LaVena Johnson (1985-2005), an American soldier, was the first female soldier from Missouri to die in the Iraq War. The Army called it suicide. Her parents say she was beat up, raped, shot in the head and then dragged to a storage tent that was set on fire to destroy the evidence.
There are at least 13 other such “suicides”.
LaVena Johnson was an honour student. She played violin. She lived in suburban St Louis, her father a doctor. By all accounts she was a happy soul. Her parents had hoped she would go to university. Instead, deeply affected by 9/11, she joined the Army, like her father and grandfather before her.
In May 2005 the Army sent her to Iraq.
On July 17th she talked to her mother by telephone. She seemed in good spirits. She talked about coming home for Christmas: “Don’t decorate the tree without me.”
On July 19th a soldier with a black book knocked on her parents’s door. He regretfully informed them of their daughter’s death. Her 20th birthday became her wake.
The Army says her boyfriend of two months sent an email from his home in Kentucky to break up with her. She printed out the emails and set them and the tent on fire. She shot herself in the head with her M-16.
Her father did not believe it. At her height (5 foot or 1.52m) an M-16 would have blown off her head.
The Army sent him its autopsy report with xeroxed black-and-white pictures. It said she had a busted lip, broken teeth, scratch marks on her neck, chemical burns to her genitals but no serious injuries apart from the gunshot.
The gunshot was on the left side of her head. LaVena Johnson was right-handed.
The pictures seemed airbrushed. Her father noticed they came from a CD-ROM. The Army said he had no right to it. He was able to get it under the Freedom of Information Act.
The CD-ROM had the original colour pictures:
- She had been struck in the face with a blunt instrument.
- Her nose was broken, her teeth knocked back.
- The upper part of her body had bruises, scratches and teeth marks.
- A flammable liquid had been poured on her back and right hand and set on fire.
- Lye was coming out of her vagina, meaning she had been raped (lye destroys DNA evidence).
- Her body had been dragged.
The tent she was found in belonged to KBR, a military contractor, a spin-off of Vice President Dick Cheney’s Halliburton.
CBS News paid for a second autopsy. Her body was taken from the grave. Parts of her tongue, vagina and anus were missing. Her neck was broken. All things the Army did not report in its autopsy.
Neither CBS nor ABC reported the story, despite spending thousands on it. Essence magazine printed a watered-down account. All three make money from Army ads. For Essence those ads are make-or-break – and are aimed at black women.
The Army says the case is closed.
Thanks to Omnipresent for suggesting this post.
Sources: mainly Democracy Now (2008), Daily Kos (2013), Change.org.
See also:
I hate the military-industrial complex. I hate how much government spending gets used on defense and war, instead of on social programs and education. Yet in spite of this, if women want to join the military, the military should be taking measures to ensure their protection against such violent attacks.
More people need to know about LaVena Johnson. Thank you for telling her story.
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I’m not at all surprised by this since it has since been revealed the sheer number of sexual assaults that happen in the military to both men and women. The Military/Industrial Complex not only grinds up this country’s children in its endless warmongering but eats them as well.
My deepest sympathies to her family and I hope they one day see some form of justice for their brave and beautiful girl.
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A close friend of mine’s daughter (a black female in her early twenties) joined the Navy and within a few years, she was diagnosed as being paranoid schizophrenic (she wasn’t one before she joined and had scored high academically at that time). When she started hearing voices the Navy discharged her and sent her home. That was four years ago.
I always believed something terrible happened to her while on that Navy ship and it was covered up but it wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I had the nerve to suggest it to her father. She is still suffering mentally but no one knows why.
If the military won’t even admit that white females are being raped, we (should) know they’ll never admit a black female can be a rape victim of any white male, regardless of his rank. Even if the perpetrator is black the odds are still against the rape or murder being reported by officials so the military will not be held accountable by the victims’ familiies.
If you ever share a post with a young black person, especially young black females, THIS SHOULD BE THE ONE.
Send it to everyone–young and old–you know so they will know REAL life is NOTHING like the TV commercials, movies, and video games.
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Abagond,
This post sheds much light on the lengths and methodologies the military/war machine (Amerikkkan government) uses to cover up their misdeeds! I hope the people responsible for her death and torture – and their enablers – rot in Hell forever.
The US military’s leadership is comprised of racketeers … and EVIL cultists!
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Im white, Irish. I don’t agree with most of your views, but I’m ashamed of this.
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[…] "LaVena Johnson (1985-2005), an American soldier, was the first female soldier from Missouri to die in the Iraq War. The Army called it suicide. Her parents say she was beat up, raped, shot in the head and then dragged to a storage tent that was set on fire to destroy the evidence." […]
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[…] See on abagond.wordpress.com […]
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Whoa…horrifying.
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This is absolutely, utterly sickening. Lye in her vagina? Shot in the head and set on fire? These are utterly barbaric acts. No truly civilized person could do something like this, but then, consider who the perpetrators were, and look at who she was. If that were my daughter I guarantee you I would be on the phone with Washington D.C. every single day, screaming at somebody.
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That is so disturbing to read and digest. I am completely nauseated. May she rest in peace and may her family get some justice in her memory. God have mercy. How anyone could commit such heinous crimes and how anyone could cover it up or lie about it is beyond comprehension.
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Abagond
Not sure if this was from my suggestion but I thank you – as I said, this is a story that needs to be told. When people are prepared to put their life on the line for their country, suspicious deaths such as these should be highlighted, investigated ensuring that the search for truth and justice prevails.
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Pamela:
These are utterly barbaric acts. No truly civilized person could do something like this….
Very true – you wouldnt even be able to ‘get away’ with doing this if you had captured a terrorist or PoW such is Human Rights nowadays. Even if someone committed a vile act on a child the approach is rehabilitation *smh*
The forces are always a closed shop with the ideology being that they ‘look after their own’. If this is the kind of ‘care’ they take – what hope is there?
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I’d read about her but I didn’t know all the details. I did not know the part about parts of her missing. I’m not surprised the news didn’t report it but cbs paid for a second autopsy did not know that. I guess they went to all the trouble to get a second autopsy yet did not want to report it because of how harsh the truth was. They want more bodies to fight their wars so they can’t have things like this reported or people will think twice about joining.
The teeth marks I wonder if they could’ve matched those to somebody. sadly she may never get justice. There are many cases like this it is so heartbreaking,
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMNrExAHFcI)
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The Army says the case is closed.
Of course they do.
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“Essence magazine printed a watered-down account.”
Well of course, Essence Magazine is no longer under black ownership. Essence has been owned by Time Inc. since 2005. However, most of the magazine’s topics are still centered on issues concerning black women. There are no surprises here though, this is typical skullduggery behavior by white people when an opportunity arises that reveals the true nature of their heart.
My heart goes out to the family of LaVena Johnson.
