The Secret (Is Out)

What was an inconvenient snow flurry is suddenly becoming a dangerous avalanche. US House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-California) and California Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom (D) are calling for the San Francisco 49ers to bench Ray McDonald while he's under investigation for abusing his pregnant now-wife. The Minnesota Vikings have suspended Adrian Peterson while he's under investigation for child abuse. The Carolina Panthers have just deactivated Greg Hardy following the public revelation of his May domestic violence conviction (he assaulted his girlfriend and threatened to kill her). And 12 other NFL players arrested on domestic violence charges are still active in the league.

It's not just Ray Rice any more. In fact, it never really was. Yet apparently, it took this avalanche of controversy to fall for NFL executives to finally realize they have a serious problem on their hands.



Corporate sponsors, such as Nike, Radisson, Castrol, Cover Girl, and Anheuser-Busch, are either pulling ad deals or issuing "concerned" statements. A growing number of fans are now making #BoycottNFL viral. And even the most hardcore NFL fanatics must now come to terms with the harsh reality of domestic violence...



Or maybe not? Already, rumors are buzzing about another NFL team potentially picking up Ray Rice. And that may be due to the NFL Players Association appealing the NFL's indefinite suspension of Rice. Even as some top NFL officials are signaling their willingness to make changes, others (hint: the owners) have just gone into hiding.

After surviving the firestorm that erupted when the Ray Rice story first broke, Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh made some interesting comments about the meta here. Whether NFL bosses like it or not, this isn't something they can hide from. And whether we like it or not, this isn't something we can hide from.



In a fascinating twist, the NFL just hired Cynthia Hogan as its new Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Government Affairs. In a past career life, she worked with then Senator (now Vice President) Joe Biden (D-Delaware) on drafting and passing the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). It remains to be seen how the NFL's newest top lobbyist will "resolve" this issue going forward.

But right now, we must ask this: How will we resolve this issue going forward? When War Machine/Jonathan Koppenhaver was making national headlines over his assault on then girlfriend Christy Mack and Corey Thomas, we noted that domestic violence is an issue that goes far beyond the confines of UFC, Bellator, and even MMA (mixed martial arts) in general. The same rings true for the 49ers, the Ravens, the Vikings, and the NFL in general. This is still a problem for American society in general.

In debuting her new daytime talk show, former NBC "Today" co-host Meredith Vieira revealed a very dark and painful secret on national TV. It's a secret that only people like Vieira, Christy Mack, and Janay Rice can fully comprehend. And it's a secret that we shouldn't force any person to keep to oneself.

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The secret is out. There's no hiding it back in some dark corner. And really, we never should have done that in the first place. So what will we all do to end the seemingly endless cycle of violent misogyny that threatens way too many American women?

Our Problem

Earlier this month, we noticed the growing social media campaign in support of War Machine. We also noticed a common theme in this social media campaign in support of him as he goes on trial for the vicious near-fatal beating of Christy Mack and Corey Thomas: "She deserved it".

Shade Tree Executive Director Marlene Richter had something to say about this latest round of victim blaming.



Bottom line: It's slut shaming. And not only is it slut shaming, but it's the kind of slut shaming that can kill.

And now, believe it or not, we're seeing all sorts of excuses made for suspended NFL runningback Ray Rice and his vicious beating of his then fiance (now wife). "Oh, but obviously Janay Rice is OK with it! Why can't the damned LIB'RUL FEMINZAIZZZZZ leave them alone?! We're ruining the game by 'feminizing' it! And come on, domestic violence isn't really a serious problem."

Far too often, we shift blame to the victim. We ask why they stayed. We ask why "they asked for it" (even though they never did). We ask what's their problem.



Perhaps we need to focus more on our problem. Perhaps we need to stop blaming the victims. And perhaps we need to realize people's lives are more important than "alpha male s--t".

Are we ready to start addressing our problem?

Ray Rice

Last month, MMA (mixed martial arts)'s largest, most lucrative, and most powerful league ran into an all-too-familiar problem. Even though UFC has made plenty of progress recently in welcoming women MMA fighters, it's still facing tough questions over War Machine and other former UFC fighters who have run into legal trouble over domestic violence.

