When is rape not a crime?

Apparently when you work for Halliburton it isn't, and 30 U.S. Senators appear to agree.

Seeing something as personal as abuse and sexual assault taken on by Washington is often a disheartening sight, but today I am in full awe of the stupidity of some of our elected officials.

Senator Al Franken (D-MN) did a wonderful job both in bringing this issue before the Senate and in telling a story that is difficult to hear, let alone retell.

In 2005 Jamie Leigh Jones was gang-raped by Halliburton/KBR co-workers in Iraq. After the rape, she was placed under guard and detained in a shipping container for at least twenty-four hours without food, or water and told that she would lose her job if she left Iraq to seek medical attention. That in and of itself would have been horrific enough.

When she returned to the United States she discovered that the employment contract she had signed prevented her from taking the issue to court, the issue could only be heard through private arbitration.

In response Senator Franken proposed an amendment to the 2010 Defense Appropriations bill that would withhold government (read that taxpayer dollars) from companies "if they restrict their employees from taking workplace sexual assault, battery and discrimination cases to court."

Now, I will admit to a bias when it comes to the subject, but what, pray tell, was Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) thinking when he responded that this bill was "a political attack directed at Halliburton."

Pardon me Mr. Senator, but isn't it your job to at least be at least somewhat educated on the laws of the country you are supposed to represent?

I have read a few articles on the subject but nobody seems to mention what was obvious to me. Rape is a criminal action, as is unlawful detainer. These people broke the law, the actual law Sir, that you are supposed to uphold.

Your concern? Protecting Halliburton from political attacks?

Correct me if I am wrong, but it seems to me that when a law is broken, it is supposed to go to court. Rape, believe it or not, is still against the law in this country.

In this case many laws were broken, and the civil rights of Ms. Jones and the other women who were subjected to similar treatment were blatantly violated.

That is why you are there Sir, to protect those civil rights, not the political well-being of a corporation.

I ask again, what were you thinking? Rape is a crime, crime is illegal, the courts are supposed to handle crime, and you are supposed to uphold a persons rights to seek remedy when their civil rights have been trampled upon.

Shame on you.

The amendment passed by a 68-30 vote. All who voted nay being Republicans. Only ten of the Republican Senators were willing to stand up and say a crime is still a crime, even when Halliburton is involved.

Thank you Senator Franken, it is nice to know that someone in Washington still believes in civil rights for rape victims.

Care to see how your Senators voted? Click here