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<h2><font size=5 color="#FF0000"><b>2 articles follow<br><br>
</u></i></font>PLEASE SIGN THIS STATEMENT: Feminists Demand Freedom from
Sexual Assault and Harassment<br><br>
</b></h2><font size=3>
<a href="http://www.change.org/petitions/feminists-demand-let-justice-be-done-3">
http://www.change.org/petitions/feminists-demand-let-justice-be-done-3</a>
<br><br>
<br>
Feminists Demand Freedom from Sexual Assault and Harassment<br>
We agree:<br>
Rape is always about power and domination; it is sexualized violence.
<br><br>
<br>
Rape and sexual harassment of women are pervasive at all strata of
society and in all corners of the globe. Women will never be fully free
and able to enjoy equality with men until this ends. As feminists, we see
the arrest of former International Monetary Fund director Dominique
Strauss-Kahn on sexual assault charges as an opportunity to increase
public awareness and as a wake-up call to renew action against sexual
violence, not only in the US where his arrest occurred and in France,
where media and many public figures are portraying him as the victim, but
around the world. <br><br>
<br>
We join French feminists in saying that just as Strauss-Kahn is innocent
until proven guilty, his accuser must also be respected and believed to
be credible unless proven false. We commend her employer, Sofitel, and
the action of the NYC Police for taking her complaint seriously. We call
for feminists around the world to join with her union (New York Hotel and
Motel Trades Council Local 6) in collecting funds for legal and daily
expenses, as her work is now curbed and life circumstances vastly
altered. Contributions can be sent to Judson Memorial Church (attention
Women's Fund) 55 Washington Square South, New York, NY 10012-1018.
<br><br>
<br>
We also share French feminist indignation at the deliberate and
opportunistic confusion of seduction and sexual violence, from
Strauss-Kahn's declaration that he "loves women," to the
journalists and politicians who rally behind this "Great
Seducer." It is outrageous that the allegation of attempted rape
during the course of a housekeeper's work day raises issues about any
woman's life story and sexual history. And portraying powerful
Strauss-Kahn as "too civilized" to commit a violent crime plays
upon colonial and racist stereotypes vis-à-vis an African immigrant
woman. <br><br>
<br>
We adamantly oppose all harassment, sexual violence and rape, and we know
that when there is a large discrepancy between the power, the wealth and
racial hierarchy of the parties involved, justice is even harder to come
by. All rapists and harassers believe they are entitled, and often when
they are part of the power elite they assume that influence will outweigh
the legal protection and freedom from coercion all women should enjoy.
Feminists around the world demand that justice be done. <br><br>
<br>
Women of all countries, unite! <br><br>
<br>
This statement was initiated by the following feminists: <br><br>
<br>
Bettina Aptheker, CA, U.S. <br>
Lori Askeland, OH, U.S. <br>
Eleanor J. Bader, NY, U.S. <br>
Rosalyn Baxandall, NY, U.S. <br>
Halina Bendkowski, Berlin, Germany <br>
Saliha Boussédra, Toulouse, France <br>
Eileen Boris, CA, U.S. <br>
Ariel Dougherty, NM, U.S. <br>
Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, CA, U.S. <br>
Judith Ezekiel, Toulouse, France <br>
Francisca de Haan, Amsterdam, the Netherlands <br>
Myrna Hill, CA, U.S. <br>
Merle Hoffman, NY, U.S. <br>
Barrie Karp, NY, U.S. <br>
Bea Kreloff, NY, U.S. <br>
Tobe Levin von Gleichen, Frankfurt, Germany <br>
Ilana Lowy, Paris France <br>
Fran Luck, NY, U.S. <br>
Claire G. Moses, VA, U.S. <br>
Marge Piercy, MA, U.S. <br>
Fanette Pollack, NY, U.S. <br>
Marilyn Porter, Newfoundland, Canada <br>
Deborah Rosenfelt, MD, US <br>
Kathryn Scarbrough, NJ, U.S. <br>
Donna Schaper, NY, U.S. <br>
Lise Vogel, NY, U.S. <br>
Suzanna Walters, IN, U.S. <br>
Naomi Weisstein, NY, U.S. <br>
Barbara Winslow, NY, U.S. <br>
Laura X, CA, U.S. <br><br>
<br>
Also signed by <br>
Carol Hanisch, NY, U.S. <br>
Jane Barry, PA, U.S. <br>
Nancy Krieger, MA, U.S. <br>
Vicki Nichols, VA, U.S. <br>
Mary Carlson, CA, U.S. <br>
Shailja Patel, Nairobi, Kenya <br>
Elaine Shinbrot, NJ, U.S. <br>
Barbara Rylko-Bauer, MI, U.S. <br>
Amanda Frisken, NY, U.S. <br>
Dabney Evans, GA, U.S. <br>
Trude Bennett, NC, U.S. <br>
Amy Kessleman , NY, U.S. <br>
Therese McGinn, NY, U.S. <br>
Carolina Neiva Viancello, Brussels, Belgium <br>
Comfort Momoh, London, UK <br>
Naana Otoo-Otortoy, London, UK <br>
Abebah Tekleab, Stockholm, Sweden <br>
Khady Koita, Tervuren, Belgium <br>
Ambara Hashi Nur, Aarhus, Denmark <br>
