How Budget-Cutting Obsession Is Destroying the Lives of Abused Women

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/domestic-violence

The first time Julianna Martinez's ex-husband hit her in the face, it came out of nowhere. They'd been out dancing, but he left the club early. Later that night she let him into her house and they were sitting there talking.

"He didn't even seem angry. Then wham, across my face." Afterward he cried, so she forgave him, thinking it was a one-time thing.

The second time it happened, they were driving through a military base in Germany when he got pissed off because she hadn't been welcoming enough to a fellow soldier's wife. "He turned around and smacked me," she says. "His reason was, I wasn't sitting with her, making her feel comfortable."

She sat there stunned. When she recovered from her shock she jumped out of the car and ran to the office of the army police. Although they were initially separated, they went to marriage counseling.

[BlueToTheBone]

1. Our county is trying to open its first shelter.

We're in a rural area and finding help is often difficult, so I'm happy this is in the works.