the Gore endorsement is treaming live on Barackobama.com.
also on CNN, ABCNews
In case you missed Meet the Press yesterday, which I did, here are some interesting comments regarding Senator Clinton's so called "gaffe."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6z0Om3Gc4CU
As a law enforcement officer I have attended many group meetigs of survivors of crime. These groups are typically women's groups which is no surprise when you consider the rates of victimization against women in this Nation. The first time I attended a group meeting I went in very naive as a young officer. I believed I would be somewhat of a hero to these survivors, but how wrong I was. The first meeting was the most difficult yet most enlightening two hours of my career. I learned how survivors of crime are often resentful and hurt by the treatment the received when law enforcement responded.
Over the years I have taken the information from these groups and have included it in training for law enforcement and first responders. I have learned that the vast majority of law enforcement respond the way that they do, not from a lack of compassion or caring, but from a lack of training and knowledge. We all develop a yard stick for how we measure what is abusive, hurtful and wrong. For many law enforcement, that personal life experience is significantly different by which we measure these issues than survivors of crime, particularly women and especially women in native communities. Historically, violence among indigenous peoples was rare because they believed it to be unnatural and a threat to harmony. Incidents of violence, when they did occur, carried harsh consequences, often banishment. (Artichoker & Mousseau: 1993) According to the BJS report, American Indians and Crime, the average annual violent crime rate among American Indians is about 2.5 times the national rate. Much of the violence has been directed toward women, and nearly one-third of the victims are between the ages of 18 and 24. (American Indians and Crime: 1999)
These differences in life experiences as well as with a significant lack of training in topics such as trauma and the impact trauma has on a victim of crime; how to interview victims of crime; the dynamics of domestic violence; understanding perpetrator behavior; signs of abuse in relationships and a whole host of other victim service topics, has created a situation where law enforcement is not equiped with the knowledge to respond in a manner which promotes healing. A common response from a law enforcement officer to a domestic violence incident may be one where the law enforcement officer thinks, HOW CAN YOU STAY IN THIS RELATIONSHIP or WHY WONT YOU ACCEPT MY HELP. The officer may not understand the fear levels, the love for the good actions of the offender, the economic issues. This may be different from the victim who is thinking, WHY ARE YOU HERE, DON"T YOU KNOW THE DANGER YOU ARE PUTTING ME IN? or HEY, HE OR SHE IS NOT AS BAD AS MY FIRST PARTNER.
I believe with all my heat that electing a President such as Barack Obama will lead to changes necessary at the Federal Level to help bring about the necessary funding and change in practice to make a difference for all of us who respond to crime victims and who are victims of crime.
