Today the Senate "debated" the Department of Defense appropriations bill passed by the House (H.R. 3326) for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010. Republicans added frivolous amendments all day, that were defeated one after the other. The amendment du jour, however, came from Al Franken D-MN.
And what a doozy it is! S. Amend. 2588 simply prohibits "the use of funds for any Federal contract with Halliburton Company, KBR, Inc., any of their subsidiaries or affiliates, or any other contracting party if such contractor or a subcontractor at any tier under such contract requires that employees or independent contractors sign mandatory arbitration clauses regarding certain claims." The "certain claims" have to do with sexual assault.
I might have phrased it differently myself -- like "prohibits any member of the executive team and Board of Directors of Halliburton and KBR from ever getting out of prison for any reason whatsoever" or something like that. But my amendment probably wouldn't have gotten many votes, unlike Franken's which passed 68-30, every Democrat being joined by 9 Republicans. (Does anyone know if LeMieux has to call Charlie Crist and get his OK before he votes?)
Franken offered the amendment because a KBR employee, Jamie Leigh Jones, age 19, was raped by a bunch of KBR workers in Iraq and then locked up in a crate when she tried reporting them. After she was rescued and returned to America she was informed that she couldn't take KBR to court because there was some fine print in her -- and everyone else's -- contracts that don't permit any such thing. [See the video below.]
Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, an especially corrupt member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, was the key spokesperson for the GOP against the legislation which he called unfair to Halliburton, one of the biggest Republican Party contributors in history.
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Christina Ricci: Help For Victims of Sexual Violence
I will be in Washington, D.C. today to meet with members of Congress and discuss the importance of dedicating funds and attention to victims of sexual violence.
It's really kind of sad how completely ignorant of the entire issue the President was at the time. I mean completely speechless for any answer at all and ironically, the same student had asked Rumsfeld the same question weeks before and Rumsfeld said she should ask the President - so she did!.....check it out.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_gustav_w_071215_bush_startlingly_ine.htm
I don't understand how the so called MEN who are supposed to respect women, were so compelled to vote against this amendment. It really is a wake up call for all women, who think that repugs value women and families far beyond those of the dems. Sorry, but s**t floats and no republicans voted for the bill to protect women against sexual assault/harrassment in the work place. Gee, working for Halliburtan must be a real privilege. NOT..Halliburtan is in DuBai now, perhaps they are no longer an american company and should not be receiving american government contracts anyway. This comapny has committed fraud against the US in war time. At what point does their miscreant behavior rise to the level of treason??? Hillary get rid of Halliburtan and Blackwater or whatever they call themselves these days.
Curious behavior, if you ask me...
It took another minute or so to find the text of the amendment you're so anxious to see: "Sec. 8104. (a) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used for any existing or new Federal contract if the contractor or a subcontractor at any tier requires that an employee or independent contractor, as a condition of employment, sign a contract that mandates that the employee or independent contractor performing work under the contract or subcontract resolve through arbitration any claim under title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or any tort related to or arising out of sexual assault or harassment, including assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false imprisonment, or negligent hiring, supervision, or retention."
Why you, like so many others, quickly jump to erroneous conclusions without lifting a finger to learn the facts is beyond me. Next time, a little homework would go a long way.
And your post and my Google confirm that the amendment only dealt with civil not criminal actions. Thanks once again.
Can you impeach a Senator?
compassionate conservatism on display.
I wonder how they will defend their "No" vote on this amendment during their campaign.
Here are the Senators who are okay with Rape.
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)
Oh man, am I really reading this right? Tell me that's a typo.
That out of partisan interest and loyalty to corporate robber barons they'd dismiss the rights of women under KBR's employ viciously gangraped by fellow KBR employees...is unbelieveable
This as conservatives have been trying all week to tie the misdeed of director Roman Polanski to the whole of the liberal establishment. As though members of the GOP would be beyond that sort of thing.
In their collective chronic selective amnesia they conveniently forget the numerous rapes both connected to KBR and those also inflicted upon female military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan; -and the efforts by both the Bush White House and the Pentagon to suppress those cases.