Sunday Morning Post
Posted by Michelle Moquin on September 15th, 2013
Good morning!
When I post writes about rape, many times I post a write where the woman, the victim, either gets blamed or doesn’t see justice when she has been raped. This Sunday is going to be different. Today, I am posting a write where, yay! the victim finally gets the justice she deserves, and men don’t get away with rape. California finally overturns an old law denying justice for unmarried rape victims. Hooray.
The write from Think Progress:
California Finally Overturns Its 1872 Law Denying Justice For Unmarried Rape Victims
BY REBECCA LEBER ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2013 AT 10:31 AM
On Monday, Californiaclosed a sexual assault loophole created by a 1872 state law, expanding one definition of rape to include unmarried people. The arcane law led to an appeals court reluctantlyoverturning a man’s rape conviction for impersonating a woman’s boyfriend while she was unconscious. Under the old law, rape occurred when a woman consents to sex “under the belief that the person committing the act is her husband, and this belief is induced by any artifice, pretense, or concealment practiced by the accused.” Thus, the old law allowed a rapist to escape rape charges if he pretended to be his victim’s unmarried partner.
This loophole in the old law led to an unfortunate decision by a California court. “Has the man committed rape? Because of historical anomalies in the law and the statutory definition of rape, the answer is no, even though, if the woman had been married and the man had impersonated her husband, the answer would be yes,” the court ruled in a unanimous decision. “We reluctantly hold that a person who accomplishes sexual intercourse by impersonating someone other than a married victim’s spouse is not guilty of the crime of rape of an unconscious person.” Julio Morales had already confessed to having sex with the woman as she slept, and when she woke up and realized the person was not her boyfriend, she “began to cry and yell.”
Though the new law will not directly impact Morales’ fate, the appeals court did grant a retrial. Under the new law, impersonating a person’s unmarried partner also counts as rape.
Even before the decision, the California legislature was well aware of the 19th century law. Legislators introduced a new bill in 2011, but it never left the Senate Public Safety committee after passing the State Assembly.
“Today’s action by the Governor concludes a nearly three year effort to close this outdated and unconscionable loophole that has denied victims the justice that they deserve,” assembly member and bill sponsor Katcho Achadjian (D) said.
Connie: Good question. I would like to know what those girls are up to too. Hey girls: Chime in if you are around. Miss you both.
Happy Sunday All! Thanks for being here with me.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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September 15th, 2013 at 5:05 pm
Hey LeTao what are you doing at Huff Post? I see your comments a lot.
September 15th, 2013 at 5:49 pm
Easy Ways to Get Your Vegetables
(Even if You Hate Them!)
Dear Health Conscious Reader,
As a life-long vegetable lover, I’m always a bit mystified when a patient says, “I hate vegetables.” First of all, hate is such a strong word that it hardly seems applicable to a humble vegetable. But apparently, some people feel very strongly about this issue.
What a pity! Thousands of clinical studies confirm the health benefits of vegetables. I am not talking about vague or minor advantages but about major, life-changing improvements from consuming plant products. More specifically, people who eat the most vegetables live longer.
And they live healthier lives including:
• Reduced risk of developing many chronic diseases, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes
• Fewer negative moods
• Significant reduction (50%) in the risk of developing pancreatic cancer as well as other types of cancer
• Lower probability of obesity
• Lower blood pressure and lower LDL (bad) cholesterol
So, what do I mean by “the most vegetables”? Even if you are one of the very few Americans getting the 5 servings of vegetables suggested by the USDA each day, that’s just not enough. To see the above benefits, you need to consume 7 to 10 servings of vegetables in your diet daily.
Many patients find that amount frightening. “How on earth am I ever going to do that?” is a response that comes up again and again.
But I’m here to tell you that 7 to 10 servings of veggies is an achievable goal. I’ve seen ordinary people do it, and they’re healthier and happier than those who ignore my advice. After all, I see the consequences of the meat-and-potatoes or processed/fast-food diets every single day.
I see it in the form of obesity, diabetes and prediabetes, heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, and quite a few other serious health issues. I’ve also seen these conditions respond quite favorably to lifestyle makeovers that include adding plenty of vegetables and fruits to the diet.
But, the truth is, no matter how careful you are with your diet, I’m betting you aren’t getting the full dose of the nutrients your body needs each day to prevent dangerous free-radical damage – the damage to your cells that so often leads to serious, even life threatening, conditions.
Why Vegetables Are Important
If you’re still dubious, think about the big picture. Humans evolved in a world without Twinkies, chili fries, and bacon cheeseburgers the size of a dinner plate, primarily by eating a plant-based diet. Of course, early humans hunted animals for meat, and they fished if they were near water. But not every hunting or fishing expedition was successful, so plants played a huge role in our ancestors’ diet.
Only in the last few centuries have humans begun to indulge in high-sugar, high-fat foods, bringing us to the current epidemic of health disasters, including obesity, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and more.