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@Omnipresent:
What makes this especially despicable is the fact that that poor woman was raped and murdered by other Americans, and they may not have all been white, either. Let’s not kid ourselves. There is no group of men on Earth who are not guilty of rape, nor is there any group that is incapable of it. Rape has been a weapon in war since there have been wars, and if you are a female on the enemy’s side, you had better believe that sooner or later, you could be a target for rape whether you are young or old. Example: the Russian army raped every German female they could find who couldn’t run away fast enough after Berlin was captured. In the 1990’s rape was deliberately used as a weapon during the Bosnian war. The examples go on ad nauseum.
To be raped by one’s own side, however, is a war crime of a different magnitude. And to cover up such horriffic behavior suggests an entire culture in the military that supports and approves of rape. We’ll see if that petition gets any reaction in Washington. I’m certainly going to stay tuned.
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I read your blog everyday and I have never felt this nauseated. Disgust can’t begin to describe how I feel about what happened to her.
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I am not surprised that the military would try to cover this up. It’s a shame she went to serve her country, and this is what happened to her. But I have read many accounts of sexual assaults on women in the military. This is so shameful.
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This is just evil and demonic. It’s nauseating and horrific. May her soul rest in peace, I hope her family can find the truth and the perpetrators are punished.
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But we do live in what is called a rape culture.
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Abagond
Just saw the shout out – so eager to read the comments I missed this initially. Thanks
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I had to stop several times reading this. It’s infuriating enough that someone would be so depraved but to have these other evil, soulless, sacks of sh!t cover it up when they know they have rapists and murderers in their ranks, is a whole other sickening issue. I gotta calm down
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This is true–but it is also true that many German officers and SS members raped and lusted after Jewish women…
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this is a horrible story, at first i think, you know, we were worried about abu ghraib? but that thought puts it into perspective
@kiwi, that is torture, rape, kill, destroy evidence, i doubt it was the participant(s) 1st time.
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Wasn’t there an incident in the Navy on a submarine? I think it was called the Tailhook Scandal. That was shameful.
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I’m hardly suprised by any attempt on the part of the military to cover up even such obvious instances of “fragging” as is the brutal rape and murder of LaVena Johnson.
Rest in peace Ms Johnson.
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My mistake, It wasn’t on a submarine but at a conference in Las Vegas. 83 women and 7 men were allegedly sexually assaulted. That’s disgusting.
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That is the satanic military industrial complex..
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Dear God what the hell is wrong with our country? It is seemingly obvious that something horrible happen to this beautiful American hero in which the Army neglects to talk about. How is it that a civil service organization has the power over the people when in fact we the people should have power over them. We pay for their salary, we pay for their equipment, we give them nearly a trillion dollars a year and for them to not be forthcoming regarding every single incident regarding the death of a soldier or citizen is absolutely unacceptable. I am forever indebted to those good soldiers who serve and those who have given their life but that doesn’t mean that they should be given special treatment in regards to criminal activity, especially when it involves violence against another. If anything we should hold our American military personal to higher standards. Unfortunately there are a large percentage of violent sociopaths in the military. For example, in Japan where crime is almost non existent the only areas where crime is high is in the cities where an American military base is present. Numbers show that in those high crime areas, 90% of the crime is carried out by American soldiers or Americans living or working on the base….Japan is extremely upset about this and is constantly protesting when a women or child is raped or molested but there is little they can do because all of these men are tried by the military, who doesn’t want any of us back home hearing about this. These deviants are getting nothing more than a slap on the wrist while womens and girls lives are ruined..It is disgusting and we need to stop it!
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I literally had to stop reading this post as it was hard to continue it. It was just disgusting what was done to this young lady. Even more disgusting is it seems like no justice will be done for her. It is just plain sickening.
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My heart goes out to her and her family, this is so sad. It is our duty as human beings to prevent women from enlisting in the military by spreading awareness.
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[…] LaVena Johnson | Abagond. […]
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??????????????????????????????????????????
WHY WOULD ANY NON-WHITE RISK THEIR LIFE FOR THIS RACIST COUNTRY??????????????????????????????????????????
I understand if whites do it to hold onto their illegitimate power but everyone else just baffles me. Have all these people forgotten that this country was STOLEN from native indians, built using slave labor, and stole more resources by invading other non-white countries?
It’s ridiculous.
Take everything you can. Give nothing back.
I hope the monsters behind the attack and the coverup burn eternally while screaming until blood gushes out of their throats and eye sockets.
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This is the first time I heard the details of this case. This is beyond cruel.
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Disgusting. There’s something seriously wrong with the military.
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Reblogged this on cleonette and commented:
We really need to arrest the government!
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Is there a difference between the American military(or any military) and the Taliban?
The only differences are that soldiers are terrorists in uniforms and their actions are sanctioned by the government.
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Inside job for sure. Perpetrators most likely white. I don’t believe the US government would protect and bend over backwards for their black male servicemen, in fact I am sure they would hang them out to dry. To go to such lengths to withhold how she really died reeks of an establishment protecting their own.
It breaks my heart how this beautiful dutiful young lady met such a horrific undignified death thousands of miles away from home. May the savages who murdered her burn in hell.
Excuse my colorful language but I am sickened…
RIP Lavena, they can’t hurt you now.
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I remember this story very well. I was in highschool and on a website and asked a question of if rape, etc. was common in the army and mentioned this incident and other similar stories. Up until an actual veteran came to say that it isn’t uncommon and there were some anti-female chants (“saw her in half” or something like that), one commenter denied such incidents calling alledged rape victims in the army liars. I am happy it is getting more media attention now although not enough. Her story and many more are so tragic.
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Thank you for bringing this important (albeit horrifyingly sad and disturbing) issue to light, Abagond-though this is something truly makes my blood boil and gives me goosebumps, as a young POC stories like these need to be told-if nothin’ else, to help gain justice for brave and beautiful soldiers as this one..also a cautionary tale for those considering military service as well! R.I.P. Ms. LaVena Johnson, and may your family and loved ones find healing…SMH
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I will never suggest to a young woman to join the military, it is an evil entity.
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I saw a picture of her body when it was found, in the casket, an interview with her father who is a physician. He went into detail about what he thought happened to his daughter. It was heartbreaking.
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@ Mary Burrell, Agreed!!!
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The men who did this
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White men sure do seem to rape black women a lot although they consider them unfeminine and ugly.
I find that to be quite strange.
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^I don’t think we know the race of the assailants yet.
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@Honary, I have been attracted to black women since I was 8 years old and to this day find them alluring, sexy, extremely feminine and drop dead gorgeous. On the other hand I find many white women plain, boring, stupid, unoriginal, covered with pounds of make-up and lacking any sexuality whatsoever, mostly tight lipped uppity conservative white women but white women no less. African American, Asian, Hispanic, Indian and all other women blessed by the good Lord with color and natural beauty are what define the essence of women in this world; beauty, sensuality, sexiness, womanhood, motherhood, faithfulness, femininity, etc..These women make a man feel like a real man, these women are what define mans fantasies, in the bed and down the aisle… Sure beats the uptight, neurotic unfaithful soccer mom on her third husband, fake boob job and second face lift….For you beautiful Liberal white women out there this was not meant for you, you belong in the other category as well.
