TWEET YOUR SENATORS ABOUT THEIR VOTE ON THE MILITARY JUSTICE IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2013 #NOTINVISIBLE

 
IF you are as disgusted with the Senators who filibustered S1752 The Military Justice Improvement Act of 2013 as I am click the link below and send them a tweet. More on the vote at 10 Senate Democrats killed the bill, 11 Republicans bucked their party and voted for justice 7MAR14 http://bucknacktssordidtawdryblog.blogspot.com/2014/03/10-senate-democrats-killed-bill-11.html

Last Thursday, 55 Senators -- the majority of the Senate -- stood up for survivors of military sexual assault by voting “yea” for Senator Gillibrand’s historic Military Justice Improvement Act (MJIA). Unfortunately it was not enough to overcome a filibuster.

We may have lost that battle, but let us be clear: we are winning the war.While last week was a disappointment, we must remember: it was a filibuster, NOT defeat. Senator Gillibrand has promised to push on. She won't water down the reforms, she won't quietly go away, and she absolutely won't give in to the Pentagon. She has promised to continue this fight until the MJIA is signed on the President's desk.

Here’s what we can do to help in the immediate: keep the pressure on! Send the message loud and clear -- Thursday’s vote was a filibuster, not defeat, and we are here to stay!Two years ago before the Oscar-nominated film The Invisible War hit theatres across America, a historic vote such as the one last week was a pipe dream. Today it is our new reality -- the reality you, and me, and tens of thousands of advocates have built together.

CLICK HERE for the list of Senators who stood with us and the list of those who stood against us. Call out those who kept the status quo in place and thank those who voted for survivors. We’ve developed Tweets for each and every Senator -- all you need to do is click on the names to tweet at them!Together, we have shown that this issue is #NotInvisible -- and these Senators’ votes are not either. They will not soon be forgotten.

Onward!
Trina
 

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10 Senate Democrats killed the bill, 11 Republicans bucked their party and voted for justice 7MAR14

HERE is the roll call vote on S1752 The Military Justice Improvement Act of 2013 and the 10 Jellyfish democrats who voted with a majority of the gop / tea-baggers to kill justice for US Military victims of rape and sexual trauma / MST. I am ashamed the two democratic Senators from Virginia, Sen Tim Kaine and Sen Mark Warner, voted against the bill. I will let my Senators know what I think about their vote, if you want to tell yours what you think go to http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm From Daily Kos.....
My e mail to Sens Kaine and Warner...
I am totally disgusted with your vote against S1752, it was a pathetic display of cowardice, a repulsive lack of empathy and compassion for the victims of military sexual trauma. It will be ironic if you, or someone you care about, is sexually violated. Then you will have some idea of how MST victims feel, but at least in the civilian world you will have a better chance at justice if the perpetrator is caught. 

The Senate voted yesterday on Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s Military Justice Improvement Act—the bill to better prosecute sexual assaults in the military and offer new protections to victims. We were five votes short of overcoming a filibuster.

This is a tough loss. Daily Kos members have been working to support reform of the military justice system since Gillibrand took the lead on this issue last year. Over 256,000 Daily Kos members took action to support the bill, sending nearly 15,000 emails to undecided senators in the last week alone.

We won the support of senators from across the political spectrum—from Elizabeth Warren to Rand Paul. But 10 Democrats and independent Sen. Angus King (Carper D DE, Kaine D VA, Levin D MI, Manchin D WV, McCaskill D MO, Nelson D FL, Reed D RI, Tester D MT, Warner D VA, Whitehouse D RI) joined most Republicans to kill the bill. The 11 Republicans brave enough to stand up for justice are Collins R ME, Cruz R TX, Enzi R WY, Grassley R IA, Heller R NV, Johanns R NE, McConnell R KY, Moran R KS, Murkowski R AK, Paul R KY, and Vitter R LA.

The military has been given another chance to address the epidemic of sexual assaults in its ranks. But if it fails once again, we’ll be back to fight this fight again—and I hope you’ll fight it with us again.

Thank you and keep fighting,
Michael Langenmayr, Daily Kos

P.S. If you liked our work to pass the Military Justice Improvement Act, please chip in $3 to Daily Kos to help us expand our Campaigns Team and win the next fight.

The Senate Vote

Question: On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on S. 1752 )
Vote Number:	59	Vote Date:	March 6, 2014, 02:01 PM
Required For Majority:	3/5	Vote Result:	Cloture Motion Rejected
Measure Number:	S. 1752 (Military Justice Improvement Act of 2013 )
Measure Title:	A bill to reform procedures for determinations to proceed to trial by court-martial for certain offenses under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and for other purposes.

