Women are getting RAPED in the Superdome?????

[Obamarama]

Chris Lawrence (CNN) just reported he had heard of women being raped in the Superdome.

Okay...society has officially broken down if this is true.

[Hello_Kitty]

1. God I hope that's not true. n/t

[madeline_con]

2. Society went in. Society lives there....

societal ills continue just as they do outside the Superdome. I'm not the least bit surprised, given human nature.

[tx_dem41]

18. Great...but sad...observation. n/t

[electron_blue]

3. Well, yeah. That is kind of the whole point of the last few days.

Sickening isn't it?

[Missy M]

4. If this is true I am totally disgusted with mankind....

a disaster like this should bring out the best in people and instead it seems to be the opposite with some. You are right that society has officially broken down and there should be no excuses for this. It can't be blamed on hunger or thirst or other excuses. I don't want to hear 'but because of the circumstances' because in reality this is despicable.

[CoffeeCat]

23. You're right, there is no excuse for rape...

...and I totally agree with you.

I'm certainly not excusing rape, but it doesn't surprise me that this is happening.

Rape is not a sexual crime. It is a crime to gain control--when you feel out of control. It is a crime that is based on rage.

It's obvious to anyone--that the government has not responded as rapidly and as efficiently as they should have. Many have died, that didn't have to die. Many are dying and stranded now. There is no food, water and lawlessness abounds.

I'm sorry to be negative--but the entire country saw this Category 5 storm barreling toward NOLA for days. They knew the potential for utter disaster with NOLA lying below sea level. What did Shrub do? He continued his vacation. We should have begun galvanizing the Guard and other first responders at the hint of this. This hurricane hit more than 48 hours ago--and Junior just today revealed his grand plan for a "task force."

So. Frickin. Pathetic.

People are full of rage. They feel abandoned. They've lost everything. There are many volunteers doing GREAT work down there, but a large-scale relief operation should have been organized as we realized what was doing on.

I'm not excusing rape, or any other crime. However, our government has let down these people and they feel lost. Basic civility is crumbling because there is such discombobulation. Their feelings are understandable. It's horrendous that anyone would rape an innocent victim--or hurt someone in ANY way. That's not the way to deal with this.

I blame the sick rapists, who should be locked up forever. And I also blame this revolting administration for being so self absorbed and disorganized--for helping to create the conditions that lead to such horrors.

[riverwalker]

25. there are countless stories of good

lets not forget. Like the man who went out alone in his little duckboat and personally rescued over 80 people one night. There are thousands of stories like that too.

[CoffeeCat]

5. Is Chris Lawrence...

...the CNN reporter who drove in today in his Ford Explorer, towing a boat?

That reporter is RAW. He is an articulate truth teller and he is conveying exactly what he sees and reporting the down and dirty details--exposing the truth.

If this is the guy, I heard him today on CNN talking about a police officer he interviewed. He said that the police officer admitted that there is really no law enforcement in NO. The reporter said that the police officer said that a band of 6 officers try to help and uphold the law, but they are powerless and without communication. He said they don't even try to stop the looting.

It was some of the most honest, real, uncensored reporting I've seen in years.

This reporter does not know NOLA. He'd never been there, but he drove in with his car and boat--asking for directions as he went. He's a total renegade and he seems like one of the good guys who is in total shock over what he's seeing.

He just kept saying repeatedly, "My God. I had no idea it was this bad." I think he's overwhelmed with emotion--and deeply wanting to report the facts and the truth.

A really good sign, if you ask me.

[Solly Mack]

6. so where did the NG go that was in the Dome?

[qanda]

7. And they are getting ready to move them to another

Hell on Earth situation, only in Houston.

[etherealtruth]

8. will the horrors ever STOP ...

where is the Nat'l guard?

[winga222]

11. Iraq

which is where the money to shore up the levee went. But really, why do you hate America?

[jaysunb]

9. Don't believe or spread unsubstantiated rumors.

There much more important things to do.

