Huzzah! Once again, SVU triumphs, only this time in REAL LIFE! Check it out.
As awful things go, few things trump the fact that thousands of rape kits never go tested. Can you imagine surviving a rape, having the courage to report it right after the fact without even showering before you go to the hospital, and then going through the further torturous, prodding, multi-hour process of a rape kit... and then it never even gets tested? How can law enforcement sleep at night?! Benson and Stabler would never allow this.
In light of the rape kit backlog, it seems fair to ask: Why should we put women through hours of an invasive procedure if we don't follow through and test their kits? The last thing anyone wants is for news of the rape kit backlog to discourage women from coming forward to have a rape kit collected.
And while testing rape kits is important to advance investigations, it also sends an important message: It shows victims that their cases -- and their pain and their anguish -- matter.
Fortunately, the doing-good-in-real-life team at SVU, Executive Producer Neal Baer and the divine Mariska Hargitay (who also runs Joyful Heart, an amazing organization that helps survivors of domestic abuse), is beginning a campaign to help solve this. Now that's using your influence for good.
The Times reports today that NYC is on track for the fewest homicides in a 12-month period since 1962. Pretty remarkable in such a bad economy (yes, traditionally lack of money makes people trigger-happy). But what about our dearly beloved NBC drama? Will the "ripped from the headlines" plots of the next few months be reduced to golf scandals and foiled plane bombs? Yawn.
After my uneventful jury duty day, I was feeling restless and met up with a Cute Boy Who Shall Remain Nameless for drinks. Things went well, so I had the brilliant idea of showing him the view from the piers in Long Island City. Romantic, right? Yeah, the Mayoress has game.
We roll up, get rockstar parking, and walk over. There's a police barricade fence thing blocking the side entrance, no biggie, we go in, there are other people on the piers. Then we hear some guy yell, "Watch out! The cops are coming! It's the state police and they don't mess around!"
My date and I go different ways and seconds later, there's a flashlight on me. I get called over by Mr. MeanyPants NYPD Officer and stupidly remember someone I know getting out of charges by giving a false name. Leave me alone, I'd had a few drinks by that time.
Obvs the name doesn't check out in the system, so I give him my real info, and he makes me get in the cop car and threatens me with arrest and a night at central booking. In Queens.
After I ball my eyes out he gives me a ticket with a criminal court date of August 10. I get out of the car and get the hell out of there. My date and I find each other and I can't decide whether I'm more worried about the ticket or my eyes being all red in front of such a cute guy. He apologizes profusely, buys me a stiff drink, and the rest is not appropriate for this blog.
So! Rally together, Meet The Presslerians! Make your posters, get your "Free The Mayoress" tees, and meet me at the Queens County Courthouse for some real Law & Order type shit! Word.
Attention, Brooklyn Courts! The following is a list of complaints re jury duty.
I was not chosen to sit on a jury. This is preposterous as I would make an awesome juror.
There was not enough exciting news on CNN playing in the waiting room all day so at least give me the remote.
Speaking of, how can you guys afford a bunch of flat screens with my tax money if I can't even afford one?
Someone in my voir dire smelled like booze.
Neither of the lawyers in my voir dire were hot and single.
Not one fellow juror was worth hitting on.
8:30am? Really?? I'm supposed to be awake enough to make judgment calls about someone's innocence at that hour? If you ask me, everyone is guilty before noon.
Blogger was blocked from the waiting room computers so I couldn't live blog the action adventure of it all.
My camera was confiscated so I couldn't even get a cute pic with the judge for this post.
But on the bright, I rocked a super cute Legally Blonde-meets-Brooklyn outfit in the red/white/blue palette. Bring it!
Try this one on for size: not only did I happen to run into Sam Waterston, Law & Order DA, trying to hail a cab on 7th Avenue yesterday (he totally turned and looked at me with a "whatareyagonnado" shrug - amazing), but when I got home, what was waiting on my desk but JURY SUMMONS for June 9!!! OMG so awesome.
They will probably ask me to be a judge or something.
Luckily stumbled upon Obama's ASU commencement speech post-L&O on CNN.
Obvs an awesome speech, I'd say the theme was personal responsibility and a charge to not judge your life's success by selfish pursuits, but by your body of work, which can affect others in many positive ways. Anderson Cooper made a good point that he took the [stupid] controversy about the fact that ASU didn't give him an honorary degree and turned it on its head by pointing out that his own work is far from done; that the title of POTUS isn't an excuse to not leave a legacy.
A very important editorial from the divine Mr. Kristof:
Solomon Moore, a colleague of mine at The Times, last year wrote about a 43-year-old legal secretary who was raped repeatedly in her home in Los Angeles as her son slept in another room. The attacker forced the woman to clean herself in an attempt to destroy the evidence.
