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    Fact Check: Palin Rape Kit Story True

    Media Matters is reporting that, despite declarations to the contrary by several right-wing bloggers, the Sarah Palin rape kit story is, in fact true. The report goes on to say that the story has been woefully underreported by the national media.

    Missing from Media Matters' reporting is the fact that, in the course of writing my own story about the Palin rape kit policy, I asked about it on 3 separate press conference calls, with lots of national media in attendance. On one of those calls, the Governor who signed the law prohibiting Wasilla's policy, Tony Knowles, said that Wasilla was the last town still doing this when he signed the law. Nothing in the right wing rebuttals refutes this.

    For those of you unfamiliar with this, the City of Wasilla, under Sarah Palin's mayoralty, had a policy of charging rape victims for evidence collection, or "rape kits." The policy remained in effect until then-Governor Tony Knowles signed a law prohibiting the practice, in 2000.

    Much of the right's "debunking" relies on the fact that Wasilla can't produce victims' invoices for rape kits, which are confidential. So, in order to prove something that's already been proven and stipulated to, the right would like to publish a rape victim's bills.

    The rest relies on meeting minutes that don't refute anything in the story. None of the facts of the original story have been disproven.

    So, why isn't this story getting more play? That's a good question. In the media feeding frenzy over Palin, little has been said about any of her stands on women's issues, or McCains. McCain's stand on abortion rights is extreme and underreported, and Palin makes him look like Emily the Listmaker. McCain has a horrible record of misogyny, and he and Palin both opposed the Ledbetter Fair Pay act.

    The reasons don't matter. the fact is, it isn't being reported. Now, you can either let Palin continue to wink at the fellas and sell women down the river, or you can do something. Here's a good start: forward this story to everyone on your email list, and maybe a couple of news organizations.

    Here's my original story on the topic, reprinted in full:

    McCain/Palin: The Pig Ticket

    Update: On today's Obama conference call, I asked former Alaska Governor Tony Knowles about the rape kit law, and he summarized what The Frontiersman wrote, with one addendum: He said that Wasilla was the only community in Alaska that was billing victims for their rape kits, and that as far as he knew, Wasilla was the sole reason the law was needed.

    This should be Barack Obama's response to the McCain campaign's demand for an apology over the "lipstick on a pig" remark:
    If the oink fits...
    On my radio show last night, Denise Williams told me something so revolting, I literally could not believe it. I had to check on it this morning, and I'm still stunned. On Palin's mayoral watch, the town of Wasilla charged women for their rape kits. From The Frontiersman: (via HuffPo)
    While the Alaska State Troopers and most municipal police agencies have covered the cost of exams, which cost between $300 to $1,200 apiece, the Wasilla police department does charge the victims of sexual assault for the tests.
    When Democratic Governor Tony Knowles signed a bill in 2000 that prohibited the practice, Palin's handpicked police chief was not on board:
    Wasilla Police Chief Charlie Fannon does not agree with the new legislation, saying the law will require the city and communities to come up with more funds to cover the costs of the forensic exams.
    We already know that Palin wants to take away the choices of rape victims who become pregnant as a result of these crimes.

    We also know that the McCain likes to joke about women enjoying rape, and about an 18 year old girl's physical appearance.

    Barack Obama wasn't calling Palin a pig, but I imagine if he was, there would be porcine picket line at his next event carrying signs that say "What the #@*% did we do?"
    Tommy Christopher co-hosts "Unusable Signal" on BlogTalkRadio, debuting Friday at 11pm. Click here for the Unusable Signal homepage.



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    Tommy Christopher

    Tommy Christopher is a freelance writer, blogger, and online journalist based out of New Jersey and Washington, DC...more

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