Palin- committed to women's rights?

[Neil D]

The Huffington Post has reported that Palin may not be as committed to women's rights as once thought. Concider the following article.-

New Evidence: Palin Had Direct Role In Charging Rape Victims For Exams

Despite denials by the Palin campaign, new evidence proves that as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, Sarah Palin had a direct hand in imposing fees to pay for post-sexual assault medical exams conducted by the city to gather evidence.

Palin's role is now confirmed by Wasilla City budget documents available online.

Under Sarah Palin's administration, Wasilla cut funds that had previously paid for the medical exams and began charging victims or their health insurers the $500 to $1200 fees. Although Palin spokeswoman Maria Comella wrote USA Today earlier this week that the GOP vice presidential nominee "does not believe, nor has she ever believed, that rape victims should have to pay for an evidence-gathering test...To suggest otherwise is a deliberate misrepresentation of her commitment to supporting victims and bringing violent criminals to justice," Palin, as mayor, fired police chief Irl Stambaugh and replaced him with Charlie Fannon, who with Palin's knowledge, slashed the budget for the exams and began charging the city's victims of sexual assault. The city budget documents demonstrate Palin read and signed off on the new budget. A year later, alarmed Alaska lawmakers passed legislation outlawing the practice.

News of the controversial policy has leaked slowly into the press this week as the presidential campaign has heated up and Palin's record has been subject to increasing scrutiny. The practice of charging rape victims has called into question Palin's stated commitment to women's issues, her judgment as an executive and her honesty about her record.

The story of the Wasilla policy has made its way from comments on Daily Kos to the pages of USA Today. But clear evidence suggesting Palin knew Wasilla was charging the victims of sexual assault has been hard to find. Placing the city budget records, however, alongside a timetable of Palin's firing Chief Stambaugh and hiring Chief Fannon makes it clear the policy was put in place as a direct result of Palin's leadership.

The mayor of Wasilla before Sarah Palin, John C. Stein, was also a Republican, though the office was and continues to be non-partisan. Mayor Stein was defeated by Sarah Palin in a campaign that brought in the NRA, Republican partisans, and a whisper campaign that Mayor Stein was Jewish (he is a Christian, but is "proud of such a reputation"). He now runs the Sitka Sound Science Center, a marine research facility in Sitka, Alaska.

[Neil D]

As I have said before, this lady gets scarier and scarier as we dig into her past.....

Are you guys sure that you want this 'soccer mom" facing Vlatimir Putin? [shudder]

[olger]

Good. It is refreshing to see a woman who isn't caught up in silly feminism, but loves her husband and family and enjoys life.

[Dr. Shane]

Quote:

The Huffington Post

Is there any need to read any more than that?

Can we say "swiftboat attacks"?

First off, all the Democrats were telling us she was a mayor of such a tiny, insignificant town I am wondering how many rapes occur in a tiny, insignificant town.

Secondly, this becomes "gotcha" politics. Her chief of police made the call. It was his idea and she signed off on it - knowingly or perhaps unknowingly.

Thirdly, This really is making a mountain out of a mole hill. She clearly does not hold to that position today. Regardless if she went along with it in the past or not, she doesn't today.

Fourthly, Media groups have sent hundreds of private investigators to this tiny, insignificant town to dig up as much dirt on Sarah as they can. Is this the best they can come up with?

[Neil D]

This isn't "gotcha politics"...This is about basic justice and the collection of evidence....

If there was a rape, the victim HAS TO PAY for the exam????

Ok, let me think about this....if you, Shane, were a woman, and you were forcably raped, and then you were asked to pay the city, the police, who are charged with the duty to find criminals, and protect our citizens, and you are paying the taxes to pay for police work, and yet you have to pay to collect evidence....?

EXPLAIN THAT TO ME????

Even the Alaska legistlature sign a bill forbiding this practice....Yet, she did it??? Where is her sense of justice?

And where is yours, for that matter....?

[Dr. Shane]

OK, let's find the woman that was raped and went to Sarah Palin and Sarah made her pay for her rape exam.

It didn't happen.

We have a bunch of P.I.s up there hunting up any dirt they can find on her. The best they can find is that her chief of police (in a tiny, insignificant town) had a policy of rape victims paying for their own rape exams.

[Neil D]

OK, let's find the woman that was raped and went to Sarah Palin and Sarah made her pay for her rape exam.

