The Senate Armed Services chair has bowed to the objections of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and spiked Sen. Gillibrand’s measure to take the prosecution of sexual assaults in the military out of the chain of command. This, after a day-long military sexual assault hearing that featured mostly men.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff flatly rejected removal of sex-crimes prosecution from the chain of command; Sen. Gillibrand took them to school. Meanwhile, Saxby Chambliss claimed that “the hormone level created by nature sets in place the possibility for these types of things to occur.”
Judging by their words, you’d think they’d be willing to stop at nothing to end the epidemic of sexual assault in the military. But you would be wrong.
While Fox News has devoted extensive airtime to pushing scandals that have since begun to fall apart, it has largely ignored new allegations of sexual assault in the military.
At a press conference on Capitol Hill, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand demonstrated bipartisan support for her proposal to remove the reporting and prosecution of sexual assault complaints in the military from the chain of command.
Having already asked lawmakers to take away commanders’ authority to overturn sexual assault convictions, Reid is now considering a measure that would entirely remove sexual assault cases from the chain of command.
As a former civilian social worker for the Air Force, I cannot help but weigh in on the national debate about how to reform the Department of Defense’s sexual assault policies.
Military Sexual Assaults Are Up, as Air Force Assault Prevention Officer Arrested for Sexual Battery
Pentagon brass say they’re working on the problem but balk at meaningful changes that would safeguard those claiming assault against their superiors.
While the Supreme Court took up marriage equality, the NRA and anti-abortion groups joined forces to block an important judicial appointment.
Choi was convicted and fined $100 for “failure to obey” in conjunction with a November 2010 protest of the since-repealed DADT policy outside the White House. “I believe the White House sidewalk is a free-speech zone,” he said.