Now to the credit of both UFC and Bellator MMA, both MMA leagues were fast to condemn War Machine. Even as some of his fans continue to rally behind him on social media, Bellator cut War Machine from its roster weeks before he was formally indicted here in Nevada for attempted murder, first degree kidnapping, sexual assault, and a host of other charges related to the violent attack on Christy Mack and Corey Thomas.

While there are legitimate questions on whether the powers that be in MMA are taking domestic violence seriously enough, it's increasingly looking like they're at least taking steps to address this problem. It's harder to say this about the NFL.



Initially, the NFL merely gave Baltimore Ravens runningback Ray Rice a two game suspension after pleading guilty in New Jersey to assault. A leaked elevator tape shows the full account of Ray Rice punching his then fiancee (now wife), Janay Rice, and knocking her to the ground. Even as he left the elevator, Ray Rice left Janay on the floor as her feet were on the elevator door track.

When the video was finally released to the public, Fox "News" enjoyed some "elevator humor"... While the rest of America was disgusted beyond belief.



How could this happen? And why did Ray Rice (at least initially) get away with a crime just as heinous as the one War Machine is now on trial for? Oh, and if UFC & Bellator are now coming to terms with this problem within their ranks, why can't the NFL?



We are now approaching the 20th anniversary of Congress' original passage of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). This is why we can't help but remember the "TEA" fueled Heritage Action's campaign to kill VAWA that came dangerously close to succeeding last year. This is why we continue to sound the alarms on the "mainstream-ization" of language, attitudes, and even actions that were previously thought to be relegated to the deepest and darkest corners of the "manosphere". And this is why we can't ignore this horrific failure of the NFL.

While a number of media pundits are bloviating over Ray Rice's future in professional football and speculating over why Janay Rice is still standing behind him, we'd rather focus on the more important issue behind this tragedy. Why is it still so damned difficult for so many to take domestic violence seriously? And how many more people must be hurt before we take further action?

Is "good football" truly worth more than women's lives?

That Says a Lot

He finally returned to Las Vegas. He's due in court tomorrow. And now, War Machine is about to face justice.

The MMA fighter formerly known as Jonathan Koppenhaver is going to trial on seven criminal charges involving the near fatal attack on Christy Mack and Corey Thomas. As he's returned to Las Vegas, he's actually encountered something he's been seeking ever since this story first broke on social media: some public support.



We sensed this was coming. "She's a porn star. She's a 'loose woman'. She deserved it!"

Of course, he deserves a fair trial. Every defendant does. But does the victim deserve to be placed on trial?

All Christy Mack had to do was step outside for several War Machine fans to troll her on Twitter and declare that she's "full of s--t". Even though the photo posted on Twitter shows the injuries on Mack's face, she's "full of s--t". That says a lot.

But hey, they're not alone. War Machine now has an entire "movement" of men's rights activists (MRAs). They've even come close to having their way in Congress. That also says a lot.

The Machine Behind the War

Justice may finally be near in this case. After an escape from police and out of state, War Machine (aka Jonathan Koppenhaver) will soon be on trial here in Clark County. On Tuesday, he appeared at court in Ventura, California, and agreed to extradition to Nevada.



Koppenhaver faces seven criminal charges related to the attack on Christy Mack (aka Christine Mackinday) and Corey Thomas.

As we've noted before, this isn't War Machine's first violent outbreak. Retired porn star Brooke Haven has recently come forward to describe War Machine's belligerent behavior at her birthday party. He was actually convicted of two misdemeanor assault charges in 2007 and 2008 here in Nevada. And he was convicted of two felony assault charges related to a 2010 San Diego (California) bar fight.

While he was incarcerated in San Diego County Jail, War Machine kept an online diary blog. He shared his experiences in jail... And he shared his "philosophy on the American male".

“There is one guy in here for slapping his wife, one here for yelling at his wife, and one here for beating some guy’s *ss that disrespected his wife. WTF!? If your wife is being a b*tch you can’t slap her, if your wife is yelling at you, God forbid you yell back, and if some *sshole hurts your wife, you cannot protect her!” [...]

“The oppression of MEN is worse than oppression of Jews in Nazi Germany, worse than the slavery of blacks in early America … I’m not exaggerating either.”

Sounds crazy, right? Who else could say something like this? Believe it or not, he's not alone.



The Men's Rights Movement has been pushing this philosophy for some time. The Men's Rights Movement (MRM) was once relegated to "fringe of the fringe" status due to its harboring of individuals espousing shocking views on physical and sexual violence (see War Machine's comments above). But now, men's rights activists (MRAs) are increasingly pushing into what's supposed to be "mainstream".

