BlogHer - activism - Comments

That was my first thought ... Like Hamlet, words, words, words

Nordette — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 01:28:55 -0500

Hearing about the petitions and the pleas, I thought as you did, North Korea could care less. Like Hamlet I said, "Words, words, words." And then I challenged myself. I am a writer like the women who've been unjustly tried and sentenced and who hope to overcome injustice through images and words. Should I ever dismiss the power of words?

But N. Korea is a nation that behaves like the lone control freak. Dangerous. I am concerned that it will lead the world's nations to unavoidable violence in the future in its oppression of people and thirst for power.

To Kim: Good information here and link rich.

Nordette Adams is a BlogHer CE & you can find her other stuff through Her 411.

Understood, but at the same time

Kim Pearson — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:49:49 -0500

It seems to me that we must do what we can.

KimBlogHer Contributing Editor|Professor Kim|

North Korea cares NOTHING about what the rest of the

Crunchy Carpets — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:58:36 -0500

world thinks...

I cannot imagine they would give a hoot what a bunch of bloggers want either.

Sanctions won't work and a country cut of from the world either.

It has also been felt that most of their 'displays' of power recently have more to do with internal issues rather than their outside neighbours.

Kim Jong is setting up his successor....one of his sons....

I hope the reporters are released...but potential imprisonment comes with the territory if you are going places you aren't supposed to be.

It is not a place I would want to be....

I can't imagine how terrifying this must all be for them and their famiilies.

Look for me at http://crunchycarpets.com or check out the ladies at www.wetcoastwomen.com

How BlogHers can help: Survey needs 7k more for Ling/Lee. Sign!

Lisa Stone — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:44:47 -0500

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/free-euna-and-laura

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder
Surfette

BlogHer is non-partisan but our bloggers aren't! Follow our coverage of Politics & News.

Supporting journalists who care about women world-wide

Lisa Stone — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:39:00 -0500

In this AP video, Laura's sister Lisa describes the story on trafficking in women on which Ling and Lee were working -- and offers the Ling family's profuse apology to the North Korean government:

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder
Surfette

BlogHer is non-partisan but our bloggers aren't! Follow our coverage of Politics & News.

Reporters without Borders English site is down

Lisa Stone — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:33:58 -0500

But their image and message provide great illustration for any journalist blogging this issue:

FREE LAURA LING AND EUNA LEE

Source: Reporters without Borders

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder
Surfette

BlogHer is non-partisan but our bloggers aren't! Follow our coverage of Politics & News.

Yes, we need to speak out

Kim Pearson — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:51:16 -0500

Hi Joanne,

Your post has great suggestions for ways in which we ordinary folks can speak out about this issue. I agree with you about the importance of getting a lot of bloggers to address this. There have been instances in the past where international attention has helped secure the release of people who have been unjustly imprisoned by totalitarian regimes. Although North Korea is unique in many respects, let's hope that they, too, can be made to see the benefit of showing a bit of compassion in this case.

KimBlogHer Contributing Editor|Professor Kim|

I'm channeling you, Kim

PunditMom — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 10:15:35 -0500

I wrote about Laura Ling and Euna Lee this morning, then came over here and found your wonderful post.

As many women as possible should speak out and contact their lawmakers to help these women get released as soon as possible. I wondered at my place this morning whether we'd even be having this discussion of the two in custody were higher profile journalists.

PunditMom
aka Joanne Bamberger
BlogHer News & Politics Contributing Editor

Breaking the Silence on Childhood Sexual Assault

Keith Smith — Thu, 28 May 2009 13:18:32 -0500

I was abducted, beaten and raped by a stranger. It wasn’t a neighbor, a coach, a relative, a family friend or teacher. It was a recidivist pedophile predator who spent time in prison for previous sex crimes; an animal hunting for victims in the quiet, bucolic, suburban neighborhoods of Lincoln, Rhode Island.

I was able to identify the guy and the car he was driving. Although he was arrested that night and indicted a few months later, he never went to trial. His trial never took place because he was brutally beaten to death in Providence before his court date. 34 years later, no one has ever been charged with the crime.

In the time between the night of my assault and the night he was murdered, I lived in fear. I was afraid he was still around town. Afraid he was looking for me. Afraid he would track me down and kill me. The fear didn’t go away when he was murdered. Although he was no longer a threat, the simple life and innocence of a 14-year-old boy was gone forever. Carefree childhood thoughts replaced with the unrelenting realization that my world wasn’t a safe place. My peace shattered by a horrific criminal act of sexual violence.

Over the past 34 years, I’ve been haunted by horrible, recurring memories of what he did to me. He visits me in my sleep. There have been dreams–nightmares actually–dozens of them, sweat inducing, yelling-in-my-sleep nightmares filled with images and emotions as real as they were when it actually happened. It doesn’t get easier over time. Long dead, he still visits me, silently sneaking up from out of nowhere when I least expect it. From the grave, he sits by my side on the couch every time the evening news reports a child abduction or sex crime. I don’t watch America’s Most Wanted or Law and Order SVU, because the stories are a catalyst, triggering long suppressed emotions, feelings, memories, fear and horror. Real life horror stories rip painful suppressed memories out from where they hide, from that recessed place in my brain that stores dark, dangerous, horrible memories. It happened when William Bonin confessed to abducting, raping and murdering 14 boys in California; when Jesse Timmendequas raped and murdered Megan Kanka in New Jersey; when Ben Ownby, missing for four days, and Shawn Hornbeck, missing for four years, were recovered in Missouri.