It’s no wonder that the rates of these health issues are increasing so quickly when you think about our fast-paced, artificial and fast food laden world. It’s easier and quicker to go through the McDonald’s drive through and order a Big Mac and French fries than it is go to the grocery store and cook a healthy meal full of vegetables.
For more than two decades, I’ve been on the front lines, dealing with patients who are unwitting victims of a food industry designed to sell us substances that may taste good, but can do terrible damage your health over time. Many of these products are developed in laboratories, where chemicals create flavor in a test tube and researchers manipulate ingredients to appeal to our innate preferences for sweetness and fat.
And even when you do get these vegetables on your plate, many times it’s not enough.
Today’s Green Salad Isn’t Enough
Sadly, the days are gone when our vegetables and fruits are grown in a pure soil, rich in basic nutrients and free of pesticides and other chemicals. Many of today’s fruits and vegetables are not only loaded with chemicals, they also take more time to travel from distant farms to your table — not to mention the nutrients you lose during the cooking process.
So even with good intentions, you almost certainly are only getting a fraction of what Mother Nature intended for you.
That’s why I’m excited about my Ultimate Greens with pH Boost. Since it includes the antioxidant equivalent of 30 servings of fruits and vegetables, every day you get more than 5 times the free-radical fighting power than the inadequate level recommended by the USDA. And all in just the time it takes to swallow a single capsule with each meal.
The Critical Acid / Alkaline Balance
Let’s face it, these days it’s very difficult to achieve a balanced diet…unless you live on an organic farm. Even if you eat healthy, nutritious foods — like walnuts, salmon, and olive oil, you might get their significant health benefits but will often run the risk of increasing your acid level.
That’s the sad irony-many otherwise healthy foods promote excess acidity in your body. To combat this acidity, you need to balance it with alkaline producing natural green vegetables to achieve a healthy pH level in your body.
Why Too Much Acid Is Dangerous
Excessive acid in the body — even low-grade chronic acidosis — has an effect on everything from decreased bone and muscle mass to a higher risk of heart issues and blood sugar concerns. If ignored, acid builds up in organs where it can disrupt normal functioning — dramatically accelerating memory loss, aging of the skin and more.
Acidosis is perhaps the least understood medical problem today and is often poorly diagnosed. Chronic low-grade acidosis has an impact on everything from children’s growth rates (excess acidity slows the growth process) to decreased bone and muscle mass and the formation of kidney stones in adults. Other research indicates that an acid imbalance may be linked to heart disease and diabetes.
Correct pH Balance is Essential for Good Health
Ideally, the body’s pH should be slightly alkaline, in the range of 7.2 to 7.4 (just a little more alkaline than water, which has a neutral pH of 7.0). If measurements show even a slightly lower pH, it means you are in a state of acidosis. By contrast, a pH above 7.43 signals excessive alkalinity, or alkalosis which is very rare. But again, in the case of acidosis, it can have a significant impact on your health, and especially on the body’s mineral stores.
Your Body’s Balancing Act
Your body is always at work trying to maintain a healthy pH balance. The best way for your body to access the minerals it needs is through the food you consume or, alternatively, through supplements. If the pH level drops below 7.2 — even by a very small amount — the body goes to work neutralizing the extra acid. To do that, the body needs alkaline minerals like calcium, manganese, magnesium, iron, and potassium.
When your body cannot find the alkaline it needs in your diet, it will steal minerals from your bones or your body’s tissues. And this is very dangerous, leading to major problems including: heart, kidney, and brain issues as well as skin and bone problems.
Ultimate Greens with an Extra Boost of pH Has You Covered
As a doctor, I know the saddest part is that all this doesn’t need to happen. With a diet that gives your body a correct acid/alkaline balance and healthy antioxidants — everything works out fine. But I know that everybody doesn’t live in the middle of an organic farm or have the time to eat properly every day.
September 15th, 2013 at 8:11 pm
Jonathan Ferrell Killed: Man Shot In North Carolina Was A Former FAMU Football Player
09/15/13 08:52 PM ET EDT
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2 seconds ago (11:10 PM)
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“Monroe said he didn’t think the unarmed Ferrell made threats or tried to rob the woman.” Would this statement have been made if he were white? This is just another case of murder by cop. Thugs with badges are still thugs.
The only ones that can see the other side are those who will never have be easy targets by bigots with badges and a system that allows the bigots to say stuff like “was “banging on the door viciously” to attract attention,” –
Already the slandering of the victim begins. The term “viciously” would be more appropriately applied to the action of repeatedly shooting the victim. The cop assumed it was just another black guy and the “Police called Ferrell and Kerrick’s initial encounter “appropriate and lawful.” But this black guy was known. So that may not fly.
But it does mean that 99 out of 100 murders by cops of unarmed black men would be judged, “appropriate and lawful.” Murder by cop is all too real for young black men. And white America wonders why Trayvon Martin wouldn’t feel comfortable calling a cop.
To the terrified kid it was 6 one way, half a dozen the other. Either way he risked getting murdered and either way most white juries would come back with “appropriate and lawful.”