Effects Victims of domestic violence experience both short term and long-lasting effects. Physical injuries can range from bruises, cuts, and burns to broken bones, stab wounds, miscarriages( in women), and death. Also, victims experience depression and other psychological distress, eating disorders, and alcohol and substance abuse problems, and they are more likely than other people to contemplate or attempt suicide. Children who witnessed domestic violence experience depression and psychological distress and are more likely than other children to be physically violent. Spouse abuse often involves repeated episodes of violence. In the past, people sometimes blamed the victims for failing to leave abusive relationships. Victims who seek help from community services often find that agencies are overwhelmed and limited in their resources. People who are dependent on their partners emotionally and economically learn to endure abuse and remain in unhealthy relationships, a process that has been labeled “learned hopefulness”. Women may face different forms of violence at different stages of their lives. Most experts agree that economic and cultural factors play an especially powerful role in contributing to and perpetuating repeated abuse of women. Traditional beliefs, customs, and laws restrict the roles women may play and limit their economic opportunities, contributing to their dependence on men. Some scholars assert that the process of socialization teaches boys and girls a belief systems that devalues women, especially unmarried women and creates a sense of female responsibility for the maintenance of the family. The most widespread prevention programs have been community and national public awareness campaigns that identify intimate violence as an important social problem. Violence Against Women The violence against women has its rural and urban dimensions. Various studies have been done focusing on the urban women and reviled the fact that a higher level of domestic violence against women exists in the urban areas even in highly educated families. Its existence in the rural areas is a very common phenomenon. Women rights activist organizations are bringing this issue in the forefront and initiating advocacy works against it. Surprisingly in the rural areas emergence of various forms of women groups is encouraging women to talk about the overall situations of women and domestic violence of women is gradually becoming one of their agenda of discussion. Some examples of action taken by women’s groups against the persons committing violence against women are also found. The incidences of state violence against women in custody are also found in an increasing trend . Men have always used violence against women to perpetuate and reinforce the gender hierarchy: to keep a woman’ in her place’, to stifle her right to speak , to make decisions for her and to control her sexuality. There is an absence of concrete evidence against perpetrators since many cases of violence go unreported. Multidimensional Affects Of Violence Violence is the result of economical, psychological, social, cultural, environmental and educational problems in the society. Consequently it covers multidimensional characteristics. Children who witness violence, like abused children, display emotional and behavioral disturbances as withdrawal, low self-esteem, nightmares, self blame and aggression against peers, family members and property. Researchers emphasize the fact that infants and young children suffer greatly from even witnessing violence. Several people including parents, members of the law enforcement community, journalists and psychologist think that infants and young children who witness violence are too young to know what happened. In fact infants and young children undergo a traumatic experience by their exposure to violence, especially – as is likely to be the case of very young children – when both victims and perpetrators are well known and emotionally important to the child and violence occurs in or near the child’s home. Moreover, violent acts can have moderately short term effects such as panic disorder, disorientation, sleep and appetite disturbances, fatigue and exhaustion feeling of guilt, hopelessness and helplessness , overly sensitiveness, emotional numbing, nightmares, relieving the experience again and again, emotions experienced like fear, anxiety, anger and irritability, memory disturbances, worried reactions and indecisiveness. In reality, the long term impact of violence raises diversified problems i.e. fear psychosis (major mental disorder) depression, suicide, alcohol and drug addiction, self imposed isolation. Article 1 of the convention on the Elimination of all forms of discrimination against women (CEDAW) addresses discrimination by making the government accountable for violence in private or public places, General Recommendation no. 19 of CEDAW Committee recommends governments take effective measures including strong penal sanctions, civil remedies and compensatory provisions to protect women from sexual harassment in the workplace. The ILO Convention No. 111 also calls for elimination of gender discrimination. Despite these national and international commitments to gender equality and protection of women from violence, victims of sexual harassment remain deprived of effective remedies. Therefore, more concrete steps should be taken by the Governments, employers, organization, trade unions and NGOs to address this form of violence and discrimination. United Nations Declarations and Gender based Violence The United Nations Declaration on Violence against women provides a basis for defining gender based violence. According to Article 1 of the Declaration, violence against women is to be understood as: “Any act of gender based violence that results in, or is likely to result in physical sexual or psychological harm