That rape will cost you $1000.

[kutsuwamushi]

I'm sure that most of the people who read my journal remember the outrage over Wasilla charging rape victims for their rape kits under Sarah Palin's watch. Well, that wasn't an isolated incident -- and it's still happening across the United States.

VAWA funds are contigent on discontinuing the loathsome and deeply discriminatory practice, but the regulations aren't being enforced.

Texas Charging Rape Victims for Rape Kits

The State of Texas is currently demanding that rape victims pay for their own rape kits—and if they don't, they face ruined credit and debt collectors. An average rape kit can cost up to $1800.

Link is to the Jezebel post, since it contains a good collection of links if you want to read more.

And on a completely unrelated note:

I have an external drive that I use to keep large files like videos. It's 500GB, and currently has about 250GB on it -- in other words, it's not full.

I'm having recurring problems copying files over to it. I get an error message that says that the file can't be read or written. It's not the files. They're from various sources and in various formats and they'll copy to the hard drive fine.

It was used with a Windows machine before (I'm now on a Mac) and so I tried reformatting it, but as soon as I had gotten about 200GB worth of files back on it, it started acting up again. It's gotten worse as it's gotten more full--it was just every once in a while a file wouldn't copy before, but now most won't copy.

Does anyone have any idea what to try next?

Comments

[lady_ganesh]

Don't forget the other rage-inducing fact:

The State of Texas currently has over 66 million dollars in its Crime Victims Compensation Fund, but refuses to allow any of that money to go to rape victims until all other means of paying for the kits are exhausted.

[kutsuwamushi]

Yeah.

Not that they should have to have a healthy "Crime Victims Compensation Fund" in order to be held responsible for the costs. Even if it was empty, it would be despicable to charge women for gathering evidence necessary for the investigation of a crime committed against them. I can't imagine the mindset behind thinking it's all right to make a victim pay for the chance for justice.

If I was raped, I would go to the emergency room -- but if I didn't have insurance or anyone to turn to for financial help, with the dismally low rape conviction rates? I'd think twice about going, because I don't have $1800; paying would mean going without necessities, and not paying would mean being hounded by debt collectors and having a wrecked credit score (which would cost me money in the long run).

May all of the fuckers who are responsible for this get their balls kicked. (Because I'm pretty sure they have balls, in the literal sense.)

[lady_ganesh]

Oh, no, it just makes it particularly egregious.

God, it's so angry-making.