Thursday, October 15, 2009

This Is a WTF Moment - Really? Is Rape Okay?

As I try to stay informed these busy days, I was watching The Daily Show with Jon Stewart this morning and was taken aback by a segment on the show. It never amazes me what our elected representatives will and will not vote for while "representing the people." This, however, has got to be one of the most insane issues I have seen to date and wonder what the 30 senators who voted AGAINST it were thinking.

Al Franken, freshman Democratic senator from Minnesota and former Saturday Night Live alumni, passed an amendment to a defense bill this week that would withhold government contracts from organizations like KBR (Halliburton) if they restrict employees from taking rape and sexual assault cases to court. Seems simple enough, don't you agree? I mean, why would we want to restrict due process and give justice to those who are due?

This stems from Ms. Jamie Leigh Jones, a Halliburton/KBR employee, who in 2005, was gang-raped by her co-workers while she was working in Baghdad. She was detained in a shipping container for at least 24 hours without food, water, or a bed, and “warned her that if she left Iraq for medical treatment, she’d be out of a job.” Jones was prevented from bringing charges in court against KBR because her employment contract stipulated that sexual assault allegations would only be heard in private arbitration. This is NOT an isolated case but even if it was the only one, it would be one too many.



This is the result of that vote as explained by Jon Stewart on The Daily Show.

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Now, I have worked with federal government contracts in the past and know that the government can and will set forth rules and other directives to maintain a level of integrity for those that are, in essence, representatives of the federal government. But for what ever reason, the following 30 REPUBLICAN senators voted NAY to S.Amdt. 2588 to H.R. 3326 (Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010):

Alexander (R-TN); Barrasso (R-WY); Bond (R-MO);
Brownback (R-KS); Bunning (R-KY); Burr (R-NC);
Chambliss (R-GA); Coburn (R-OK); Cochran (R-MS);
Corker (R-TN); Cornyn (R-TX); Crapo (R-ID);
DeMint (R-SC); Ensign (R-NV); Enzi (R-WY);
Graham (R-SC); Gregg (R-NH); Inhofe (R-OK);
Isakson (R-GA); Johanns (R-NE); Kyl (R-AZ);
McCain (R-AZ); McConnell (R-KY); Risch (R-ID);
Roberts (R-KS); Sessions (R-AL); Shelby (R-AL);
Thune (R-SD); Vitter (R-LA); Wicker (R-MS);

What is embarassing to me is that BOTH Alabama Senators voted NAY on this admendment to the bill. I am not making any accusations but I wonder how deep in Halliburton's money pocket are they? What do you think? I suggest you ask your Senator, if they voted Nay, what was their logic behind their vote. I know I will. I need to remove the picture I have of myself with Senator Sessions from my Facebook and Blog pages until perhaps he comes to his senses.

2 comments:

  1. Insanity! "Justice" and "Law" seem to have two very different definitions these days.

    Amy
    www.themanyshadesoflove.blogspot.com

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  2. Excuse me!? So, it's ok to gang rape someone and not be able to take it to highest level of justice possible! Insane! How about the females of KBR get some dildos, lock up the same men that gang raped this young lady along with the CEO's and top men of this company, and rape them... and you know there's only one place to do that on a man. Let's see if they change their mind about private arbitration! And I cannot believe MY senator is on TV against this!!!

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