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From: cramer@kontron.UUCP (Clayton Cramer)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: rape and abused females
Message-ID: <178@kontron.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 24-May-85 13:16:12 EDT
Article-I.D.: kontron.178
Posted: Fri May 24 13:16:12 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 25-May-85 09:57:37 EDT
References: <187@cuuxa.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Kontron Electronics, Irvine, CA
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> I have an idea that might help on the subject of rape
> and abuse of women. Let's get a few more women judges
> up there on the bench. I also think that the punishment
> for these crimes should be decided by the victim not
> the judge.
> 
Nice idea, but those of us who live in California know better.

Unfortunately, a great many women appointed to the bench have
associated themselves politically with ideas like "society is
responsible for crime".  A good example is Rose Bird, Chief
Justice of the California Supreme Court.  One would expect
that a women would be very sympathetic to a rape victim, and
very unsympathetic to a rapist.  

One of the early cases that generated anger from the conservatives
out here towards Rose Bird involved a rapist convicted of rape.
Along with the rape charge had been added a charge of "causing
great bodily harm".  Rose Bird felt that the Legislature had
inadequately defined "great bodily harm", and ordered a new
trial.  What had the rapist done that the jury felt constituted
"great bodily harm"?  He stuck a four-inch knife blade upto
the hilt into her abdomen.  Rose Bird didn't feel confident
that the jury had made the right choice, even without a
detailed definition of "great bodily harm".

Sometimes, the biggest enemy a woman has in California, is
a woman.