30 Republicans Oppose a bill intended to let rape victims get prosecution

[fustercluck]

Couldn't find another thread about this, but I thought it was pretty crazy:

Link 1

Link 2

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.

In the end, Franken won the debate. His amendment passed by a 68-30 vote.

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)

On the Senate floor, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) spoke against the amendment, calling it ?a political attack directed at Halliburton.? Franken responded, ?This amendment does not single out a single contractor. This amendment would defund any contractor that refuses to give a victim of rape their day in court.?

WTF. How do 30 people vote against that? That's just awful.

Repost
-Schadenfroh (AT Mod)

 

[Mr. Lennon]

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...id=52&threadid=2340589

Pretty fucked up if you ask me. Just goes to show they will do anything to protect their precious Halliburton. So much for the party of moral value...

 

[cubby1223]

Repost anyways but, the choice is either:

(1) believe that Republicans are truly pure evil and should all be voted out of office next election cycle
-or-
(2) believe there may be some unintended consequences of the amendment that the left-wing blogs don't bother to find out

 

[Red Irish]

Originally posted by: cubby1223
Repost anyways but, the choice is either:

(1) believe that Republicans are truly pure evil and should all be voted out of office next election cycle
-or-
(2) believe there may be some unintended consequences of the amendment that the left-wing blogs don't bother to find out

Sorry, can you clarify what you mean? What can possibly be more important than ensuring that rape victims are protected under the legal system and that justice is served?

 

[jackschmittusa]

cubby1223

You can't really believe that there are "unintended consequences" after this much time can you?

The people who voted against this know that they are being made out to be major dicks and corporate whores. If they had any real defense, we'd have heard it by now.

The only things I've heard from them so far are a bunch weak and lame rationalizations.

 

[HannibalX]

Rape is a crime, regardless of what your labor contract states the courts will always address criminal matters. What exactly is the purpose of the amendment? Was she trying to sue the company in civil court? Was there any criminal prosecution?

We need more information.

 

[First]

What's amazing is that this loophole was there in the first place. There has got to be something else behind it or some other reasonable explanation, because it doesn't seem plausible that the law would allow a rape clause. I'd like to know myself.

 

[venkman]

Originally posted by: iFX
Rape is a crime, regardless of what your labor contract states the courts will always address criminal matters. What exactly is the purpose of the amendment? Was she trying to sue the company in civil court? Was there any criminal prosecution?

We need more information.

She could bring criminal charges against her attackers, but she could not file an open lawsuit against Haliburton as such matters would need to be handled by private arbitration according to her contract if I am reading it correctly.

 

[Double Trouble]

1) there's already a thread about this.
2) voting against certain legislation that has far more in it than "letting rape victims get prosecution" does not mean one is condoning rape.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: venkman

Originally posted by: iFX
Rape is a crime, regardless of what your labor contract states the courts will always address criminal matters. What exactly is the purpose of the amendment? Was she trying to sue the company in civil court? Was there any criminal prosecution?

We need more information.

She could bring criminal charges against her attackers, but she could not file an open lawsuit against Haliburton as such matters would need to be handled by private arbitration according to her contract if I am reading it correctly.

open lawsuit, you mean civil?

I heard about this case before and it sounded like bullsh*t. Private employer contracts should never, ever be able to trump common laws. A libertarian may say if you don't like it don't get the job, but when people are under certain pressures they may make desperate decisions, which is why labor laws exist in the first place and as a practical thing are very positive. When you have a large employer with money they have a lot more sway than an individual unless that individual is protected by laws.

 

[Ausm]

waiting for the rightwing contingency of this forum to chime in

 

[Ausm]

Originally posted by: Zeppelin2282
http://forums.anandtech.com/me...id=52&threadid=2340589

Pretty fucked up if you ask me. Just goes to show they will do anything to protect their precious Halliburton. So much for the party of moral value...

Your sig looks like something taken directly out of the Republican playbook ;

 

[0marTheZealot]

The Republicans would vote against their ass if it showed democratic tendencies.

 

[Nemesis 1]

Originally posted by: cubby1223
Repost anyways but, the choice is either:

(1) believe that Republicans are truly pure evil and should all be voted out of office next election cycle
-or-
(2) believe there may be some unintended consequences of the amendment that the left-wing blogs don't bother to find out

Your2 is correct. Just look it up .
Your 1. What next election . There is NO election 2012. Foolish foolish person . Its over its done .

