Posted on 10/28/2005 7:15:39 PM PDT by doug from upland
Katherine Prudhomme, a homemaker from Derry, NH, confronted Vice President Al Gore over Juanita Broaddrick's rape accusation against Bill Clinton that occured when he was the attorney general in Arkansas. The confrontation occured at a Town Hall meeting in Derry on 12-14-99. Many of us so it at the time, and I suspect that most of us have seen it since. FREEPER MIA T HAS CAPTURED THE VIDEO FOR US
Two days ago, Katherine sent an email to me and a cc to Susan Estrich after she heard about the refusal by Estrich to speak with Juanita. As you can see by the deeply personal email, it was written with heavy heart and undoubtedly a great number of tears. As you will see, she is a very strong person who has overcome burdens most of us will never have to face.
After I saw the Gore confrontation in 1999, I contacted Katherine and invited her to join us on FreeRepublic. She soon discovered many new friends and supporters. She knew she was not alone. We have spoken and sent emails many times, and I hope that someday we can meet. I was overwhelmed that she would share with me what she shared in the email. The burden she has had to carry must have been heavy indeed.
After reading it, she said it could be posted on FR. Before I did that, I suggested that she sleep on it. We communicated the next day, and she said to post it.
Katherine wondered if anyone would even care about her story. She doubted it. But I don't doubt it. She is sharing a tragic story with you, and I know you will care. We have quite a family here. We share values, concerns, and prayers. I feel blessed to call many of you my friends - the ones I've met and the ones I've not yet met.
Katherine became friends with Juanita and shared a similar experience of being a survivor of rape. As a man, I can only imagine what it could be like and how it could affect a woman's life. I've told Juanita that I almost look at her as a sister. I have a wife, a daughter, a sister, and a mother whom I lost in 2001. Had something that horrific happened to any of them, I would have never rested until justice was served. Watching the most powerful man (and his enabler wife) get away with abusing women while posing as the saviors of women sickened me. As we know, the Clintons did many things to damage this nation, but this crime many of us have really taken personally.
Below the email, which was sent to Estrich and myself, I will give some further background.
Hi Doug,
I’m writing in response to your recent exchange with Susan Estrich. I think she thinks you are a right wing wacko. So I’m sending her a copy of this letter too. Ms. Estrich is a rape survivor? She is obviously using that as shorthand for saying that she understands rape survivors. Yeah, well then so do I. Estrich exposes herself as disingenuous in her response to you. Juanita Broaddrick is a very nice person who would be polite to Ms Estrich if she truly were searching for answers.
I have spoken to countless convicted rapists when I went to the state prison with the rape survivors support group I was in. I know these people. Yet, I am slow to judge people accused of rape and if I ever have a chance to speak to the alleged victim I would. Then I’d weigh it against the kind of character I knew the accused to have. Sadly, I have found this to be too complex an idea for many people but it is precisely how I became such a loyal supporter of Juanita Broaddrick. I asked her every question that loyal Gore supporters asked me after I asked Gore on television if he believed Juanita Broaddrick. I was just trying to find out the truth. I am an honest and inquisitive person.
Sometimes learning painful truths have cost me a great deal. Al Gore said to me that if I ever had a friendship that was damaged and then repaired, then I would understand what his friendship with Bill Clinton was like. He was then the Vice President and even if I thought that was a lame thing to say, I wouldn’t have been as disrespectful as to say so out loud. How could he have ever known that I have had such an experience? But I did not have trouble in a friendship. It was someone far more important to me than a friend could be.
When another family member accused my father of molesting them, I did not know who to believe. It is a very painful thing to remember those dark days. I investigated the story from every angle I could think of. I read old court documents from when my parents divorced when I was a baby and DSS records, maintained during my childhood. Of course, I talked at length to the accuser. I “interviewed” my father over lunch one day and pretended I believed him, not the accuser. He said some incredibly dumb stuff that made me realize even he can’t tell truth from fiction. I knew my answer. I went back to my job making piccolos. I’m glad I was operating the noisiest lathe in the shop that day because I cried a lot. I do know what a breach of trust by those close to you is like. I also know some relationships cannot be repaired. One cannot live with self respect and dignity if they try to maintain a relationship like this.
