For the WTFH?!! files...

[darth_stitch]

I typed in "the hobbit movie review" over at google, because I'm curious about The Hobbit cartoon, having never seen it and only knowing about the awful Bakshi LOTR movie which was made yonks before Peter Jackson and his merry Hobbit crew came along.

And google turned up this:

THE TWO TOWERS IS HOMO SLANG FOR ERECT HOBBIT PENISES!!!

Um. I'm hoping this page is somebody's idea of a terrible, terrible joke, because if this is actually serious, I'd fear for the state of human race.

Although the photoshopped slashy hobbit photo did make me ROFLMAO.



A Filipina was allegedly gang-raped by 6 US Marines in Subic.

Apparently, she was barhopping with her sister in Subic or as this latest story says, she was in a karaoke bar, when she met these "fine specimens of humanity" who got her into a van and proceeded to rape her.

Here's the latest news about it.

Now, the US Marines are here because of some sort of joint military exercise thing in the "war against terrorism" blah blah blah. Don't get me wrong - I'm not going to knock the US Marines, because I am quite sure that the majority of the men and women who serve in the Marines and the rest of the US Armed Forces are decent, hardworking, courageous people who lay their lives on the line every day, regardless of what we all think of George Bush and the war on Iraq.

Now, I'm outraged, appalled and disgusted at the entire hoopla going over this. It's not just at the accused US Marines - if they are proven guilty beyond all reasonable doubt, then they're disgraceful, filthy, scum-sucking excuses for human beings and I'm sure I'm not alone in wanting their balls on a silver platter. I'm also enraged over the opinions of my own fellow Filipinos - some of whom are wondering what a "decent respectable Filipina girl from a good family" was doing barhopping in Subic, where everyone knows used to be a major hotspot for American soldiers looking for a "good time."

I don't know - maybe doing the same thing any young adult woman would be doing in any other country? Enjoying herself? Having fun? NOT COUNTING ON BEING DRAGGED INTO A VAN AND BEING GANG-RAPED?

I'd also like to throttle the Filipino doctor who allegedly told the victim, "Maybe you had it coming."

THE FUCK?!

I don't give a flying rat's ass whether this poor woman was a "decent girl" or a prostitute. She was RAPED - and rape isn't something that should happen to "girls who deserve it," who "had it coming," who "were not behaving in the Maria Clara fashion that all decent Filipinas should adopt." It shouldn't happen to anyone at all, PERIOD.

Not to mention the remarks made by some Filipino WWII veterans on the news who said that "Filipina girls today don't behave decently at all, so that's why Americans look down on them."

Again, THE FUCK?!!

I don't know, let's flip this over - what if 6 Filipino soldiers who were in the US, decided to drag a white girl, who happened to be bar-hopping into a van and RAPE HER? Would the American doctor treating her say, "Maybe you had it coming?" Would her fellow Americans start making remarks about decent American women who shouldn't be barhopping and who should all behave like a swooning, innocent heroine from a 19th century Victorian novel? Would the American government simply stand by and dither around and muddle over diplomatic immunity while the accused hide out in the Philippine Embassy?

Let's be clear, I'm not an anti-American, rabble-rousing, militant activist whatever. I'm just an ordinary Filipina, who wants to know the truth, who wants to get the bottom of this story and who wants to see justice done.

Because I know damn well that girl could have my own sister or cousins or any of my female friends.

Or she could have been me.

Comments

[accioslash.livejournal.com]

If you look around at the 'Baptist' site, you'll see that it's almost certainly a joke page. Though I really like the idea of at-home self circumcism and the 'what would Jesus do' thong.

Would the American government simply stand by and dither around and muddle over diplomatic immunity while the accused hide out in the Philippine Embassy?

I sincerly hope not, but I'm not at all confident that would be the case. The idea that rape victims 'asked for it' is not uncommon in the US even if the belief is not necessarily spoken about in public.

Sadly, ignorance can be found everywhere.

[darth-stitch.livejournal.com]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA - I should've known that page was a joke, but sometimes, on the Internet, you just never known for sure.

Sigh. I know it's not uncommon in the US either.... still, the point is that these are foreign soldiers on our own soil, not just your average asshole local rapist. I think that if the situation were reversed, most sane Americans would feel the same way about foreign soldiers involved in the rape of their countrywoman, yeah?

[fatascribunda.livejournal.com]

First, I am so sorry for what is happening. It's men like those 6 that give all Marines and all American military a horrible name.