Vote Counts:	YEAs	55
	NAYs	45

Grouped by Home State

Alabama:	Sessions (R-AL), Nay	Shelby (R-AL), Nay
Alaska:	Begich (D-AK), Yea	Murkowski (R-AK), Yea
Arizona:	Flake (R-AZ), Nay	McCain (R-AZ), Nay
Arkansas:	Boozman (R-AR), Nay	Pryor (D-AR), Yea
California:	Boxer (D-CA), Yea	Feinstein (D-CA), Yea
Colorado:	Bennet (D-CO), Yea	Udall (D-CO), Yea
Connecticut:	Blumenthal (D-CT), Yea	Murphy (D-CT), Yea
Delaware:	Carper (D-DE), Nay	Coons (D-DE), Yea
Florida:	Nelson (D-FL), Nay	Rubio (R-FL), Nay
Georgia:	Chambliss (R-GA), Nay	Isakson (R-GA), Nay
Hawaii:	Hirono (D-HI), Yea	Schatz (D-HI), Yea
Idaho:	Crapo (R-ID), Nay	Risch (R-ID), Nay
Illinois:	Durbin (D-IL), Yea	Kirk (R-IL), Nay
Indiana:	Coats (R-IN), Nay	Donnelly (D-IN), Yea
Iowa:	Grassley (R-IA), Yea	Harkin (D-IA), Yea
Kansas:	Moran (R-KS), Yea	Roberts (R-KS), Nay
Kentucky:	McConnell (R-KY), Yea	Paul (R-KY), Yea
Louisiana:	Landrieu (D-LA), Yea	Vitter (R-LA), Yea
Maine:	Collins (R-ME), Yea	King (I-ME), Nay
Maryland:	Cardin (D-MD), Yea	Mikulski (D-MD), Yea
Massachusetts:	Markey (D-MA), Yea	Warren (D-MA), Yea
Michigan:	Levin (D-MI), Nay	Stabenow (D-MI), Yea
Minnesota:	Franken (D-MN), Yea	Klobuchar (D-MN), Yea
Mississippi:	Cochran (R-MS), Nay	Wicker (R-MS), Nay
Missouri:	Blunt (R-MO), Nay	McCaskill (D-MO), Nay
Montana:	Tester (D-MT), Nay	Walsh (D-MT), Yea
Nebraska:	Fischer (R-NE), Nay	Johanns (R-NE), Yea
Nevada:	Heller (R-NV), Yea	Reid (D-NV), Yea
New Hampshire:	Ayotte (R-NH), Nay	Shaheen (D-NH), Yea
New Jersey:	Booker (D-NJ), Yea	Menendez (D-NJ), Yea
New Mexico:	Heinrich (D-NM), Yea	Udall (D-NM), Yea
New York:	Gillibrand (D-NY), Yea	Schumer (D-NY), Yea
North Carolina:	Burr (R-NC), Nay	Hagan (D-NC), Yea
North Dakota:	Heitkamp (D-ND), Yea	Hoeven (R-ND), Nay
Ohio:	Brown (D-OH), Yea	Portman (R-OH), Nay
Oklahoma:	Coburn (R-OK), Nay	Inhofe (R-OK), Nay
Oregon:	Merkley (D-OR), Yea	Wyden (D-OR), Yea
Pennsylvania:	Casey (D-PA), Yea	Toomey (R-PA), Nay
Rhode Island:	Reed (D-RI), Nay	Whitehouse (D-RI), Nay
South Carolina:	Graham (R-SC), Nay	Scott (R-SC), Nay
South Dakota:	Johnson (D-SD), Yea	Thune (R-SD), Nay
Tennessee:	Alexander (R-TN), Nay	Corker (R-TN), Nay
Texas:	Cornyn (R-TX), Nay	Cruz (R-TX), Yea
Utah:	Hatch (R-UT), Nay	Lee (R-UT), Nay
Vermont:	Leahy (D-VT), Yea	Sanders (I-VT), Yea
Virginia:	Kaine (D-VA), Nay	Warner (D-VA), Nay
Washington:	Cantwell (D-WA), Yea	Murray (D-WA), Yea
West Virginia:	Manchin (D-WV), Nay	Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea
Wisconsin:	Baldwin (D-WI), Yea	Johnson (R-WI), Nay
Wyoming:	Barrasso (R-WY), Nay	Enzi (R-WY), Yea

 http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=113&session=2&vote=00059

