Republicans for Rape
posted by: LiAnna D. 44 days ago
Yesterday, 30 Republican senators opposed an amendment to the Defense Appropriations bill that would prohibit federal defense contractors like Halliburton/KBR from getting money "if they restrict their employees from taking workplace sexual assault, battery and discrimination cases to court."
In other words, 30 GOP senators want to deny rape victims their day in court.
Think Progress has the story of the woman who prompted this amendment:
In 2005, Jamie Leigh Jones was gang-raped by her co-workers while she was working for Halliburton/KBR 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 not an isolated case.) 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.
Senator Al Franken introduced the amendment to the appropriations bill last week to prevent such complete disregard for the rights of rape victims. Nine senators (Mary Landrieu, Benjamin Cardin, Amy Klobuchar, John Kerry, Jeff Merkley, Bill NElson, Dianne Feinstein, Sherrod Brown and Jeanne Shaheen) joined Franken in cosponsoring the bill -- and it passed with 10 GOP senators supporting it after a passionate speech from Franken:
All four Republican women (Susan Collins, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Lisa Murkowski and Olympia Snowe) voted for the amendment, and they were joined by Bob Bennett, Orrin Hatch, Chuck Grassley, George LeMieux, Dick Lugar and George Voinovich. These GOP senators deserve our thanks for truly embracing bipartisanship to vote for a bill that is clearly a good idea.
Then there's the 30 who voted against it:
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)
Of particular note in this bunch? Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Nominee for president John McCain. Senators intimately familiar with sex scandals David Vitter and John Ensign.
Really, guys? Opposing a bill intended to let rape victims get prosecution? That's truly a new low for the Republican party.
You can call them out on it! If you're a constituent of one of these members, we'll deliver your letter of outrage to them -- and if you're not, it'll go to Minority Leader McConnell, who speaks for all Senate Republicans. Send your letter today!
Read more: politics, gop, republicans, take action, womens rights, john mccain, gang rape, al franken, mitch mcconnell, david vitter
comments
Ann J sez..
"...there may be two sides to the above story..."
oh, yes...my idea of the perfect date always involves being forcibly violated 'til I bleed, then left locked in a shipping container with no food/water/etc...waiting for, what? more of the same. Yeah, baby!
Honestly, what sort of "second side" of this story do you imagine there might be? That the woman involved was "asking for it" because she was there, working in a predominantly male environment instead of staying home cooking dinner and making babies? Perhaps she dressed provocatively, or made eye-contact. Okay, sure....our mistake, there probably WAS a second story and she had it coming!
...they walk among us...beware...
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Oh and another thing Anne. There are NOT 2 sides to this story. I've been following it for years (I'm guessing you haven't). There have been MANY allegations and women have been waking up covered in bruises, blood, urine and feces. One woman's breast implants were ruptured. Do you know now brutal someone has to be to rupture breast implants? And another thing: You can call yourself an independent if you want but you're an idiot conservative. Don't bother responding. I won't be checking. I just wanted to tell your ignorant ass off. You obviously have no clue about what's been going on with these corporations. They're not accountable under Iraqi or American law and guess what happens when there are no laws? In the future, if you have an opinion about something, I strongly suggest you get the facts first. And btw, Al Franken rocks for passing this amendment. It's about fucking time someone did something about this. All it is is just an amendment to give woment there the same rights they have here. Do you not get that you airhead?
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Cindy, you need to get a grip. The polls have been turning for sometime now. You can spew hatred and biased nonsense all day if you like, but it doesn't change the fact that the Left is wrong on everything, and the American people aren't interested in your "solutions" to whatever comes along. Did you ever stop to think that there may be two sides to the above story? Al Franken is a complete ditz, so he may have gotten something wrong in the story. Me, I'm going to stay an Independent - - and with the way the Dems are acting since they took over, I think Independent is the way to go.
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Jon, you wrote:
"Guys, every time you spew out hatred for Republicans in general, you immediately turn off the MAJORITY of Americans who are not Democrats. "
Hmmmm? I think the last time Republicans we're even on par with Democrats (In Party Affiliation polls) was 2002, when the post 9/11 effect was its strongest.
Since a large percentage of Americans claim Independent status, a MAJORITY of Americans are neither Reps nor Dems, by afflilliatiion. But indeed, there are more professed Dems than Reps. Here's a couple of sources on that:
http://people-press.org/commentary/?analysisid=95
http://www.gallup.com/poll/114016/state-states-political-party-affiliation.aspx#2
Perhaps some of the Reps problems stem from insanity such as a clear one-party opposition to bills like the one advanced by Senator Franken and mentioned in this blog. Indeed, a large percentage of Republican senators came down on the wrong side of this issue, which can only serve to further marginalize the Rep Party, especially among women voters. Protecting rapists is about as stupid as can be politically, and abhorrent morally.
I mean really, what do Republicans stand for currently:
No to the popular Public Option?
Yes to making appeals to racism?
Yes to protecting rapists?
And you wonder why they're slipping? I don't. They're completely out-of-step with the American People.
-cindy
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Mebee 'Merica should get a Yumin Rights Act.
Then that clause would be unconstitutional.
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dont do the wrongbad thing,dont be stupid
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I think this situation is deplorable, and that those 30 idiots are somehow convinced to act and think differently. But I'm also disgusted by the amount of people who "hope a member of their family goes through it only when they are burned will they understand" or "wish on them the worst that can happen: that their wives and daughters will suffer the same fate as those harassed, raped, etc." That isn't punishing the senators who voted, that's punishing their families, who didn't do anything wrong. Nobody should wish rape on a woman. I know from experience that it completely ruins your life and changes you, turns you into a person you don't recognize. I can understand those who wish the 30 would get violated, but not their families. Once again, women and children are thrown under the bus when it's men that are committing the wrongs.
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Evelyn B - as I read your interpertation of the bill, I fail to see how the first paragraph & the headline are incorrect.
KBR/Halliburton were trying to deny Ms Jones right for her case to be heard in court because of the arbitration contract she signed. How is that not condoning gang rape? How does that negate the fact that she was held in a shipping crate and denied even doctor's care?
KBR said she could not take the case to court because it should have been privately arbitrated because of the clause in her contract. If the bill provides for a day in court for serious offenses - irregardless of any contract signed and this case definitely points to that fact; what makes it untrue or misleading to say that they voted against letting someone who was gang rapped on the job have a day in court???
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Jon, normally I would agree with you. However since the only 30 congresspersons voting NO to pass the bill were Republican, then I think it was a fair headline because it was a majority of the Republican Senators. Only 10 Republicans voted with all the Democrats to pass the ammendment.
If it had been 30 Democrats or 40 Democrats (since I think there are 59 now) - then it would be fair to say Democrats did....since a majority voted.
I do not; however subscribe to calling all Republicans or all Democrats anything. Each one is an individual. I did send a demand for an accounting to Sen. John Cornyn & there is a rally on Wednesday 10/14 at Alamo Plaza to denounce his stand on the public option. I think his vote on this issue warrants equal scruinty.
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The Head line AND THE FIRST PARAGRAPH IS INCORRECT. PLEASE read and understand the bills and amendments before making such statements. THIS AMENDMENT IS TRYING TO PROTECT PEOPLES RIGHT TO GO TO COURT AND NOT BE FORCED INTO MANDATORY ARBITRATION, WHICH DOES NOT ALLOW PURSUING IN COURT.
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