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@Honorary White Person
People also rape dogs, pigs, goats, and other animals by that logic. It is a major misconception by the ignorant that only people that are attractive can be raped. Though lavena was pretty darn attractive.
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Dear Abagond,
I’m new to your blog and was compelled to respond to this story. It is a profound travesty that Ms. Johnson’s death has been so conveniently swept under the military rug and that it has garnered non-existent media coverage.
I’ve shared your blog with my family and friends and hope they forward along to others for more awareness.
The military has a notorious reputation for its misogynistic treatment of women and/or men who some are weak and ok to prey upon. These young men and women are willing to give up their lives to protect our freedoms. To also be subjected to internal brutality is a shame before God. My prayers go out to the Johnson family. I hope that their daughter’s death will not be in vein.
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i was asking myself does that change the story somehow due to how attractive she was?
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No V8 it doesn’t, her skin color, her sex, her finances, personal preferences…none of this matters, what matters is that she was a human being who was doing something great for others and herself and once again another human being who at a fleeting moment had power over her and brutalized her so that he could feel better about his pathetic stain of existence on this Earth…as much as I try to stay against the death penalty when I hear about this crap happening all the time I want to eradicate the planet of these selfish maniacs and the men or women who protect them or sweep these tragedies under the rug…RIP sweetheart, you don’t have to put up with the hate and the bullshit of this world any longer.
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OK, this was horrible and it seems like some foul play went down (though, the timing with the break-up with her bf is strange). In any case, having women in the army has clearly not improved our armed forces. It would be one thing if they only let in the odd woman who was able to pass all the physical tests in place. Instead, the standards are lowered for women. If your family’s life were in direct danger, would you want a mixed gender group where physical requirements were all but removed fighting in the trenches for you? The US army used to be a respected institution. Now it is used by the powers that be to terrorize other sovereign countries and impose unwanted Western values upon them.
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@biff
I would ask for your proof that standards are lowered for women etc., but I doubt you would provide any. Plus your post came off as she deserves it for being a woman in the armed forces.
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And don’t worry I looked it up so I know what the reports actually say. 🙂
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Sharina, you already know what the reports actually say? My my, you must have a lot of free time to read those hundreds of reports. Try this for starters: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/01/02/marines-delay-female-fitness-plan-after-half-fail-pullup-test/
Also, recognize that most mainstream publications and even official armed forces spokespersons won’t address this issue head on. They are propaganda for the narrative. They will try to say, for instance, that standards are now the same for both genders, without noting that standards have to be lowered to make this even possible. As for “she deserves it”, of course I’m not saying. Normally no one deserves to get raped or jumped, but that doesn’t make it a good idea to dress like a prostitute and go for a walk in Compton late at night.
In any case, I’ve seen you exhibit typical female solipsism in most of your posts, taking general comments personally, which doesn’t lead to a productive exchange of ideas.
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Biff I disagree completely with your opinion about women in the military. While it is true that men will always be stronger physically in whole, there are many women who are stronger than some of the men in the military and besides the military is a cornucopia of jobs and positions. As a matter of fact with the onslaught of technical devices, weapons and computers soon the hand to hand combat portion of the military will be reserved for a small portion of soldiers. As far as the military’s capability of late you are sooooo very far off. I remember the American military of the 60’s and 70’s and 80’s and it was the worse it has ever been. No one respected us, we made a mockery of ourselves in Vietnam, we barely walked away from Korea, we had several failures including Bay of Pigs, Iran hostage rescue, etc…We finally turned things around in the early 90’s with Desert Storm where more women were used in vital roles than ever before in history and since that short 2 month war we have gotten better and better; the Afghanistan war was won in a month, the Iraq war was won in 2 weeks, the assassination of Osama Bin Laden was simply fantastic. Each and every one of these conflicts included women either in combat or involved in the mission behind the actual combat events. remember for every conflict, combat, sortie, etc there are hundreds of people involved behind the scenes. The Military is not stupid, they know where people will best be utilized, some men cannot handle blood, however it is a fact that women have a stronger constitution than most men and are better than men in many critical jobs or situations. Have you seen some of the men in the military? There are some men who weigh less than a $1.50 and have no muscle tone and there are some women weighing in at 180 to 190 of all muscle and very capable of operating a 50 cal machine gun…Women can only make the military a better and more rounded military and you can bet that there will be less rapes…
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@biff. “Normally no one deserves to get raped or jumped, but that doesn’t make it a good idea to dress like a prostitute and go for a walk in Compton late at night.”
I’m not clear on your comment. Are you implying that LeVena intentionally put herself in a risky predicament? Appreciate more context.
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@Kiwi
hmm it seems to be around here.
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@biff
“My my, you must have a lot of free time to read those hundreds of reports.”—Actually one only needs a couple and not hundreds. Sorry if you require that much to “figure” things out.
You do realize that the marines are only one branch of the armed forces right? I hope you did before you jumped for joy at the one post you decided to provide (though is it not ironic I knew you would jump for the one that would prove your point). At any rate Ms. Johnson is a member of the Army, which by the way, is refusing to lower standards for women. http://www.militarytimes.com/article/20131118/NEWS/311180041
“but that doesn’t make it a good idea to dress like a prostitute and go for a walk in Compton late at night.”—So then what proof do you have that she insinuated she wanted it from the men or man that did this very thing to her?
“In any case, I’ve seen you exhibit typical female solipsism in most of your posts, taking general comments personally, which doesn’t lead to a productive exchange of ideas.”—You have read most of my posts? My my, you must have a lot of free time to read through hundreds of posts I have written. Though this solipsism you speak of seems to reek more from your posts that any others I have yet to read, including mine. 🙂
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@ Biff
Read your article and thoroughly read what you put. Now here is my new question to you…
“They will try to say, for instance, that standards are now the same for both genders, without noting that standards have to be lowered to make this even possible.”—What inside information do you have to prove that standards are being lowered to make women passing possible? All articles regardless can say nice little bow statements to cover up much of what goes on in the military, but my point (as to no longer beat around the bush) is besides news articles that basically say others wise…what real evidence do you have that this is going on? For example what was the previous standard etc? So far all I hear from you in most if not all post are speculations with no real evidence.
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@bygodsloveandgrace
I would like a bit of clarity on that too, but I am a bit afraid of what will be said.
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@ Sharina I don’t have high expectations at this point but will await more context.
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[…] LaVena Johnson (Reblogged from Abagond’s Blog) […]
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[…] LaVena Johnson (Reblogged from Abagond’s Blog) […]
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Reblogged this on Racism Is White Supremacy.