Etenesh Hadis, Vienna, Austria <br>
Batulo Essek, Helsinki, Finland <br>
Julie Kakiese, Brussels, Belgium <br>
Fana Habteab, Uppsala, Sweden <br>
Maretta Short, NJ, USA <br>
Martha Vicinus, MA, USA <br>
Rosalind Petchesky, NY, U.S. <br>
Lauri Andress, TX, U.S <br>
Susan Reverby, MA, U.S. <br>
Leslie Dubbin, CA, U.S. <br>
Ellen Ross, NY, U.S. <br>
Temma Kaplan, NY, U.S. <br>
Troy Shinbrot, NJ, U.S. <br>
Roberta Salper, MA, U.S. <br>
Stephanie Gilmore, DE, U.S. <br>
Susan Brownmiller, NY, U.S. <br>
Laura Anker, NY, U.S. <br>
Kathleen Slaon, CT, U.S. <br>
Chris Coombe, MI, US <br>
Abby Lippman, Quebec, Canada <br>
Linda Stein, NY, U.S. <br>
Rosemary Szegda, NJ, U.S. <br>
Estelle Regolsky, MA, U.S. <br>
Brigitte Bramie, Paris France <br>
Guylène Deasy, NC, U.S. <br>
Monique Dental, Paris, France. <br>
Alice Ngyone Endamne, CA, U.S. <br>
Jules Falquet, Paris, France <br>
Suzy Rojtman, Paris, France <br>
Maya Surduts, Paris, France. <br>
Anne-Marie Viossat, Paris, France <br>
Rebecca Whisnant, OH, US <br>
Bronwyn Winter, Sydney Australia <br>
Estelle B. Freedman, CA, U.S. <br>
Anne-Emanuelle Birn, Ontario, Canada <br>
Juliet Ash, London, England <br>
Barbara Garson, NY, U.S. <br>
Laura Flanders, NY, U.S. <br>
Marilyn Zivian, CA, U.S. <br>
Nísia Trindade Lima, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil <br>
Heather Booth, Washington, DC, U.S. <br>
Eve Ensler, Paris, France <br>
Leila J. Rupp, CA, U.S. <br>
Kathryn Kish Sklar, NY, U.S. <br>
Joan Ditzion, MA, U.S. <br>
Sonia Fuentes, FL, U.S. <br>
Chandra L. Ford, CA, U.S. <br>
Aida Hurtado, CA, U.S. <br>
Alison Williams, NJ, U.S. <br>
Elizabeth Pleck, IL, U.S. <br>
Shelley Fisher Fishkin CA, U.S. <br>
Leslie J. Reagan, IL, U.S. <br>
Leisa D. Meyer, VA, U.S. <br>
Katha Pollitt, NY, U.S. <br>
Yanar Mohammed, Baghdad, Iraq <br>
Sonia Jaffe Robbins, NY, U.S. <br>
Alia Shinbrough, NJ, U.S. <br>
JoAnn Jaffe, Saskatchewan, CA <br>
Dee Appleby, SC, U.S. <br>
William Scarbrough III, SC, U.S. <br>
Teresa Scarbrough, CA, U.S. <br>
Patricia Rackowski, Boston, MA <br>
Nalini Visvanathan, Washington, DC <br>
Barbara M. Sow, Dakar Senegal <br>
Beth E. Rivin, Seattle, Washington, USA <br>
Ana María Carrillo Farga, Mexico <br>
Alison Katz, Geneva, Switzerland <br>
Megan McLaughlin, IL, U.S. <br>
Fatou Sow, Dakar Senegal <br>
Dula F. Pacquiao, NJ, U.S. <br>
Inti Maria Tidball-Binz, Bs As, Argentina <br>
Emily May, NY, U.S. <br>
Evelyn Torton Beck, Washington, DC USA <br>
Dana Rabin, IL, U.S. <br>
Sarah E. Huertas, San Juan, Puerto Rico <br>
Jesse Lemisch, NY, U.S. <br>
Joséphine Soumah, France <br>
Claire Bond Potter, CT U.S. <br>
Carina Ray, NJ, U.S. <br>
Deborah Rossum, IA, U.S. <br>
Maria E. Cotera, MI, U.S. <br>
Barbara Molony, CA, U.S. <br>
Kristy Rawson, MI, U.S. <br>
Antoinette Burton, IL, U.S. <br>
Mary Nolan, NY, U.S. <br>
Ruth Rosen, CA, U.S. <br>
Julie Laut, IL, U.S. <br>
Erik McDuffie, IL, U.S. <br>
Yxta Maya Murray, CA, U.S. <br>
Jo Salas, NY, U.S. <br>
Barbara Leon, CA, U.S. <br>
Edwina Barvosa, CA, U.S. <br>
Maureen H. Williams, CA, U,S, <br>
Bob Weil, CA, U.S. <br>
Anica Leon-Weil, CA, U.S. <br>
Finn Mackay, Bristol, England <br>
*******************************************************<br><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=6><b>Dominique
Strauss-Kahn: The Colonial Predator Legacy <br><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=3>By James Petras <br>
<a href="http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article28175.htm" eudora="autourl">
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article28175.htm<br><br>
</a>May 23, 2011
"<a href="http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/">Information
Clearing House</a>" -- The </b>attempted rape and sexual abuse of an
African cleaning woman by the Managing Director of the International
Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn (DSK) embodies, in microcosm, the
entire historical and contemporary legacy of colonial neo-colonial
relations. Efforts to portray this criminal act as an individual
obsession or a personal failing or a “Latin idiosyncrasy” fail to take
account of the ‘deep history’ in which these psychological pathologies
are embedded. <br><br>
The first clue is evident on the very surface – skin deep – of the
antagonists: On the one-hand, a powerful white European politician
representing the collective will of an organization representing the
global capitalist class, one with the financial resources to severely
punish poor and indebted countries that disobey its prejudicial economic
fiats; on the other, a single mother, a black working woman from a former
French colony in West Africa (Guinea), which was ‘stripped clean’ by the
