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.