Its just that the killing hasn't begunn. But it will . Were on the Last pope befor peter of Rome . This pope is very old soon to die . The sooner the better. If they put a man in power who calls himself Peter Of Rome . That will piss off alot of powerful people. Must be why Rome is destroyed You wanted Change . Ya got it . Some of us new . But we couldn't stop ya . Just to much evil to overcome. There is no more presidential electiopns . You people had better read all these new bills that were passed threw without anyone reading them . To me thats a dead give away . But not to you guys . Its Ok to pass laws without knowing what they are befor ya Vote . Do ya have a Fema Camp near BUY . We do the barbed wire is facing inwards Thats Fema camp . How blind are you people Laws were passed . Maybe you guys should read those documents . Oh . That right you can't . Its priveldged information not ment for the masses .

 

[Slick5150]

Originally posted by: Nemesis 1

Originally posted by: cubby1223
Repost anyways but, the choice is either:

(1) believe that Republicans are truly pure evil and should all be voted out of office next election cycle
-or-
(2) believe there may be some unintended consequences of the amendment that the left-wing blogs don't bother to find out

Your2 is correct. Just look it up .
Your 1. What next election . There is NO election 2012. Foolish foolish person . Its over its done .

Its just that the killing hasn't begunn. But it will . Were on the Last pope befor peter of Rome . This pope is very old soon to die . The sooner the better. If they put a man in power who calls himself Peter Of Rome . That will piss off alot of powerful people. Must be why Rome is destroyed You wanted Change . Ya got it . Some of us new . But we couldn't stop ya . Just to much evil to overcome. There is no more presidential electiopns . You people had better read all these new bills that were passed threw without anyone reading them . To me thats a dead give away . But not to you guys . Its Ok to pass laws without knowing what they are befor ya Vote . Do ya have a Fema Camp near BUY . We do the barbed wire is facing inwards Thats Fema camp . How blind are you people Laws were passed . Maybe you guys should read those documents . Oh . That right you can't . Its priveldged information not ment for the masses .

My brain just exploded trying to comprehend that mess

 

[alchemize]

Originally posted by: Nemesis 1

Originally posted by: cubby1223
Repost anyways but, the choice is either:

(1) believe that Republicans are truly pure evil and should all be voted out of office next election cycle
-or-
(2) believe there may be some unintended consequences of the amendment that the left-wing blogs don't bother to find out

Your2 is correct. Just look it up .
Your 1. What next election . There is NO election 2012. Foolish foolish person . Its over its done .

Its just that the killing hasn't begunn. But it will . Were on the Last pope befor peter of Rome . This pope is very old soon to die . The sooner the better. If they put a man in power who calls himself Peter Of Rome . That will piss off alot of powerful people. Must be why Rome is destroyed You wanted Change . Ya got it . Some of us new . But we couldn't stop ya . Just to much evil to overcome. There is no more presidential electiopns . You people had better read all these new bills that were passed threw without anyone reading them . To me thats a dead give away . But not to you guys . Its Ok to pass laws without knowing what they are befor ya Vote . Do ya have a Fema Camp near BUY . We do the barbed wire is facing inwards Thats Fema camp . How blind are you people Laws were passed . Maybe you guys should read those documents . Oh . That right you can't . Its priveldged information not ment for the masses .

This is what happens when you let 9/11 conspiracy threads live. The vermin spread elsewhere.

 

[BeauJangles]

Originally posted by: alchemize

Originally posted by: Nemesis 1

Originally posted by: cubby1223
Repost anyways but, the choice is either:

(1) believe that Republicans are truly pure evil and should all be voted out of office next election cycle
-or-
(2) believe there may be some unintended consequences of the amendment that the left-wing blogs don't bother to find out

Your2 is correct. Just look it up .
Your 1. What next election . There is NO election 2012. Foolish foolish person . Its over its done .

Its just that the killing hasn't begunn. But it will . Were on the Last pope befor peter of Rome . This pope is very old soon to die . The sooner the better. If they put a man in power who calls himself Peter Of Rome . That will piss off alot of powerful people. Must be why Rome is destroyed You wanted Change . Ya got it . Some of us new . But we couldn't stop ya . Just to much evil to overcome. There is no more presidential electiopns . You people had better read all these new bills that were passed threw without anyone reading them . To me thats a dead give away . But not to you guys . Its Ok to pass laws without knowing what they are befor ya Vote . Do ya have a Fema Camp near BUY . We do the barbed wire is facing inwards Thats Fema camp . How blind are you people Laws were passed . Maybe you guys should read those documents . Oh . That right you can't . Its priveldged information not ment for the masses .

This is what happens when you let 9/11 conspiracy threads live. The vermin spread elsewhere.

The better question is has he always been this nuts and we just haven't noticed or did he forget to take his meds over the last two days?

As for the OP, jesus. If I lived in a state represented by those senators, I'd give them a call and first voice my opposition to the way they voted and then ask for an explanation.