Most of this occured late last year. I decided to post it because I realized just how few people had heard of it:
A bill was passed in the Senate in October by a 68-30 roll call vote. vote that would punish government contractors who “restrict their employees from taking work place sexual assault, battery and discrimination cases to court.” Senator Sessions accused Franken of a “political attack directed at Halliburton” but Franken argued that it would apply to all contractors preventing it from being a Bill of Attainder. The bill was introduced by Senator Al Franken. What is truly astounding about this is that 30 Senators voted against it. Although the bill would cover all companies, it was born as a result of a case against a government contracted company named Halliburton/KBR. The company is accused of attempting to cover up a gang rape in which a female employee was assaulted by fellow employees, and after the incident was reported and she had been treated by a company Doctor; locked in a shipping container by the management of the company. The incident happened in Iraq in a camp named Camp Hope. The Chamber of Commerce was one of the companies who fought against this bill.
This company has a long and sordid history. This is the second time that the company has been accused of concealing a gang rape by trying to use a binding arbitration clause in their employment contracts. On both occasions, the physical evidence collected after the rape “has disappeared”. Unfortunately for the victim, but fortunate for her case is the fact that she was so badly injured during the rape that her genitalia and breasts required reconstructive surgery, so some evidence does exist. Despite attempts by the Company, and sadly, some government offices, the victim, Tracy Barker, will finally have her day in court according to a federal judge who found that this was not covered as a workplace compliant, although an earlier court ruling by another federal judge tried to deny her the right. It has been two years since the rape.
No company or individual should ever be above the law. It is bad enough that rape does not carry a more severe sentence, despite the documented evidence of recidivism. To legally attempt to allow a company to cover up a crime as horrendous as this one is yet more evidence of people putting money above morals. How could anyone have voted against a law that makes companies obey instead of circumvent the law, let alone senators who are supposed to be upholding the interest of the people? To what God, ego or conscience could they possibly be answering in recommending that a crime as brutal as one that requires reconstructive surgery of the victim be legally protected. Did it occur to them that this could have been their wife, daughter or mother. How much money did it take to buy their loyalty? How do they sleep at night protecting monsters so horrendous that they would condone this? I am still stunned that there were any who opposed a bill to make companies follow the law.
As an update, about six weeks after the Franken bill was ratified, Tracy Barker was awarded $3,000,000 to settle her case by an arbitrator. I guess Halliburton finally decided that finding themselves once again in the spotlight was bad for business. Or maybe Dick Cheney, Halliburton’s former CEO and our former VP, found his stock options weren’t doing as well as he hoped with all the new found publicity.
Ironically enough, with the company currently under investigation for the electrocution deaths of 18 US Servicemen due to faulty electrical wiring, the company, now KBR who has severed its ties with Halliburton, was once again awarded a DOD contract in February of 2009 worth $35,000,000. KBR’s response to the accusation was not denial, but only that they were not required to follow US Electrical codes while working in another country. Apparently, there are those to whom the almighty dollar will always supersede the morals by which most of us live, with respect for the rights, dignity and lives of others. They will never understand that there is no amount of money worth what they have put their victims and the families of those victims through.