Last year, Heritage Action actually used MRM language to make its case against renewing the Violence Against Women Act. And Heritage came shockingly close to killing the bipartisan and formerly uncontroversial bill in (the lower House of) Congress. All of a sudden, a critical mass of ("TEA" flavored) Members of Congress were repeating outrageous statements that had previously been confined to the deepest and darkest corners of the manosphere.

It's easy to look at War Machine and conclude he's some troubled individual with serious anger issues. And this may actually be close to the truth. However, this didn't occur in a vacuum. This isn't just one individual. It's time for us to take a closer look at the machine behind the war.

War Machine

Normally, we don't do this. But today, we just must. We noticed this Instagram post from UFC welterwight fighter John "Doomsday" Howard.

"This is for that p---y a-s War Machine. Yo, you're a straight b---h. I have three daughters, a mother, a sister and an aunt who went through that s--t. You're a straight p---y, straight p---y. A skilled fighter beating up a little girl like that. You're a p---y a-s motherf----r."

Wow. He certainly got his point across.

In case you're still scratching your head as to what "Doomsday" is talking about, he's referring to the horrific assault of Christy Mack last Friday. The Las Vegas porn star has taken to Twitter to describe the details of the attack that nearly ended her life. And she has already named ex-boyfriend Jonathan Koppenhaver as the perpetrator.



So why are "Doomsday" and other MMA figures freaking out on social media? Koppenhaver, who is currently better known as "War Machine", had been fighting for Bellator MMA after bouncing around UFC and other MMA leagues. Even though Bellator has already fired "War Machine", MMA insiders are worrying about "War Machine" becoming the latest in a string of MMA fighters engaging in domestic violence.



This isn't the first time "War Machine" has run into this kind of trouble. Last year, he "jokingly" tweeted "real men rape". He was convicted of 2 misdemeanor assaults (in 2007 & 2008) here in Nevada before a 2010 San Diego bar fight led to 2 felony assault convictions in California. And just moments before the brutal and near fatal attack on Christy Mack, "War Machine" tweeted this.

"[...] f--k u talking about? She's my Property and always will be."

Obviously, this is why MMA insiders are concerned. However, they shouldn't be the only ones concerned by this.

In 2012, (the lower House of) Congress failed to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). It took nearly a year of pressure from Senators and constituents (on G-O-TEA House Members like Nevada's Joe Heck) before the House finally agreed to pass the bipartisan VAWA renewal that the Senate had already agreed to.

But why was this "controversial" at all? Behind the scenes, "TEA Party, Inc.", powerhouse Heritage Action announced it would actively campaign against VAWA renewal. It even declared it would negatively score Members of Congress who voted for VAWA. That dragged out (and almost completely dragged down) what was supposed to be an easy vote for a broadly bipartisan bill meant to aid victims of domestic violence.

Throughout 2012 and early 2013, G-O-TEA aligned interest groups (such as Heritage Action) seemed to be taking their queues from the Men's Rights Movement. The Men's Rights Movement doesn't just oppose legislation like VAWA. The Men's Rights Movement claims any and all efforts to combat sexist discrimination and other forms of misogyny are somehow "attacks on men".



From Darren Mack to Elliot Rodger, we've seen what happens when "men's rights activists" resort to extreme violence to "make a statement". However, most others don't go that far. That's because they don't have to. Rape culture has increasingly become mainstream, as politicians, professional athletes, music artists, and other celebrities have been trying to make misogyny culturally acceptable. And sadly, some in the "mainstream media" seem all too willing to "go along to get along".

And then, there's this. Reports are now surfacing about Las Vegas Metro Police biding its time in responding to Christy Mack's assault. Metro may have very well given "War Machine" just enough time to make a clean escape while threatening Mack's very fragile survival. What does this whole situation say about us? What does this growing trend of extreme misogyny say about our society?

It's not just MMA fighters and bosses who should worrry about "War Machine".

Rhetoric v. Reality

It hasn't been easy trying to get Congress to agree on anything... Lately. Period.

It's especially been difficult trying to get Congress to agree on any sort of gun safety legislation. The House struggled just to approve more funding for the national background checks system. And even though a majority of Senators supported closing the various background checks loopholes (that criminals exploit to obtain lethal weapons they're not supposed to obtain), the NRA convinced just enough Senators to filibuster a modest background checks bill to death.

