Another Republican Excuses Rape; What's Wrong with These People?

Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss blames "hormones"
and "nature" for rape and sexual assault in the U.S. military

Will Republican Scott Walker meet with a rape victim, and explain why the government should force her to carry her rapist's fetus? He should, because the GOP has gone crazy.

"Gee whiz, the hormone level created by nature sets in place the possibility for these types [rape and sexual assault] of things to occur. So we’ve got to be very careful how we address it on our side," said Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga) at a U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Monday, addressing the epidemic of rape and sexual assault in all the military branches of the United States.

What is it about the Republican and Tea Party and their aversion to stopping rape? Consider the Party of Scott Walker and Paul Ryan and its misogyny:

• Todd Akin's "legitimate rape" craziness (in U.S Senate campaign, 2012)
• Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga) defended Akin's comments
• Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Il) stated that abortion is no longer needed, hence should be outlawed
• Rep. Steve King (R-Ia) supported Akin's comments
• Richard Mourdock (R-In) says rape is God's will

But as William Saletan wrote last October, these people represent the mainstream of the Republican and Tea Parties.

As do Scott Walker, Paul Ryan, and other anti-choice Republicans who—like the majority in Republican world—call for instituting the government forcing rape victims to bear their rapists' children.

In fact, this is the GOP's official position on rape and abortion.

And no Republican can be elected GOP nominee for the presidency with a pro-choice position.

President Obama won the women's vote by 12 percent in 2012.

Here's what Chambliss said:  "The young folks who are coming into each of your services are anywhere from 17 to 22 or 23. Gee whiz, the hormone level created by nature sets in place the possibility for these types of things to occur. So we've got to be very careful how we address it on our side."

Men don't rape women, Nature does, in the Republican world view.

I guess we should not be surprised when the likes of Richard Mourdock call rapists impregnating their victims "something that God intended."

Mourdock, and his supporters like Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan for example, sounds like he walked out of an episode of Criminal Minds in which a serial rapist confronted by a FBI profiler tells the agent his rape victims should be grateful, just before the enraged FBI agent shoots him to death. (Criminal Minds; Season 5, "The Aftermath")

In the political realm, reasonable people have profound differences of opinion, but when politicians would force rape victims to carry rapists' children, there is something wrong with these people. It's called Misogyny.

On one positive note, Amanda Terkel reports, "Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has called military sexual assaults a 'scourge' and promised to make addressing them a top priority. A recent Pentagon report estimated that as many as 26,000 service members were assaulted in 2012."

From a political perspective, if the Republican Party ever wishes to narrow the gender gap, it must abandon the lunacy that women ever bear any responsibility for rape and sexual assault, and it must refrain from placing the blame on God's will or nature's plan.

Defending a women's right choose is also a good place to start for the White, Over-60 Male Party (aka GOP) that only gets elected outside of Appalachia and the south by appealing to misogyny and racism, gerrymandering political districts, and obstructing the right to vote through GOP-crafted voter IDs.

From the Rachel Maddow Show:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Justice for Women Veterans

Epidemic of sexual assualt against women in U.S. Military

The New York Times

Women in the military who are sexually assaulted or harassed face obstacles not seen in the civilian workplace. They can’t decide to take time off or quit, often have no way to avoid a predatory colleague or supervisor, and certainly in combat zones, no way to visit the human resources department. They often work in a culture that has long tolerated misogynistic behavior. And they can be further traumatized by the indifference or hostility of the bureaucracy that is supposed to help them.

Servicewomen and veterans say they often struggle unsuccessfully to obtain health care and benefits related to sexual violence they endured while in uniform. The Service Women’s Action Network, an advocacy group, last year sued the Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs under the Freedom of Information Act for documentation on their handling of sexual assaults. The group says the V.A.’s own data bears out the charge of unfair treatment. While the Veterans Benefits Administration approves 53 percent of all claims related to post-traumatic stress disorder, it accepts far fewer claims — only 32 percent — when the P.T.S.D. is related to sexual trauma.

Other national veterans’ groups are also urging the V.A. to make it easier for survivors of sexual trauma to qualify for benefits. Last year, the V.A. enacted this reform for veterans with P.T.S.D. related to combat: It lifted the difficult requirements for documenting specifically when and where a P.T.S.D.-linked trauma occurred, bending the benefit of the doubt in the veteran’s favor.

The V.A. could do the same for survivors of sexual trauma, shown in studies to be both grossly underreported and the leading cause of P.T.S.D. among servicewomen. Advocates say a medical professional’s diagnosis and written determination linking P.T.S.D. to sexual trauma, along with a survivor’s testimony, should be enough to meet the requirement. The V.A. could change the rule itself, or be directed to do so by legislation introduced earlier this year in both the House and the Senate.

See the New York Times.