I do not know Lara Logan, and I must admit that, prior to her becoming the story out of Egypt's current upheavals, rather than reporting other news stories, I had never heard of her. Be that as it may, I watched as the 24/7 mainstream media variously declared that CBS's 'chief foreign correspondent' was 'brutally attacked,' 'sexually assaulted,' and/or 'raped.'
- CBS News Correspondent Lara Logan in Tahrir Square moments before she was attacked on Feb. 11, 2011. (CBS)
Since none of us were there in that alley with Lara Logan, we cannot know the extent of the attack, but that has not stopped the cacophony from various pundits and academics - 'experts' all - expounding on the story. I have tried to avoid writing about it myself. However, I am choosing to add my 2 cents' worth to the media noise today because, unlike 90% of those with uninformed opinions they are all to willing to share, I DO have authority to speak on this subject.
No matter what anyone calls what happened to Logan, I have absolutely no doubt that she thought she was going to die that day in Egypt. I guarantee it. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.
Lara Logan lived, and that IS a blessing, although I have no way of knowing if Logan herself has come to that conclusion yet. According to stories in the immediate aftermath of that night in an Egyptian alley way, apparently Logan was rescued by a crowd of Egyptian women - 'sisters,' if you will. Logan is a very lucky woman. For many survivors, there is NO rescue from either an isolated rape/sexual assault by an unknown stranger(s), or from an ongoing, daily intimidation of sexual abuse by a relative or close friend....
There is much more to this column, and rather than take over Wake Up America, I'll direct you to Assoluta Tranquillita here.
