Yep. That's a democRat all right.
Posted on 02/15/2004 11:44:53 AM PST by BlessedByLiberty
A teenage rape victim excoriated Rep. Lynn Woolsey for intervening on behalf of the man who attacked her, and rejected the congresswoman's subsequent apology for seeking leniency from a sentencing judge.
"I don't accept her apology," said Tina Phan, who was 17 when Stewart Pearson, 20, of San Rafael, raped her in her Terra Linda home last summer. "She represents the rapist who took advantage," the victim said of Woolsey.
"The people that vote for her are saying the same thing and supporting the rapist. She can never say sorry (for the letter) because of what he did to me, and she is basically saying he should be let off the hook. She didn't do her part in representing Marin County."
Woolsey, D-Petaluma, who is seeking re-election in the 6th Congressional District next month, did not return a call requesting comment. She is opposed in the March 2 Democratic primary by consulting business owner Renn Vara.
Although the Independent Journal generally does not identify victims of sexual assault, Phan asked that her name be published. In court, she made a point of placing her name on the record.
Using her official congressional stationery, Woolsey sent a letter dated Dec. 2 to Marin Superior Court Judge Terrence Boren, saying Pearson had a "promising life ahead of him." Pearson's mother is an aide in Woolsey's office.
The letter, sent a month before Pearson's sentencing, said Pearson "is a young man from a supportive family," and that Pearson had volunteered for Woolsey and local nonprofit agencies.
But last Sunday, after an Independent Journal story about Woolsey's letter, the congresswoman apologized to Phan in a brief written statement given to the IJ.
Stewart Pearson pleaded guilty last Sept. 11 to raping Phan in July 2003. Phan awoke as Pearson tried to knock her unconscious by smothering her face with a rag soaked in household chemicals. He then raped her, according to court records.
Phan testified that Pearson, whom she had known since middle school, said he had done the same thing before - and that he intended to do the same thing again.
Pearson was sentenced to eight years in prison, the maximum allowed under a plea deal in which other charges of sodomy and assault were dropped.
Pressed on why she wrote the letter, Woolsey said last week she was not privy to the facts of the case.
"If she didn't know the facts of the case, she shouldn't have written the letter," Phan said. "If I was in her position, I wouldn't have written the letter. She used her power in the wrong way."
Woolsey's letter drew rebukes from a North Bay rape crisis official and from the Marin deputy district attorney who prosecuted the case, who said the situation raised questions of propriety.
Contact Jennifer Gollan via e-mail at jgollan@marinij.com
Woolsey is up for reelection this year.
Here is Woolsey's information:http://woolsey.house.gov/
I hope she gets her ass kicked in the primary.
Evil is as evil does ma'am.
"Phan" is a Vietnamese surname.
From another story:
"I never hesitated to go to the police because I knew I didn't do anything wrong,'' Phan said. "What got to me most was that he said he had done this before and would do it again. I had to make sure he didn't.''
[snip]
"When he was doing what he did to me, he thought he had control,'' Phan said. "But I control his life now. He humiliated himself, his whole family. He has ruined his whole life. At the sentencing, I can tell the judge everything I think should happen to him. Rape is about control, and now I'm the one in control.''
I notice nothing positive about the rapist in this statement:
He is a young man...
Whoop-dee-do
from a supportive family
Look what that supportive family created
volunteered for Woolsey and local nonprofit agencies.
i.e. - he can't find a real job
| ACU Ratings for Representative Woolsey: | |
| Year 2003 | 12 |
| Year 2002 | N/A |
| Lifetime | 4 |
|
Lynn Woolsey is just another weepy Liberal hero who thinks criminals are just misunderstood victims of society and who feels her mission in life is setting the rest of us straight (sic). Miss Phan is the real hero here. |
|
Proving once again here are two classes of people in California - those with connections to Democrat insiders, and the rest of us.
Unfortunately, everyone around here has drunk the Woolsey Kool-Aid, and she'll get about 85% of the vote in November.
As the Chair of the Democratic Caucus Task Force on Children and Families and the
Ranking Member of the House Education Committee’s Subcommittee on Education
Reform, Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey is dedicated to giving working families the
tools they need to take care of their children.
Even if you don't defeat her, you can render Woolsey ineffective. Who would want to be accused of buying HER influence?
Three cheers for Tina Phan.
She's already exacted her culture's greatest form of retribution: "He humiliated himself, his whole family."
But she's obviously not done with the creep. More pain is to come.
I would very much hate to be in Woolsey's shoes right now. She's next.
It would not be surprising to see Tina Phan campaigning against her in the next election.
Unfortunately she's too young. A congressman must be at least 25 years old to hold office.
What did Woolsey think the guy was being sentenced for -- ripping the "Do Not Remove" tag off a mattress?
So, Woolsey not only defends violence against women, she defends hate crimes too? You know it this were a Republican, that's how the media would frame this.
Tina Phan is a brave young lady. She refuses to continue to be a victim. She is a survivor. Bravo!
She's Vietnamese. That says it all.
One thing about Woolsey, is that she is an unapologetic about her whacked out views. As a pro criminal lib, I can easily see her writing a letter on behalf of a rapist, without even looking into the crime.
I believe that Woolsey's story is that she was once on welfare, and she believed that qualified her to serve in Congress. Her district agreed and seent her there. I would much prefer to see her back on welfare and as far from Washington D. C. as possible.
That pretty much sums up all liberal decisions!
This girl just makes too much sense! I wish every rape victim could read this. It is about control, power and humiliation, and I only wish each victim had the same opportunity (and courage) as Tina to turn the tables.
Translation: he might be a rapist, but he's so much more, he's also a Democrat with a heart of gold. </barf> Get the rope.