Sign and send the petition to your Senators: Support victims of military sexual assault 3MAR14

SEXUAL ASSAULT is rampant in the U.S. military, and the chain of command has proven they are not will or able to deal with it in a way that protects the victims and grants them the justice they deserve. The vote on the Military Justice Improvement Act should come up for a vote in the US Senate this week. Click the link to sign the petition telling your Senators they must pass this bill and to do it now.
Here's my short note to my Senators, Tim Kaine D VA and Mark Warner D VA

Senator, please don’t filibuster the Military Justice Improvement Act. There is an epidemic of sexual assaults in the military today and we need real reform to protect victims and prosecute those responsible. 
You both claim to be strong supporters of our troops and vets. Here is a chance to show you DO care about them and not just the profit margins of the military-industrial complex.
There is no good reason to vote against or filibuster this legislation unless you really do not care about the victims of rape. And if you don't care about the victims of rape and sexual trauma in our military then that is a good enough reason not to vote for you in the next election.

FROM Daily Kos Action....
After getting bumped from the Senate schedule last month, a bill offering new protections for victims of sexual assault in the military may be voted on this week.


Sign and send the petition telling your Senators to support this crucial bill.

The numbers are simply appalling—26,000 military sexual assaults in 2012 alone—and the chain of command has repeatedly failed to deal with the problem.

But instead of supporting common sense reforms that would offer new protections to victims, some senators are siding with military commanders—offering milquetoast tweaks to the existing system that has failed time and again.

This problem is WAY too big and we’re way too close to winning to stop now. Your senators could be the deciding vote.

Sign and send the petition now.

Keep fighting,
Michael Langenmayr, Daily Kos

Justice, once and for all; Tell Congress: Protect Victims of Military Sexual Assault 19NOV13

THE victims of sexual assault in the U.S. Military deserve justice, and the Military Justice Improvement Act will do that. There is a lot of opposition from some in the Pentagon and many, many male members of Congress. We need to let them know we care for and support our troops, and signing this petition will help send a strong message to Congress to get this legislation passed! Please sign and share....

The numbers are shocking:
An estimated 26,000 instances of sexual assault in the military took place last year alone; but just 10 percent were even reported, and then only 302 cases were prosecuted.
We've got to change a broken military justice system where one-in-five servicewomen report experiencing unwanted sexual contact, but where survivors are often too scared to come forward because they fear retaliation.
And we must make sure that decisions about prosecuting cases of sexual assault are based purely on the evidence, not on any other factor.
That's exactly what the bipartisan Military Justice Improvement Act will do -- but we need your help to get it passed, and the vote could come in the next 24 hours.
Sign our petition: Join my colleagues and me in urging the Senate to pass the bipartisan Military Justice Improvement Act now!
The problem of sexual assault in the military is not new. Neither are the pledges of "zero tolerance" that military commanders have been making for over 20 years.
Under the current broken system, senior commanders with little or no legal training have the power to decide whether sexual assault cases go to trial or get swept under the rug. And then, even if an assailant is convicted by a judge or jury, those same commanders can overturn the verdict.
It's outrageous, and our servicemen and servicewomen deserve better.
When the Senate Armed Services Committee voted in June to embrace the status quo, rather than embrace survivors of sexual assault, we vowed we wouldn't back down.
Thanks to the support of over 300,000 Americans -- including you -- who stood with us then, we have been continuing to build support for the bipartisan Military Justice Improvement Act. We didn't give up, and now, we're on the verge of voting -- and we need you to make your voice heard.
Join my colleagues and me before this critical vote: Urge the Senate to pass the Military Justice Improvement Act now.
Together, we can ensure that survivors of military sexual assault receive justice once and for all.
Thank you for taking action for our brave men and women in uniform.

