Mixed Signals Allow For Conflicted Perceptions…Is It Rape or Intimacy?

       There was a recent news story that did much to anger those who work with women who have been “date raped”.   Helen Mirren, a British actress, who won awards last year for her portrayal of the Queen, did an interview with GQ in which she claimed to have been raped several times, many years ago, when she was a student.  Helen is 63 years old now. 

         The reason some people have been upset with Helen, over that interview, is that she seemed to down play the experiences.  She said there was no extreme violence, she was not hit…but rather, was locked in a room and made to have sex.  She did not file charges in those incidents.  She also said that if a man and a woman were about to get intimate and the woman changed her mind, and the man continued; that was indeed rape.  However, in that circumstance; she didn’t feel that a woman could then turn around and take that man to court for it.  Those are highly controversial remarks when taken individually or out of context.  To some people…those comments smack of judgementalism…that those situations aren’t worthy of prosecution of a person who sexually assaults another.  Those comments appear inflammatory to many folks.

         Most people are clear that if a stranger attacks another person and forces sexual relations…then that is rape.  It is true enough…it is.  But there are other forms of rape as well that aren’t as clearly defined for some people.

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Liar, Liar…Pants On Fire-John Edwards Admits Affair

        Breaking news today that John Edwards is admitting that he lied all through his Presidential campaign when he said, over and over again, that he did not have an affair with a young woman, Rielle Hunter, a filmmaker when the National Enquirer first accused him in October.  She has since had a female baby that he denies is his child; but, there supposedly has been no paternity testing to prove or deny that claim.  Another man has said that he is the father of the child; a man by the name of, Andrew Young.  He  was a former campaign aide.  The child was born in February of this year…the affair began in 2006…but he doesn’t say for sure when it ended…just that the affair ended too soon for the child to be his.

        John Edwards’ wife Elisabeth has fought and battled cancer for years…she was in remission…however, she has now been diagnosed with a form of cancer that is incurable.  I remember an interview, that she did at the time that it was announced she had incurable cancer…and i thought…how strong she was…how composed.  Now to think that she had to also deal with the knowledge of her husband’s affair during that time…just makes me realize how much stronger she was, than anyone knew.  It also makes me wonder how he thought he would be able to support his wife during her battle, run for President, all the while knowing that this affair could harm his family and come out in the press.  How was Elisabeth able to handle the difficulty of the disease as well as the emotional trauma of the affair?

        It was said that as recently as two weeks ago, he was still denying an affair with this woman…and yet, a month ago he had a meeting with her; an now he admits the affair. 

        That can only mean one thing in my mind; somewhere, someone has proof that can’t be denied.  There will be an investigation, i am sure, about whether she was paid hush money as she denied the affair at one point as well.  If it can be proven that he paid her money to keep it quiet…there will be an even bigger news story here. 

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A Political Judas?

        I am not, by and large, a political person in the way of trying to convert anyone to my way of thinking when it comes to voting; that is not my intention here.  In fact…i have not made up my mind about who I am voting for, in the coming presidential election.  But, I am somewhat disturbed by the goings on with the media’s illumiation of the whole inflamatory words of Sen. Barack Obama’s recently retired pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright.

        Reverend Wright has been preaching sermons, until his recent retirement, that have allegedly been making statements that have an accusatory tone about AIDS being a racist plot, about concerns about his sermons and statements…calling those concerns an attack on the black church amongst other highly provacative statments.  This, as you can imagine, has caused multiple problems for Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign.

       Rev. Wright was Sen. Barack Obama’s pastor for almost 20 years..and he married Obama and his wife.  They have had a spirtual relationship for quite some time. 

       I don’t know about you…but…I have been in a church situation where i was in a spiritual disagreement with someone who was head of the church; and, was preaching what i thought was violent, ill informed, and inflammatory comments from the pulpit.  My husband and I made the painful decision to leave that church because of the influence it was having on our spiritual well being. 

           I think that was the proper thing to do.  We still cared deeply for the person making the statements…but…in all honesty, that person was wrong to be saying the things they said from a pulpit.  It is a sacred, powerful place to guide and direct people in their daily living.  It is no less so, for Barack Obama and his family…or, anyone else finding themselves in such a position.  This requires discernment about who you let influence your thoughts and decisions.

       I do have some questions personally…but, because I was not in that church to hear such things being said…i have to give Mr. Obama credit and say…i would hope that he would have better judgement than to sit under that sort of spiritual leadership if it was ongoing situation with Rev. Wright. 

        On the other hand, who is betraying who in this ongoing debate about what has been being preached in that church.  If Rev Wright was saying such explosive and devisive things from the pulpit and Mr. Obama continued under that tuteledge…then, maybe his judgement has been impaired. 

        It has been alleged by a politician recently, that perhaps, Rev. Wright was deliberately sabotaging Mr. Obama’s bid for delegates.  If so, why would he be acting as a political Judas? 

        Now that Barack Obama has distanced himself further from Rev. Wright on Monday evening by saying…that the person who made such a “spectacle” at the National Press Club “is not the person I met 20 years ago”; are there persons out there who will think that he is the political Judas for distancing himself from Rev. Wright, at this point in time?

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