Note from Amy: The following is from the filmmakers of “The Invisible War,” the searing documentary about military sexual assault. Please read it and then click on the link to find the phone number of your senator–and call to tell them they need to support legislation to help end this crisis of rape in the military:
It’s come to light that not one, but two, officers in charge of sexual assault prevention in the military have themselves been accused of sexual assault. These are the very people who are meant to help ensure our servicemen and women are safe from the very crimes they have allegedly perpetrated.
Bill Briggs, an NBC News contributor, summed it up pretty well:
“The U.S. military seems increasingly incapable of policing itself or ridding its ranks of sexual predators…”
Ask them to co-sponsor the Military Justice Improvement Act – the bicameral legislation introduced this morning by Senators Gillibrand, Boxer, Collins, Johanns, Blumenthal, Begich, Coons, Franken, Hirono, Mikulski, Shaheen and others.
That NBC news clip sums up exactly what our community has been arguing for over a year now. You know the saying… ‘the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.’ Well, we’re not calling the military’s leadership insane, but there’s some pretty damning evidence out there.
The Pentagon needs an intervention. Enter the US Senate. With champions like Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, Barbara Boxer, Richard Blumenthal, Mark Begich, Susan Collins, Mike Johanns, Al Franken, Chris Coons, Mazie Hirono, Barbara Mikulski, and Representatives Tulsi Gabbard, Dan Benishek, Richard Hanna, and Kyrsten Sinema banding together, today there’s a bill before Congress that CAN and WILL help to break the cycle.
This new bill has the power not only to break the cycle of military sexual assault and end years of sweeping this issue (and its survivors) under the rug – it also creates serious accountability and protects future service members from suffering retribution from their commanding officers.
Every 21 minutes another service member is assaulted. Let’s make sure they see the justice they’ve earned.
Thank you for making our fight #NotInvisible,
Amy Ziering and Kirby Dick
Filmmakers, THE INVISIBLE WAR
Diary of a Predator 