NOTE: The following letter was first submitted to POLITICO which did not respond to the submission. It was then faxed to each and every member of Congress, Representatives and Senators.
Strengthening the Violence Against Women Act Protects U.S. Citizens
In a recent POLITICO opinion piece, Weakening the Violence Against Women Act Betrays Immigrant Victims, Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler appeal to congressional leaders to pass the Senate version of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, S. 1925. They state, “All women who have lived through violence and abuse should have the certainty that the law will protect them — no matter their race, creed, color, and religion or immigration status. Unfortunately, Congress is now considering proposals that would erode this certainty — and its failure to act is already causing harm.”
Sadly, it appears Shurtleff and Gansler believe that the accused are guilty and only women need protection. The words alleged and men never appear in their appeal. Regardless of real abuse or gender, immigrants alleging domestic violence apply to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service for legal status and eventual citizenship. Many make false allegations against their U.S. citizen partner to reap those and other benefits associated with being a “domestic violence victim”.
Amazingly, under S. 1925, these accused citizens have no legal standing to refute the allegations or restore their good name. In addition, they suffer harmful consequences in related legal proceedings. In effect, they have no rights to defend against such allegations. The wrongly accused are often left destitute, penniless, convicted of crimes they did not commit, imprisoned, unemployed, and otherwise ruined to the point of mayhem, murder, or suicide. They are the true victims.
Unfortunately, by removing fundamental due process protections, the Senate version of VAWA would continue to facilitate false accusations and wrongful U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service application determinations. Congress must incorporate provisions into VAWA that protect falsely accused citizens, such as requiring prosecutors that receive VAWA funding to certify that they will uphold and enforce laws designed to curb perjury and false swearing.
If you believe that immigrants should have more protections than our citizens should, follow the appeal of Shurtleff and Gansler. However, if you believe citizens should have at least the same protection as non-citizens, then support the House version of the VAWA, H.R. 4970, sponsored by Rep. Sandy Adams. She was a police officer and DV survivor. She believes in due process and understands the domestic violence issue from first-hand experience.
VAWA must be strengthened to assure that all persons who have lived through violence and abuse have certainty that the law will protect them – no matter their sex, creed, color, religion, or citizenship status. Fortunately, Congress is now considering proposals that would strengthen this certainty — and its failure to act is already causing harm, which betrays all of us…
Respectfully,
Harry Crouch, President
FIX VAWA
FIX VAWA NOW!
The shame of vawa will spread also in Europe thanks to the Istambul treaty signed by EU parties
http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/EN/Treaties/Html/210.htm
Of course the law is unjust. Men are being stereotyped and consequently dehumanised by the politicians. Men are too busy fighting one another over women. The outcry on VAWA is too small to worry the politicians. The men’s movement needs to mobilise much more with their heads and be driven less by anger. It can be done. Men can start networking effectively before it is too late. But we have to take a step back first and look at the options..
Thomas Jefferson’s Warnings
“The opinion which gives to the judges the right to decide what laws are constitutional and what not, not only for themselves in their own sphere of action, but for the legislative and executive also in their spheres, would make the judiciary a despotic branch.
“…judges should be withdrawn from the bench whose erroneous biases are leading to dissolution. It may, indeed, injure them in fame or fortune; but it saves the Republic…”
My Comment on Mark’s Website:
Attorney General Mark Shurtleff,
The press and Senate Democrats avoid the topic of “Credible Evidence” which is not required by the Senate version of VAWA. Basically no evidence is required to find a man guilty. Also, it is not gender neutral, thus placing women above the law in DV cases, which is counter to the “Rule of Law”, the Senate version is Unconstitutional.
Delaware is Joe Biden’s home state. Joe Biden has called the Violence Against Women Act “my baby.” It appears that the political powers that be in Delaware are endangering the lives of children for the sake of political image and that is so unconscionable it’s stunning.
Vice President Biden has called the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) his baby, but Biden should be ashamed, not proud, of his misandrist piece of gender feminist, legislation, which excuses and rewards women’s domestic violence against men, thereby fueling more domestic violence against men by women.
According to the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services and DOJ statistics, more kids are killed by neglect and abuse in a year (1,460 in 2005), than all the female intimate partner homicides in in a year (1,181 in 2005). And mothers are the single largest group of kid killers. They have a rate twice that of fathers, yet the taxpayer funded (gender feminist run) domestic violence industry would have us believe that women don’t egregiously batter men too. They’re lying!
http://manamongoaks.com/lumber.html (scroll down)
As shown by HHS statistics, the age range for those child homicides is about ten times narrower than that for female intimate partner homicide, making that rate of child homicide far more concentrated. Yet funding to prevent those child homicides is minimal, compared to the billions that go to the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
V.P. Biden recently called violence against women, “the very worst abuse.” The very worst abuse is valuing one life less than another for having been born the wrong sex, or the wrong age, and that is exactly what the vile, sexist, ageist, scam artist Joe Biden is doing.
Under Biden’s Violence Against Women Act the wrong sex is men and the wrong age group is children. Innocent men and children are literally pawns that are being put in life threatening situations to further the political career of Joe Biden.
Please upload bigger images. This one is much too small to read! http://ncfm.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/120913-NCFM-ltr-fxed-2pgs-picture-of.jpg
Thanks, keep up the good work!
Great article. It’s a shame that the Obama administration does not want to protect men from domestic violence. They are pushing for VAWA that excludes men from the protections women get. They also put out deceiving memos where they only mention the 1 in 4 women victims and “forget” to mention the 1 in 5 men victims of DV, rape and stalking. And the administration continues to forbid a penny of VAWA from being used to educate and help women become less violent. The House version of VAWA isn’t perfect, but at least 50% of the victims will finally be recognized and protected.
The very name VAWA is discrimination, that should be changed to the Violence Against People Act. it is important that everything about V AWA be changed so it benifits all Americans not just women. Men are victims of DV too.
Shurtleff and Gansler write like Abbott and Costello.