departing French colonial officials for daring to assert its independence
and subsequently forced to submit to endless ‘neo-colonial’ economic
impositions ensuring its stagnation and subordination. <br><br>
Was it “lunacy”, as Martin Wolf of the Financial Times would claim, that
DSK would throw over a powerful, prestigious post and likely the
Presidency of France, for a moment of violent sex? Or was it the playing
out, and living through, the historical roles, deeply embedded in the
psyche and cultural mores of a descendant and practioner of colonial
realities: imposing his sexual demands on a ‘black servant’. No doubt the
fact that the cleaning woman spoke French and came from a former French
colony, one which had suffered numerous subsequent ‘French’ and IMF
impositions, gave the powerful predator the sense of ‘entitlement’ to
prey on black flesh, just as so many of his compatriot predecessor
officials had done to ‘their’ servants in the course of administrating
the colony. No doubt, in more recent times , it is common for top
officials from international financial institutions visiting Africa to
pad their expense accounts by hiring hookers to “service them,” while
they impose austerity policies impoverishing countries and forcing
millions to flee overseas in search of menial labor … as cleaning workers
in luxury hotels. “Colonial familiarity”, the ‘shared’ language of
oppressor and victim – perhaps excited the perverse sexual obsession.
<br><br>
<b>The Colonial Legacy: The Social Psychology of Rape <br><br>
</b>The history of the European, and later US, colonial conquests,
imperial wars and military occupations is a story of plunder,
enslavement, exploitation and, above all, assertion of supremacy and
power. Profits and pleasure accrue to the big mining and banking
executives as well as colonial officials, especially among those in the
upwardly mobile middle class who see in their new found power a chance to
satisfy the whims and fancies denied them in their ‘home’ cities and
among their domestic families and friends. <br><br>
The absolute power of the colonial administrators allows them to secure
total submission from those who are powerless – the single African women
isolated from family, friends – before the Courts of Justice and denied
equality .The latter is subject to firing, blacklisting, unemployment,
intimidation, humiliation and insults for daring to denounce their
colonial superiors. These circumstances and relations are reproduced
today in all the countries subject to the dictate of the IMF, the Central
Bank of Europe and the US Treasury. <br><br>
<b>Contemporary Neocolonialism: They Come, They Plunder, They Rape
<br><br>
</b>The IMF and their imperial financial accomplices take advantage of
the debts and crises of corrupt and complicit rulers to dictate terms for
loans. The top officials seize sovereignty and impose economic policies,
which privatize and de-nationalize the entire economy, reduce wages and
pensions, worsen working conditions and retain a veto on all local
economic appointees. The IMF and Central Banks re-colonize the debtor
country: All earnings from trade and investment are primarily directed
outward and upward. The neo-colonial division of labor involves imperial
capital and black labor. <br><br>
Embedded in this world-historic system of power, the powerful officials
of international organizations have the financial and military backing of
the US and the EU: the Directors are appointed by Euro-Americans and they
enforce the rules of the game by which they prosper. As close
collaborators and past and future partners of the private corporate
wealthy, and likely political leaders in imperial regimes, the
‘international officials’ live and share the power, wealth, luxury and
perks of the very wealth. They fly first class and they stay at the most
luxurious suites in 5-star hotels. They are treated by their debtor
‘hosts’ as royalty. Above all, they are used to being obeyed: They expect
submission. They believe their whims and perversions are ‘natural
outgrowths’ of their ‘healthy appetites’ stimulated by their high-energy
travels, frequent meetings and forcible dictates. If the top local
officials of a debtor nation submit, who are the cleaning women to
object? They should be honored to be chosen “to serve” the makers and
breakers of entire economies and the livelihoods of millions. <br><br>
<b>The Resistance <br><br>
</b>DSK, the imposing ruler over the major global financial institution,
did not expect his sexual advances to be resisted by an immigrant, a
former French colonial subject. Initially denied submission, DSK relied
on force and violence. Just as when workers and the unemployed launch