P.S.: What a strong, brave girl.
This promotes rape:
The plot thickens: it turns out the rapist is the son of an employee in Woolsey's office, per following:
Woolsey apologizes after seeking lenient sentence for rapist
Congresswoman wrote to Marin judge on behalf of son of staff member
February 10, 2004
By SPENCER SOPER
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Rep. Lynn Woolsey sought a lenient sentence for a convicted rapist who is the son of one of her staffers, igniting a political firestorm over the weekend.
The Petaluma Democrat quickly apologized after a Marin County newspaper reported she intervened on behalf of Stewart Pearson, who pleaded guilty last fall to raping a 17-year-old Terra Linda girl and covering her face with a rag soaked in household chemicals in an attempt to incapacitate her.
Pearson, 20, had volunteered on Woolsey's campaign and is the son of an employee in the congresswoman's San Rafael office.
"Stewart Pearson is a young man from a supportive family," Woolsey wrote in a Dec. 2 letter on congressional stationery to Marin County Superior Court Judge Terrence Boren one month before Pearson was sentenced. "I believe he has a promising life ahead of him, and I urge you to consider these factors when deciding upon a suitable sentence."
The letter was signed, "Lynn Woolsey, Member of Congress."
Pearson pleaded guilty to rape in September in a deal that dropped other charges, including assault and sodomy. Woolsey's intervention did nothing to sway the judge, who sentenced Pearson in January to eight years in state prison, the maximum allowed under law.
The attempt to influence the court outraged a Marin County deputy district attorney who prosecuted the case.
The assault was "as bad as it gets," prosecutor Alan Charmatz told the Marin Independent Journal in a story published Saturday.
"It's hard to imagine that after someone has committed a brutal crime like that they (Woolsey's office) would want to write a letter," Charmatz said.
Woolsey issued a statement over the weekend apologizing for the letter.
"Mr. Pearson's mother is a faithful employee, who I wanted to help, but I should not have intervened," Woolsey said.
"Given my support for both women's rights and victims' rights, my constituents and my community are right to be shocked by my action. I apologize to them. But most of all I apologize to the young woman and her family.
"I apologize for making a horrible situation worse, and I am sorry that they have been forced to relive this heinous crime by reading about it in the newspaper, again."
Woolsey is seeking her seventh term in the 6th Congressional District, which includes Marin and most of Sonoma County. A liberal in the left-leaning North Bay, she is considered the heavy favorite to win the Democratic primary in March and re-election in November.
Gloria Young, executive director of the Santa Rosa rape crisis center United Against Sexual Assault, expressed disappointment that Woolsey was trying to help a rapist when his teen victim "will live with the memory of this attack for the rest of her life."
The news was especially troubling because Woolsey has always had a "pro-feminine, anti-violence agenda," Young said.
"My disappointment was that she was intervening on behalf of someone who was convicted of raping a 17-year-old girl and it was a very brutal rape," Young said, adding she was glad to hear Woolsey has apologized.
San Rafael Police Lt. Jeff Franzini said Pearson and the victim were acquaintances. Pearson spent the night on the victim's sofa last July and sneaked into her bedroom in the morning while she was sleeping, Franzini said.
Pearson tried to incapacitate the teen by covering her face with a rag soaked in chemicals and then forcibly raped her when that failed, Franzini said.
On Monday, Marin District Attorney Paula Kamena issued a statement, saying, "Accessibility and openness is at the core of the court process. An interested party should be able to express their opinion. It is a personal choice as to whether a person would do this on an informed or uninformed basis."
Two of Woolsey's political opponents accused her of misusing her office.
Mill Valley communications consultant Renn Vara, who is challenging Woolsey for the Democratic nomination in the March 2 primary, said it was "terribly inappropriate" for Woolsey to use her office to try to benefit a convicted criminal because it was her employee's son.
"My concern overall is that she let a letter like that go out," Vara said, adding he was pleased Woolsey apologized. "It's just another example of her being asleep at the wheel."
Paul Erickson, a Santa Rosa real estate appraiser who is running unopposed for the Republican nomination, said he could understand why Woolsey wanted to help her employee's son, but she should not have used her congressional office to do it.
"She represents a lot of people," he said. "I can't imagine any of them agree with her on that letter."
News researcher Teresa Meikle contributed to this story. You can reach Staff Writer Spencer Soper at 521-5257 or ssoper@pressdemocrat.com.
Meek, please ping this article:
"Using her official congressional stationery, Woolsey sent a letter dated Dec. 2 to Marin Superior Court Judge Terrence Boren, saying Pearson had a "promising life ahead of him." Pearson's mother is an aide in Woolsey's office.
The letter, sent a month before Pearson's sentencing, said Pearson "is a young man from a supportive family," and that Pearson had volunteered for Woolsey and local nonprofit agencies.
But last Sunday, after an Independent Journal story about Woolsey's letter, the congresswoman apologized to Phan in a brief written statement given to the IJ.
Stewart Pearson pleaded guilty last Sept. 11 to raping Phan in July 2003. Phan awoke as Pearson tried to knock her unconscious by smothering her face with a rag soaked in household chemicals. He then raped her, according to court records."
Your tax dollars at work. Meek, please ping this article.California Democrat goes to bat for rapist (see article and post #49 excerpt).
Teen (rape) victim rejects Woolsey's apology
Excerpt:
Stewart Pearson pleaded guilty last Sept. 11 to raping Phan in July 2003. Phan awoke as Pearson tried to knock her unconscious by smothering her face with a rag soaked in household chemicals. He then raped her, according to court records.
Phan testified that Pearson, whom she had known since middle school, said he had done the same thing before - and that he intended to do the same thing again.
Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my General Interest ping list!. . .don't be shy.
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