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Going off to fight in Iraq, yes I’d say that qualifies as intentionally putting oneself in a risky predicament. She probably didn’t think much about the extra risks involved with being a woman in such a scenario, but then again maybe she did. In any case, if I had a daughter I would certainly forbid her from doing something like that. I believe in different roles for men and women. This is the way we were created or, if you prefer, the way we have been for thousands or millions of years as human beings. The West has so much arrogance that they think they can ignore history and rewrite human nature and teach you in school that you are ignorant or backward for not believing this equalist propaganda of very recent origin.
William, you’re entitled to your opinions. If you think we’ve “turned things around” through Iraq and Afghanistan, I think you are sadly mistaken. The country is bankrupting itself and turning itself into a police state that goes around trying to force unwanted Western culture on other parts of the world. You think we are appreciated in Iraq or Afghanistan? The logical extension of this is that the U.S. will one day use drones to hunt down its own citizens, who will be written off as “extremists” and “terrorists”. Here is a piece that is worth reading and thinking about written by a former soldier reflecting on the state of the U.S. military. http://www.thinkinghousewife.com/wp/2014/01/a-veteran-who-no-longer-loves-his-country/
Suggested post for Abagond: Nigeria recently became the 38th African nation to enact legislation against homosexuals, largely in response to perceived moral decline in the West. Should the West try to impose its “enlightened” belief system on Africans, or should they celebrate Africans’ right to choose what Africans find to be morally repugnant?
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Biff, you are pointing out exceptions and not the rule in many situations. Africa is not choosing to exclude homosexuality, the powers that be and the narrow minded few are choosing bigotry and hate and no doubt blaming the aids epidemic and not western culture for their evil legislation. But you are right Western beliefs pushed on other nations is wrong, just like the slave trade that began a long history of social and financial deterioration of many African Americans in this country to this day. You want us to listen to ONE soldiers story, we have 2 million soldiers with 2 million points of view so that doesn’t qualify as something that would change my opinion. You say we were designed this way as far as women and men, according to who?…Your God, your beliefs…every single word written about the roles of men and women were written by MEN! Since they were written by men then they are up to interpretation and change…Women working in the mans world is not going to change their physiology and thats why it works no matter what unless the individual is gay and in that case the traditional roles will not apply to these people at all and they would be excluded from this dicussion…Your comments about the wars is not what we were talking about, we were talking about the military’s capabilities with women involved not if these wars were moral or justified financially, these are different topics indeed…
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@Biff: Under no circumstances no woman deserves to be raped, what is wrong with you? Do you realize what the hell you are saying?
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biff
The only thing in your post I can agree with is men and women have different roles, but other than that….no.
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Kiwi and Mary
I am in shock that he even said it let alone willing to make any real comment to it. I mean who makes the logic that serving in the military equals you put yourself in the position of rape?
@william
I call that the old changing the subject routine. Usually used to not address the subject at hand.
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Allow me to jump off Biff’s comments with this thought experiment:
Imagine a pretty young woman wearing a scandalously revealing cocktail dress.
She should be able get half-drunk, stumble though the poorest socioeconomic area in town on a moonless night with hundred dollar bills hanging out of her pockets, wobble into a raucous party at a fraternity house with the lowest academic performance on campus, get completely intoxicated, accompany a random fraternity brother up to his room, start kissing the guy, take off all her clothes, and then decide to simply go to sleep.
In the morning, she ought to wake up with money and virtue completely intact. Any other outcome would be immoral.
But while that is what should happen, I’d argue that it’s also the case that expecting or trusting oneself to such an outcome under those circumstances is both foolish and irresponsible.
Does the girl in the above scenario at least share some responsibility for any bad things that might happen to her?
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Paternalism, rape culture, these are real. Men who have the mentality that because a woman is dressed a certain way, or is caught up in some unfortunate situation, where she is sexually assaulted and some jackholes think she deserved it. That is what is wrong with this culture we live in today. I hope that a certain commenter on this thread, who is being unsympathetic and stupid doesn’t have any women in his family, God forbid anything should happen to their female loved ones. No woman deserves to be raped EVER!
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@ Randy
What rationale would you use to explain the number of males who are raped by other males in the military?
Do they “at least share some responsibility for any bad things that might happen to them?”
I posted some of those stats on male-on-male rape in my blog post below
http://racismws.com/2014/01/15/lavena-johnson-a-suicide-or-a-murder-cover-up/
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@biff
“Going off to fight in Iraq, yes I’d say that qualifies as intentionally putting oneself in a risky predicament. She probably didn’t think much about the extra risks involved with being a woman in such a scenario, but then again maybe she did.”
My brother has been on three missions to Afghanistan in the past five years. It is amazing some of the stories that he’s shared-ones he’s willing to discuss. A male soldier he knew was raped by two other men. Going to war is risky for anyone. You have to worry about rape, deplorable conditions, bases being attacked. So I have respect for both the men and women who risk their lives. I don’t think they join the military thinking that rape is part of the bargain.
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@Randy
What in high hell does your scenario have to do with serving in the military as a means to be raped? Find a better one or one that atleast some what applies to this situation.
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@Kiwi
It also comes off as the logic of rapist.
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Kiwi: (and Sharina)
The equivalence has to do with how one places oneself in situations where risks are real and often known.
Here’s another thought to clarify the concept: modern western women have numerous channels by which they are presented with information about sexual safety. Colleges in particular have long-standing programs to communicate these ideas.
So if a woman can take active steps to reduce her likelihood of sexual assault, then by not taking those precautions (or acting in a way opposite to the advice) she increases her risk.
Depending on circumstances, a woman may have some measure of control over her risk of sexual assault. Herein one finds the source of her (at least partial) accountability.
The military, sadly, has a well known problem with sexual assault, particularly in far-flung locations like Afghanistan where control is minimal, danger is ever-present, and the surrounding culture offers little or no protection.
bygodsloveandgrace:
I would think that any sufficiently informed person considering joining the military should understand this risk as well as the others you mentioned.
I would give this advice to any woman I knew who was considering such a choice. Wouldn’t you?
TrojanPam
I would say so.
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Randy, long an apologist for the white supremacist status quo, is now an apologist for rapists. Probably not as big of a jump as it might seem.
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abagond:
Hogwash. In fact, I’ll wager that at the core of the matter you and I probably share similar beliefs.
To wit: like me, as a father you’ve probably given your kids dozens if not hundreds of lessons on protecting themselves in situations where they face risks that they’re not morally responsible for, such as avoiding stray dogs, not mouthing off to authority figures like teachers and cops, and protecting their valuables in pickpockety places like tourist traps.
Say your kid visits the Louvre, pulls his cell phone out, and has it swiped. Which is more likely your reaction:
A. “What a shame. There’s absolutely nothing you could have done.”
B. “That was foolish. Didn’t I warn you several times about that place being full of pickpockets?”
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@ Randy
“I would think that any sufficiently informed person considering joining the military should understand this risk as well as the others you mentioned.
