Monday, September 22, 2008

CNN Carries Palin's Rape Kit Story

'Bout time.

Background here.

Short version: While Palin was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, the city charged rape victims for rape examination kits.

Palin's defense: nobody can prove that she knew anything about it. How's that for Leadership We Can Count On?

Add this to it: The state was trying to get a law passed that would have stopped cities from continuing the abhorrent practice. Wasilla's police chief opposed it vocally. Mayor Palin somehow was unaware of this.

And from the Alaska Report (Shannyn Moore wrote that), that police chief was hired by Sarah Palin. The police chief before him - the one Palin fired - he had the city pay for the kits:

Much can be learned about the Palin Administration’s family values from reviewing their spending priorities. Former Chief of Police Irl Stambaugh included forensic rape kits (up to $1,200 per kit) in his budget requests. He was fired by Palin in 1997. In her termination letter, Palin wrote, “…I do not feel I have your full support in my efforts to govern the city of Wasilla. Therefore I intend to terminate your employment. . . ” Staumbaugh headed the police department since it was created in 1993. Before that, he served 22 years with the Anchorage Police Department rising to the rank of captain. Sarah Palin hired Charlie Fannon as the new Wasilla Chief of Police and said it was one of her best decisions as mayor. Fannon eliminated the forensic rape kits from the budget. Though the number of rapes weren’t reported, Fannon claimed it would save Wasilla taxpayers $5,000 to $14,000 a year.


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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Someone has to pay for them, they're not free. Why should tax payers foot the bill. Make the rapist pay for them. Force the manufactuters to donate them. Make the insurance companies pay for them. Hospitals could donate them as a sign of good will. Where does it end? Democrats are scraping the bottom of the barrel looking for dirt on Palin. The fact of the matter is, she is a sound financial conservative.

Unknown said...

That was reprinted from

shannynmoore.wordpress.com

really disturbing story

LT said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
LT said...

Thanks, Shannyn Moore, I'll note it. Saw you on Olbermann the other night - great job.

(And say hello to the Pipeline, if you head up to Valdez some time.)

Anonymous said...

Anonymous' comments are not only crazy, but fiscally wrong. A rape kit is an EVIDENCE gathering tool, like fingerprint dusting, etc. Any victim of ANY crime should never have to pay for police evidence gathering. To even suggest that rape victims pay for rape kits, or hospitals, companies for that matter is stupid. A POLICE dept. should pay for POLICE procedures-period.