Bill Cosby and Barak Obama
The other day, President Obama said he couldn’t revoke Bill Cosby’s Presidential Medal of Honor. But I’d humbly like to tell the president: “You ain’t powerless.”
I’m grateful Obama condemned Cosby’s crimes. He didn’t have to. It’s always tempting to change the subject when sexual violence comes up.
I think, however, the president copped out when he said “We do not have that mechanism,” a process to rescind the honor. But he isn’t powerless. He could propose or create such a mechanism.
Obama also said “There’s no precedent for revoking a medal.” But he isn’t powerless. He could setprecedent or at least try.
http://www.pressexaminer.com/no-country-should-have-tolerance-for-rape-obama/1959
A solid old adage springs to mind: “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
(An alternative: Obama could lean on Congressional Democrats to pass a resolution slamming Cosby. Toothless? Sure. But comforting to sex crimes victims? Absolutely.)
The other day, a 94 year old man was convicted of crimes that took place 50 years ago on another continent. There was probably no precedent for that either.
But he was a Nazi war criminal. And because of the horror of his crimes, extraordinary measures were taken to bring him to justice and bring consolation to at least a few of his victims.
So a president who faces no re-election pressures and who radically revamped the US health care system has considerable power here to ameliorate a bit of the harm done to Cosby’s victims by our archaic, predator-friendly laws.
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director
Showing 1 comment