I would give this advice to any woman I knew who was considering such a choice. Wouldn’t you?”
Men and women get raped in college. Should that stop people from applying to universities? We are informed enough to know there are risks to anything in life
I’m at risk every time I drive my car. Never know if I might get into an accident one day. It doesn’t stop me from driving.
Given all the wars we’ve had in the past decade, those who join the military are well aware of all sorts of risks. They still choose to serve their country.
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@ Randy,
I seriously doubt you’re saying men who join the military are partly responsible if they are raped because when they joined the military they should have known it could happen
(scratching head)
It seems that you’re trying to justify (and cover-up) your obvious bias either toward
women in the military
black women in the military, or
black women, period.
Which is no surprise since black female slaves were often blamed for being raped by white male slave-owners who used the excuse that black females were naturally “hot-blooded” (whorish)
Your explanation isn’t too far from that kind of thinking – in my opinion
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Good point, bygodsloveandgrace
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@Randy
I get what you are saying, but it doesn’t change what I said.
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Commenter Randy is not only a racist, but a rape apologist. Exactly. Shaking my head. So sad.
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Thank you King.
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The trolls come here to disrupt, agitate, derail, and generally spread as much dissention and confusion as possible, so I wonder why people even respond.. Every time you respond it’s like a hit from a powerful drug to them, and the angrier they are able to make others, the higher they get. Having real discussions or actually learning anything is not their objective, because it should be pretty clear by now that these people have a sociopathic inability to feel empathy for anyone who is black and/or female. I certainly question the rationality of anyone who would try to justify a brutal rape and murder.
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bygodsloveandgrace:
Whether or not your assessment of your risks in going to college or driving or whatever causes you to abandon such an activity is your choice.
As such, it then follows that you implicitly share accountability for the outcomes of those choices.
I would encourage you, and any others interested, to read my response to Abagond (https://abagond.wordpress.com/2014/01/10/lavena-johnson/#comment-209926) regarding the “stolen cell phone” thought experiment, and then respond with which option best matches your own viewpoint.
Personally, my response would be the “B” option.
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This post and reading the various comments made me wonder more about this situation and many others. I understand why the government would cover it up. They are a publically recognized organization on an international scale. They have bases in various countries and incidents like this give credence for accusations of abuse commited by military forces of America and even more reasons to want American occupation to end. It ruins America’s image. I dislike it when the truth is hidden yet I understand not wanting to ruin foreign relations and keeping an income for the military troops.
I am also worried about the “rape culture” that is starting to grow. I wonder when did that sort of attitude become acceptable.
I also can’t understand victim blaming. A person cannot be held accountable when they have no choice or control over the situation. Rapist take away choice. I think it would be more effective to teach/stress people not to rape versus trying to teach potential victims “methods” to stay safe. Reason being there are no effective methods that will ensure safety each and every time.
@Randy
I would need more information before making a decision. Was the phone ringing? Was that the only chance to call someone due to bad reception elsewhere? Or was it just a show of how impressive the phone is by pulling it out? Some criminals are opportunistic while others have set plans and identify possible targets. Which is the pickpocket? I understand the point of the question but I really need the “full picture” for the scenario you mentioned before I can explain why or why not I feel the person would have some responsibily.
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@ Randy
Yes I’m a firm believer that people own whatever personal decisions they make and the ensuing circumstances. Hopefully they make good choices but it’s not my place to tell other adults how to live.
I’m a firmer believer in “the biggest risk you take is not taking one.”
I risked living abroad a few months knowing I would be considered a foreigner. I read horror stories of people of color being attacked in the country but went anyway because it was great career move. You can only scenario plan so much. I lived alone and therefore was just very diligent about the decisions I made while abroad. It was a very rewarding experience.
My brother, despite my plea for him not to join the military, decided to because he wanted to keep Americans safe. He knew the dangers of war and met with other soldiers before finalizing his decision. He’s seen death first hand, has friends who’ve suffered from PTSD and yet has no regrets about serving. It was his personal choice and I respected his wishes.
Women and men who join the military are not naïve and know what they sign up for. The average soldier doesn’t say, “gee I don’t think I’ll join because I might get raped.” They realize active duty presents many dangers. Much like being in law enforcement, a firefighter, race car driver, shark photographer, etc.
Regarding the stolen phone scenario, I would think most common sense thinking would go for option B. However as parents share, you can teach your kids right from wrong early on and sometimes they still make bad decisions. From those bad choices they hopefully learn a lesson. People are human. There’s no such thing as perfection.
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@Kiwi
“But that still doesn’t excuse other people’s racist behavior. That’s their fault, not mine.”
Agree 100%.
Have a nice evening.
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http://usarmybasic.com/army-physical-fitness/apft-standards#.UtnP1EHTkbQ
Sharina, here are the 2014 Army physical fitness standards for males and females, they are different and the female standards are lower. That supports Biff’s contention that standards are lower for females – it’s been that way for a long time. I don’t know of any intelligence standards that are different, but physical standards definitely are different. Does that answer your question?
I’m broken hearted to read this young soldier’s story. I’m prior service as is my wife, and I would recommend the experience to my daughter, except for these stories in the last several years of rape and sexual assault increasing in the ranks.
William, you seem quite enamored with the thought of women in the military. I disagree with you on their impact to our combat capabilities though. I don’t have a problem with females serving in a military capacity, they should be allowed to serve their country same as any man. But I think the U.S. Military of the 1940’s had a better idea in having females serve in separate services, the Women’s Army Corp (WAC), the Women Accepted for Voluntary Enlistment (WAVE – Navy) programs kept the gender’s separated to a large extent, and did not seek to employ women in the combat arms fields. I’m sure people still hooked up – human nature finds a way after-all, but I would expect the opportunities for criminal assault (as in this case) were fewer in number.
Ultimately I believe that women and men should not be near one another in a combat zone. Stress, feelings of fear or nothing to lose may cause some men to act out in ways that they would not if they were in a more civilized place. This was Not LaVena’s fault – I’m not evening hinting that – I place the blame for this squarely at the foot of the savage(s) that murdered her. But a little blame for the situation in general has to be placed on the alter of feminists and political hacks who have taken to using the military as a laboratory for social engineering.
The UCMJ has harsh penalties for these crimes, and Ft. Leavenworth is likely full of soldiers that got drunk and pushed the envelope a little too far, as well as the uniformed sexual predators that lurk in all walks of life in our country.
One other hypothesis that came to mind while reading this; the perpetrator may not have been a U.S. servicemen at all – possible a local civilian (maybe with military or political contacts) hired for contract services, or potentially a foreign military asset that was politically protected. I think that, had the perpetrator been a U.S. serviceman, the stuff would have hit the fan. If the perp happened to be a black soldier – do you think for a minute that the Army would have protected him?
There is more to this story and I hope the family gets to the bottom of it.