general strikes and mass protests against IMF-dictated austerity
programs, the regimes order the police and armed forces to impose
subjection through violence. The black cleaning worker did not struggle
and then submit, as too often is the case with workers’ movements. She
made her outrage a public issue – she un-masked the violent criminal
behavior that lay behind the respectable, affluent facade. She confronted
the ruler before the larger democratic public. The public face of
international finance capital, the head of the same predatory institution
that rapes entire working populations in the name of vacuous euphemisms
(“financial stabilization”) is nothing less than a crude crotch grabber –
a sleazy lecher. <br><br>
How many millions of Indo-Chinese and Algerian working-class and peasant
women and their descendants, who suffered similar indignities during the
French colonial administrations, must now feel vindicated by the simple
act of denunciation by the Guinean cleaning woman, so far from Africa,
but so close to the hearts of rebellion against the universal injustices
inflicted daily by the IMF and its local accomplices! <br><br>
<b>The Reactions of the Left: the French Socialists) <br><br>
</b>Not surprisingly, the majority of French “Socialist” opinion has
defended DSK and accused his victim, the black African working woman, of
being part of a sinister capitalist conspiracy against the principle
chosen mouthpiece and enforcer of international capital. <br><br>
The French Socialist Party has a long and sordid history of supporting
bloody colonial wars: Indo-China, Algeria and dozens of military
interventions in Africa. Today they support the wars against Libya, Iraq
and Afghanistan. As always, there are “dissidents”, left-wingers,
“critical” intellectuals and “Trotskyist” factions who speak for the
“rights” of the accused, as well the victim, but who looked to DSK, the
head of the IMF and his millionaire backers, as their ticket back to the
Palace Elysee, the Presidency and the spoils of office. <br><br>
“Colonial Socialism” in Europe, like “imperial liberalism” in the US, has
a long and ignoble history: Both ‘trust’ the word of innocence of an
indicted financier over the accusations of an immigrant black cleaning
woman, which is not too surprising. They have a history of converting
criminals into victims and the victims into criminal… conspirators.
<br><br>
One has only to look at the French Socialists and US Liberals support for
Israeli colonialist over the Palestinians “terrorists”; or NATO occupiers
against the Afghan resistance; or Tunisian autocrats over pro-democracy
protestors. <br><br>
The fact that sectors of the ‘left’ in France and America can claim DSK
as a victim of some ‘elite conspiracy’ is a clear sign of their total and
complete degeneracy and the perversion of any semblance of progressive
sentiment. Under Strauss-Kahn’s dictates the IMF has imposed the most
reactionary social cuts in recent history on Spain, Greece, and Portugal:
Unemployment is 45% for under-30 year-olds in Spain and overall 22%; in
Greece 16% and Portugal 13%. Pensions have been reduced by 15% and wages
by a similar or greater amount. Vast sectors of the Greek economy, valued
at 50 billion Euros are to be privatized, as DSK plays to the private
multi-nationals. Under IMF austerity policies Southern European economies
are regressing – as public investments and private consumption shrink and
negative growth rates hover between 5% - 10% over the past 3 years with
no end in sight. <br><br>
If there is any ‘conspiracy’ to frame DSK it certainly does not come from
any ‘elite’ or ‘banking cartel’. What is much more likely, is that after
the initial jailing and indictment, the financial powers backing DSK will
move into action – they have secured his conditional release under bail;
the victim and accuser has been subject to intense police interrogation
and more ‘media’ and legal pressure can be expected to force her to
retract charges. The legal system rarely ever works in favor of
working-class victims facing a high powered legal team backing a
millionaire predator, especially one who speaks and works for the
international capitalist class.<br><br>
<i>James Petras is a retired Bartle Professor (Emeritus) of Sociology at
Binghamton University, SUNY, New York, U.S., and adjunct professor at
Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who has published
prolifically on Latin American and Middle Eastern political issues.
Petras received his B.A. from Boston University and Ph.D. from the
University of California at Berkeley.<br><br>
<br><br>
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