Three weeks or so ago, I contacted Sen. Cantwell's office to express my concerns over her complicity in remaining silent on this issue that she knew full well about but did nothing for the 16+ years she's been a Senator... and her silence on the matter of Sen. Al Franken.
I found the entirety of the situation to be bizarre; a woman in a party of alleged champions of and for women, allowing the US Senate to be turned into what amounts to the sexual equivalent of a version of Cadillac Ranch.
This was the response from her office. It says nothing about the issues I brought up, of course, but I didn't expect that it would.
In the business, this is known as the "sincere non-response." On one hand, Cantwell (or her staff) could rightfully claim to have provided a response to my inquiry. On the other hand, the response itself is a group of utterly meaningless words that bear no connection to what I was asking about: namely her complicity in allowing this decade's long den of inequity to exist; why she hadn't spoken out or acted to put an end to it years ago...
This was her response:
To her credit, at least Cantwell responded. That's more than Murray or our own Congresswoman have done.
But it's clear that all 3 of the women representing me as a constituent simply don't care about this issue.
Had they cared, over the almost 50 years of tenure these three represent, at least one of them would have said something.
At least one of them would have DONE something.
Something more than sending out form letters that act like you're an idiot when you write them.
I found the entirety of the situation to be bizarre; a woman in a party of alleged champions of and for women, allowing the US Senate to be turned into what amounts to the sexual equivalent of a version of Cadillac Ranch.
This was the response from her office. It says nothing about the issues I brought up, of course, but I didn't expect that it would.
In the business, this is known as the "sincere non-response." On one hand, Cantwell (or her staff) could rightfully claim to have provided a response to my inquiry. On the other hand, the response itself is a group of utterly meaningless words that bear no connection to what I was asking about: namely her complicity in allowing this decade's long den of inequity to exist; why she hadn't spoken out or acted to put an end to it years ago...
This was her response:
As you can see, her office didn't even mention what I was asking her about, let alone address it.
Dear Kelly,
Thank you for contacting me to express your views on allegations of sexual harassment and assault. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.
I am concerned by the increasing number of individuals who have come forward with credible allegations of sexual harassment and assault from nearly every sector of American life.
Sexual harassment and assault are crimes. Under federal law, sexual harassment is considered a form of sexual discrimination which is prohibited in the workplace under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Victims of sexual harassment are allowed to file lawsuits against their perpetrators. Under federal law, sexual assault is defined as any sexual act committed upon another person by “threatening or placing that other person in fear, causing bodily harm to that other person,” or if the sexual act is committed against a person who is unaware the sexual act is occurring or against a person incapable of “consenting to the sexual act.” Currently, the maximum federal sentence for sexual assault is twenty years in prison.
I have cosponsored and introduced multiple pieces of legislation on these important issues. In the 114th Congress, I was proud to cosponsor the Security and Finance Empowerment Act of 2015 which required the National Resource Center on Workplace Response to provide information and assistance in developing adequate workplace responses to sexual harassment and assault. This legislation required employers to provide their employees with thirty days of leave per year which can be used in the case of a sexual assault. In the 107th Congress, I introduced the Debbie Smith Act which created grants to help law enforcement and first responders handle sexual assault cases and collection of DNA evidence for forensic evaluation. However, much more work needs to be done to support victims and hold perpetrators of sexual harassment and assault accountable.
In addition to legislation, I have consistently supported federal programs designed to support victims of sexual harassment and assault. I am a strong supporter of the Violence Against Woman Act and have supported robust funding for its programs that provide the national resources of legal advocacy and counseling for victims in the aftermath of abuse. I also am a strong supporter of robust funding for the Crime Victims Fund which provides resources to over 4 million victims of sexual violence with support services and reimbursements to help support their lives.Thank you again for contacting me to share your thoughts on this matter. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I can be of further assistance.
Sincerely,
Maria Cantwell
United States Senator
For future correspondence with my office, please visit my website at
http://cantwell.senate.gov/contact/
To her credit, at least Cantwell responded. That's more than Murray or our own Congresswoman have done.
But it's clear that all 3 of the women representing me as a constituent simply don't care about this issue.
Had they cared, over the almost 50 years of tenure these three represent, at least one of them would have said something.
At least one of them would have DONE something.
Something more than sending out form letters that act like you're an idiot when you write them.
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