August 8, 2014: Del Rio News-Herald * Letters to the Editor "The war on women"

Letter to the Editor,

The July 30, 2014 “Crime & More” section had the following headlines featured: (1) Man accused of choking woman, (2) Man accused of strangling woman during argument, (3) Man facing assault charge after allegedly striking woman, and (4) Man’s threats lead to arrest for family violence.

The “Entertainment” section included the following article: “ESPN has suspended outspoken sportscaster Stephen A. Smith for a week because of his comments about domestic abuse suggesting women should make sure that they don’t do anything to provoke an attack”.

The overwhelming and overpowering impact of these headline stories is the deplorable and despicable picture it is portraying about the state of our society.

The accused men in these cases were involved in what is termed “family violence assault” and “domestic abuse”.

The words “abuse”, “assault” and “violence” are horrific words of aggression, brutality, cruelty, denigration and exploitation which conjure up images of battle, combat and warfare.

These words of a hostile environment are partnered with the words “family” and “domestic”, which are words of a hospitable environment evoking sentiments of a loving family and domestic tranquility.

The family should be an affluence of affection and affirmation, and a sanctuary of safety and security.

The family should be a positive and pleasurable place; not a place of pain and punishment.

The once protector of the family and provider in the home, has viciously and violently become the pathological persecutor inflicting physical and psychological torture to the members of his own family and in his own home.

This is truly the tragedy of the terrifying and tragic “war on women”; the real “war on women”, not just political rhetoric; because these pertinent and prescient true-life stories are occurring right here and right now.

This “war on women” is detrimental and deleterious, because it is not just a smokescreen of slogans and sound bites meant to be incendiary and incite political posturing; but this war is truly a matter of life and death.

This is a chilling wake-up call and a clear call to action.

Marian Casillas, Ed.D.