As to the reaction of the drs and people, I have to ditto the above. We have a lovely unofficial policy of blaming the victim, digging out her sexual history, and calling her a slut.

So your comment about being a rabble-rousing activist...do it and be proud. The only way people are going to pull their heads out of their asses and start supporting the victim, being angry at the perp(s), and most importantly, teaching us how to respect one another, both of our governments and the people of our countries are going to continue behaving this way.

Anyway. Sorry for the preaching. And thank you for posting this. I never would have known without you putting it here and your anger at all of this makes me want to do something.

[darth-stitch.livejournal.com]

I know. I'm not going to knock on any soldier who risks his life in the service of his nation, regardless of what I might personally think of his government's policies. Because when you get right down to it - it's NOT easy to be in the military, in the front lines, when the shit gets down.

So I'd just like to know the truth about this incident and I'm praying for the victim, because shit, it's not easy to come out and report a rape, especially with this "lovely" policy of blaming the victim STILL going round.

[fatascribunda.livejournal.com]

I'm joining my prayers - perhaps the more voices, the sooner this shit stops happening.

[sinick.livejournal.com]

You'll probably be relieved to hear that Landover Baptist is a well-established parody site, right up there with the Onion.

And, yes, the old sexist 'she asked for it' bullshit is very much still around and it makes me see red every time.

[darth-stitch.livejournal.com]

THANK GOD AND SONNY JESUS!!! HALLELUJIAH!

hehehehehe. i'm kind of glad to get that confirmed, especially since there's really a lot of weird shit 'round the net.

And, yes, the old sexist 'she asked for it' bullshit is very much still around and it makes me see red every time.

Wordity word to the Clan McWord! :P

[larochka173.livejournal.com]

so what happened now? did the women's groups and the president (since she's a woman) protest? and what happened to the marines? in a way, given all the modern and ironically enough american influences, i would think that the country was progressive enough to know that women have rights and that they do not bring this upon themselves. rape is no one's choice, and no one does anything to deliberately have this happen. i would have expected comments like that from a country where women were considered second class citizens, not one where a woman has been president twice!

[darth-stitch.livejournal.com]

The US Embassy is willing to present the jerks for a trial and Katrina Legarda is being approached as the woman's lawyer. So here's hoping there's not going to be a whitewash going around, because damn it, it's a shame and disgrace to the thousands of other US Marines who are laying their lives on the line (regardless of what we think about the war), only to have some of their comrades think it's a GREAT idea to think that any Filipina found wandering about in Subic is probably some pokpok and thus, "free" for the taking.

They'd better not invoke diplomatic immunity or some shit.

Ironically enough, GMA has been calling the press out for being a "bad boy" to harp on all the bad news happening in the country and not focusing enough on the good. Er.... maybe because the bad news is SO bad that it overshadows the good? *sighs*

[larochka173.livejournal.com]

this makes me very very ashamed to be from a country where people think this way. if this had happened in a 1st world country, there would have been outrage, as there was in Japan, where they dont even regard women as equal, or with the kind of respect they have in western nations! tapos, sa atin walang kuwenta?!?! respeto. mahulog na lang sana ang betlog nila! sana masumpa sila na kahit anong gawin nila hindi na nila mataas ang mga butiti nila. sabihin ko man na putang ina nila, maawa naman ako sa nanay nila babae din yon.

... the HELL?

[guardantares.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure which disturbs me more. All right, I take that back, the gang rapes just pisses me the hell off while the doctored hobbits spooning picture and attached Christian Frothing is just mildly disturbing.

I'm a native born american. While it makes me so mad that I can't see straight, I have to say that it might not have been so much better over here either. I've served as a juror in rape trials and every time its the same disgusting show. The victim is put on the stand and cross-examined as to her behavior that night, the way she was dressed, how much she drank, who she spoke to... as if being raped the first time wasn't bad enough they have to make her go through it again by making her sit through tapes, recordings, pictures, testimonials, or whatever else they can come up with in addition to having the defense come right out and say 'She was asking for it.'

What is perhaps even more sickening is what happens should the miscreant who raped her actually go to jail. He is treated like a fucking celebrity if he even gets time at all. I've seen them get off with as little as a damage settlement and a slap on the WRIST! Men who are accused of PUBLIC INDECENCY have a higher conviction rate than rapists.

Now there's an idea. Maybe we should prosecute them for public indecency? From what I've read there's no inquiry as to what the accuser was wearing at the time, just that they were in a public arena and saw the other's genitalia. While rapists may get respect in prison, no one likes a weenie-wagger.