I find it hard to believe the US or even the evil Halliburton would cover up a gang rape. Doesn’t the US have an interest in ferreting out such malefactors and duly punishing them?

I can’t say this is nonsense, but it does all seem a bit hard to believe.?

Well, how do I put this - various US governments have been caught perpetrating and covering up things that make a gang rape almost look harmless in comparison. And as for Halliburton - at the end of the day, this is about money, isn’t it? They would do anything not to lose their Irak contracts. Covering up a gang rape, say by arranging for a tragical accident on the job, would be peanuts to them.

But when Ace finds it hard to believe, we must be wrong, and Jones must be lying, no question.

I see no reason to think rape deniers are any different. If they haven’t actually done it themselves, they get off on the idea of it.

I very much doubt that Ace, or most of them, have the actual nerve to go through with it, in normal circumstances - so living vicariously is even more precious to them.

(To quote an ex-friend of mine: I can’t be racist, Bette, I’m friend with *you*.) (Sighs.) I remember the good old days when it was just us and the blacks and asians in the country club, and the only boondoggles allowed in were as waitresses. Great days, gone forever.

Remember that the treatment in Wilson’s case was to ruin his wife’s career.

I have no doubt, deep6. But it’s a confusing situation for Ace: on the one hand–despite his misogyny–he’s able to sense that there’s something horribly wrong with gang rape; but the idea that said crime was committed by employees of KBR, a firm entrusted by the great and infalliable King George to carry out His will, is inherently ludicrous to him. Therefore, the woman must be a BDS-afflicted, leftist affiliated thing which is attacking KBR(and Bushco by proxy) out of spite.

Ace is horrified by the accusation. It’s tarnishing the image of KBR and, by extension, Bushco.

Interesting angle. Rape = KBR = Halliburton = Cheney = Bush = …Ace of Spades, Bush supporter?

Nowhere in there do we find the woman.

I wasn’t of the impression that he was somehow subconsiously identifying with guilt for *this* rape, though now that I’ve built on Sour Kraut’s idea it’s something I’m going to have to think about. I’m more of the mind he identifies with sexual abuse of women in general and that this wasn’t an issue of political defense.

Though, yeah, there’s nothing Republican monsters won’t defend about their party’s “values” by tearing other people down. In that case this rape victim would be getting the Richard Clarke/Paul O’Neill/Joe Wilson treatment?

Agreed. In my experience it’s always the most racist person who gets the most defensive about race issues. (To quote an ex-friend of mine: I can’t be racist, Bette, I’m friend with *you*.)

I see no reason to think rape deniers are any different. If they haven’t actually done it themselves, they get off on the idea of it.

Well, and the “she’s lying” charge is part of a larger denialist tapestry that encompasses the people claiming that waterboarding isn’t torture.