BTW Most Brothers won't stand by and watch or condone rape. It could be our sister or Mother. That's why rapist have such a hard time in prison.
Rumors like this are designed to further debase us.
Please don't participate.

[Obamarama]

26. Your point is well-taken. I should have been more clear in my post...

And thanks to the poster below who said the reporter said "wild rumors". I wasn't intending to post it as a fact, which is why I said IF it is true, society has broken down. I wasn't saying it WAS true, but I definitely understand where your concerns are coming from. Thanks for clarifying the comment with your observations!

[Lone_Star_Dem]

Thank you, thank you, thank you

I'm with you 100% on this. :thumbsup:

[madeline_con]

44. self delete...

it would just start a little racial argument about the "Brothers" in the 'Dome.

[ConsAreLiars]

10. Not true. What the reporter said was

was that with no communicatrions wild rumors of all sorts were spreading, and he cited some, including the one you chose to repeat.

[Tyranny_R_US]

16. Thanks for clearing that up

[dave502d]

31. Thank you ConsAreLiars.n/t

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[JanMichael]

14. Flamebait post, thanks.

Totally illogical but hey! Shoot all them <insert plural of racist label here>!!!!

[Pithlet]

24. Oh. My. God.

You didn't just say that people who are "condoning" looters will have no problem with women getting raped. I must have misunderstood.

If so, and I didn't just misunderstand, then you are absolutely without gall.

[Guaranteed]

40. This didn't even happen, anyway.

People don't do these kinds of things during disasters.

Where's the evidence?

[the_spectator]

61. Shouldn't that be "absolutely full of gall"?

Or perhaps, at best, "If so, and I didn't just misunderstand, I don't know how you have the unmitigated gall to suggest that."

That may have been the particular cliche you were attempting to use.

[MissB]

56. Welcome to DU!

Enjoy your stay. :eyes:

[NiteOwll]

13. I was listening to the radio from Chicago this afternoon

and I believe it was a doctor who specializes in infectious disease, attending a conference in New Orleans, who called in and said that he had heard that 5 women had been raped at the Superdome. He was staying at the Ritz Carlton (I think he said) and got stranded there and he was very afraid they would be moved to the Superdome. He said the youngest victim was a girl about 10 years old. Very sad...

[Horse with no Name]

15. From what I heard yesterday

The Governor said they were going to move women and children out first.
Which probably left some women who were alone and alot of angry and frustrated men.
They don't know who is in there--they don't know if there are rapists or sex offenders. How can they blindly assume there aren't?
How the hell could they not be watching out for this kind of thing to happen?
Where is the National Guard?
This is insanity.

[riverwalker]

17. also some suicides

and a couple deaths "from unknown causes".

[Pithlet]

19. I don't know.

It seems to me that the fathers and brothers and husbands of the women in there wouldn't take this sitting down. Every picture I've seen of the inside of that dome is a bunch of people lying around in utter misery and there isn't a while lot of privacy.

If it's true, than it's horrible, but until I see proof from a credible source I'm chalking it up to more rumors.

[bridgit]

20. the veneer of civility is indeed paper thin...

i keep seeing in my mind's eye all the super rich gloating as to the 'wisdom' of bush giving them the rest of all the money...neither are they stepping forward but watching, from behind their gated communities

[Mr_Spock]

21. I believe it

This is a goddamned city - their are freaks in every city just waiting for an opportunity to act out. That is SO awful x(

[Jacobin]

22. Looting, raping, pillaging?

Hey, its all cool, according to many DUers

[Pithlet]

27. It is not.

And you know it. Bullshit. Fucking Bullshit.

[Jacobin]

51. I've been in quite a few of these threads the last couple of days

Perhaps you missed them?

btw, i've got a small apartment in the quarter and find it odd that so many duer's want them to help themselves to my shit

[mondo joe]

77. No, but we can't JUDGE these actions from the comfort of our homes.

THAT I heard plenty of.

[bridgit]

30. somehow...i hear you on that one...

[Pithlet]

33. You've got to be kidding me. n/t

[bridgit]

35. negative...

