Senate Republicans played politics with rape and lost. Now they are crying foul, and blaming Senator Al Franken for the consequences of their actions. Thirty Senate Republicans voted against an amendment that would provide justice for the victims of sexual assault. Thirty Senate Republicans voted to protect corporate sponsored rape.
The Senate Republicans voted against an amendment proposed by Senator Al Franken that bans the Pentagon from doing business with corporations that prevent employees from suing their employers in cases of sexual assault.
The thirty guilty Republicans cast a vote for corporate interests and against justice for victims of sexual assault. It was a shameless display of the incestuous relationship between big business and the GOP. The Republican Senators miscalculated; they thought they could pay tribute to big business while trashing rape victims and get away with it. They were wrong.
Jamie Leigh Jones signed a contract to become an employee of KBR, then a Halliburton subsidiary. That contract contained a clause which required her to arbitrate any future dispute against her employer. This means it forced her to give up her right to seek redress in court if she was wronged. At the time, Ms. Jones had no idea what implications this seemingly innocuous, fine-print clause would have.
Ms. Jones arrived in Iraq in July of 2005. Immediately, she complained to supervisors about the hostile conditions imposed by KBR—she was constantly being harassed by her male colleagues, and was housed in barracks with 400 men and only a few women. Her pleas for safer housing were ignored. Four days after her arrival, Ms. Jones was drugged and gang raped. She requested medical attention, and a doctor administered a rape kit. Parts of that rape kit have since mysteriously disappeared. After Ms. Jones reported the rape to her supervisors, she was locked in a shipping container with an armed guard and prohibited from any contact with the outside world. They locked her in a container?!? It was only after she convinced one of the guards to lend her a cell phone that she was able to talk to her father, who enlisted the help of Representative Ted Poe, a Republican congressman from Texas, to arrange for her safe return to the United States.
Senator Franken was rightly outraged that Ms. Jones was blocked from any legal or criminal recourse by her abusive employer, KBR/Haliburton. Franken introduced an amendment to correct this gross injustice. Franken's amendment prohibits “the Defense Department from contracting with companies that require employees to resolve sexual assault allegations and other claims through arbitration”.
The amendment passed the Senate 68-30. Ten Republican senators, including every female member of the GOP, had the good sense and common decency to vote for the amendment. Thirty callous and insensitive Republican Senators did not.
For more info, and to find out exactly who the guilty Republicans are, check out Republicans for Rape.
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Comments
You believe "Thirty Senate Republicans voted to protect corporate sponsored rape"? How do you expect to be taken seriously? At least try to mimick coherence.
For those of you interested in the other side of the story that Mr. Stone ignores, disgracing himself in the process:
Google: Politico Al Franken fallout has GOP fuming
Google: Jackson Sun (Op-ed) Why we voted against the Franken Amendment
It is nothing close to journalism, or responsible editorializing, to refuse to treat a matter thoroughly. Intentional misrepresentation to foment a witch hunt is despicable. What is it called? Lynch mob journalism, a few degrees south of Yellow.
Senators Corker and Alexander provide the truth Mr. Stone and Mr. Franken have no time for:
"We voted against the amendment because it was overly broad, banning arbitration in too many cases where it would benefit employees. To be specific:
The Obama administration opposed the Franken Amendment, as we did, because of its broad application and the problems associated with its enforcement.
This amendment had nothing to do with criminal charges. Arbitration agreements do not in any way limit a prosecutor's ability to bring criminal charges against those who commit crimes.
When Senator Franken offered his amendment, he said it was inspired by the experience of Jamie Leigh Jones, a woman who was raped by her coworkers, whose horrific story has incensed us all. Ms. Jones took her case to court and won because the courts decided that the arbitration clause in her employment agreement should not prevent her from pursuing her sexual assault claims in court. When arbitration is ina
When arbitration is inappropriate, the courts should overrule it as they did in this deplorable case.
If the Franken Amendment had simply done what Senator Franken said it would do - preserve employees' rights to their day in court if they are victims of rape in the workplace - we would have voted for it in a heartbeat. But the Franken Amendment simply went too far.
Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker represent Tennessee in the U.S. Senate. Contact Sen. Alexander at (202) 224-4944, Sen. Corker at (202) 224-3344.
This is the kind of thing that happens when you put a professional clown in the U.S. Senate, and when you allow a mini-clown like Mr. Stone to spew bilge without editorial restraint or a lick of journalistic integrity.
Yeah but don't leftist wack-jobs support child rapists like that perverted freak Roman Polanski....
Just when you think meathead Stone's articles can't get any more ridiculous he always throws you a surprise.
Mikey, your mommy's calling. She says you have to go home now and do your homework.
"The Obama administration opposed the Franken Amendment, as we did, because of its broad application and the problems associated with its enforcement." stated Senators Corker & Alexander in their Jackson Sun op-ed. "We voted against the amendment because it was overly broad, banning arbitration in too many cases where it would benefit employees. Ms. Jones took her case to court and won because the courts decided that the arbitration clause in her employment agreement should not prevent her from pursuing her sexual assault claims in court."
They locked her in a shipping container with armed guards and forbade her to have contact with the outside world? And then one of the guards loaned her a cell phone??? I think this lady's story is a bunch of bull roar. Leave it to Al Franken to pick it up and run with it,
It's nice to see such a diversity of views in the comments to this article. Not! 100% seem to be from wingnuts, marching in lockstep as always, attacking the messenger as always. And such depth of thinking! So few present actual facts. It's mostly emotion, specifically fear and hate. As always.
So it's true: republicans will be republicans. The poor dears just can't help it.
Mark:
Facts were presented to completely refute Mr. Stone's ridiculous assertions and vicious accusations. Leftists aren't interested in facts, only rabble-rousing. Defending this stuff and attacking Republicans does a good job of making you a self-confessed, card-carrying member of the rabble class. Knowing many of you have trouble with the definition of words, let me assist:
Main Entry: rab·ble
Pronunciation: \?ra-b?l\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English rabel pack of animals
Date: 14th century
1 : a disorganized or confused collection of things
2 a : a disorganized or disorderly crowd of people : mob b : the lowest class of people
The story is true, that is why the Rethuglicans are so angry. They got caught with their pants down. Poor idiots are going to be beat over the head with that vote come election time, and they are scared.
Left wing wack-jobs have supported NAMBLA, Roman Polanski, and underage illegal prostitution all in this year alone.
Mr Stone. You earlier reported about the supposed
rape & murder of a young girl by Glenn Beck. Though
it was a lie you were oh so happy to report it &
gleefully hoped the rumors were true. It would help
advance your agenda. Now you report on the supposed
rape of a poor woman by blackwater employees. You hope
this to be true also as it will help advance your agenda.
So you, Mr Stone, support rape if it slanders someone
like Beck. Yet you're against rape if it makes Republicans
look ''bad''. So which is it Mr Stone?
Stoner is a good example of these commie freaks, they are about as morally bankrupt as you can get, they're out to destroy this country with their sick twisted agenda.
Accusing people of supporting rape is not going to help the situation or convince anyone to support your opinion.
bit.ly/8mxsQH
Mark, no accusations were made. Just facts were stated.
Please read Mr Stones earlier post regarding Glenn
Beck/rape/1990. He wrote the story. I ask a valid question.
Stone is a wacked-out commie freakazoid.
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