the south is still backwards when it comes to this.

Your reporting, I mean, ECB: Outrageous!!!

What is truly outraging is that the very next line in the article you quote -- the VERY NEXT ONE -- reads:

"Chalk one up for the power of the press to shine a bright light into dark corners and encourage change. But the News & Observer story made me wonder—just how big and dark is this particular corner? Is this a national phenomenon or is the practice limited to one state?"

So, ECB, how does Washington State come out vis-a-vi this practice?

In your role as a reporter did you make a few phone calls and determine how this effects your readers and where you, as an empowered female reporter, can best "shine a bright light"?

Or did you just get outraged and stop working there?

So like @11 I was disappointed in Erica's failure to do Reporting 101.

But, Julie, that's the point -- as Erica reported above:

Since Locke’s story ran, “The cap has been lifted,” says North Carolina Department of Crime Control and Public Safety spokesperson Patty McQuillan,

Read the artivcle again: In North Carolina they NO LONGER have to pay for their rape kits.

And why is that? Because a sharp, on the ball reporter did her job, uncovered the facts, and brought them to light.

I'm just urging ECB to do the same -- to effect change rather than just be outraged.

But, Julie, that's the point -- as Erica reported above:

Since Locke’s story ran, “The cap has been lifted,” says North Carolina Department of Crime Control and Public Safety spokesperson Patty McQuillan,

Read the artivcle again: In North Carolina they NO LONGER have to pay for their rape kits.

And why is that? Because a sharp, on the ball reporter did her job, uncovered the facts, and brought them to light.

I'm just urging ECB to do the same -- to effect change rather than just be outraged.

But the state could easily cover the cost, just like they cover the cost of checking for DNA, accessing FBI databases, and the like.

True enough, Julie, this is just a slog. Extensive investigative journalism is not required for all postings.

But after reading her post, even you were left with the (clearly mistaken!) impression that "North Carolina, women have to pay for their rape kits". And that is simply not what the article Erica "summarized" says. Quite the opposite, actually.

Facts matter. And anyone needs to be called out if they misreport them. (Especially reporters!)

When did Erica STOP posting about how great Hillary's vagina was?

Oh and a note for the gals: Don't dress like sluts and you probably won't get raped. If you lead a guy on, you can't be surprised when he follows through.

*yawn* 'mo, you'll have to do better than that.

Or how about this? We track down the rapist and force him to pay for it. Why should society as a whole have to pay for men who drink too much and poor enough judgement to choose to rape?

Responsibility still lies with person who chose to engage in risky behavior.

No. Responsibility lies with the criminal.

I know you guys love to think that rapists are easily identifiable, but most rapists are, by all appearances, completely normal, like my relative's first husband who raped my cousin or my half-sister's stepfather who raped her.

So, I'll let you choose: either you can suffer from blue balls as all women everywhere refuse to have anything to do with men out of the fear of getting raped by some of you, or you can have some fucking sympathy and not blame the victim.

there is a difference between "blaming the victim" and suggesting that someone should be held accountable for their decisions.

Who are these "rapist dudes"?

Yes, the rapist should be held accountable for his actions. Men who rape make up a significant minority of men overall, which means that you know rapists, I know rapists, everyone knows rapists. Do you know anyone who has fessed up to you that he once raped someone? I'm guessing not. Do you know that rape is one of the most under reported crimes?

I've been on so many dates where men tried to guilt trip me for not trusting them. I guess if the guilt trip worked and I let them into my apartment and one of them raped me, I would be at fault, right?

Here's the reality: in dating, you have to take risks. Drinking is a normal social activity. Letting people you don't know that well is a normal dating activity. Some men choose to take advantage of these normal activities to rape and rely on people like you to blame women when they're only doing what is required to function in normal society.

So, I ask again, are you that determined to have blue balls?

And, by the way, how does this responsibility work for women who are raped by strangers on the street? Do we bear responsibility simply for possessing vaginas?

I see. All women are required to fuck you after going into your home no matter what. If a woman walks into your home and discovers that you have a collection of severed doll's heads on your mantle, she is not allowed to change her mind and walk out. You need to learn a little something about consent: No means no, asshole.

What was worse was after going through that ordeal, I ended up having an impossible time trying to get the Morning-after pill. Because by the time I'd figured out what I was going to do, planned parenthood's pill distribution cutoff time had already passed. I didn't realize they don't give it out past 2pm. Interesting.

You are absolutely right. It is feminist rape spew.

I, like most women, have this crazy idea that I'm human. Most women go about their lives not realizing that there are a number of men, like you, who disagree.

These women go about their lives always at risk that some man might decide to rape them. There is no reliable way to tell the difference between a rapist and nonrapist, unlike what you want to believe.

Therefore, women always have some risk that a relative, a clergy member, a teacher, an employer, a coworker, a "friend", a date, a boyfriend, a husband, or a complete stranger might rape them.

The only way for a woman to be completely safe from rape is to never associate with any man ever, to live in a home as heavily fortified as Fort Knox, and to never leave that home under any circumstance.

According to your definition, any woman who fails to live up to this standard bears some responsibility for her rape. This is shorthand for blaming women for living while female. It's rape apology and unabashed misogyny.

You are recycling blah blah misogynist rape apology boilerplate unthinking spew. You probably have the intelligence of a 12-year-old boy. You may be a potential or actual rapist. You are definitely a rape apologist.

Rape apologists bear more of the responsibility of rape than any woman who lets a man up to her apartment and is summarily raped. She likely did not have the life experience to know never to trust any man, lest she be complicit in her own rape. She was likely manipulated into going against her own judgement. By the way, most rapists deliberately seek out victims who have little self-confidence -- that much the better to manipulate them, guilt trip them, and ensure that those victims never come forward or press charges. And you would blame those women for being the victims of men who are professional predators.

You help rapists by enabling them. Do you think as many men would choose to rape if they didn't think you'd have their back? I suppose it's possible, but I doubt it. Rape doesn't fly in societies that don't see women as subhuman. Think there's a connection?

You also help rapists by shaming women into thinking that rape is always their fault, when in fact rape is only women's fault as far as women refuse to be cowed and to give up human contact and human existence to avoid it.

You are a stupid, misogynistic scumbag. May no woman ever trust you enough to ever speak to you, let alone fuck you. Enjoy your blue balls.

Fuck you very much.

Are there countries where women aren't viewed as subuhman, that don't have a rape problem? (insert joke about the fictional version of Kazakhstan here) I can't imagine there's a nice, modern, first-world country where this is not a serious, underreported/undiscussed issue.