CAN YOU HEAR HER NOW? Tragedy Strikes Women’s Rights Advocate Up Close and Personal: Her Daughter is Shot.

I should have posted this days ago. I woke up to this news the morning after it happened in a neighboring town. I had no idea that her mother was someone I knew from the blogs and Blog Talk Radio. This is cross-posted from Freemenow.

Louisa Rodas, the daughter of outspoken women’s rights advocate Betty Jean Kling was shot in the head the evening of December 15th, 2008 as reported HERE and HERE and HERE. In Betty Jean’s Blogspot, Freemenow, she writes: “She has less than a 50/50 chance of surviving and if she does, she will have one eye, one ear, a half of a head and be paralyzed on one side-we have no idea how much brain damage.”

Betty Jean’s daughters Denise & Louisa

What does Betty ask for in the wake of this tragedy? In addition to prayers for her  daughters:

*Spread this story far and wide, along with the pictures. This MUST STOP! No more Domestic Violence.

*Zero tolerance for sexism and disrespecting females in any way, shape or form. Never again laughing at women’s expense.

*March, Advocate and Demand stricter laws.

Betty Jean is asking for our help, to keep making our voices heard, to march, to advocate, to demand laws that protect women. Perhaps, to advocate for a “Louisa’s Law”, to keep Domestic Violence predators from being granted the ability to continue to stalk their victims due to our sexist, antiquated and inadequate legal system.

The relentless sexism and misogyny in America is killing our mothers, daughters and sisters every single day. How does domestic violence against women start? With the very sexism that is so common and acceptable in our country. The pattern is predictable and repeated thousands of times daily across our land where some are more “free” than others.

The abuser begins by making fun of or ridiculing the woman. He belittles her with so-called “jokes” and name calling.  He calls her names like “bitch” or “whore” or “cunt”. He then escalates to invading her personal space. He feels it is perfectly OK to grab, grope and touch her intimately and without her consent. She is treated like an object and her objections are treated as a joke or worse, an infringement of his “rights” to amuse himself. Eventually, his disrespect for her boundaries, his contempt and feeling of entitlement to use and control her leads to ever-escalating abuse. And violence.

The American Institute of Domestic Violence reports:

A National Epidemic

• Women are 85-95% of all domestic violence victims.
• Men stalk over 500,000 of their intimate partners each year.
• Men abuse 5.3 million women each year.
• Men kill 1,232 women each year; their intimate partners.
• Male-perpetrated domestic violence is the #1 leading cause of injury to women.
• Women are more likely to be attacked by someone they know rather than by a stranger.
• The leading cause of death for women is the workplace homicide by a male intimate.

In recent days, Betty Jean has demanded the firing of the now infamous gropergate poster icon Jon Favreau, Barack Obama’s speechwriter. He was photographed with a cardboard cut-out of Senator Hillary Clinton at a party. Favreau, described as a “normal guy having a good time” and a “great talent” and another fellow were on each side of the mocked up version of Hillary. One forced beer down her throat while Favreau squeezed her breast. They were laughing. It was a joke. One that was so funny, they publicized it on Favreau’s Facebook page so millions of other people could enjoy the laugh.

Betty Jean didn’t think it was funny and neither do millions of other women. They rightfully condemn this behavior because they understand it is part of America’s sexist pattern of disrespect, contempt and disregard for women. The same America that laughs when our leading female politicians are routinely called “bitch” on national television. An America where an effigy of Sarah Palin hung from a house is considered a humorous prank and T-Shirts calling her a “cunt” are a source of pride.

Women have a right to psychic and physical boundaries. One sexist act leads to another. Tolerance of abusive language, images and acts are the foundation of sexism. They are the stepping stones to greater abuse in a country that is home to epidemic levels of violence against women. It is behavior like Favreau’s and many other high profile and everyday men and women that continues to nourish the seeds of sexism and misogyny in our country. It is killing us.

Please, let Betty Jean, her daughters and countless other women know that yes:

WE HEAR YOU NOW!

SadStateOfAffairs/Freethinker ©

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