I heard about this on the Daily Show. You can read about it
here.
Basically, a woman was gang-raped in 2005 by her Halliburton/KBR co-workers and locked in a container for a day to prevent her from reporting the attack. Because the attack occurred outside US criminal jurisdiction, she couldn't have charges brought before her attackers. But to add insult to injury, she couldn't sue KBR because her contract had a clause that stated that matters of this type could only be handled through private arbitration.
So Senator Franken, along with Senator Landrieu, proposed an amendment, nicknamed the Rape Amendment, to House Bill, H.R. 3326,
stating that money being appropriated by the Defense bill is not be used for any new or existing Federal contract if the contractor or subcontractor currently has any rule that mandates that employees or independent contractors must use arbitration to settle any disputes resulting from violation 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.
So the bill ensures that the Defense Department will not give contracts to any business that refuses to allow an employee legal recourse for certain crimes or actions, such as rape. Who could argue with that, right?
Well, when it came time to
vote, 30 Senators apparently found a way to say NO to the amendment. And, interestingly, all 30 Senators were Republicans.
Even more interestingly is that four (Sen. Johanns, Sen. Shelby, Sen. Bond, Sen. Graham) of those 30 Republicans, perhaps more, were very vocal about defunding ACORN for supposed wrong-doing. So some ACORN employees advises some fake pimps and prostitutes and those Senators want to defund ACORN. Halliburton/KBR employees gang-rape a woman and those Senators are against an amendment that denies funding to organizations like Halliburton or KBR for denying legal recourse to their employees for certain actions.
I have to say, this makes me think that many Republicans really are acting like poor losers or spoiled brats, saying NO to everything because they aren't in control.
What do you think?
It's just some things you never get over. That's just the way it is. You go on through... best as you can. - Matthew Scott
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Marge, just about everything is a sin. (holds up a Bible) Y'ever sat down and read this thing? Technically we're not supposed to go to the bathroom. - Reverend Lovejoy
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You know, I used to think it was awful that life was so unfair. Then I thought, wouldn't it be much worse if life were fair, and all the terrible things that happen to us come because we actually deserve them? So, now I take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe. - Marcus Cole