Tim Marcia, the detective on the case, thought this meant that the perpetrator was a habitual offender who would strike again. Mr. Marcia rushed the rape kit to the crime lab but was told to expect a delay of more than one year.
So Mr. Marcia personally drove the kit 350 miles to deliver it to the state lab in Sacramento. Even there, the backlog resulted in a four-month delay — but then it produced a “cold hit,” a match in a database of the DNA of previous offenders.
Yet in the months while the rape kit sat on a shelf, the suspect had allegedly struck twice more. Police said he broke into the homes of a pregnant woman and a 17-year-old girl, sexually assaulting each of them.
I assume you're as nauseous as I am that in some countries, women are put to death for being rape victims. But how far ahead is the U.S. if this is how we're dealing with our own?
So I'm getting back from my run and there's a tidal wave of people walking down Metro from the Lorimer stop, most on cell phones. Clearly the train is not running. No one seemed to know what was going on. I gave some guy directions to Canarsie even though I've never been there so good luck buddy, and thought that would be the end of it, but no, tons of people and traffic and honking which severely hampered my Law & Order viewing. I was telling my mom about it on the phone, my theory being a track problem or rider injury; she posited terror threat. I explained to the Oregonian that the only terror threats happening on the L line beyond Williamsburg would be from me to Bushwick, so we're probably safe.
Thoughts during Obama's first presidential address...
And they're still clapping. Hells yeah.
Very positive start - "We will rebuild, we will recover."
Visit www.recovery.gov to find out where your money's going.
Nancy Pelosi looks fablous in olive green.
Call to personal responsibility.
"Because nobody messes with Joe." Lolz - how many quotes will that get over the next 4 (8) years?
Urgent need to restore credit -- 1) starting loan fund. 2) starting home fund to help responsible families.
Increased bailout accountability for banks. "This time bank CEOs won't be able to use taxpayer money to pad their paychecks, buy fancy drapes, or run off in a private jet. Those days are over."
Obama says government's job is to "solve the problem" - not play politics.
"It's not about helping banks, it's about helping people."
Michelle is killin' it in a royal purple dress. She's very fond of sleeveless regardless of season. I'm down.
Need to cut healthcare costs, dependence on oil, debt for next generation.
Obama summarizes bold forward steps that happened during tough times in our history.
A lot of "It begins with..." I like this continued reference to a beginning when everyone's feeling like things are ending, crashing, foreclosing.
Energy: "It is time for America to lead again."
Health insurance for children whose parents work full time! Funds to cure cancer!
I think this Senator they just showed is pretending to read his booklet so he can nap.
Schools need reform, not just resources. Investment in programs that are working, commitment to charter schools. Asking every American to commit to at least one year of post-HS training. Goal of having highest proportion of college grads in the world by 2020. Tuition $$ for those who volunteer in their communities.
Necessity for parental involvement in child development. "I speak to you not just as a President, but as a father." "Responsibility for education begins at home."
Bringing down our deficit. Big cheers for "With the deficit we inherited..."
Eliminating no-bid contracts in Iraq. (This got loud cheers and a whoop from yours truly. Watch out Cheney.)
Restoring fairness to tax code by eliminating tax breaks to those who ship jobs oversees and ending tax breaks for top 2% of Americans.
Campaign promise repeated! "If your family makes less than 250K a year, you will not see your taxes raise a dime."
Pledge to no longer hide the price of the Iraq War. Now reviewing options for ending Iraq War and promise to soon reveal plan as well as have allied plan for Middle East. Raising pay for our troops and expanding benefits.
Wait a second. This speech is now cutting into Law & Order: SVU. Not cool, Barack. Oh wait -- now he's talking about Guantanamo! Good compromise!
Honoring timely heroes in attendance - a CEO who distributed his bonus to all employees, a Kansas town that's rebuilding after a tornado, an 8th grader that wrote Obama to help fix her school (this one gave me chills), a NYC blogger who gives of her time to help her friends know what's going on in news and politics... what?!
And IT'S OVER! Good job Barack! Nancy you were very attentive! Joe, give 'em hell. Michelle, keep stylin'. America: do it. I'm out.
Ms. Pressler is a New Yorker who, years ago after attending a marvelous staged reading of Sondheim's Anyone Can Whistle, thought it would be most hilarious if she were mayor and made everyone refer to her as The Mayoress. The nickname stuck. She works as a marketing consultant and in her spare time, volunteers on campaigns and runs a lot. She likes the arts, marathons, SVU, hip hop, opera, brunch, the Obamas, WNYC, style, fun events, and people who read her blog.
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