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TROOPERGATE: NO TIME FOR SEX ASSAULTS.
Via Feministing, it turns out that one of the reasons cited by Sarah Palin for firing Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan is worse than why we previously believed she fired him: merely abusing her power to take revenge on a former brother-in-law. (See this ABC News report for the basics). She did it because Monegan was going to Washington to ask for money to combat sexual assault -- Alaska has more forcible rapes per capita than any other state in the Union -- and Palin didn't want Monegan's request to interfere with her earmarks requests going through now-indicted Senator Ted Stevens. The AP checks it out:
The last straw, the McCain campaign said, was in July, when Monegan planned to travel to Washington to seek federal money for a plan to assign troopers, judges and prosecutors who could exclusively handle sexual assault cases — one of the state's most intractable crime problems.In a July 7 e-mail, John Katz, the governor's special counsel, noted two problems with the trip: The governor hadn't agreed the money should be sought, and the request was "out of sequence with our other appropriations requests and could put a strain on the evolving relationship between the Governor and Sen. (Ted) Stevens."
Four days later, Monegan was fired. He said he had kept others in the administration fully apprised of his plans to go to Washington.
Between this and her refusal to subsidize rape kits for sexual assault victims, a pattern is clear.
--Tim Fernholz
COMMENTS (8)
Troopergate must be a lot worse than I thought if her defense for firing Monegan is that he was too concerned about child sexual abuse. Somehow this response does not sound as if it were well-thought out.
Posted by: Barbara | September 17, 2008 12:41 PM
forcible rape? isn't that called "rape"?
Posted by: CA | September 17, 2008 12:50 PM
forcible rape? isn't that called "rape"?
Forcible rape is distinct from statutory rape (where the sex is consensual, but still prohibited by law).
Posted by: Jinchi | September 17, 2008 1:48 PM
And the McCain campaign still clasps "honor" to its bosom as though it had sole ownership.
Posted by: Linkmeister | September 17, 2008 2:48 PM
Sarah Palin, as Mayor of Wasilla, approved the policy of CHARGING RAPE VICTIMS for the DNA testing of their rapist!!!
Alaska had to pass a state-wide law to stop Palin's practice.
And at the same time she made victims pay, she had the village of 5700 buy her a new $24,000 Suburban.
Some reformer, Sarah :(
Posted by: Eman | September 17, 2008 3:15 PM
Don't forget that Palin replaced Monegan with Kopp, a know sexual harrasser.
See the wiki article for details, including the email the victim sent to Palin, warning her about about Kopp.
google troopergate to find the wiki article.
Posted by: jukeboxgrad | September 17, 2008 4:15 PM
Troopergate is far from through
The Republicans wish they could bid it adieu.
The commissioner claims,
Palin's to blame,
He better never stand next to a caribou!
Posted by: Diane W. | September 17, 2008 10:53 PM
I read the ABC report on Fri, and immediately thought that Palin is history, and that even Alaskans will hate her. But here it is Sunday, and hardly any other news service has picked it up. That says that either the ABC report is unsubstantiated, or the compliant media have been told to stay away from it. Your thoughts?
Posted by: Shane | September 21, 2008 11:17 AM