Xtian Right joins w/ Teddy Kennedy
http://www.google.com/search?q=prison+rape+santorum
http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=1033
http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=w050704&s=raustiala070705
>...The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) is a good example of this
phenomenon. Sexual assault, sometimes by guards but more often by
other prisoners, is a fact of life behind bars. Research shows that
nearly 1 in 10 male inmates has been raped, gay men
disproportionately. The problem of prisoner rape is not new, but the
issue had no traction for decades. Starting about five years ago,
however, prisoner rape began to get attention.
In 2001, Human Rights Watch released a report on rape behind bars that was prominently featured on the front page of The New York Times. At the same time, the survivor-founded group Stop Prisoner Rape initiated a campaign that forced 7UP to pull a television commercial making light of the issue. Many conservative groups signed on to the campaign, including the evangelical Prison Fellowship Ministries, led by Watergate-era figure Chuck Colson. The media attention to both events dovetailed with ongoing work on the issue at the conservative Hudson Institute and coverage in publications such as Christianity Today.
Conservative religious groups, many of which minister in prisons, witnessed the problem firsthand. More traditional conservatives recognized a law-and-order problem they could attack. And the fact that much of the sex in question was male-on-male surely added to the right's indignation. For the left, prison conditions have long been a concern--and a losing cause. But once Christian conservatives joined forces with groups like Amnesty International, the topic went from a political loser to a political winner. On conservative talk radio, advocates still faced hostile questions. But on Capitol Hill, few wanted to come out against a campaign that had garnered support from both the NAACP and Focus on the Family. Ted Kennedy and Rick Santorum suddenly were on the same team.
The PREA is an important story, one in which an appalling problem is finally addressed by Congress. But it is also part of a trend. In recent months, for example, the unusual convergence of the religious right and environmentalists has received increasing attention. "Creation care" is the new phrase du jour for environmentally minded Christians who think there is a scriptural duty to protect the Earth and all its inhabitants. Christian conservatives have also aligned with the left to campaign against the international sex trafficking trade. Conservatives are increasingly in line with liberals on the need to aggressively challenge and prevent religious and racial persecution in places like Darfur. And perhaps most significantly, national security hawks and climate change advocates are suddenly on the same page with regard to fossil fuel consumption--since, in addition to creating greenhouse gases, American consumption of oil also enriches Saudi Arabia, birthplace of fifteen of the 9/11 hijackers. <SNIP>
-- Michael Pugliese