Friday, October 3, 2003

Violence Against Women 2 QUOTES TODAY ''The international community has taken up the cases of some forms of violence against women but regularly fails to address others, turning a blind eye when international politics make it inconvenient, or the local situation makes it appear too difficult...  ...It highlights one of the greatest challenges facing women's rights activists today - the fleeting, tokenistic interest that governments take in women's human rights. Governments have a responsibility to protect women from human rights abuses both at the hands of their own officials and in the community and home.'' - - Irene Khan (Amnesty International General Secretary) Violence against women "When you see a blonde with great tits and a great ass, you say to yourself, 'Hey, she must be stupid or must have nothing else to offer', which maybe is the case many times." - - Arnold Schwarzenegger  (July, 2003 Esquire Magazine Interview) FRIDAY EVENT ALERT CODEPINK Protests Schwarzenegger We can stop Arnold Schwarzenegger in his tracks. Do you think a candidate with a record of degrading comments and actions toward women should become governor of California? Are you disgusted that someone with no political or public policy experience, whose career was made off films that promote violence of every kind might be elected to lead the largest state in the U.S. and the fifth largest economy in the world? Then organize a protest!  THE MEDIA ARE REPORTING; CODEPINK PROTESTS HAVE HAD AN IMPACT.  Let the margin he loses by be the gender gap!!!!! FRIDAY 5PM - PROTEST LOCATIONS AROUND THE STATE LISTED AT: http://www.codepinkalert.org/CodePink_Vigil_Information_Arnold_Protest.shtml#eve BRING YOUR SIGNS - HERE'S A FEW IDEAS TERMINATE SEXISM - CodePink "Grope-Free Zone" - Arnold Pull Out - If Arnold Wins, Women Lose - No groper for Governor - Flush Arnold, Not Women - No Governor Gangbang - Sexual Harassment is Not a Family Value - A Hummer is not clean and Arnold is not green - Arnold! Keep your hands to yourself! - Stop the Bush occupation of California KNOW YOUR HISTORY - OCTOBER 3rd 1968 -- Yippie Jerry Rubin arrives at the House on UnAmerican Activities Committee (HUAC) inquiry into the August uprisings with a toy M-16 & a red, blue & yellow cape resembling a Viet Cong flag. The Yippies threatened to put LSD into the city's water supply, organize a march of 20,000 naked hippies, levitate the Pentagon, & raid the Chicago office of the National Biscuit Company to provide bread & cookies for the poor. The fact that putting LSD into a reservoir wouldn't work, that 20,000 naked hippies never materialized, that their levitation powers were severely limited, & that there was no Chicago office of the biscuit company mattered little. They were media terrorists... On the same day, Former Alabama Governor & proud racist, George Wallace, running an independent campaign for the presidency, names retired Air Force Chief of Staff Curtis E. LeMay to be his Vice Presidential running mate.  At the press conference, the general is asked about his position on the use of nuclear weapons, and responds: "I think most military men think it's just another weapon in the arsenal... I think there are many times when it would be most efficient to use nuclear weapons. ... I don't believe the world would end if we exploded a nuclear weapon." 1995 -- O.J. Simpson, former football star, is acquitted of the 1994 murder of his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, & Ronald Goldman, in Los Angeles, California. RHINO HERE: Last night Rhino attended a gathering in Los Angeles hosted by "Artists For Amnesty" attended by several newly elected members of the Amnesty International Executive Council.  AI's Secretary General, Ms. Irene Khan, spoke about the organization's initiatives focusing on fighting the scourge of violence against women.  She informed us that worldwide, one out of every 17 women suffer physical abuse before the age of twenty. Amnesty has been working to call attention to this travesty in countries around the globe. More on AI's Work on Women's Human Rights http://www.amnestyusa.org/women Juarez, Mexico, is home to many women who made their way to the North to the border to work in the assembly line factories or if they're lucky or clever, to attend school. On August 11th, AI issued a report revealing that in the last ten years approximately 370 women have been murdered in Juarez, of which at least 137 were sexually assaulted prior to their death.  A further 75 bodies have still not been identified -- it is thought some may be those of women who have been reported missing but grossly inadequate forensic investigations have made this impossible to confirm.  During an official visit to Mexico, Irene Khan presented the report to President Fox with AI delegates from 80 countries as witness.  Fox responded that he didn't have jurisdiction. That was the local police's responsibility.  More recently, Ms. Khan was pleased to tell us, President Fox declared in a national address that it was his responsibility and even a priority. He has since sent federal investigators  to assist the investigations. More on Juarez at: http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/mexico/document.do?id=80256AB9000584F680256D8A005540DC More on AI Secretary General Irene Khan at: http://web.amnesty.org/web/wire.nsf/september2001/SecGen 8:24:52 AM    comment

