Holy shit, Cienna, that McCaskill is a hero. Thanks for letting us know.

I met with Lt. General Helms, looked her in the eye, and talked with her at length about this case. And while I find her situation unfortunate, it’s important that we remember who the real victim is in all this: the woman who was brave enough to come forward in a difficult culture and environment, sit in a witness stand, and tell the story of her sexual assault. A woman who then watched the decision of a jury—a jury that heard the testimony offered by both the victim and the defense—overturned by someone who was never even in the courtroom.

Wow, did someone seriously used the term "war on men," or did you just put that in quotes because it is basically a nonsensical term?

What a fucking joke. What would a war on men even look like?

I really fucking hate guys that claim that straight male sexuality is all about objectifying and taking/claiming women, and any suggestion that women should not simply be sex toys is an assault on male sexuality.

Ugh, Snohomish County makes the news twice. And not in good ways. Oh well, we up here know that Marysville is basically your doltish cousin, the one with a straight D-average and a predilection for pulling the wings off of flies. But he's kin, so we sorta tolerate him.

On that army base pot charge, "More officers arrived,"

More officers? For a gram of pot? Oh the humanity, I'm surprised everyone made it out alive.

@2

Taranto's defends his original article with a column titled "Sex, Lies and the War on Men."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424…

His first article opens with this:

Lt. Gen. Susan Helms is a pioneering woman who finds her career stalled because of a war on men—a political campaign against sexual assault in the military that shows signs of becoming an effort to criminalize male sexuality.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424…

Warrior women! Queen Boudicca would be proud!

I worry about the War on Canada Day ...

@5: Yeah, that is exactly what I fucking hate.

Dumbass men who go around claiming that sexual assault is normative heterosexual male behavior. It is an insult to humanity, and I hate that there are men who think this way. It is disgusting.

I mean, anyone who reads that and is still on the fence about rather or not "rape culture" is a meaningful term or not is not using their brains.

Thanks for the additional info though!

a war on men? where do i enlist?

Those pigs must have really felt like heros saving America when they stopped that guy with a tiny bud. I feel safer already with that criminal cited and his herb off the streets.

@8

One of the things that struck me about Taranto's piece is that he totally ignored the fact that there was a jury that weighed the evidence and found Herrara guilty.

Anyone notice how KIRO news seems to be run by the NRA? At least twice this week, they have run stories featuring people who have fended off criminals with real and toy guns. Subtext - owning a gun is good and it will protect you. No stories abour pre-teen murder suicides to balance it out.

Wait a second. There's a guy who wrote that repression of a woman who commuted a sentence of a man found guilty of sexual assault by a jury is a war on men?

That sounds like a war on women.

1) There was a sexual assault on a woman. (War on women)

2) The guy who was found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman had his sentence reduced. (war on women, ease of men)

3) The woman who commuted the sentence is now having her promotion held back for commuting. (War on women).

Where is the war on men in this case?

@11 read the column in 5. In a court martial, there is no jury. McCaskill and others are using sloppy language to create misperceptions

@9: You can pick up an application form at The Stranger, or any NOW or Planned Parenthood office.

thank you, raindrop! i'll do that today!

"Anyone notice how KIRO news seems to be run by the NRA? "

Yep. All the WA newspapers and TV stations are doing this. Gets them that NRA money plus advertising dollars for concealed carry and gun shops. Then all the sheeple who read it run down to Walmart and buy guns and ammo.

@14

You want me to reread the column by Taranto for evidence to support Taranto's claims? You seem to be full of shit.

Helms overturned a verdict reached by a jury. You can even read about it from military.com.

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2013/…

I'll even give you the relevant line:

In 2012, Helms reversed a jury’s verdict to convict Air Force Capt. Matthew Herrera for sexually assaulting Tech. Sgt. Jennifer J. Robinson.

Did you see the part where military.com refers to a jury's verdict? This means that there was a jury that reached a verdict.

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