Open Letter to Elizabeth Hasselbeck

Dear Mrs. Hasselbeck:

Your recent comments about ESPN reporter Erin Andrews were not only stupid, they also came on the heels of two high profile cases of domestic violence events: the murder of Yeardley Love by her ex-boyfriend and the kidnapping of Venus Stewart, allegedly by her estranged husband. You may not think that the stalking of Erin Andrews has much to do with these cases but you're wrong. Then again, you're often wrong. But here is why it was particularly egregious this time.

Women have always been victim/survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Unfortunately, none of this is new. But in just 7 days time, two young women have suffered unbelievable acts at the hands of men who were obsessed with them and obsessed with having power over them. When Michael Barrett targeted Erin Andrews, he violated her privacy, her spirit, her heart and her mind. What he did was extremely similar to the murder of Yeardley Love and the kidnapping and possible murder of Venus Stewart. All of the acts--the murder, the kidnapping and the stalking--were committed by men who felt they had the right to take a woman's power away by any means necessary. This has been happening to women for centuries. It also happens to men but on a much smaller scale.

Victim blaming is also nothing new. Endless research shows that men and women tend to dissect situations of domestic and sexual violence in order to find what the VICTIM did wrong. And no one is perfect--but no one deserves to be abused, no matter what anyone thinks they might have done. But your comments about Ms. Andrews situation suggest that you believe she is in some way encouraging the abuse that has been heaped upon her in recent months. Elizabeth, if all women and men who were victims of stalking and/or abuse stayed home with the shades drawn, there would be very few people out walking around. I applaud Ms. Andrews for taking back her power, for dancing her ass off on national television and for saying, "I'm not going to let the actions of a twisted, broken man stop me from living the most exciting life I can."

During your tearful apology on The View, you mentioned your daughter and how she opened your eyes to what you had done. I'm concerned that it took a 5 year old to explain that to you but let's really drive that point home: I hope that you NEVER have to watch your own daughter deal with the repercussions of stalking and/or sexual or domestic violence. It would tear your heart out. Also, I'd be worried that she had to come to someone with your twisted opinions for advice and comfort.

Now, I also take issue with what you said to your daughter about how Mommy needs to only say positive and nice things to people all the time. Not true. I would suggest that PEOPLE LIKE YOU need to be told how incredibly uneducated, unintelligent and unfeeling they are. I would like to thank you for opening your mouth and speaking on national television every day, just as I thank people like Fred Phelps for exposing who he really is. It's not your fault; you're a product of a misogynistic world. The difference is, you seem to have embraced it.

And This Weeks "Oopie Doopie" Award Goes To...

Sooooo...I am as concerned (if not more) as the average person about the children of Haiti. I can't imagine what it must be like to lose one or both parents in a terrifying, devastating earth quake. My heart goes out to each and every one of those children and if I can ever do anything beyond sending donations to the Red Cross, I certainly will.

What I WON'T do is get on an airplane with my church group, arrive in Port-au-Prince and begin rounding up children who may or may not be orphans and start marching them out of their country into a different country, expecting to collect $10,000 per kid. All because GOD TOLD ME TO. What. the. fuck.

Now, I don't know God personally but I'm willing to be that he isn't sitting...wherever...willing his children to do really stupid things. This is all about the arrogance of a group of Christian white folks--from IDAHO, land of 10,000 Nazis-- who decided that it would be best if they took it upon themselves to save the children. If they had been black folks, I would say the same thing. But guess what? Black folks wouldn't do this.

Black folks aren't perfect but due to some historical--and current--events, we generally frown upon taking people's children away. Mostly because it's either been done to us or it's happened to someone we know. Now I'm not saying these people didn't have the most honorable intentions. I mean...I'd like to think they did. But who the hell knows?? Monsters come in many, many forms and as we've all learned in the last 10 years, people who traffic children, rape children and systematically abuse children for years are generally a) white and b) claim religion as their defense.

I can see the meeting in the church basement now....
"We've got to go to Haiti and help those poor children!"
"You're right, Laura. God would want us to."
"What can we do? I'll do anything to help!"
"That's because you're a good Christian woman. I say we fly to Haiti, round up those poor orphaned children and take them to...I don't know...the Dominican Republic? Any place would be better than the hell they're living in now."
"Absolutely. It shouldn't be too hard. I mean, the country is a mess right now. I'm sure those poor AIDS stricken devastated black people would REALLY APPRECIATE us with all our money, bibles and whiteness coming in and just taking control of the situation."
"Sure, we'll just tell them God told us to."
"Oh, and p.s., this couldn't come at a better time because I'm totally broke and could really use the money."

What's that you say?? The church leader who cooked up this willy nilly idea is broke?! Yes, that's right, ladies and gentleman. Laura Silsby is notorious in Idaho for being the Princess of Unpaid Wages and Home Foreclosures. She is also the church group leader. 88 kids at $10,000 a pop is a lot of money, certainly enough to get Ms. Silsby out of debt and off Idaho's shit list.

But...oopie doopie, not so fast. It turns out that the Haitian government was just getting real serious about protecting children from predators who thrive in these kind of situations. It begs the question: whose side was God on? When he put out the "save the children" call, maybe he was trying to save them from YOU.

Let me know how Haitian jail is. I'm sure it's lovely this time of year.

And the First Weekly WTF Award Goes To....

Paul Warner Powell, Virginia Death Row Inmate.

I'm not normally one to campaign for another human being's death, although I will admit I felt a twinge of disappointment when Rush Limbaugh told everyone he was in good health. But for real...THIS GUY...is not only an evil piece of shit, he is also REALLY, REALLY STUPID.

Apparently murderer/rapist/total waste of space Paul Powell saw the movie Double Jeopardy and while he was surely entranced by Ashley Judd's performance, he also gathered a little legal advice. Thinking he couldn't be re-tried for the same crime, Smarty McBrainy wrote a letter to the County Attorney in which he confessed, in great detail, that killing 16-year old Stacie Reed and brutally raping and attempting to kill her 14-year old sister was no accident and that he in fact planned to kill the entire family. Why? Because Stacie Reed wouldn't have sex with him. Oh, and she was dating a black man.

So then when Brainiac Jones decided to appeal his death sentence, the prosecutor gave the Supreme Court not only his letter to the County Attorney, which you can read here (starting at the bottom of page 7), they were also given copies of a letter he sent to his victims' mother (a taunting note attached to a cut out of a pornographic photo of a woman who resembled her murdered daughter) AND a note he sent to a friend who he asked to call his surviving victim and threaten her life if she moved forward to testify against him.

GENIUS.

Congratulations Paul Powell, Virginia Death Row Inmate. You win my first WTF Award. Just for being YOU.