According to news reports, North Dakota officials have 250 sexual assault cases waiting for possible criminal charges, most of which have aged beyond resolution.

In the meantime, there are 250 victims waiting for justice to be done, and if state officials continue their behavior, justice will never be done because the viability of rape cases lasts only a couple weeks. Many of these cases are months old so evidence is blurred, perpetrators are on the loose, defense lawyers drag their feet, judges permit extensions and prosecutors would rather chase burglars. It seems that everyone can be blamed for this miscarriage of justice.

This situation is a sad commentary on our values. As our society becomes more civilized, we claim to treat men and women as equal before the law. Letting rape cases die on back shelves denies our commitment to equality. If a Sodomite appeared in North Dakota and raped a man, the law enforcement and judicial systems would make it top news the next day. 

Men are in charge. Very few, if any, have been victims of the traumatic experience of rape. Because men have extra sexual liberties, they have no comprehension of the hurt and shame suffered by these 250 women expecting justice. To them, rape is academic and they enjoy demeaning sex with raw humor. 

It seems that the present attorney general, Drew Wrigley, is trying to shake off responsibility by laying the blame at the door of his predecessor Wayne Stenehjem. But the number of unprocessed rape cases has been increasing in his tenure as well. Wrigley’s solution is moving boxes around in his office, putting the crime lab under another part of his administration. 

The proposal has drawn enough public debate to divert  attention away from the real problem: underfundng and understaffing  of the crime lab so it can do its  work. So if this problem has existed through at least one legislative session, there must have been an opportunity for the legislature to provide sufficient funds. But claims are being made that the legislature actually cut crime lab funding.

But instead of funding the crime lab, the legislature has been busy giving tax breaks that benefit the wealthy. As a former state budget director, I can tell you that expenditures are an indication of priorities and right now our priorities look pretty sick.

In the meantime, has Attorney General Wrigley asked the State Emergency Commission for money to fill the gap immediately? Or is this another one of those deals where we beg the federal government for money on the left and bitch about a federal government takeover on the right? 

For the past 2000 years, women have struggled to gain their God-given equality with men. But men are not willing to yield to the call for justice but do their best to protect their own power and privileges. It would be interesting to experience a legislature in which women had a majority. You can bet, it would be more compassionate and caring than the man’s world in which we now live.

Would sending a message to the legislature by limiting terms for legislators help? Not likely. We are traveling in very deep historic ruts and the ruts will prevail no matter what the voters do.