[Name removed]

38. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[bridgit]

39. take your petty vengeance out on whomever you must...

it is your to relieve.

[faithnotgreed]

68. pithlet - tempers and feelings are running all over the place

as you know of course

please take good care but dont stay away

we need people willing to fight the good fight but i understand if you need a break
i think others would benefit from that as well

take care friend

[The Jacobin]

36. Wha?

And you list you are from Louisiana?

:wtf: is the matter with you?

[Mr_Spock]

41. Yeah. Cool.

:eyes: :wtf:

[donheld]

48. Jacobin NOBODY at DU

ever said that :spank:

[Jacobin]

53. uhm, yeah i remember it quite plainly

pillaging and looting, at least......of my fucking apartment in the quarter....

Don't even fucking get me started

[donheld]

54. If i get you fucking started

that might be considered rape. :evilgrin:

[Name removed]

62. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[donheld]

76. If some of us don't laugh

we'll go insane. It's not been a pleasant week.

[MissB]

60. No it is not.

Nice job fanning the flames, though.

[Guaranteed]

64. Well, when you break the social contract...

Don't act like so many of us haven't ALREADY said something.

:shrug:

[MissB]

69. BullGooseLoony, I don't know what your angle is here

I've read countless threads on looting in the past several days. In pretty much all of them, I've seen DUers take the position that people looting for food/diapers/medicine isn't wrong.

I happen to agree with that position. Most of those that take that position find the looting of household goods/clothing/shoes/tvs to be criminal.

There is a wide gulf between the two. The law actually recognizes the former as being okay during a crisis, while the latter is never okay.

Rape and murder are never appropriate, under any conditions. It has nothing to do with looting for food/diapers/medicine.

[Guaranteed]

73. As do I.

However, I also recognize that once someone has gotten to that point- in fact, once we've gotten to the point where we're openly condoning, even, stealing of food and other necessities- peoples' mindsets *change.* They interpret the justifications for and the ability to do these things in....well, odd psychological ways. Sociology changes MASSIVELY in such a situation.

And it's not just that. There are those here who are saying that people should be looting whatever they feel like. They're advocating a free-for-all.

While I agree that people are entirely justified in stealing those things that are necessary for life, the point of view is going much farther than that in many cases here. While others may contend otherwise, going that far- *saying* it's okay to steal (and you can bet it would NOT stop anyone from getting necessities to maintain a stance of "no stealing")- IS a slippery slope.

This is one of those issues that leads to mass mentalities and hysteria. It snowballs.

My point of view is that, while it may be okay to steal necessities, one can't condone it, publicly. Instead, when you get your gang together, you put together a list of high ideals that will help *everyone.* THEN, and only then, when those ideals are in place- you go about finding what is necessary in order to accomplish the corresponding goals. Stealing in that case? ENTIRELY, EASILY justified. For the greater good.

And there's no raping involved, because it's not the individual just saying "Fuck you" to everyone else.

[mondo joe]

79. And some have very vocally refused to draw that line on criminal looting.

And those of us who said taking necessary food or meds is fine but stealing jewelry/electronics etc is have been told we shouldn't judge these people BECAUSE they are victims.

Some of us have been treated like Freepers for daring to draw that line.

[Stephanie]

28. WHY no press in the Superdome?

This was the ruling since Sunday - no media in the Superdome - it's been completely off limits except for a few still photos - very few phone interviews out of there - no video - are these people refugees or prisoners????

[William769]

29. He said it was a rumor!

At least we know how these things grow legs now.

[Cleita]

32. Think about it.

If you are at a game, there's plenty of security around. If they just herded these people in there without adequate security, it's going to happen. As they say, "when the cat's away, the mice act like rats."

[Guaranteed]

65. So you're saying we need security?

Maybe order? Laws?

We need to work together for the greater good?

[Cleita]

72. We need to bring the NG back from Iraq to do what

they are supposed to do. We know that won't happen because they should have been here to begin with. But we all knew that here on the crazy, liberal left. I have no objection to authority. The only objection I have to authority, is when they misuse their power like they have in So. Central LA in the past.