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@Riverside_Rob
I can honestly say I did not expect this information from you, but thank you because it is exactly what type of information I am looking for.
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Sharina,
I’m happy to provide you with links, as long as I know what information you need and where to find it.
Have a nice evening
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Its possible the army would have protected him; its like looking at who gets death sentences. The difference is less the perpetrator and more the victim; if the victim is white your odds of being able to get a death sentence are notably higher than if the victim is a women of color.
Honestly I don’t think we can say for sure the rape rates are going up in the military, only that they are being reported more.
I mean; we all know how soldiers are and how like cops; they protect their own.
As for women in the military; if I remember correctly they make better pilots and average out as better snipers.
They don’t have the highs but they also don’t have the lows.
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V8:
was asking myself does that change the story somehow due to how attractive she was?
Your perception is that she is attractive – that is not going to be the case for everyone, particularly as she is black. From reading this blog alone it seems that the ‘bar’ is expected to be much higher than that for what is attractive where white women are concerned.
Biff:
OK, this was horrible and it seems like some foul play went down (though, the timing with the break-up with her bf is strange). In any case, having women in the army has clearly not improved our armed forces. It would be one thing if they only let in the odd woman who was able to pass all the physical tests in place. Instead, the standards are lowered for women. If your family’s life were in direct danger, would you want a mixed gender group where physical requirements were all but removed fighting in the trenches for you? The US army used to be a respected institution. Now it is used by the powers that be to terrorize other sovereign countries and impose unwanted Western values upon them.
This sickening loss of life has nothing to do with the ‘tests’ or ‘criteria’ imposed by the armed forces. Why are you talking about her gender here? It is almost as though you are blaming her for being a female and having the potential to be ‘overpowered’ by men.
Randy:
……Does the girl in the above scenario at least share some responsibility for any bad things that might happen to her?
We can all do things to ‘safeguard’ ourselves however, in any court of law, when a woman says NO she means NO. People would perhaps mistrust the individual and question motives – many might even resort to name calling but thats it. You move on.
This makes the whole thing sound like you are trying to lead back to the fact that LaVena was in some way responsible for what happened due to the fact that she is ‘attractive’.
That you and Biff seem to be suggesting that women are just a ‘distraction’ in the armed forces. That ‘unwanted’, ‘unwarranted’ attention from men are the ‘fault’ of women – is that what you are saying.
Tell that to all the women that were raped during the Vietnam war and other wars like it i’m sure. They werent even in the armed forces but were still victims.
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Absolutely disgusting! I’m speechless. I don’t believe women should join the army, no matter how much equality one might believe in, there are too many rape cases of women in the army. Where is the justice?
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On this page under “see also” there’s a petition for LaVena Johnson. If you care at all, I urge you to please take one minute of your time to sign it.
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@Ebonymonroe, unfortunately justice is few and far between for most of us and know that why I say this you have my undying empathy and disgust for much of my race, but twice as less far and between for those of you who are not white…
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You know what William, I don’t even think with that prespective because if all White people abandoned White supremacist ideologies and microaggressive behaviour, POC would still keep it alive and well. It’s taught, we’re all socialised with it, we all collude with it, so we all have a part to play in it. This however is a matter of institutional and systematic oppression, which is something the everyday people (the majority) can see is unjust and wrong, a case like this should not be allowed to be swept under the rug, but the people have to speak up about it.
Side note: where are the NAACP with this?
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Omnipresent
I think it’s important to unpack the concepts of “blame” and “accountability”. To my understanding, “blame” refers to moral responsibility.
Clearly, victims should not be blamed for being sexually assaulted.
The “accountability” aspect is less black and white. We all acknowledge and accept risks in our daily lives, either implicitly or explicitly. We then share in some of the responsibility for the outcome.
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An innocent victim of murder and rape NEVER shares the responsibility, that is not only insane it is an evil and dangerous conception. Should one not walk alone in a bad neighborhood at midnight? No, it is dangerous and ill advised but if you are mugged and killed there is only one person at fault, the murderer. What kind of society are we aiming to be if we blame people for getting murdered simply because they were walking about at the wrong time, wrong area. Shouldn’t we hold all violent people 100% accountable, stop accepting that high crime areas exist and do something about crime in these areas. We need to move forward, not to the side…Every child, every woman and every man deserves to live in a place they can walk around at any time of day, down any street and wearing just about whatever they want…
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Oops, but I’ve got to side with Randy here. We must remember that there is the concept of what is referred to as ‘negligence’. So, while no one has the right to rape me, and that’s true regardless as to whether I’m walking buck naked down an alley at 3 o’ clock in the morning and in a neighborhood where rape takes place once a day at 3 o’ clock in the morning, if I’m in my right mind and still wilfully take a 3 AM stroll down that alley, then I am being neglient in protecting myself / keeping myself out of harm’s way
I can cry “its not right!” all one wants after the rape, but it won’t change the fact of the rape.
It is one’s duty to try within reason to keep oneself safe / not to intentionally put oneself in harm’s way. And yes, a woman who has chosen a career where she will find herself sleeping alone in a tent, in a field,in the dark, and surrounded by lots of men ( and many of whom may harbor resentment toeards her anyway), has put herself in harms way. She might have been naive enough not to look at it in those terms but it does not change the fact that she did indeed place herself in a position where there is GREAT potential for her to be raped and/or murdered.
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Wow. Instead of talking about the Army’s accountability we are talking about what? LaVena Johnson’s accountability. Powerful American institutions screw up and, as always, it is the victims’s faults that are put under a microscope. Go Team America! Let me stop before I throw up.
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Had to be said, Abagond. When exactly are we going to STOP blaming everyone and everything EXCEPT the perpetrator in these horrific crimes? LaVena Johnson knew she might sacrifice her life in service to her country but I’m sure no one entering the US Armed Forces would expect that their life would be ended in such a grotesque and perverse manner BY THEIR FELLOW SOLDIERS. And that’s really the whole point of the original post, isn’t it? She was raped, tortured and killed by her fellow soldiers and NO ONE is being held accountable.
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Pay It Forward,
“It is one’s duty to try within reason to keep oneself safe / not to intentionally put oneself in harm’s way.”
Expecting women to avoid contact with men is unreasonable. Isn’t that readily apparent? The military isn’t the only place were men and women come in contact with each other.
Intentionally putting oneself in harm’s way to protect other people is what all soldiers do. Civil Rights leaders intentionally put themselves in harm’s way to bring about change. They weren’t being unreasonable, the racists were. In the same way, women in the military aren’t being unreasonable.
Women fleeing any occupation/situation that involves contact with men would only empower rapists. The only thing that is going to stop rape is holding rapists accountable.
Also your view serves to stereotype all men as rapists, which is unreasonable and unfair to men.
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Pay it forward,
“I can cry “its not right!” all one wants after the rape, but it won’t change the fact of the rape.”