I lost more than a professional contact, more than my whole career, I lost my family. It has been more than a decade now that I have not seen my father and I still miss him and all the other things about him that I loved so much. But to remain his daughter asked me to deny the truth and to make people who told the truth appear to be liars. They deserve my respect more than my father did.
I have lost my father and extended family but I have gained something far greater. I sleep well at night because I know without a doubt that I am a good person. There is a price to pay though for being this kind of person. It is hard. You have to know who you are. You must have confidence in your value system and want to live by it more than receive the perks associated with hanging out with well connected scumbags. I guess Ms Estrich isn’t like me at all. But I can afford it, I’m a free agent. I’m just a New Hampshire homemaker who gets to think for herself and I’ve never had to sell my soul for a job or whatever it is Ms. Estrich gains from being blind to reality. I wonder if she doubts her ability to survive professionally if she lost important connections by truly investigating Broderick’s claim. How sad for every woman that has ever accused a powerful man of rape. Women like Susan Estrich remind me of the white moderates Martin Luther King used to rail against for “supporting” King and his fellow civil rights protesters in principle but not supporting Kings methods of direct action. Women who cry rape should be believed thinks Susan but never when its inconvenient for her. Susan Estrich makes a sick joke of feminism and you can thank her and her ilk for my burning desire to flee the Democrat party.
-Kath. Prudhomme-O’Brien, Derry, New Hampshire
JUANITA WANTS TO SPEAK WITH ESTRICH
ESTRICH HAS TWO WORDS - "NOT INTERESTED"
Katherine called me in late 2000 to brainstorm some ideas for a Hillary protest. She was going to visit New York and wanted to do something. With the great work of several New York FReepers -- I think abner and Star Fan (will the others please step forward and take credit) -- a protest was held. I wish I could have made the trip. Katherine read a GREAT SPEECH ON 8-19-2000 AND DELIVERED A TAPE OF THE LISA MYERS INTERVIEW TO HILLARY HEADQUARTERS.
IRS INQUIRY THE DAY BEFORE THE PROTEST IN NEW YORK. Note: the story said "audit," but it was actually a demand for more money.
THE CLINTON IRS HAD A HABIT OF GOING AFTER THOSE ON THEIR ENEMIES LIST
WEALTH OF BROADDRICK INFORMATION FROM FREEPER ALAMO GIRL
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Oh, I just want to take her in my arms and hug her! I don't think I'd know what to say, though. I think my long hug would have to speak where the words should be.
What a *strong* lady.
btt
A brave letter.
Thank you Doug for posting this!
Kathleen you are a woman of courage and rightousness! I will hold up your example to my daughter when I teach her what it is to be a woman.
Bless you! Bless you 7x7x7!!!
Danae
And you have to wonder after reading all of this, why on earth would anyone vote to put a clinton back in the White House?
And you wonder why the liberals are tearing apart the Bush Administration....if its because of jealousy, they have missed the boat on that one....Bush and his Presidentcy is the most decent thing that has happened in America since we first heard the name of 'clinton'
Pulled again. I suspect they must have heard complaints from the honorable Ms. Estrich.
A really decent and kind man is in the White House now. We we suffered through eight years of someone without character who treated our White House as his whore house. The hateful left cannot stand his decency. He is so unlike them.
Amen. You've got that right.
Doug, thanks.
Katherine, thank you.
Juanita, thank you.
Thank you Katherine.
And this email lshould be sent to Hannity and Rush, etc. It needs to be out there. We don't EVER want a clintin in the White House again. They have done enough damage to our country and personally to women and we don't need them in charge of this great country. hillereee is a loser anyway but...this is one heck of an email and needs to be seen by EVERYONE.
Katherine Prudhomme, the woman that stunned ALGORE with one question. Love her!
Where is everyone tonight? Are the DC Freepers at Walter Reed?
Katherine, my thought are with you...and I am in total support of DFU and what he is attempting to do...
God Bless you...
sleuth
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