I stopped dead in my scrolling tracks when, while perusing my feed-reader, I saw an article titled Elena Kagan v. Sonia Sotomayor: Who Wore It Better? I kid you not. An article on whether Sonia or Elena wore the blue jacket black shirt ensemble with more panache. I was appalled. How dare they treat women like this. There was even a poll for rea­ders to vote. Again, I kid you not.

Dis­gus­ted, I chose future justice Kagan simply because she acces­so­ri­zed better. Make no mistake, accessories count when you’re handing over this country to the likes of Verizon, Pfizer, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Bank of America.

I’m similarly astounded that people are writing about being appalled, and it’s getting more coverage than say.… the depression we are surely heading into, and that pesky oil leak

But never mind that. What do you think? For the weekend warrior look, who do you feel here? Roberts with the open neck no undershirt, blazer and khakis, or Thomas with the khakis, logo shirt and undershirt peaking through?

Who really looks like a Supreme Court justice on a weekend sabbatical?

Wonderland or Not.

The ambassador was allowed some good PR, most notably on the Gaza-bound aid flotilla attacks. Stephen makes clear he found Helen Thomases comment despicable, though he does not abandon her as his friend. His acquiescence surprises at first, but never fear, Colbert knows how to make a point, and with exclamation. It takes between 8:15 and 8:45 minutes to make it, but it’s the willingness to concede that time, (to let others make their point, and to allow time for said point be justly evaluated), that makes the exclamation point distinctive.

peace

Wonderland or Not.

Found dead on the military base in Balad, Iraq in July, 2005, a short time after she began serving there, the United States Army ruled 19 year old Pfc. Lavena Johnson’s death as a suicide resulting from a self-inflicted M-16 rifle shot wound, and sent her home in a box. This ruling despite the fact she was found with a broken nose, black eye, loose teeth, acid burns on her genitals (which some suggest were to eliminate DNA evidence of rape), a trail of blood leading away from her tent, and a bullet hole in her head . Five years later I m hard pressed to find any mention of Lavena Johnson, save a rare OMG — WTF post from someone who has only recently discovered the case. There was some coverage in Australia last year, as the story suddenly popped up there as if it hadn’t been heard before.

I wrote of it in The New Yorker, Obama, and Real Tragedy, only a couple of years ago — the first of several posts I wrote on her case. Though the incident occurred in the summer of 2005, that summer of 2008 was the first I had come across it. The coverage at it’s peak was found most often in a few progressive newspapers and blogs. Despite a petition with 50,000 signatures instigated by Color of Change, and in the summer of 2008 an oversight hearing on sexual assault (by the Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs) — to address sexual abuse in the military, the hope that Lavena’s case could be presented were shattered. Lavena’s case was not addressed, the case remains a suicide we all know never occurred.

Time passes, I understand. Obama gets elected, banks fail, we lose a our money, tea baggers go nuts, oil gets spilled, Lindsey Lohan gets drunk, Michael Jackson dies, someone is dancing with the stars, and insurance companies win. For all our losses we are preoccupied, and a murdered young solider and the subsequent cover-up, no matter how horrific, slip our mind.

That Lavena Johnson is not the first, and will not be the last, bear keeping in mind, on this memorial day.

Lavena Johnson: The Silent Truth

Link Collection:

Lavena Johnson

LaVena L. Johnson
Lavena Johnson
Press release from Color of Change.org(50,000 sign petition)
Female Buyers Beware of Obama’s Call to Service
Who Murdered Army Pvt Lavena Johnson?
The Cover-Up of a Soldiers’ Death
The tragic story of LaVena Johnson
Defense Dept. Uncooperative in Sexual Assault Hearings
LaVena Johnson’s Update:Oversight Hearing on Sexual Assault in the Military This Morning at 10:00 EST
Color of Change Launches Campaign to Get hearings for LaVena JohnsonTracey Barnett: Women GIs in fear of the enemy in their army
Suicide or Murder? Three Years After the Death of Pfc. LaVena Johnson in Iraq, Her Parents Continue Their Call for a Congressional InvestigationU.S. Army Private LaVena Lynn Johnson, RIP
The Next Pat Tillman-Style Cover-Up?
LaVena Johnson: Raped and Murdered on a Military Base in Iraq
LaVena L. JohnsonLaVena Johnson: Murdered By Her Colleagues, Ignored By The Army
Justice for Pfc. LaVena Johnson

Wonderland or Not.