Senator Dean Heller (R-NRA) took part in that filibuster. Yet a month after he blocked that background checks bill (and his approval rating subsequently slipped), Senator Heller then turned around and claimed he voted for background checks legislation. He lied to constituents, and those constituents didn't appreciate that.

He's at it again. In a Vaseline smeared interview with the Las Vegas Sun's Amber Phillips, Senator Heller equivocated some more when he parsed over the language of background checks and the "philosophy of gun rights". Just like his patrons at the NRA, Senator Heller prefers debating theoretical language over discussing real policy.



It was all too convenient for Senator Heller that the Sun interview dropped yesterday. That's also when Everytown dropped its new ad in support of S 1290.

Remember the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)? Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) recently introduced S 1290 to strengthen VAWA by closing loopholes that allow domestic abusers and stalkers to obtain lethal firearms. Yet despite Senator Heller's "No Labels" label and recent change of language on gun violence, he's remained cagey as to whether he'll even allow a final vote on S 1290.

Of course, Senator Heller's BFFs at the NRA are whipping hard against S 1290... Because, you know, it's so committed to "civil rights". And by "civil rights", the NRA means the right of LGBTQ folk to shoot each other dead. Way to go on "rebranding", NRA. Oh, and by the way, we've yet to see the NRA endorse any legislation that would actually advance LGBTQ civil rights.

There's rhetoric, then there's reality. The NRA loves to engage in "philosophical discussions on civil rights", yet it refuses to admit to the reality of gun violence. Senator Heller loves to debate the language of theories and "ideas", yet he's failed to actually support any real gun safety legislation... Yet. He now has a chance to change that, but means he must agree to drop the "philosophical" rhetoric and engage in actual reality.

Finally, VAWA

It was a long time coming. After over a year of ridiculous political wrangling, both houses of Congress have finally passed the Violence Against Women Act. Here's what happened.

After an up-or-down vote, the Violence Against Women Act passed out of the House by a margin of 286-138, with 199 Democrats and 87 Republicans voting in favor of it. The bill had already passed the Senate by a bipartisan vote several weeks ago, meaning that it now heads to President Obama’s desk to be signed into law.

VAWA was allowed to expire in September, 2011, and then stalled for all of 2012 over expanded protections for LGBT women, Native Americans and undocumented immigrants. House Republicans objected to these additional protections, and repeatedly blocked the bill.

On Thursday, after pressure from Democrats and from within the GOP itself, House Republican leadership allowed the bill to go for an up-or-down vote, after first voting on a Republican version of the bill that did not include the additional protections. That bill was expected to, and did, fail by a vote of 166-257.

In a statement, President Obama said that ”Renewing this bill is an important step towards making sure no one in America is forced to live in fear.” [...]

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., [also released a] sentiment:

There is absolutely no reason that it should have taken this long for the House leadership to come around on a bill that had overwhelming bipartisan support. But passage today is a validation of what we’ve been saying since this bill expired in 2011 –VAWA has never been, and should never be, a partisan bill. That is why I applaud moderate Republican voices in the House who stood up to their leadership to demand a vote on the Senate bill.

For the last 18 months, the House G-O-TEA let VAWA die and did nothing to actually bring the bill back to life. Only after feeling intense pressure from women's advocacy groups and a string of high-profile election losses did House Republican leadership finally agree to real VAWA renewal.

Yet even today, a majority of House Republicans voted AGAINST full VAWA renewal. And on top of that, 27 House Republicans voted against both the watered down VAWA that House Republican leadership preferred and the bipartisan Senate version that ultimately passed. Yes, that really happened.

But to their credit, both Reps. Joe Heck (R-Henderson) & Mark Amodei (R-Carson City) ultimately voted for the full VAWA. Heck had originally opposed full VAWA renewal last year. But this year, he finally changed his tune.

It's appalling that it's taken so long to pass a bill that had never been considered "controversial" before. But at least now, it's finally happened. And it provides a glimmer of hope that an end to the "tea party" "War on Women" may finally be within reach.

Return of VAWA?

On Monday, we found out that "Tea Party, Inc." will be whipping House Republicans against renewal of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Believe it or not, they actually claim this "violates men's civil rights". When did domestic violence become a "civil right"?