Women Say Schwarzenegger Groped, Humiliated Them Women Say Schwarzenegger Groped, Humiliated Them By Gary Cohn, Carla Hall and Robert W. Welkos, LA Times, October 2, 20003 "Did he rape me? No," said one woman, who described a 1980 encounter in which she said Schwarzenegger touched her breast. "Did he humiliate me? You bet he did."... ...In interviews with The Times, three of the women described their surprise and discomfort when Schwarzenegger grabbed their breasts. A fourth said he reached under her skirt and gripped her buttocks.  A fifth woman said Schwarzenegger groped her and tried to remove her bathing suit in a hotel elevator. A sixth said Schwarzenegger pulled her onto his lap and asked whether a certain sexual act had ever been performed on her.... Groped MoveOn Moves On Arnold & The California Total Recall This morning the Los Angeles Times published the stories of six women who say they were physically abused by Arnold Schwarzenegger as recently as three years ago. We've included excerpts from the article at the bottom of this email. The stories are shocking, but they fit a pattern of previous reports. We're launching a television ad devoted to putting Arnold's problem with women into the public eye. We feel that this is a critical step that absolutely must be taken, but we need $500,000 to make this happen. Please help us fund the ad campaign by clicking here: http://www.moveonpac.org/moveonpac/viewcandidates.phtml Then join us for these last few days of our campaign to defeat the recall. There's a lot you can do to make a difference. Sign up to help by going here: http://moveon.org/pac/recall/?id=1747-576663-PUtXMzoXMhAHa7P023OwEQ The stories published in the LA Times today are consistent with statements Schwarzenegger has made and incidents he's been involved in throughout his entire career. If you think his personal views and behavior can be separated from his new career as a politician, think again: Schwarzenegger has not included a single woman on his economic council. In a state where there are tens of thousands of women in positions of power, there was not even one he respected enough add to his team. Schwarzenegger has a serious problem with women, reflected in both his actions and his words. His own statements -- even just months ago -- paint a clear picture of a man who has absolutely no respect for women: "How many times do you get away with this--to take a woman, grab her upside down, and bury her face in a toilet bowl?" -- July, 2003 Entertainment Weekly Interview, speaking about a scene from his latest film. "When you see a blonde with great tits and a great ass, you say to yourself, 'Hey, she must be stupid or must have nothing else to offer', which maybe is the case many times." -- July, 2003 Esquire Magazine Interview. "Girls became sex objects. I saw the other bodybuilders using them in this way and I thought it was all right...Whatever I thought might hold me back, I avoided. I crossed girls off my list -- except as tools for my sexual needs." 1977 Memoir, Arnold: the Education of a Bodybuilder The stories revealed in the LA Times are consistent with many other cases which have been reported. Three years ago Arnold made headlines in the U.K. after a string of sexually abusive groping incidents -- one of which took place in an on camera interview. During the on-camera incident Schwarzenegger explained, "If my wife saw this I'd be in trouble, I'd have to tell her it was a stunt double." Premiere, a respected film industry magazine, interviewed the women involved -- all reporters: Anna Richardson of Big Screen claims that after the cameras stopped rolling for her interview segment, Schwarzenegger, apparently attempting to ascertain whether Richardson's breasts were real, tweaked her nipple and then laughed at her objections. "I left the room quite shaken," she says. "What was more upsetting was that his people rushed to protect him and scapegoated me, and not one person came to apologize afterward."  Apparently Schwarzenegger's behavior is an open secret in Hollywood. The same article quoted Hollywood insiders and Schwarzenegger colleagues saying that is typical behavior for the actor: "You don't get it," said a producer who's worked with Schwarzenegger. "That's the way Arnold always behaves. For some reason, [this time] the studio or the publicists couldn't put enough pressure on the women to kill the story." Arnold's problem with women is not a case of insensitive comments or inappropriate actions. It's an appalling record of disrespect and abuse of women. It would be a disgrace to women and a disgrace to all the people of California if Schwarzenegger became Governor. The once-confusing recall election is now dramatically simple: if you don't vote against the recall, Schwarzenegger will become governor. Join us in these last few days we have to defeat the recall. Sign up here: http://moveon.org/pac/recall/?id=1747-576663-PUtXMzoXMhAHa7P023OwEQ Sincerely, -- Carrie, Eli, James, Joan, Noah, Peter, Wes, and Zack    The MoveOn Team. October 2, 20003 "RHINO'S BLOG" is the responsibility of Gary Rhine. (rhino@kifaru.com) Feedback, and requests to be added or deleted from the list are encouraged. SEARCH BLOG ARCHIVES / SURF RHINO'S LINKS, AT: http://www.rhinosblog.info RHINO'S OTHER WEB SITES: http://www.dreamcatchers.org (INDIGENOUS ASSISTANCE & INTERCULTURAL DIALOG) http://www.kifaru.com (NATIVE AMERICAN RELATIONS VIDEO DOCUMENTARIES) Articles are reprinted under Fair Use Doctrine of international copyright law. http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html All copyrights belong to original publisher. Tell a friend about Rhino's Blog 7:00:18 AM    comment

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