It won’t change the fact of that rape but it will prevent future rapes. Risking yourself to protect others is always a noble cause. Forgoing short term comfort for long term benefit of women.
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Very well spoken, Solesearch. Seriously, if women had to consider risk every time they left the house, live in constant fear, and never put themselves in harm’s way, we’d all be better off dead. Statistically, women are most likely to be abused in their own homes, so where does that leave us? Are we supposed to kill ourselves before someone else gets the chance? Absurd.
Every woman I know, and an awful lot of the men, too, do what they can to keep safe and avoid possibly hazardous situations, but there are no guarantees, ever. I’m not going to cease living in favor of merely existing. If a nefarious person is determined they are going to harm someone, all the precautions in the world may not prevent it. If all women never took risks, the human race would come to a screeching halt because no woman would ever trust someone enough to voluntarily procreate ever again.
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No one is ignoring the culpability of the US military here, but in the end LaVena is still dead. Pointing fingers now wont change a thing, She was still savagely beaten, raped and murdered. A little foresight for her own safety, and Ms Johnson would probably still be alive today. There is no getting around that; and outrage toward the Military and her actual rapist-murderers still don’t change it.
It was probably LaVena’s own assumption that none of those men in tents surrounding hers would ever harm her simply because they had no right to harm her (I have warned grown women about going into dangerous areas after dark, and they typically replied that no one had the right to do anything to them, It’s simply amazing, really). And they are all “the Good Guys” anyway! Right?!
Her rapist-murderers are responsible for raping and murdering her; the US military is responsible for not providing more protection for women performing combat duty along side potentially predatory males, and for finding and prosecuting the culprits of this crime. LaVena’s responsibility was to have used common sense and foresight enough to see that there was just as great a potential for harm to come to her, as a woman, from her “comrades” as from “the enemy”. And to not put herself in a position where she is very likely to be harmed in the first place. But she did, and someone took advantage of the fact that she did, and now LaVena is dead.
While we cannot bring LaVena back, emphasizing the personal responsibility of the individual for his or her own safety and well-being might save some lives in the future. The fact that there are laws on the books which state that rape and murder are wrong has not gotten us nowhere close to eliminating rape and murder. Not placing oneself in a position where one is very likely to be raped and/or murdered (and especially in a situation where the perpertator is likely to get away with it) in the first place is more of a safeguard than any law.
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Melanie,
No one asked you to “cease living”. I wrote the phrase “within reason” because I knew that someone would use the “not cease living” line as an argument.
Obviously, anyone who is intent on harming someone will do so regardless of circumstances. No one has stated otherwise. You are free to do as you please …and to live with the consequences of it as well. C’est la vie.
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Randy:
I think it’s important to unpack the concepts of “blame” and “accountability”. To my understanding, “blame” refers to moral responsibility.
Clearly, victims should not be blamed for being sexually assaulted.
The “accountability” aspect is less black and white. We all acknowledge and accept risks in our daily lives, either implicitly or explicitly. We then share in some of the responsibility for the outcome.
Randy
Far be it from me to psychoanalyze the mind of a rapist and unless there is something I am missing here, neither can you, but your comment seems to suggest that the ‘victim’ ‘shares’ some of the ‘blame’ in such situations.
Non concensual sex, taking someone by force, RAPE means that on the part of the attacker, they choose to ignore their moral responsibility. So, whilst the victim might have done everything they can in taking personal moral responsiblity for themselves, this becomes redundant when faced with their attacker.
There becomes little point then in ‘unpacking’ the concepts of blame and accountability because in this instance, both parties must ‘share’ both.
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It’s the United States Military, “Supposedly” the most ethical, moral and elite group in the world, I mean after all thats why we have 800 bases in 135 countries isn’t, to spread all that morality and sainthood to other nations. Taking risk does not make you responsible for crimes committed against you, taking risk makes you BRAVE. Killing someone, that makes you responsible.
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Correct me if I am wrong but isn’t the gist of this post Lavena Johnson was a victim of her fellow soldiers? Why is this heinous crime being covered up?
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@Mary Burrell:
I’d like to attempt to answer your questions, if I may.
Yes, this post is supposed to be about Lavena being a victim of a horrible crime that was perpetrated by other soldiers (and possibly by government contractor personnel). However as you can see, thanks to the cheap, racist white male trollbots the discussion has been derailed into an endless debate about who’s really to blame for this disgusting crime: the perpetrators or Lavena herself. Also at issue are such things as women’s physical fitness for military service, the army’s ‘lowered standards’ for females, whether or not how one dresses ‘provokes’ rape, etc. Any and everything except the discussion we should be having.
The crime is being covered up by the same kind of mindset: one that believes in covering up their wrongdoing at all costs, and, who obviously advocate and approve of brutal rape and murder. This should tell you everything you need to know about the level of evil that is out there.
I hope that you signed the petition, because the perpetrators of this crime need to face the wrath of her family, friends, and those of us who would like to see those murdering rapists punished in the way that they so richly deserve.
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@ Pamela : Thank you.
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Pamela
The crime is being covered up by the same kind of mindset: one that believes in covering up their wrongdoing at all costs, and, who obviously advocate and approve of brutal rape and murder. This should tell you everything you need to know about the level of evil that is out there.
Well said Pamela.
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I want you all who actually believe that a victim of a crime holds some responsibility for their demise to think of this; In the early part of the 20th century a man came to power and blamed 8 million victims for the troubles of the German people, he was a sociopath and he too saw the world in an ass backwards light, where victims were evil and homicidal maniacs were perfect soldiers of God. This is exactly why thoughts like yours are insane and dangerous…We punish evil and we rescue victims, if anything is black and white it is this basic law of righteous men.
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@Mary B:
You’re very welcome.
@Omnipresent:
Thank you!
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I am going to go slightly off topic, sorry abagond and others.
I saw a comment mention the NAACP. I have no idea why I didn’t even consider this organization when looking at this case. I looked at their mission statement located here:
http://www.naacp.org/pages/our-mission
Sum upped: equal rights/ eliminate discrimination.
I have mixed feelings on their lack of involement. They could have given more attention to the tragedy but then again what would they rally for? I feel like the biggest issue is the belief that the military personnel that dealt with the case were not thorough in their investigation and oversimplified Miss LaVena Johnson’s case. I can only guess that the NAACP lack of involvment was for political reasons. Just looking at the surface everything was done that needed to be done. So to me, an organization blaming or bashing the U.S. military can be viewed in some instances as anti-American. It would be difficult to prove discrimination in this case since honestly it isn’t known if the perps (if any) held rank or something else that could complicate the situation. There was no dna evidence or surveillance (as far as the public knows). For the NAACP, it may have been considered a lost cause. Yet, I now wonder if they even know about the case or if they just decided that it wasn’t worth fighting.
http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=8703
DOD official release on LaVena Johnson.
