Feministing, BuzzFlash on LaVena

Apologies for coming late to the July 18 writeup on PFC LaVena Johnson by Ann Friedman of Feministing. The post asks readers to spare just a couple of minutes to sign the Danielle Vyas-authored petition to Congress and President Bush, which has (of this writing) 2374 signatures with a goal of 3000. Friedman references posts on LaVena by a number of feminist writers; some of them have been previously noted here, while others are new to me:

You may have read about LaVena recently on Feministing, or from Cara, Megan at Jezebel, Gina at What About Our Daughters, and Kate at Broadsheet...

I am very happy to add Friedman to the growing list of writers whom I owe thanks for support for a renewed investigation of LaVena's death in Iraq.

Also on that list is Meg White for bringing LaVena's story to the many readers of BuzzFlash in a news analysis piece posted today. It is a capsule of the Johnson family's trials in pushing the Army to revisit the investigation of their daughter's death, and the possibility that she had been the victim of a sexual assault. Like Friedman's entry at Feministing, White touches on the CommonDreams.org article by retired Army colonel Ann Wright on other suspicious deaths of women in service, and references the recently-launched ColorofChange to Rep. Henry Waxman of the House Oversight and Governmental Affairs Committee. Many thanks to White for this entry.