You may recall the horrific case of Jamie Leigh Jones, a KBR/Halliburton employee who in 2005 was gang raped by coworkers, locked in a trailer to prevent her from reporting the crime, warned she would lose her job if she left Iraq to get medical treatment for her injuries, and then told that her employment contract required her to take her case to arbitration rather than criminal court. She testified before the House Judiciary Committee in 2007 (audio is not great):
This week, Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) proposed an amendment to the 2010 Defense Appropriations bill that would withhold contracts from companies that restrict employees from taking workplace rape, battery, and discrimination cases to court. Sen. Jeff Sessions covered himself with glory by objecting to the amendment, claiming it was “a political attack directed at Halliburton”. A commenter at the Minnesota Independent site asks the pertinent question:
Why does Jeff Sessions hate women so much he would rather protect Haliburton than a rape victim?
Despite the Senator’s impassioned plea on behalf of beleaguered defense contractors everywhere, the amendment passed easily yesterday, even garnering the support of 10 Republicans who couldn’t bring themselves to hold their noses and toe the party line that corporate profits trump rape. Sessions joined 29 of his colleagues in voting no. I have some suggestions for where he can put that vote.
:::growls inarticulately in Sessions direction:::
Jeff Sessions is so determined to say NO to any Democratic proposals that he doesn’t even consider the merits — or, apparently, common decency. I’m sure that attitude plays well to his base.
*sigh*
I see where the senior senator from Alabama joined him in voting Nay. What a proud moment for us all!
Jeff Sessions, rape enabler. Get some family values, man.