or sufferings to women , including threats of such acts , coercion or arbitrary deprivations of liberty , whether occurring in public or private life.” Article 2 of the declaration presents what the international community recognizes as generic forms of violence against women. The definition encompasses (but is not limited to) physical, sexual, and psychological violence occurring in the family and in the community, including battering, sexual abuse of female children, dowry related violence, marital rape; female genital mutilation and other traditional practices harmful to women ; non-spousal violent; violence related to exploitation, sexual harassment and intimidation at work and in educational institutions; forced pregnancy, forced abortion, and forced sterilization; trafficking in women and forced prostitution; and violence perpetrated or condoned by the state. Girls and women face systematic discrimination from entrenched power relations that perpetuate the almost universal subordination of females. This leaves them highly vulnerable to being harmed physically, sexually or psychologically by the men in their families and communities. Gender-based violence is violence involving men and women, in which the female is usually the victim and which is derived from unequal power relationships between men and women. Violence is directed specifically against a women because she is a women , or affects women disproportionately. It includes but is not limited to, physical, sexual, and psychological harm (including intimidation, sufferings, coercion, and/or deprivation of liberty within the family or within the general community). It includes the violence which is perpetrated or condoned by the state”. This definition clearly states the social dimensions and root causes of violence against women and girls. Without this understanding of the issue, there can be no focused and responsive policy and programming efforts to deal with that violence. Human sexuality and gender relations are closely interrelated and together affect the ability of men and women to achieve and maintain sexual health and manage their sexual life. Equal relationships between men and women in matters of sexual relationships and reproduction, including full respect for the physical integrity of the human body; require mutual respect and willingness to accept responsibility for the consequences of sexual behavior. Concluding Remarks The elimination of violence is not a trouble free and short term process. Consequently, combined efforts are needed. A grass roots effort to generate awareness is of utmost importance to nip the problem at the bud. Mass media, both audio-visual and print material, play a very vital role in keeping the public informed about the magnitude and proportion of this shameful dehumanizing dilemma. So combined efforts are required. Violent behavior is often learned early in life. Parents, family members and others who care for children can help them learn to deal with emotion without using violence. Parents and others can take steps to lessen or minimize violence. hkharbhih(bleep)yahoo.com Thanks to Hasina for linking sexual harassment to domestic violence. Janet Leih ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ S.A.F.E. Act ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A recent letter from South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle, Senate Minority Leader, indicates that he will keep my suggestions in mind when the act comes before the Senate. http://thomas.loc.gov/ links to the act itself which includes the names of sponsors of the act. We need to contact our Representatives and Senators to try to get them on board. Contacting them would enhance the process. To contact your Senator or Representative, go to http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ If you have wanted to do something to help in the fight against sexual harassment, but don’t have time to do anything monumental, you can, by taking just a little bit of time, do something monumental by taking the time to let your representatives in the Congress that you think this is important legislation. Many women who are victims of sexual harassment have virtually the same problems as do women who are victims of domestic violence. Sexual abusers have taken the position of abusive spouses in the workplace and in schools, with a mandate to control and exploit their employees/students. Take the time to do this if you never take the time to do anything else to fight sexual harassment. You will be glad you did. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Local Stories ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ According to the KDLT news on May 21, a woman named Rumbolt in Mitchell was awarded $17,500 in a sexual harassment case against the city of Mitchell. She had been an employee of the city of Mitchell. According to an Argus Leader article on June 10, a nursing home in Minneapolis, MN, Concordia, is defending itself because it failed to tell residents of the home that it was giving care to sex offenders. They claim that privacy laws prevented them from informing the residents. They claim that the knowledge that a person is a sex offender is a part of their medical history. There were allegations that frail residents living there were sexually abused by two of the five sex offenders housed there. On May 4, KCAU in Sioux City reported that a doctor (didn’t catch the name) got women addicted to drugs, then sexually abused them, and threatened to take away their drugs if they reported the abuse. A ten year old and an 8 year old were accused of raping a ten year old and an 8 year old in Le Mars, Iowa. This was all over all the local news media. According to an April 14 KELO news story, Jason Berglund, a Baltic man, had sex with a 9 year old. The Argus Leader reported on May 21 that a 15th person was suing the Roman Catholic