evidently, homosexual rape is even worse
than the rape of a child
A military jury ignored an Air Force captain's plea for leniency Wednesday, sentencing him to 50 years in prison for raping four men and attempting to rape two others.
The sentence was delivered a day after nine Air Force officers serving on Capt. Devery L. Taylor's court-martial jury found him guilty of all charges against him for drugging and kidnapping servicemen and others he met in bars. Taylor was dismissed from the Air Force and will not be eligible for parole for 20 years.
...
Taylor was convicted of two counts of attempted sodomy, four counts of forcible sodomy, two counts of kidnapping and one count of unlawful entry.
"Each of these victims met the accused only briefly, but they will suffer the rest of their lives," said Capt. Eveylon Westbrook, a military prosecutor.
The implication being that men raped by men will suffer more than women raped by men.
It certainly seems that the military agrees with that sentiment:
ARMY, 1997:
An army drill instructor convicted of rape was sentenced to 25 years in prison Tuesday, avoiding a possible life term. Staff Sgt. Delmar Simpson would be eligible for clemency in five years, and eligible for parole in 8 1/3 years.
A court-martial jury also demoted Simpson to the rank of private E-1 and ordered a dishonorable discharge with all pay forfeited. Under military law, a single rape conviction carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
...
The same military jury that convicted Simpson last week on 18 counts of rape involving six women deliberated for about 2 1/2 hours before announcing its sentence. [Simpson was court martialed on 58 charges of sexual abuse involving 21 women.]
NAVY, 2002:
A military judge sitting as a general court-martial convicted the appellant [William Charles Tanner], in accordance with his pleas, of rape of a child under the age of 16 years, two specifications of forcible sodomy, on divers occasions, of a child under the age of 16 years, and committing indecent acts, on divers occasions, with a child under the age of 16 years. All of the offenses involved the appellant’s 10-year-old daughter. ... On 7 May 2002, the military judge sentenced the appellant to confinement for 18 years and a dishonorable discharge.
AIR FORCE, 1996:
A general court-martial composed of officer members convicted appellant [Michael R. McElhaney], contrary to his pleas, of an attempt to commit rape, an attempt to commit carnal knowledge with a child under 16 years of age, carnal knowledge with a child under 12 years of age, carnal knowledge with a child under 16 years of age, sodomy with a child under 16 years of age, and four specifications of indecent acts with a child under 16 years of age...
He was sentenced to a dishonorable discharge, confinement for 20 years, and reduction to the lowest enlisted grade.
The convening authority approved the findings and that portion of the sentence providing for a dishonorable discharge, confinement for 15 years, and reduction to the lowest enlisted grade. The Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the findings and sentence.
MARINES, 2006:
Recruit "Jane Doe" said in the lawsuit that she had been raped three times by Dunzweiler, and that he had told her she had to submit if she wanted to be accepted into the Marines.
"Mary Roe" said she had been drunk when Fukushima raped her. Neither recruit joined the Marines.
Staff Sgt. Joseph Dunzweiler , 25 of the Ukiah, CA recruiting office, was acquitted of charges he coerced Doe into having sex with him. However, he was convicted of five lesser charges, including having sex with another potential recruit, providing alcohol to recruits, lying to Marine investigators and asking others to lie for him. His rank was reduced from staff sergeant to corporal, his pay was docked by $1,300 and he was restricted to base for 30 days. Doe said Dunzweiler ended up giving her chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease.
Sgt. Brian Fukushima was convicted by the military in September 2005 of sexual misconduct, adultery and asking a recruit to lie to investigators. He was demoted to corporal, his pay was docked $1,000 and he was restricted to base for 30 days. He left the service with a less than honorable discharge.
So, rape 4 men, you get 50 years; rape 21 women, you get 25 years; rape 2 children, you get 15-18 years; and rape a teenage girl, you get 30 days.
That's what we call justice in this country.
[emphasis added throughout.]
posted by missy at
9:26 AM
3 Comments:
homo rape seems penalized more but your point could be clearer. Do you consisder this unjust prejudice against homos? Or an implicit condonement of raping eighteen year old girls. The prison system is nearly a chaos, but molesting children leaves a deeper wound.
By
Anonymous, at 8:04 PM
I just see it as further proof of homophobia in this country, and the way female rape victims are so often blamed for the attacks they suffer. It seems obvious from these cases that (1) the military believes a man raping a man is much more damaging to the victim than if the victim was female; and, (2) that, unlike an untrustworthy woman, a man would never lie about being raped by another man because it's just too awful.
By
slim, at 9:22 AM
I hate to be the one saying, this, but I think I understand their justification.
They figure that servicemen raping other servicemen is more severe because of the effect it has on morale. Your fellow soldiers are supposed to be there to protect you, not rape you.
Now I'm not condoning the logic, or saying that soldiers raping civilians doesn't harm morale. But civilian rape has traditionally been one of the functions of a standing military, despite what treaties and conventions and codes of conduct may tell you.
I think the military actually believes that homosexual rape among the ranks is a worse crime deserving of harsher punishment.
By
Nobody Important, at 9:05 AM
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