Yet now, House Republican leaders seem to be going in a different direction. After nearly a year of stonewalling VAWA, they're now promising a floor vote on it.

“The House will consider a strong Violence Against Women Act in the coming weeks so we can protect all women from acts of violence while prosecuting offenders to the fullest extent of the law,” Doug Heye, [House Majority Leader Eric] Cantor’s [R-Virginia] deputy chief of staff, told TPM on Wednesday.

House Republicans, who blocked the Senate’s bipartisan reauthorization of VAWA last year, are under pressure not just from Democrats but Senate Republicans, too, to put this issue behind them, especially after the difficulties Republicans had with women voters in the 2012 elections. Cantor has taken the lead in trying to find a way forward, but House Republicans have yet to introduce a companion bill to what passed the Senate.

There is a catch here. House Republicans will be introducing their own version of VAWA. And we don't know yet how closely (if at all) it will resemble the Senate version that passed overwhelmingly this week.

But hey, at least they're now saying the House will finally vote on VAWA renewal at some point in the future. And they may be changing their tune after catching so much political heat over this issue.

Last year, Rep. Joe Heck (R-Henderson) was part of the G-O-TEA bloc that blocked VAWA renewal. But now, Heck actually praising the Senate's passage of VAWA and calling on the House to do the same. What a difference an election makes.

So perhaps we will finally see a resolution to this surreal VAWA fight. Perhaps, Republicans are finally seeing the light. Or perhaps they're just seeing they're losing their War on Women?

Again, it seems so insane to think of offering women a way out of domestic violence as a "controversial issue". But then again, we've never seen a Congress so broken down before. Will the House finally get its act together and pass the bipartisan VAWA renewal that the Senate has just approved?

VAWA (Again) on the Ropes?

It's back. It's here. It's about to get killed again?

Not that long ago, the Violence Against Women Act was not considered "controversial". Yet ever since the rise of the "tea party", that's changed. And believe it or not, teabaggers are now claiming men are "the real victims" as they lead the charge (again) against VAWA!

Heritage Action is scoring VAWA as a “key vote” in determining a lawmaker’s conservative credentials.

Claiming that the reauthorization would expand the definition of domestic violence to include “emotional distress,” Heritage declared that the “expansive and vague language will increase fraud and false allegations, for which there is no legal recourse.”

“Under VAWA, men effectively lose their constitutional rights to due process, presumption of innocence, equal treatment under the law, the right to a fair trial and to confront one’s accusers, the right to bear arms, and all custody/visitation rights,” the group wrote. “It is unprecedented, unnecessary and dangerous.

Of course, these charges are ludicrous. However, they're not exactly falling on deaf ears. Even as the Senate rejected a G-O-TEA backed amendment to gut LGBTQ women, Native American women, and even women in general (!!!) from its VAWA reauthorization, some House Republicans keep complaining about the inclusive nature of the Senate bill. And even as the Senate bill has 62 sponsors and looks set to pass with overwhelming bipartisan support this week, its fate in the (Mad) House remains uncertain.

Last year, Rep. Joe Heck (R-Henderson) was part of the G-O-TEA faction that blocked VAWA renewal. But this year, he and other House Republicans will be under immense pressure to change their tune. After all, Mitt Romney was crushed with women voters last fall. And several Republican Congressional candidates across the country lost due to their championing of "The War on Women". Here in Nevada, Dean Heller faced a very close call in an election that prominently featured women's rights. And he's now sponsoring Senate VAWA renewal.

So do House Republicans still want to be known as "culture warriors" who care more about extreme and fringe ideology than real women's lives? Or are they ready to change?

Return of VAWA?

It's gone. It's done. It's back?

Last we checked on the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), it was left to expire as the 112th Congress failed to renew it. House Republicans, like Nevada's own Joe Heck, killed it because of "tea party" animosity toward LGBTQ women and women of color. Even as many Senate Republicans, like Nevada's own Dean Heller, crossed over to pass the Senate VAWA renewal, the House G-O-TEA faction nonetheless pressured their leaders to kill the bill.

But now, it's back. A bipartisan group of US Senators have reintroduced VAWA in their chamber. And Senator Patty Murray (D-Washington) has some strong language for "tea party" Republicans who are trying to kill this bill (again).

