... but if you are going to get falling-down drunk, you bear a significant portion of responsibility for what happens to you. If you want to drink, fine -- but exert a little self-control, and if you cannot do that -- go out with a friend or friends who will not drink and will look after you. In the meantime, this volunteer needs some help with her alcoholism. I hope she finds it. None of this excuses the rape, of course. Neither does it excuse the behavior of the drunk, either.

According to fuller reports she was out with friends for the evening, was drunk and allowed by her 'friends' to hitchhike back home very late at night. What sort of friends leave a woman in such a predicament?

Showing an image the victim isn't apprpriate. If I were a rape victim, I wouldn't want my identity known, even if my face is hidden.

travel to Mexico is dangerous!!

#1 - there are many details which you can not possibly know, therefore your judgments are deeply misguided, and very unfair. #3 - don't worry about the pic, it's a stock photo of a person in distress, not of an actual victim.

what is a "lady" doing parading around while drunk? doesn't she realize that she is a target? and hitchhiking too? doesn't she realize that hitchhiking is dangerous? shame on her, shame on them...

While #1 has a grain of truth in it you went completely overboard. There's a fine line between the victim sharing some responsibility and completely blaming him/her for what happened. Do you also blame raped women due to the way they dress? Mind you she wasn't raped in the car. They dropped her off and then he came back for her. She fled for help. No, YOU should be ashamed.

You are right. You are free to make your decisions, but you can't choose your consequences.

hey einstein, pic says Illustration photo... aka photo illustration. Not the victim.

but how about teaching boys and men not to rape?

She is brimming over with hatred and hostility and feels absolutely no compassion for anyone. Crimes of violence against women are inexcusable.

Drunken or not: I should never hitchhike. Also I should never take hitchhikers with me. Once, in Europe, I saw too late they were drunk. Not kef at all. Maybe the girl was drunk, but if she doesn't want, she doesn't want. Stop! Otherwise it's rape. Put them for a long time in jail, even I think such a people will never change. But, let the police continue their investigation. About the photo, I'm almost sure it's not the raped girl. I hope so.

For whatever reason women seem to get drunk with less alcohol than men, and once you are drunk your judgment goes away. Perhaps she wasn't used to drinking or she drank vodka which doesn't feel alcoholic until it knocks you out. The issue remains, why did her friends leave her to hitchhike home alone in such a state.

Crimes of violene against ANYONE are inexcusable. #10 raises a good point. If you indulge in risky behavior and are hurt because of it you set yourself into a position where bad things can happen. Smokers often get cancer, heavy drinkers are often prone to accidents etc. They choose their path and nobody makes them do these things. At some point individuals have to take at least some responsibilty for their own actions. If they don't and continue their destructive paths "Darwin" will weed them out. With any luck the two rapists will get weeded out. It's unfortunate they didn't pick on a more sober woman that carried a gun.

enter God's Kingdom. Drinking alcohol in small amounts for medicinal purposes is as much as Yahweh-Yehoshua allows so that judgment is maintained. Obviously, this woman's judgment was affected by the alcohol which set her up as a target. Now he life is harmed and the rapist's life is destroyed by his foolish crime. Rape is a crime of empowerment not lust in most cases. The pervert male criminal rapist wants to get even with his mother and other women he hates and raping someone is empowering him over the adversary in his mind: females. I hope his mother understands that the crime is a hate crime against the rapist's mother or female guardian as much as it is a crime against the victim. Rape is a hate crime.

There are so many issues here. What that boy did was inexcusable. But this woman put herself in a dangerous situation. Walking around drunk when you don't know what's going on around you, with impaired judgment. Dangerous. Then she hitch hiked. Even if she were sober hitchhiking is dangerous. Getting into a car with someone you don't know is foolish.

Drunk, sober, or comatose.

Drunk, sober, or comatose.

Rape is a crime. Drunk females are not.

usually means you shouldn't have said it. Frankly, I'm disappointed in you. If I were she, I wouldn't hire you as my attorney, and, I love your posts, usually.

how can you be so dense?

What a pathetic stupid idiot you must be...There you go blaming the victim yet again. If she were Jewish would you have blurted the filth mentioned in your post?

She didn't claim it was an excuse only that it created an opportunity which is true.