It didn't happen.

We have a bunch of P.I.s up there hunting up any dirt they can find on her. The best they can find is that her chief of police (in a tiny, insignificant town) had a policy of rape victims paying for their own rape exams.

Excuse me....Read this again-

To suggest otherwise is a deliberate misrepresentation of her commitment to supporting victims and bringing violent criminals to justice," [color:#CC0000]Palin, as mayor, fired police chief Irl Stambaugh and replaced him with Charlie Fannon, who with Palin's knowledge, slashed the budget for the exams and began charging the city's victims of sexual assault. The city budget documents demonstrate Palin read and signed off on the new budget. A year later, alarmed Alaska lawmakers passed legislation outlawing the practice.

Explain to me again, this sense of justice that Palin has again?

[Dr. Shane]

Let's remember that report is coming from the Huffington Post. Its extreme bias means we have to treat everything we read in it with suspicion. Just like when we listen to conservative talk radio. Let's not be so gullible to swallow their propaganda hook, line and sinker.

Each department makes their own budget. The police chief will make his budget. Parks & Recreation their budget. Solid Waste their budget. Sewer and Water their budget. The mayor doesn't make the budgets but he or she will dictate how much is to be allocated to each department.

In an effort to reduce his budget the police chief decided to try and get money from victim's insurance companies instead of the city paying for it. I have not read or heard of any actual rape victims having to pay for the tests out of their pockets.

On the surface it appears that Sarah Palin was such a tough, fiscal conservative that she had the heads of the city looking for every way to save a dime. The idea was to get insurance companies to pay instead of the tax payer. Bad idea? I certainly wouldn't support it. Is that the worst thing that went on in this tiny, insignificant town?

[Neil D]

First off, the news report came from USA Today. Huffington picked it up...

Second, while every buget is submitted to the mayor, it is the mayor who gives final approval...The buck stops there. It happened on her watch and she did it knowingly.

Third- regarding the "alledged rape victims"...Read this from the USA-

Quote:

In 2000, Alaska lawmakers learned that rural police agencies [color:#990000]had been billing rape victims or their insurance companies $500 to $1,200 for the costs of the forensic medical examinations used to gather evidence.

Apparently, it is not "alledged". It happened. And you are not going to get an id of who, because that is an invasion of privacy....

It is a credible report, Shane. And one that reflects upon the values of the VP and possibly a future President. Is that what you want, if your wife was raped? Do you want to pay for something that the taxpayer is already paying for? If so, your sense of justice is a bit misscarried, me thinks.

[Dr. Shane]

OK, so I guess we agree there is no woman that claims she had to pay for the rape test herself. It was an issue of whether the insurance company paid of the tax payers. I am glad we got that resolved.

Quote:

First off, the news report came from USA Today. Huffington picked it up...

Conservative talk-radio hosts pick up on stories out of the mainstream media all the time. That doesn't mean I am going to swallow their take on things hook, line and sinker.

This really is an example of making a mountain out of a mole hill. If this is all those private eyes can find I think we have good reason to trust in Sarah Palin to be President of the United States should McCain be unable to fulfill his duties.

[Neil D]

Quote:

OK, so I guess we agree there is no woman that claims she had to pay for the rape test herself. It was an issue of whether the insurance company paid of the tax payers. I am glad we got that resolved.

Read that quote again, Shane. It said that they had been billing either the insurance companys or the victim. Wanna bet how many of those Alaskans have health insurance????

Quote:

Conservative talk-radio hosts pick up on stories out of the mainstream media all the time. That doesn't mean I am going to swallow their take on things hook, line and sinker.

Just because your filters are so small that they don't allow for the reality of things real, doesn't mean that they didn't happen. Denying the incident is like closing your eyes to abortion....not seeing it doesn't mean it ain't happening...

Quote:

This really is an example of making a mountain out of a mole hill. If this is all those private eyes can find I think we have good reason to trust in Sarah Palin to be President of the United States should McCain be unable to fulfill his duties.

I don't think so...This goes directly to character. If rape is an occurance that happens often, so much so that the Chief of police feels that he needs to cut this 'unnecessary' expense, isn't that neglecting the mandate of the city...protecting the citizens? Poor choice, in my view. What would happen if Palin were President and faced with a choice of saving energy thru a mandatory day of rest or other buget cuts? hey, Sunday seems like a good day of no driving, doesn't it?????

