Domestic Violence is no Laughing Matter
Lawmakers were taped joking “Pop her ... pop her again” at a committee meeting when they tabled a bill aimed at strengthening state law against domestic violence. [...]
“And they wonder why we rank in the bottom on women in office and we lead in women getting killed by men,” Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, a Democrat who sponsored the bill, said. House leaders said they plan to reintroduce the bill.
At Tuesday’s meeting, according to the newspaper account, Rep. John Graham Altman asked why the bill’s title “Protect Our Women in Every Relationship (POWER)” just mentioned protecting women.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Harrison suggested calling the bill the “Protecting Our People in Every Relationship Act,” or “POPER,” the newspaper reported.
A voice on the tape is heard pronouncing it “Pop her.” Then another says “Pop her again,” followed by laughter.
“I do not understand why women continue to go back around men who abuse them,” Altman told WIS-TV later. “I mean, you women want it one way and not another,” he told the female reporter. (source)
As someone who grew up in a home where my mother and I were beaten on several occasions by my step father, this article really pissed me off. Domestic violence is no laughing matter. Usually you hear about comments like this coming from abusive husbands or partners. It’s especially an issue coming from a state representative. Perhaps Rep. Graham has some issues going on in his own household?
I hope he loses his office over this. To dismiss an issue such as this as a joke is unforgivable.
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Tony,
I think you are right. He should have to work in a shelter and he would see first hand what it's like.
I feel horrible about your friend that you lost. My step father tried to run over us with the car. He knocked me down on the ground with a punch to my shoulder. He then started to get into the car and Mom was in front of the car to keep him from taking it away from us (they court awarded the car to us). I knew he would run over her so I got in front of the car just in time to get her out of the way. I remember telling her, "Let him have it. It's just a car!"
I agree Mary (by the way, I hope you aren't working on a Saturday! ;) ). You know, when I condemn someone of something, I always think of what Ghandi said once; "I want to change their minds, not beat them over the head for things we all do."
I think the message in that is, I know that to Rep. Graham is was just a joke, but I want him to learn from it and do something positive with it. Then, he really showed his ignorance when he said, "I do not understand why women continue to go back around men who abuse them."
Where are they going to go? Many of these women have nowhere else to go and many have children. That was our case. The third time it happened, we ended up moving in with my grandmother because we were disparate and afraid.
It's truly scary that even today, people just don't "get it" where domestic violence is concerned. If society would put half the energy into this issue that they put into "protecting children", a lot could be done to stop this.
By the way, I think the women's and children's shelter you are helping out is really awesome. What a cause to work for! Good for you! :)
I hope he loses office, as well. I'm on the board of our local women's and children's shelter, and we just had to ask a board member to resign because his wife was pursuing a restraining order against him - you can just never tell what's underneath the surface - although it seems you CAN tell with Rep. Graham.
This man needs to go work in a domestic violence shelter,that should be his punishment for being so stupid,then we will see if he thinks it is so funny,i lost a dear sweet friend i grew up with to domestic violence,she was a sheriffs dispatcher for our county,the same day she filed for a court protection order,she moved in with her brother,when she was returning from getting food from the store her husband was waiting for her,he shot her in the face,killing her in front of her children and brother,then he turned the gun on himself,bill i am so sorry to hear that you and your mother had to be subjected to domestic violence when you where a child,it is hard for adults to handle but even harder for a child to deal with,i know this from my own childhood,i went thur the samething.