Diocese over sex abuse by Rev. McFadden when he was a priest. KSFY reported on March 17 that parents of students at the South Dakota School for the deaf in Sioux Falls demonstrated for over a week because they don’t feel their children are safe there. There was a sexual harassment case there last year, and they wanted a new administration. KSFY news on March 18 reported a Lincoln County man, Michael Cox of Lennox, was accused of having child pornography. On March 30, the Argus Leader carried a story about a teacher in Centerville, Iowa, Tim Higbee, was acquitted in one of 7 abuse trials. There remain 25 charges by 6 students. On February 26, KSFY reported that Patrick McKinney had been found guilty of raping a child. The March 10 Argus Leader carried a story about a Minneapolis case in which a British man was accused of flying to Minnesota to have sex with children. The defendant, John David Michael Brewer of Plymouth, England, had been convicted of molesting a 5 year old girl in British courts. The really amazing thing is that he is being defended by a public defender. On March 4, KSFY news reported that Mark Kleinjohn had raped a child. An investigation afterwards found that he had also downloaded child pornography from the internet. SDSU coach Fred Oien pled guilty to spouse abuse, according to an April 19 KDLT story . A bizarre story in the general media concerned a rural Alexandri man, Wade Reiner, who was arrested for raping, kidnapping and beating a Mitchell woman,. A subsequent investigation turned up a meth lab in the basement of his home. She claimed that she was sold by her fiancé, John Tofani. She was in a motel, and reported him and his friend, Timothy Stone missing. Then Reiner showed up and said he would take her to them, instead he took her into the country and raped her. He said they had paid him $100 to keep her busy, but they claimed they did not expect her to get hurt. He was going to put her into the trunk, but she talked him out of it and escaped to a nearby farm during the drive back to Mitchell. There was a tragic murder suicide near Menno in Hutchinson county after an altercation between Chad Norris and Tamara Costran. KSFY on April 2 reported that Shane Bright was sentenced to 35 years as an habitual criminal for breaking into a Sioux Falls woman’s apartment and trying to rape her. A March 10 Argus Leader article told of Minnesota rounding up released sex offenders as a consequence of the murder of Dru Sjodin. A Minnesota student, Audrey Seller, faked her own kidnapping to get attention from her boyfriend. She has since apologized. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ National and International Stories ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ America’s Most Wanted on May 1, 2004, featured Kathy, the Safety Chick. She shows a woman in a bar, a man slips a drug in her drink and she doesn’t have a chance. He has given her GHB, the date rape drug which is used instead of a gun or a knife. In 15 to 20 minutes, she will be unable to protect herself, she feels very drunk, very sick, unconscious or even might die. The segment showed actors slipping a few drops of water in an unknown woman’s drink. She says never to leave your drink with anyone, carry it to the restroom with you. Never let a stranger bring you a drink from the bar. “When in doubt, pour it out.” GHB is being sold over the internet, a Phoenix man had 55 gallon drums of it in his house. One of AMW is a GHB dealer. The Argus Leader on May 21 had a story about unrest in Haiti being a consequence of a rash of rapes. One woman, reporting being raped by three men near her home, was then raped in the police station by one policeman while other policemen looked on. No one has investigated either the rape or the police brutality. She was so traumatized that she has not sought either medical or psychological counseling although she is breaking out in sores and her menstruation is coming out in clots. A woman’s group, Solidarity of Haitian Women reported 46 rapes between January and April alone. A June 1, 2004 Argus Leader article discussed how the Mexican Government botched the Juarez murder probe. . The article states that during the past 11 years, at least 350 women have been murdered in the Juarez area, and as many as 4,500 are said to be missing. Jose Luis Santiago Vasconcelos of Mexico’s organized crime task force says that 500 police officers have been suspended, fired or not shown up for duty in Juarez, and the situation was “reflecting widespread impunity, a climate of lawlessness and a startling deterioration of Juarez’s social fabric.” On March 26, the ABC evening news had a story about a pediatrician named Watzman who had downloaded child pornography. There was a big crackdown on it, there were 100,000 credit card transactions to a Belarus company. Half of the men who downloaded child pornography had access to children. Dateline NBC on March 13 carried a story about female soldiers raped on duty. Sergeant Audrae Wood, one of over 100 service women claiming to have been sexually assaulted, said she had been sexually harassed before the rape. After she was brutally raped and threatened with death, when she reported it, she was treated like she was at fault . They refused to evacuate her or give her counseling. Although a rape kit was done, to her knowledge, it was not processed. Captain Heather Orlinghous of Ft. Knox KY was raped. She came from an Army family, was the first commissioned family member. She was 4 months pregnant when man came into her room in the barracks, ordered her to remove her clothes and raped her. He talked in a fake middle-eastern accent, wore military issue clothes, and told her he would kill her if she talked and he knew where she lived. She reported it anyway, the hospital staff fumbled around and 5 months later, they still don’t know the results. Although the Army says they