“The fate of the Violence Against Women Act still lays squarely on the shoulders of Eric Cantor and John Boehner. To date they have refused to listen to countless law enforcement and women’s groups as well as moderate voices in their own party in the House and Senate who’ve said we need to pass the Senate’s bipartisan bill that extends protections to millions of new women.

“In a new Congress, on a newly reintroduced bill, the House Republican leadership faces the same choice. They can either kowtow [to] those on the far right of their caucus who would turn battered women away from care, or they can stand with Democrats, moderate Republicans, and the many millions of Americans who believe that who a person loves, where they live, or their immigration status shouldn’t determine whether they are protected from violence.

“In the days ahead, I encourage the moderate Republican voices in the House to call on their leadership to pass the bipartisan Senate bill. Too many women have been left vulnerable while House Republican leaders have played politics.”

So what have we heard lately from House Republican leadership? Wait, what was that? [crickets]

[...] House Republican leaders remain silent on how they intend to proceed, which suggests that there has not been a breakthrough since last year, when the bill fell prey to the House GOP’s resistance to expand coverage to gays, illegal immigrants and Native Americans who have suffered domestic abuse. [...]

The [now fast-tracked Senate VAWA] puts pressure on House Republicans to act on the widely popular measure, which expired in 2011 but has continued to receive funding through the appropriations process. House Democrats have introduced the same bill as the Senate. It eliminates a provision from last year’s Senate-passed bill which raised revenue. Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) cited that provision in declining to move on the bill. Revenue-raising measures must originate in the House, according to the Constitution. By stripping out that language, proponents hope to deny Boehner use of that procedural objection.

So far, House Republican leaders have been mum on the issue. Two House GOP leadership aides did not respond to requests for comment.

There's broad bipartisan support for VAWA. Last year, the Senate passed it 68-31. Why can't the House pass this badly needed legislation?

As long as the House keeps dodging on this, we'll keep highlighting it here. Why should millions of American women be left vulnerable to prolonged domestic violence? Because teabaggers don't like queer folk and Native American communities? Seriously?

Joe Heck and other House Republicans throw a temper tantrum whenever anyone points out their War on Women agenda. If they actually want to prove the critics wrong, they can start by passing the comprehensive Violence Against Women Act that's set to pass the Senate easily (again).

Whither, VAWA?

Throughout 2012, women's rights advocates watched in horror as the G-O-TEA led House continually blocked final passage of the Violence Against Women Act. Here in Nevada, they were especially noting Joe Heck's callous disregard for so many women's lives. And sadly, this story still isn't over yet.

In fact, as of now there is no federal Violence Against Women Act.

Back in April, the Senate approved VAWA reauthorization fairly easily, with a 68 to 31 vote. The bill was co-written by a liberal Democrat (Vermont's Pat Leahy) and a conservative Republican (Idaho's Mike Crapo), and seemed on track to be reauthorized without much of a fuss, just as it was in 2000 and 2005.

But House Republicans insisted the bill is too supportive of immigrants, the LGBT community, and Native Americans -- and they'd rather let the law expire than approve a slightly expanded proposal. Vice President Biden, who helped write the original law, tried to persuade House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) to keep the law alive, but the efforts didn't go anywhere.

And so, for the first time since 1994, the Violence Against Women Act is no more.

House Republicans are now blaming Senate Democrats for (gasp!) crafting a comprehensive bill that offers help to as many women as possible. Oh, and that bill attracted broad BIPARTISAN support in the Senate! Even some Senate Republicans were begging their House colleagues to just pass the bill already. Yet instead of agreeing to good policy for the nation, the House G-O-TEA (again) doubled down on petty politics by blaming Democrats for daring to include LGBTQ women and women of color in the Violence Against Women Act.

Apparently, they still don't realize they're engaging in rather disgusting behavior. Because the G-O-TEA can't stand doing anything that helps communities of color and the LGBTQ community, they're willing to let the Violence Against Women Act expire. And by letting VAWA expire, these House G-O-TEA "culture warriors" are adding unnecessary burdens to local law enforcement in curbing domestic violence. Yes, Virginia, there are real world consequences for playing petty politics with essential public policy.

Last year, Dean Heller was one of the Senate Republicans breaking ranks to support VAWA renewal. If he really wants to prove his post-election "moderate" street cred, he can start by telling his Nevada Republican colleagues in the House to stop playing silly political games with serious legislation meant to help women caught in the grip of domestic violence.