Raped in the U.S. Navy 27APR13 & Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel Talks DOD Sexual Assault Prevention Initiatives 7MAI13

CONTINUING on the matter of Military Sexual Trauma (MST), sexual assault in the U.S. military. Please sign the petition from Trina McDonald, U.S. Navy (ret) calling on Congress to amend the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) to guarantee the victims of sexual assault and abuse in the military are provided protection and receive the justice they deserve. Click the link to sign. Followed by the video of Sec of Defense Chuck Hagel addressing this issue. And see my previous post on this Hearing: Jets Might Have Prevented Mortar Attack on Benghazi Compound &Report on Military's Growing Number of Sexual Assaults Draws Presidential Rebuke & After Emotional Benghazi Hearing, GOP Promises 'Investigation Is Not Over' 7&8MAI13 http://bucknacktssordidtawdryblog.blogspot.com/2013/05/hearing-jets-might-have-prevented.html

---

Tell Congress: Protect Survivors of Military Sexual Assault. Sign the petition

In 1989, I volunteered for the U.S. Navy. I was assigned a duty station in Adak, Alaska. I got there on Valentine's Day, and within two months, I was raped for the first time.

The people involved in my rapes were military police personnel, security personnel, higher-ranking officers—the people that I would have gone to and reported. And so, I have never had the opportunity to actually report it to anyone.

According to estimates from the Department of Defense, 19,000 service men and women are sexually assaulted while serving in the United States military every year. But 86% of them never report their assault—too often because seeking justice threatens their safety, their job security, and their future. 

That's why I created a petition urging the U.S. Senate to ensure that survivors of military sexual assault are not invisible and receive the justice they deserve. Congress must amend the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and move the prosecution of military sexual assault out of the chain of command. 

Click here to add your name to this petition, and then pass it along to your friends.

The petition says:

Only the U.S. Congress can amend the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The U.S. Senate must act swiftly to move the decision to prosecute sexual assault in the military out of the chain of command. Survivors should not suffer retribution for speaking up, and rape should never be an "occupational hazard." Only Congress can change the UCMJ to create a real, working system for prosecuting sexual predators in the military—and ultimately putting an end to military sexual assault.   

Click here to add your name to this petition, and then pass it along to your friends.

Thanks!

–Trina McDonald

This petition was created on MoveOn's online petition site, where anyone can start their own online petitions. Trina didn't pay us to send this email—we never rent or sell the MoveOn.org list.

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel Talks DOD Sexual Assault Prevention Initiatives

http://youtu.be/JIjWYC6tlt4

Published on May 7, 2013 Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel spoke at the Pentagon about the DOD Sexual Assault Prevention Initiatives in the wake of a Pentagon study released today claiming military sexual assaults are on the rise.

Tell House Republicans: Don't block abortion access for raped soldiers 14JUN12

OUR female warriors deserve better than this...bottom line, they deserve the right to an abortion if they are raped, and it should be covered by the military health services. Period. If you care about how this country treats rape victims in the US military click the link and sign the petition....

Clicking here will automatically add your name to this petition to the House or Representatives: "Women serving in the military deserve the same health care protections as every other federal employee. Don't block abortion access for raped soldiers in the final version of the 2013 National Defense Authorization Bill." Automatically add your name: Learn more about this campaign Stop the House from blockingabortion access for raped soldiers. This is shocking, even for our U.S. Congress. If a female employee of the U.S. State Department is raped while serving abroad in Afghanistan, her federal health plan will pay for an abortion should she become pregnant. However if a woman serving abroad as a member of the U.S. military is raped, her military health plan will NOT provide for an abortion if she becomes pregnant as a result of that violent and reprehensible act. According to a recent report from Mother Jones,1 the Pentagon has an even more drastic policy on access to abortion than the Hyde Amendment which bans the use of federal funds for abortion care unless a woman has been the victim of rape, incest or she could literally die unless she her pregnancy is terminated. This disparity is so unsettling that the Senate Armed Services Committee recently passed a proposal that would fix this loophole in federal law on a rare bipartisan vote. But the extremists in Congress will almost certainly strip this proposal from the National Defense Authorization Act when it comes up for a vote in the House. The only way we can hope to stop it is with massive public pushback. Tell Republicans and anti-choice Democrats in the House: Don't block abortion access for raped soldiers. Click here to automaticallysign the petition. According to Kate Sheppard's report in Mother Jones,2 there are 200,000 women serving on active duty in our military and in 2011 alone there were 471 reported instances of rape. But with the Pentagon itself estimating that only 13.5% of rapes are officially reported, that means around 3,500 service members are raped per year. Women who are serving on military bases abroad can't simply go to their local Planned Parenthood should they seek an abortion after finding themselves pregnant as a result of rape. And if there hasn't been a formal finding of rape, a rape survivor in the military can't even pay to have the procedure done in the medical facility on base. Many women serving in our armed forces are stationed in foreign countries where safe abortion care is not easily obtained outside our military bases. And it may not be possible or affordable for a raped woman soldier to travel to the United States in order to receive the care she needs. Our policies need to be reformed to ensure that women in the military who have been raped have access to the medical care they need. As Senator Jean Shaheen who introduced the proposal change to this heinous policy explained to Mother Jones, "Most of the women affected here are enlisted women who are making about $18,000 a year. They're young, they don't have access to a lot of resources. Many of them are overseas." Tell Republicans and anti-choice Democrats in the House: Don't block abortion access for raped soldiers. Click here to automaticallysign the petition A handful of Republicans in the Senate realized that protecting rape survivors is not a partisan issue and joined Democrats to pass this bill out of committee and work to provide relief to women in our armed services. But their colleagues in the House will not join them in helping to pass this much needed bill unless we force them to take action. We need to tell Republicans as well as anti-choice Democrats in the House (including the so-called Stupak Democrats who voted against women's reproductive health in the Affordable Care Act)3 that we cannot let this policy stand. CREDO is a staunch supporter of a woman's right to choose and we will continue to work for the repeal of the Hyde Amendment. But until then, even in our polarized Congress which is packed with anti-choice zealots, there are some lines that Republicans and anti-choice Democrats should be very afraid to cross. This is one of them. We cannot stand by and let women serving in the U.S. military be subjected to a stricter standard for abortion access than the already horribly restrictive Hyde Amendment. Click below to automatically sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/campaign/military_choice/index.html?p=military_choice&r=6900212 This is one we can win if enough of us speak out. Thank you for taking action. Becky Bond, Political Director CREDO Action from Working Assets 1. House GOP Blocking Abortion Access for Raped Soldiers, Mother Jones, June 13, 2012. 2. ibid. 3. Many Previously Pro-Choice Dems Voted for Stupak Amendment, FiveThirtyEight.com, November 9, 2009