[Dr. Shane]

If making this a matter of character isn't making a mountain out of a mole hill it can only be making a world out of an atom.

[Neil D]

It just seems to me that there is something wrong when you've been raped, and now to catch the perp, you have to pay money to gather the evidence....[sigh] something is terribly wrong here....

[Neil D]

Shane, you might be interested in the rest of the USA report. It wasn't as favorable as the Huffington report. It has other stats that you were asking for...Thought you might like to see it and ponder the question if this isn't more to character again...

Until the 2000 legislation, local law enforcement agencies in Alaska could pass along the cost of the exams, which are needed to obtain an attacker's DNA evidence. Rape victims in several areas of Alaska, including the Matanuska-Susitna Valley where Wasilla is, complained about being charged for the tests, victims' advocate Lauree Hugonin, of the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, told state House committees, records show.

In cases when insurance companies are billed, the victims pay a deductible.

Fannon told the Frontiersman that the tests would cost the department up to $14,000 per year. He said he would rather force rapists to pay for the tests, not taxpayers. Fannon, who is no longer police chief, could not be reached for comment Wednesday; his home phone number has been disconnected.

It is not known how many rape victims in Wasilla were required to pay for some or all of the medical exams, but a legislative staffer who worked on the bill for Croft said it happened. "It was more than a couple of cases, and it was standard practice in Wasilla," Peggy Wilcox said, who now works for the Alaska Public Employees Association. "If you were raped in Wasilla, this was going to happen to you."

After calling Wasilla Mayor Dianne Keller for comment Tuesday, USA TODAY was instructed to submit a public records request, under which the city has 10 days to respond. As of Wednesday, the city had not responded to a request for records reflecting Wasilla's prior policy, including when it took effect and the cost to sexual assault victims.

In 2000, there were 497 rapes reported in Alaska, FBI statistics show. That's a rate of 79.3 per 100,000 residents, the highest in the nation.

Nationally, victims' advocates have for years reported scattered instances of rape victims being required to pay for their forensic tests, says Ilse Knecht of the National Center for Victims of Crime in Washington. Those complaints have subsided somewhat after Congress in 2005 passed a law requiring states to provide rape exams free of charge or reimburse victims for the costs, says Knecht, whose group supported the provision.

"The reason we passed the legislation was that we saw it was prevalent enough to be a pretty considerable problem," Knecht says. "There are no other victims of crime that end up being billed for evidence collection."

The Senate version of the legislation that included the rape-exam provision was sponsored by Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, the Democratic vice presidential nominee. Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama was one of 58 co-sponsors; Republican presidential nominee John McCain was not.

[Dr. Shane]

It sounds like they were going after the insurance companies. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the insurance companies that made the stink about it. Even if they did go after the victim for the money (which I doubt), they would have billed them afterward. They would not have refused the procedure until the victim paid. More likely they asked the victim if they had insurance, if they did, they took the information and went after the insurance company.

What this whole issue shows is how the Left is grasping at straws to find anything to criticize Palin. Perhaps because Obama is slightly behind in the polls. Perhaps they would be doing it any way.

[Dr. Shane]

Well, now. From that additional information it looks like this was a common practice done by many law enforcement agencies across the country. It is kind of hard to make that a character issue. Especially when it wasn't even her idea.

Now can we move on to the next swiftboat attack?

[Neil D]

Well, now. From that additional information it looks like this was a common practice done by many law enforcement agencies across the country. It is kind of hard to make that a character issue. Especially when it wasn't even her idea.

Now can we move on to the next swiftboat attack?

Oooh, so with all the loose money that goverment has out there, and with all the emphasis on 'cutting taxes' and 'reforming goverment', the reality is that goverment doesn't have enough to run on, and it must cut services to the point that women must bear the brunt of those cuts....

Yeah, sure, Shane....No social justice and no money for goverment to run on....What else is the Republican party going to cut?

[Dr. Shane]

That isn't the point. The point is that this police chief was doing the same thing many other law enforcement agencies were doing across the country. Sarah Palin's only "crime" is that she didn't stop it. That is a mole hill. That is a minor thing. To try and make this a character issue is a "swiftboat" attack.

It isn't an issue today. She states she doesn't believe victims should bare the cost. So there is no issue unless we want to try to make a character issue out of it - which is ridiculous.

So let's all wait with baited breath for the next swiftboat attack.