[Matariki]

34. Is it possible to ask the moderator to remove this post

the subject line is inflammatory and unsubstantiated rumor and, imo, has an undercurrent of racism.

[Cleita]

42. I agree. There is a lot of sensationalism and paranoia

in a lot of these posts. I'm sure bad things happen in a period of chaos, but we should be concerned about the agony these people are going through too.

[sundog]

43. use alert

my thoughts too... this is bullshit guaranteed to drag out the uglies

[Matariki]

49. okay i'll do it if you do too. thanks.

[sundog]

59. already did, this is bullshit

[MissB]

70. I've alerted sooo many times in this thread.

Mods must be taking a well-deserved coffee break this evening.

[faithnotgreed]

66. too late

[-..__...]

47. The "undercurrent of racism" is only applicable...

if you happen to believe that one race is more responsible for rape than another.

I don't see that in the OP's post, but I see it in yours.

[sundog]

63. and i usually see it in all of yours

[-..__...]

71. Care to share?

"and i usually see it in all of yours"

[Obamarama]

52. Don't get your knickers in a twist....

I never meant for it to be "inflammatory" and actually any allusion to race ocurred in your own mind.

I think I made it clear in my original post that this was heresay and I never implied it was true.

I was reacting to the horror of the IDEA.

In retrospect, I do agree that perhaps it should be locked my a mod. I never intended to be a flamebait lightning rod.

[Guaranteed]

55. Are we censoring news entirely, now?

A reporter on CNN reported this. Not that that means it is true, but, he seems to think it is news.

[no_hypocrisy]

37. I am skeptical, however, there is to be expected a certain breakdown

of civilized behavior and diversion of social mores when there is a disaster or a crisis. It was well illustrated in Lord of the Flies where choir boys became murderous barbarians when social order broke down.

[ecoflame]

45. THAT'S the whole point

Chris Lawrence didn't know if it was true. Conjecture, gossip, rumor, speculation....

.....until someone comes forward and says 'yes, this happened' - you don't know. Leave it at that. Society hasn't broken down - yet.

[-..__...]

46. I wasn't aware that the pro-football players...

were allowed back in the stadium?

[donheld]

50. This should not be posted

with out a link. This is far to ugly a rumor to start without a link.

[Obamarama]

58. It was on CNN....

Sort of hard to post a link.

I NEVER implied in my post it was fact. What did you people get in reading comprehension?

Kindly direct your judgemental eyes to Post #26.

[fujiyama]

57. I heard that too

This is extremely disturbing.

[Used and Abused]

67. would this rumor have surfaced had it been mostly white "refugees"

in the dome? I'm so sick of this shit.

[Obamarama]

74. Holy SHIT...calm the FUCK down....

I have alerted the mods MYSELF and asked them to lock this thread. I think I made it perfectly clear several times throughout this thread that I never intended to start a friggin' flame war.

Fuck, this place is crazy tonight. I suggest we ALL take a step back, take a deep breath, get some rest and chalk it up to this horrible vibe of national stress we all seem to be experiencing.

[gate of the sun]

75. Where is the proof of this?

I want proof.....I don't know are they trying to desensitize us to the plight of the victims for godsake......let's keep our hearts and minds open.....we don't believe the media on most subjects lets remember who they are.....most of us know.....we would never do these things and maybe it's not really happening....Granted if it is..It too terrible to contemplate. I believe in my fellow human beings to declare I don't believe it just because it's on CNN.

[davepc]

78. I guess all the reports about sex assault after the tsunami

were just baseless rumors too..

http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2137

[Technowitch]

80. Locking

Nothing good is coming of this discussion. Please take a moment, folks, take a deep breath, and try to calm down, okay?

It might also be a good idea to turn off the TV, step away from the computer, and go do something else for a while. Or write that check to one of the relief agencies... and then go do something else, like hug your kid, make love to your spouse, and remember why life is precious.

Just a suggestion.

Technowitch
DU Moderator