don’t tolerate sexual assault, it is claimed that 30% of female soldiers have been raped. Both women and their military husbands have left the service. A February 25 CBS Evening News story told of a Marine Corps Lt. Burkhart who got drunk at a party in Baghdad and was raped by an enlisted man. The enlisted man got immunity for testifying against Lt. Burkhard. Then we find out that on March 15, Congress passed a bill to make a person killing a pregnant woman guilty of two murders. Apparently this concern for potential life is not extended to live rape victims. One might think, if they were as skeptical as I am, that the government is anxious to raise the birth rate in order to have a ready labor force for the pals of the current resident of the White House so they can get employees at lower wages. On March 5, ABC Evening news reported that Amnesty International is starting a campaign against violence against women. They say that internationally, one woman in three will experience rape during their lifetime. On February 27, the CBS Evening News reported that nationally, 4,400 priests abused as many as 10,000 children. A Law and Order program on February 24 was about bullying in High School. On February 10, ABC carried a story about the coach at the U. of Colorado being suspended because 6 women say they were raped by football players. On July 2, 20/20 on ABC reported on the sexual abuse of women by NBA players. This is being covered up by the NBA in order to protect its bottom line. A critic of the league says that the problem starts in high school, when promising athletes are given special privileges, and this only gets worse when they go to college and go professional. I can attest to the truth of this, when I taught computer science at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, there were some athletes in my classes. I graded them like I did all the other students. They came to me and complained about their grades. I told them to study harder. I was not rehired. Not a team player, I guess. And this is supposed to be a religious school. If the morals are that bad there, one can only imagine how bad they are at non-religious institutions. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Part of the Game ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A recent issue of Mother Warrior’s Voice had an editorial in it about their office being burglarized. The equipment that was stolen was old and hard to replace, and was used to maintain their address files and back issues. I recently got a frantic call at 8:00 in the morning from Senator Barbara Boxer’s office, because a document faxed to them by the Miles Foundation, and which Senator Boxer needed in a scheduled appearance on the Senate floor, had arrived so scrambled as to be totally useless. The only thing they could make out on the document was my name and phone number, as I had agreed to let my name be used as a signatory. To make things worse, mail to their AOL address was being returned and they could also not be reached by phone. I did root around in my files and sent them whatever other contacts I thought might help. It seems maybe they were able to re-send in time to make the deadline. My e-mail has been being hijacked for nearly four months. I receive almost no feedback from my web site. I do not know if it is the same idiots who cannot find their own interesting name for an anti-sexual harassment organization and are using Women Against Sexual Harassment (WASH) as the name for their organization, or if it is sexual harassment perpetrators who are using the e-mail I get to warn the individuals women write to me about that they have a problem. I would feel better about it if I knew the e-mail was just being deleted so I won’t get it, but I fear that it is either going into the hands of women too stupid or too lazy to maintain their own web site or the perpetrators themselves. It seems that this is just part of the game. Anyone knowing how I can handle this should contact me by phone if they can (605) 987-5070. More than one person has indicated that they had e-mailed me and never gotten a response. New e-mail address, a little better than the last, JanetLeih(bleep)washrag.org. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SPECIAL POSTING ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Because I have recently received so many complaints about problems with computers, and because I have been contacting various organizations about my problems, I will be putting out a special posting on http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WomenAgainstSexualHarassmentNational that will include the suggestions I have gotten from organizations like Hewlett Packard, MSN and Microsoft. It will come automatically to all group members, others can access it at the URL above. The subject will reflect that the posting is about removing malware from your computer. I have been working on the process for a couple of weeks, and computer function has much improved so I have some hope that the advise might help others as well. The Eleventh National Conference of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence will be conducted July 11-14, 2004 at the Radisson and Doubletree Hotels in Denver, Colorado.  The conference will include sessions relative to sexual and domestic violence associated with the military.  Casualty Count: Sexual Violence Associated with the U. S. Armed Forces and Collateral Damage: Intimate Partner Violence Associated with the U. S. Armed Forces will be presented on Monday, July 12, 2004.  Call 303-839-1852 or check NCADV website at www.ncadv.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 JanetLeih(bleep)washrag.org E-mail comments can be sent to JanetLeih(bleep)washrag.org. 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 2004 Tesseract Publications, P. O. Box 164 Canton, SD 57013-0164 (605) 987-5070.