By a Democrat, no less!

http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000003229332

One 'No' Too Many?
By Tracie Powell, CQ Guest Columnist

The "party of no" just might have gone one vote too far this time.

By now many, if not most, Americans have heard about the 30 Senate Republicans who voted against an amendment that would have prohibited government contracts with companies that use mandatory arbitration clauses to deny assault victims the right to have their cases heard in court.

But get this: Reports emerged Thursday that the proposal, introduced by Sen. Al Franken , D-Minn., may be stripped away by a fellow Democrat, not a Republican.

The third longest-serving senator in history, Democrat Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, is reportedly considering altering or removing the provision that is part of the fiscal 2010 Defense appropriations bill. A spokesman for the Senate Appropriations Committee, chaired by Inouye, said in an e-mail that the committee does not comment on ongoing conference negotiations and emphasized that the White House supports the intent of Franken's amendment.

Never let it be said that the Democratic Party is monolithic, or unified for that matter.

Still, it is Republicans who are currently being tagged as "pro-rape " and credited with trying to derail an amendment that helps victims get justice.

Whose bright idea was it to unify against something like this? Surely opponents are already dreaming up campaign ads for the next election cycle.

For those who haven't heard about this latest largely party-line vote, here's a bit of background:

Nineteen-year-old Jamie Leigh Jones went to Iraq to work for defense contractor KBR. On her fourth day on the job Jones says she was gang-raped by seven of her colleagues and held captive inside a shipping container by two KBR guards. Four years later Jones, who claims KBR tried to cover up the sexual assault, is still trying to have her day in court; meanwhile more Iraqi rape allegations have emerged against KBR employees, including this one.

Jones' story inspired Franken to introduce his amendment. Nine Republicans - including four women - voted with Democrats to adopt it, 68-30 (all no votes came from Republicans).

It should be noted that the Defense Department also opposed Franken's amendment, and suggested instead that it might be more effective to pass a law that would eliminate these types of arbitration clauses in all business contracts within U.S. jurisdiction.

Makes sense, but that's not what at least one Republican senator argued.

Jeff Sessions , R-Ala., called the amendment an "attack against Halliburton," which used to own KBR.

(continued)

I found this while looking into the story further:

http://www.republicansforrape.org/

Senator Daniel Inouye: An ally across the aisle?
DateThursday, October 22, 2009 at 12:20PM

Great news, folks!

We might be a minority in Congress, but that doesn't mean we can't get our way! Senator Daniel Inouye, Democrat from Hawaii, may be intervening on our behalf. From HuffPo:

An amendment that would prevent the government from working with contractors who denied victims of assault the right to bring their case to court is in danger of being watered down or stripped entirely from a larger defense appropriations bill.

Multiple sources have told the Huffington Post that Sen. Dan Inouye, a longtime Democrat from Hawaii, is considering removing or altering the provision, which was offered by Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and passed by the Senate several weeks ago.

Inouye's office, sources say, has been lobbied by defense contractors adamant that the language of the Franken amendment would leave them overly exposed to lawsuits and at constant risk of having contracts dry up. The Senate is considering taking out a provision known as the Title VII claim, which (if removed) would allow victims of assault or rape to bring suit against the individual perpetrator but not the contractor who employed him or her.

"The defense contractors have been storming his office," said a source with knowledge of the situation. "Inouye either will get the amendment taken out altogether, or water it down significantly. If they water it down, they will take out the Title VII claims. This means that in discrimination cases, they will still force you into a secret forced arbitration on KBR's (or other contractors') own terms -- with your chances of prevailing practically zero. The House seems to be very supportive of the original Franken amendment and all in line, but their hands are tied since it originated in the Senate. And since Inouye runs the show on this bill, he can easily take it out to get Republicans and the defense contractors off his back, which looks increasingly likely."

If this article is accurate it represents fantastic news for the movement - bipartisan support for rape!
Update on Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 9:41PM by Registered CommenterRapeFan

You can call Senator Inouye at (202) 224-3934 or you may reach him at his website.

I sent an email to the senator expressing my concern and disapproval of his possible action. I would suggest anyone that feels strongly about protecting rape victims of companies that receive govt contracts do the same.

The DOD is an ally for those against the bill.

i am suggesting that it has been so throughout history (and not very secret), and that if we wish to vanquish that idea in modern times, we should adopt provisions such as Franklin's amendment.

To me those giving a vote against the Franken bill is congruent to giving support for violence directed at their own daughters, mothers , wives , mistresses , and female friends and sons and son in laws et al. too.

The DOD is obviously supportive of rape given the women and men in our military being raped by those within our military including commanding officers. The DOD has continued to be very remiss in addressing these violent criminal acts in a meaningful manner. Rt Gates is neglectful here too.

We need to get these males in favor of raping their daughters and mothers out of office and we need to get respectable men in office coupled by an increasing and steady increase of females into political office and preferably in the highest offices. Females need to devote themselves to their own well being and make that a priority imho.

it is hard to believe that anyone could not support this provision, annie. the misogyny that underlies opposition to this provision is palpable.

Remember Stephen King's novella Apt Pupil ?

'Todd ' made impotence more bearable via misogny

When I think of misogny , I think impotence.

that is how it plays out in domestic affairs. in foreign affairs, it is just as often used as a method of humiliating and dehumanizing the defeated.