I think I just realized now that it isn’t my place to try to place blame or find out who is or is not accountable. LaVena Johnson is a fallen soldier. I can only pay my respects and hope that the family can continue to heal.
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Abagond:
Debates revolve around points of contention. The Army’s inability to offer adequate protection to female soldiers is not being disputed.
Here we see a thoughtful philosophical discussion about morality, free will and accountability, which is relevant to a number of other topics commonly covered in this blog.
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Horrific.
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I am commenting this post because it was reblogged and posted on another blog I frequent,also because I have some serious problems with this kind of post.
let’s consider something’s
1.if a attractive/good looking, black, female
had joined the mob or a gang and meet the same fate would the posters have done a post on
her?
2. would they have done a post or reblogged this one if it was a he, white (male or
female), or some other enthnophenotypic group member (male or female) – like latino, asian etc?
3. would they have done a post or reblogged this one if she was ugly?
oh yeah sorry about, that we all know, and I should know that there are no ugly people
and especially no ugly or unattractive females.
and I shouldn’t have even used the word “ugly” because saying someone is beautiful is okay even good (even if it’s not true) but describing someone as ugly is mean, spiteful as well as untrue.
4. would they have done a post or reblogged this one if “an attractive/good looking, black, female” was not in the army but was raped and murdered by black males?
5. if you (male or female, black or white or some other enthnophenotypic group member) joined the us military and came to another country and killed and raped men, women and
children on a regular basis as part of a lie, that only results in the improvisment of one group of people for the benefit and enrichment of a much smaller group of people (who themselves nor their children either never serve” or only the most prestigious and safe
positions)
5a.should I care about what happens to you?
5b.should they (in this case iraqies, but you can replace them with almost any group of
people anywhere in the world throughout the history of this country never mind all the
other countries wars throughout history) care about what happens to you?
I and they are not supposed to think – fuck you, you got what you deserved for joining with and assisting lying murderer.even though they have loss countless family members and neighbors not to mention livelihoods
, property etc?
6. And me what did I lose?
well I’m an African American male – low income poor;
I’ve been assaulted abused discriminated against and neglected by the same country/nation
that this female (who herself has probably been abused discriminated against and neglected) chooses to “serve”.
A word about service – someone explain to me how joining up with known killers, with a
long history of lying, raping, stealing and killing especially but not exclusively people who look like me is “serving your country” (by the way this is not my country I’m as I
said a African American male – descendent of the only group that involuntarily immigrated to this “gang” oops I’m mean country, and I don’t love it, but I should?
7. no other option
7a. a poor person’s only option out of poverty “sometimes” is to join the military and go over there and kill people or either assist and support those whose “job” it is to kill
“those” people.
7b.because I have seriously morally and logically critiqued this country, I side with “our” enemies and/or violence against America is the only other option.
I could write more but I’ll leave it as is, with a closing statement: no I don’t know everything (who does?, is it even possible?) but I’ve been reading progressive, leftist writings for decades ,norm chomsky,dr Frances cress welsing etc
I’ve also not read even more ,but from what I have read its consistent that the american government has been and still is a criminal enterprise – why should I or any other person especially non-white and even a good portion of white people join with and assist this criminal enterprise?
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Mbeti
why should I or any other person especially non-white and even a good portion of white people join with and assist this criminal enterprise?
—————————————————————————————————–
In order to understand what it really is?
A person I know used to call me up complaining about the racism being practiced by white people at his job. It was a good job with a major weapons manufacturer that allowed him to own a nice house (in a white area), drive a nice truck, take care of his family…
But the racism there was hell for him and the other black people; thats all he ever talked about.
One day he called and told me he quit. I was like, “WHAT!”
I asked him why and he told me it finally dawned on him how rediculous it was to complain about working with racists when the very weapons he produced FOR them are used to maintain the system of white supremacy that “forces” him to work FOR racists.
Regarding black males, the nexus of white supremacists and black female goals/motivations may be a mile deep but its only an inch wide. For the black female, the sucessful application of this dynamic always carries within it the threat of her own destruction.
*be advised*
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This story seems to be picking up some traction, it’s on the back channel now for sure:
http://iacknowledge.net/us-soldier-found-with-acid-burns-to-vaginal-area-broken-teeth-and-bloodied/
“Despite the bruises, scratches, teeth imprints and burns on her body, Lavena was found completely dressed in the burning tent. There was a blood trail from outside a contractor’s tent to inside the tent. She apparently had been dressed after the attack and her attacker placed her body into the tent and set it on fire.”
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Just read the report provided by v8driver – thanks for that.
The photographs revealed that Lavena, a small woman, barely 5 feet tall and weighing less than 100 pounds, had been struck in the face with a blunt instrument, perhaps a weapon stock. Her nose was broken and her teeth knocked backwards. One elbow was distended. The back of her clothes had debris on them indicating she had been dragged from one location to another. The photographs of her disrobed body showed bruises, scratch marks and teeth imprints on the upper part of her body. The right side of her back as well as her right hand had been burned apparently from a flammable liquid poured on her and then lighted. The photographs of her genital area revealed massive bruising and lacerations. A corrosive liquid had been poured into her genital area, probably to destroy DNA evidence of sexual assault.
And
According to figures from the Department of Defense, more than 70 members of the US Military encounter coerced and abusive sexual contact, aggravated sexual assault or are raped every day. That’s three every hour. There are 15 more suspicious deaths similar to that of Pfc Lavena Johnson. Yet when the matter of military rape was being discussed before the Senate Armed Forces Committee Hearing in June 2013, Republican Senator for Georgia Saxby Chambliss gave this explanation of the grave matter:
“The young folks who are coming into each of your services are anywhere from 17 to 22 or 23. Gee whiz, the hormone level created by nature sets in place the possibility for these types of things to occur. So we’ve got to be very careful how we address it on our side,”
I get that with adolescents and beyond, hormones are buzzing around all the time and that caution is important but still, address it regardless but make sure when this is addressed carefully you take care to ensure that you exhaust ALL options). With everything that has been revealed about this case how is it that the Military can close the case on what are clearly not self inflicted injuries? Why dont they want justice? It begs the wider question of whether overall the powers that be in the forces ‘care’ whether they are fighting a ‘righteous’ fight when they are called up to fight or whether they are so desensitised that they have no care for ANY human life.
Rant over – for now.
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When you have a trillion dollar budget and the most deadliest fighting force behind you, in western culture that means you can do just about anything you want without interference. I support our good men and women of the military but it disgust me that some of the worst atrocities occur within its own walls. What’s worse is that it would seem that each incident is covered up unless by some miracle or some brave soul reveals these acts of evil. Hypocrisy is one of mans worse attributes to this world and destroys the bond of trust and defeats any good works that may have taken place. It is an action carried out in arrogance and superiority…..How can our nation ever preach to the world about morality, human rights or human atrocities when within it’s borders and within it’s self titled moral elite military, exist pure EVIL.
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