Despite what happened that night and the constant reminders that continue to haunt me years later, I wouldn’t change what happened. The animal that attacked me was a serial predator, a violent pedophile trolling my neighborhood in Lincoln, Rhode Island looking for young boys. He beat me, raped me, and I stayed alive. I lived to see him arrested, indicted and murdered. It might not have turned out this way if he had grabbed one of my friends or another kid from my neighborhood. Perhaps he’d still be alive. Perhaps there would be dozens of more victims and perhaps he would have progressed to the point of silencing his victims by murdering them.

Out of fear, shame and guilt, I’ve been silent for over three decades, not sharing with anyone the story of what happened to me. No more. The silence has to end. The fear, the shame, the guilt have to go. It’s time to stop keeping this secret from the people closest to me, people I care about, people I love, my long-time friends and my family. It’s time to speak out to raise public awareness of male sexual assault, to let other victims know that they’re not alone and to help victims of rape and violent crime understand that the emotion, fear and memories that may still haunt them are not uncommon to those of us who have shared a similar experience.

For those who suffer in silence, I hope my story brings some strength, comfort, peace and hope.

My novel, Men in My Town, is based on these actual events.

Men in My Town is available now at Amazon.com

Moments of obligation

Britt Bravo — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:26:40 -0500

llhaesa - It's true. Pain is often what compels us to change things about ourselves or in our world.

bandrews - Wow. Thank you for your inspiring story!

The Mother - I'm so sorry you feel like you are, "looking in from an outside window." Society often doesn't reward people who march to their own drummer right away, but oftentimes those are the folks whose new perspectives change society. The shadow side of their genius is that they are often ahead of their time--which can feel lonely. Hang onto your unique way of looking at and experiencing the world. It will be appreciated eventually.

Everyone has an obligation

The Mother — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 19:23:05 -0500

Everyone has an obligation to be themselves. And the best self that they can be.

Society, on the other hand, neither rewards nor encourages this endeavor. Our cookie cutter, follow the leader world isn't kind to those who march to their own drummer.

And yet I do. Sometimes I feel as though I'm looking in from an outside window, but I do.

Making a Difference

bandrews — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 15:57:31 -0500

My moment came in the early 90's as a young mom who was going blind and a degree in business, I began to volunteer with the Foundation Fighting Blindness. I realized that my pain that had been transformed into growth could help others ... I could make a difference in the lives of others by helping them process their lives. I returned to school as I was continuing to lose sight and obtained a master's degree. Now, ten years later I am living my passion as a therapist and certified thanatologist.

Learn lessons well...

nelle2nelle — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 18:59:19 -0500

I would guess there are a lot of little moment as well, including after we do things like say... fall apart (raises hand.)

Finding the fight within to stand up, reclaim life, move forward, and work to change things in ways large and small is important. Failure does not mean 'never can', but it might mean 'learn, get up, and move forward again'.

You are likely right, such moments are always lurking, ready for us to be confident and bold; I've a feeling you are ready.

llhaesa

Thank you and love the company

Jill Miller Zimon — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 22:43:20 -0500

Congratulations to the other women running for office - it's amazing how daunting it can be but then once you commit to it, it just is. And I've found men and women to be incredibly supportive. There's an awful lot about local campaigning that is very hard to find in a book or guide but so far, the enthusiams has been bottomless.

Good luck to the other women and I think that publishing a post like this, Joanne, is actually a very key part in convincing women to run. I didn't say "ok - done deal!" until I saw an article in a local paper about a woman running for her first time in a town two over from mine. And she's the mom of three kids, and she's about my age. That was it - I said, if she can, I can. And I think that's a lot of it when it comes to just going for it.

Maria - thanks for the kind words. BlogHer, as you know, has been just a huge resource of support and information and confidence-building and communication and learning. I feel very very fortunate that it exists and know that I'm a more active person, on and offline, because of it.

Everyone have a great weekend.

Jill Writes Like She Talks

Wow!

Hillary Kwiatek — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 18:25:46 -0500

Pundit Mom, thank you so much for mentioning my campaign in your list of women who are taking the plunge and entering electoral politics this year. What a thrill!

I'm a 41 year old mother of two elementary school aged children, so it's a little daunting jumping in with the big boys (and trust me, here it is mostly boys!), but it's also exciting. There is only one woman on the current Lehigh County Board of Commissioners which is part of the reason I'm running. Another woman, Jeanie McNeil, is running for one of the other Commissioners seats, so we're hoping that women will hold 1/3 of the seats when all is said and done in November.

I'd encourage other women to consider doing it as well. Yes, you have to ask people for money and for their vote. And it does take some time away from your family. But a lot of people are going to say yes when you ask. And as women, we can include our families in the campaign process and demonstrate that there isn't only one set way to run for office.

Best of luck to all the other women out there who have tossed their hat in the ring!

(The Other) Hillary