IRAQ VERERANS AGAINST THE WAR UPDATE; Things we thought you should know...3FEB12

UPDATE from the IVAW on the Ft Hood virtual town hall last week, over 100,000 participated!!!! This is a major victory for all of us concerned about the redeployment of troops suffering from PTSD, TBI and MST as well as making the US Military aware of the problems the troops face getting care once they are home. There is also info on the film 'Invisible War' documenting the risk women face while serving our nation in the military. We must keep up the pressure because these men and women deserve our support.....

Take Action Read about Scott Olsen in this month's Rolling Stone magazine. Watch the trailer for the film Invisible War. Donate to support our work. Send us your feedback. Report back from Fort Hood virtual town hall - You helped make it happen! Thanks to your support, we got General Campbell, Commander of Fort Hood, to hold a town hall meeting last week via Facebook and Fort Hood's tv station. Approximately 100,000 people participated in the town hall by viewing the proceedings or by actively asking questions. (Because of the volume of questions that were asked, Fort Hood officials are still posting responses to the questions they didn't get to during the live event.) More than 200 Operation Recovery supporters like you posted messages of solidarity to Facebook, letting the Fort Hood community know that they have support and watchful eyes from the outside community. We thank you! While we had concerns that a virtual town hall had its limitations, we made the most of it by asking a series of questions highlighting the issues of military trauma, including the fact that soldiers are intimated by their command when they seek treatment in combat and the inadequate response to and prosecution of cases of military rape. Half of the questions that the General answered on the air were submitted by members of our Operation Recovery campaign. In answering these questions, the General laid out the existing regulations and procedures that his officials are bound to follow in such situations. The problem is, many do not. However, General Campbell is now on the record for positively supporting the principles of the Operation Recovery campaign - that soldiers have the right to heal. Fort Hood's town hall was a small step in the right direction, and now we will go beyond the General's lip service to ensure that the rights of Fort Hood soldiers are no longer violated. Invisible War film wins Audience Award at Sundance Film Festival It is more likely that a woman service member will be raped than killed in combat. The film, Invisible War, takes an in-depth look at epidemic of military rape and how this crime is systematically covered up. Watch the trailer here: Scott Olsen featured in this month's Rolling Stone Check out this in-depth interview with Scott by Mark Binelli.  In it, Scott talks about his prior military service in Iraq, his involvement in the Wisconsin protests against Governor Walker in 2011 and his subsequent involvement in the Occupy movement. These are just some things we thought you should know. In Solidarity, Iraq Veterans Against the War and the Afghanistan Veterans Against the War Committee

Iraq Veterans Against the War is a 501(c)(3) charity, and welcomes your tax deductible contributions