[Tom Wetmore]

It sounds like they were going after the insurance companies. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the insurance companies that made the stink about it. Even if they did go after the victim for the money (which I doubt), they would have billed them afterward. They would not have refused the procedure until the victim paid. More likely they asked the victim if they had insurance, if they did, they took the information and went after the insurance company.

Totally speculation on your part with no evidence to support it. (Isn't that what you demanded of the report...) And no Shane not everyone has insurance. And the deductible amount, no matter how much, is too much to ask of a victim of rape And healthcare providers routinely bill the uninsured and attempt to collect. Someone had to pay for this and it is clear that Palin's mayoral administration didn't think it important enough to cover this on behalf of the victims of rape, insured or not. There was no exception in the policy for the government to pick it up for the uninsured rape victim.

Originally Posted By: Shane

What this whole issue shows is how the Left is grasping at straws to find anything to criticize Palin.

No Shane. Your response is so utterly typical Republican spinning. You, Shane, are just trying to put a smiley face on what is really a grossly despicable practice. And US Today reporting it is hardly the Left.

Originally Posted By: Shane

Well, now. From that additional information it looks like this was a common practice done by many law enforcement agencies across the country.

GOOD GRIEF, SHANE!!! READ THE ARTICLE AGAIN. It say very unambiguously, "Nationally, victims' advocates have for years reported scattered instances of rape victims being required to pay for their forensic tests..." If this is evidence of how you filter news... Oh never mind...

Originally Posted By: Shane

Now can we move on to the next swiftboat attack?

Go back to the definition of swiftboating... This is hardly in the realm of unsubstantiated allegations or false information... Your Republican underwear is showing...

Tom

[Neil D]

That isn't the point. The point is that this police chief was doing the same thing many other law enforcement agencies were doing across the country. Sarah Palin's only "crime" is that she didn't stop it. That is a mole hill. That is a minor thing. To try and make this a character issue is a "swiftboat" attack.

It isn't an issue today. She states she doesn't believe victims should bare the cost. So there is no issue unless we want to try to make a character issue out of it - which is ridiculous.

So let's all wait with baited breath for the next swiftboat attack.

Ok, I get it....

If you are raped, you pay for the evidence...Man, what a slap in the face to the victim...

Just how cold hearted are you, Shane?

Oh, and Shane, don't go to alaska...with your fmaily...if your wife get's raped, you'll have to foot the bill to get evidence....Or maybe your wife won't mind if you refuse payment...eh?

Never mind...the last paragraph was swift-boating, btw....

[Dr. Shane]

Sarah Palin's rape kit controversy

When legislators run for president, they have to answer for every little vote they ever cast - yes, no or, er, present. When former mayors run for vice-president, we're learning this week, they have to answer for every policy in place in their town when they were in office.

Which brings us to the case of Sarah Palin and the town that charged victims for rape kits...

Former Democratic Rep. Eric Croft, who sponsored that bill, said he was disappointed that simply asking the Wasilla police department to stop didn't work. Croft said he doubts she was unaware of the practice.

Maria Comella, a McCain-Palin campaign spokeswoman, said Palin "does not believe, nor has she ever believed, that rape victims should have to pay for an evidence-gathering test." To suggest otherwise, she said, is a "misrepresentation of her commitment to supporting victims and bringing violent criminals to justice."

[text from link, emphasis added]

[Neil D]

In other words, Palin, like most mayors, ran the city like a good o' boys network...and she wasn't aware of which items in the budget was being cut. She continued doing the same ol' politics only she did it under her rule.

Great. Now we know....She is as poor running the city as the rest of the boys in washington.

[Dr. Shane]

We know she did a lot for victims of domestic abuse when she was governor. We have no reason to doubt her commitment to women's rights. The only one accusing her of anything are partisan Democrats that obviously want Obama to win.

[John317]

But, last I heard, she has 80% approval rating in her home-state. Not bad.

[Tom Wetmore]

True... after less than 2 years in office. But her record as small town mayor for 6 years may have been less glowingly popular:

As Mayor of Wasilla, Palin Cut Own Duties, Left Trail of Bad Blood

In that article one of her critics as mayor noted: "The only accomplishment of note was the building of the sports complex . . . and it was bungled," said Deuser, the former city attorney. What he is refering to is the 17+ million dollar ice hockey rink/sports complex for a town of less than 6,000.

Tom