Would it be inappropriate to say the LW sounds hot?

This is perfect. I am a contractor for the DoD and just TODAY I put together a report that is to go to leadership next week at a two-day summit on sexual assault in the military about gaps in service for these victims/survivors. My main point is the DoD has increased exponentially its "prevention" efforts and sexual assaults are staying the same in some segments of the military and its academies and rising in others. Applying the wrong prevention efforts with the wrong commanders in the wrong setting to guys not ready to hear it yet? A waste of taxpayer dollars. I need to add this letter to the read-aheads for the summit.

Yo joe!

Thanks for fighting the good fight, YITAN!

Our soldiers start at college age and may or may not have had comprehensive sex education in high school. They should be spoken to frankly and directly about their new responsibilities as adults off the battlefield. A change to the culture is absolutely possible, but it needs to come from the leadership and be reinforced by the rank and file. Buddies should not let buddies rape.

I am still amazed how many people can spend how much time saying 'rape is bad' without actually mentioning consent. Go you, LW.

Hahaha...now the "homosexual agenda" has really infiltrated the Army! Good on YITAN for speaking up...that took balls.

@6:

You can join the military at the age of 17, if'n you have your Parents or legal guardians written permission.

Mr Rhone - He sounds aware - at least on misogyny, and I'll give him at least the benefit of the doubt not to expect lack of awareness elsewhere.

[HA] If you did say he sounded hot, would it be inappropriate to say you sounded like a straight chaser?

(aside - what is it these days with people writing "a women"? This must make at least a dozen times I've seen that this year - mostly from feminists. Has singularism been added to the Naughty List when I wasn't looking?)

This is great. Progress!

Goddamn right. Nice work, sir!

More than half the rapes committed where the victim is male. The right wing likes to say that the increase in this activity is due to the acceptance of openly gay people in the military. It is likely that the rise in this category is due to the fact that if you report it now you won't automatically be kicked out of the service.

Nicely done, YITAB. Thank you.

Ripped from TODAY'S headlines alone:

NPR's Here & Now: U.S. [Army] General [Jeffrey Sinclair] Court-Martialed Over Sexual Assault Charges

Washington Post: Air Force [Lt.] Colonel [Jeffrey Krusinski] Indicted On Assault Charge (Krusinski was chief of the Air Force’s sexual assault-prevention branch.)

Rock on, that is truly awesome and vital work, especially in the Army. Thank you and congratulations, YITAN!

That part where he says, "that was my sister" is an illustration of the same concept that's brought us gay marriage. When you know someone who is gay, you tend to vote for gay marriage; when you know someone who has been raped, you can talk about it with empathy to your fellow service members. I think it's a lot harder to come out of the closet as being raped than being gay, and it's vital to tell at least our loved ones to stop rape culture.

Mr. Ven @11: Looking and pursuing are two different things, my friend. As for the "a women" thing, bad grammar is pretty universal these days. All is forgiven is this case because of his brave willingness to speak up and reach out. Also, because he sounds hot.

Military Men Raped: 13,900 – Military Women Raped: 12,100 – Military Sexual Trauma

http://beforeitsnews.com/opinion-conserv…

@20, I know you're not anti-gay. If you trace back the source of your link, it likely originated as a press release from Elaine Donnelly, who essentially is the Center for Military Readiness (like One Million Moms—a handful of women and a fax machine).

A protégé of Phyllis Schlafly, Donnelly's been called "the most prominent purveyor of the politics of paranoia" and an "archconservative who has spent years vilifying both gays and women in the military."

@18 I think you make a really good point but it puts the onus (once again) on the victims. it's sad that people are apparently unable to empathize with others until it's someone they know.

Coming out of the closet as a rape victim is pretty dependent on what men (for the most part) say about sexual assault. Just like coming out as homosexual, the perceived safety of the environment has has a huge impact on whether or not someone will be confided in. When I was 11 my mom and I were watching Thelma and Louise. My brother walked in during the bar/rape scene and made some comments about how it was ridiculous that the rapist was somehow the bad guy when Thelma had been all over him. My mom was shocked and told him he was wrong but I never forgot what he said.

The word "evangelism" is not misused. Praise be to God; this guy did some real good.

@16 Hardly from today's headlines--the sexual component of the charge against Krusinki was dropped over a month ago. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/18…

I love Dan Savage, and it sounds like this officer dropped some important knowledge on his troops. Unfortunately, there are a lot of feminists/anti-rape advocates who really do believe that if "she wakes up the next morning and decides she regrets sleeping with you" it's rape. E.g., from right here on Slog, comments 9, 10, 16, 25, this I, Anonymous: http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/i-ano…

Also, all the people who thought Adam raped Natalia on Girls: http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/201…

Like it or not, there does seem to be a substantial population out there who believe that anything that a woman later decides makes her uncomfortable justifies a rape report. As long there are people out there who think that way, the skepticism expressed by the higher-ranking officer will be justified.

Congratulations on having the guts to speak up!

*applause*

@26, re: your first paragraph: the article I linked was datelined yesterday. Because that's the day he was indicted. I'm aware that the sexual-assault charge was dropped. That doesn't mean sexual assault did not take place, just that for technical reasons the prosecutor felt his odds of conviction were better with the assault charge. Read the article.

Re: your second paragraph, nothing about my comment @16, consisting of two links, should put me on your list of supposed exemplars.

#29, was referencing comments 9,10,16, and 25 to the I, Anonymous, not your comment 16. I can see how that wasn't clear, the way I wrote it.

Gotcha. Thanks.

Absolutely lovely !