Republicans for Rape

[vermicious knid]

http://www.republicansforrape.org/legislators/

Let us honor these fine legislators. What a shame there were only 30, but you have to start somewhere. Onward to freedom!

[Musicman408]

Someone mind "de- legislating" what exactly the bill means, because I read it and don't totally understand.

If it is in fact a vote against rape, these Republicans should be ashamed.

Damn Republicans.

[strandinthewind]

Halliburton/KBR (Dick Cheney's former company) had an incident where a 20 year-old female employee was allegedly gang-raped by contractors, locked in a shipping container, and abused in many ways. She later realized she was unable to sue Halliburton for monetary damages in a court of law because she had signed away that right as a condition for accepting the job. See http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009...pe-claim-block


This bill prevents the government from contracting with firms that have such clauses in their employment contracts. The "Statement of Purpose" in the bill reads it is:

To prohibit the use of funds for any Federal contract with Halliburton Company, KBR, Inc., any of their subsidiaries or affiliates, or any other contracting party if such contractor or a subcontractor at any tier under such contract requires that employees or independent contractors sign mandatory arbitration clauses regarding certain claims.

In reality, almost all contracts in peoples' lives have similar clauses in that these clauses require arbitration in lieu of an actual court case. You get your day in front of the arbitrator instead of in court.

These clauses serve many purposes and are supported by the courts in the country because of the overcrowded dockets in the courts. The more cases sent to arbitration, the less crowded the court dockets.

The problem is arbitration can be manipulated by both sides far more than the actual courts because the rules usually are less formal in arbitration, there is no jury, etc. Moreover, it has been suggested that because the major companies like State Farm, etc. pay hundreds of millions in fees to the companies providing the arbitration, the arbitration companies are beholden to these companies, on which they give special favor.

Note - this poor woman could still press to have the matter progress in a criminal court and have her alleged rapists locked away. The arbitration clause does not affect that as far as I know, nor, I think, could it. This is just for monetary damages on the civil side of it. And, as mentioned, the clause does not prohibit a suit for monetary damages. I believe the clause just mandates the suit for monetary damages be brought to arbitration instead of an actual court of law.

I think arbitration clauses are BS to many, if not most, victims because there is no jury in arbitration. Clearly, a jury would be be sympathetic to this poor woman, which is exactly why that clause is in the employment contract; employers rarely are sympathetic to a jury. Moreover, I think it is, at best, seedy to require an employee to sign away such a right as a condition for employment, esp. these days when jobs are scarce. It seemingly is a situation of duress.

So, these R's did not in any way vote in the way suggested and this is a misleading suggestion that they voted for rape. What they voted for was allowing companies to require arbitration clauses, a widely accepted practice that is seen in a bad light in this particular case. They did not want to cut out certain exceptions, like rape. Note - that these 30 jacka$$e$ are for it pretty much makes me immediately suspect because I think this group of people (and I use that word loosely when describing them and their ilk) represent the worst part of hummanity.

I do not really like arbitration. So, I suppose I am for this bill in this instance.

[David]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

I do not really like arbitration. So, I suppose I am for this bill in this instance.

I don't support people who rape their employers. Some rapists employ people to work at the docks, but they join a union.

[strandinthewind]

^^^

It's the fish smell on the docks that drives the sloped foreheaded workers wild with desire.