Meet the senators who voted against Al Franken’s amendment which punishes contractors that “restrict their employees from taking workplace sexual assault, battery and discrimination cases to court.”
Alexander (R-TN)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Graham (R-SC)
Gregg (R-NH)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johanns (R-NE)
Kyl (R-AZ)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Wicker (R-MS)
Lovely to see so many “family values” conservatives on the list.
Perhaps the family in question is the Manson Family?
fascinating how there are more states doubly represented in that list than singly– 11 states with both senators voting against, while only 8 states are represented by only a single name on the list.
So Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Kansas, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Idaho, and Arizona, go out and vote! You need to completely replace your senators.
I’m going to go write to my senator now and inform him that I’m very disappointed. (I don’t actually EXPECT better from McCain, but it would be nice to be surprised.)
Letting them know their constituents disapprove is good, right?
(Also, is there any kind of election this year? I just turned eighteen and haven’t registered to vote yet, should I be hurrying down to the post office?)
This makes me even happier that McCain didn’t win. How sad.
One more reason for me to get the word out in South Carolina to get rid of DUMint.
My Senator, Arlen Specter, did not vote — I don’t know whether he abstained or whether he just wasn’t there, but I wrote him an email telling him I was disappointed anyway. So, any fellow Pennsylvanians, feel free to tell Senator Specter that in case he is unsure, his constituents don’t want to fund companies who try to shield rapists and silence their victims.
Shiyaya, you probably have some local (and maybe state) elections coming up, but national elections happen on ‘even’ years — in ’10 all of the House and one third of the Senate will be up for re-election. Don’t put off registering, though, and congratulations on reaching voting age!
How much does anybody want to bet that every “no” voter listed up there is firmly against taxpayer money going to pay for abortions (Medicare, proposed insurance-buying subsidies), or even to fund entities that provide abortions with other money (Planned Parenthood, United Nations Population Fund)?
This is a trivial side point of the issue, but someone on the quiz site Sporcle has a quiz to name the senators who voted against it, and both it and the comments in favor of it are getting rated down. Mind going to support it? (Not my quiz.)
Saxby Chambliss won by sliming his opponent, Max Cleland. Cleland has been a strong advocate for veterans and I think he would have voted in favor of worker’s rights. He just wrote a book, too.
but raping women is a family value! (sarcasm)
I’m amused that Crapo is on the list.
This makes me so angry! Just sick of this conservative hypocrisy – always the moral high ground…unless you give me a big wad of cash! I wish I knew how to write letters because I would definitely write one to that fool Cornyn! Anyone have a form letter I could borrow? UGH! Seriously, I had it up to HERE!
MissTiff, I don’t have a form letter, but I put the one I wrote up on my blog, and I don’t think it would be too hard to edit to fit your sentator(s) and state: http://leapersjournal.blogspot.com/2009/10/letter-to-my-senator.html
http://senate.gov/ had the individual websites with contact forms for the senators.
(Also, I too am amused by Crapo.)
My Senator, Arlen Specter, did not vote — I don’t know whether he abstained or whether he just wasn’t there
I despise Arlen Specter, but his sister just died and he was at her funeral.
@ #10: I don’t think that’s really sarcastic at all. To these kinds of right wingers, it is. Control of women, including through the use of violence, really is one of their family values. Their churches preach it, their political party platform supports it, and as much as we might like to believe that we don’t live in a world with people like that, they really do mean it.
Of course it is, and it always has been. Women exist solely to pop out the next generation of soldiers/tax-payers/Christians/proles/docile bodies. If they don’t cooperate willingly, they must be forced to fulfill their divinely mandated role, just like anyone else who resists the Will of God. I mean, they might not say it in public, but this shit is neither new nor surprising.
Thanks for letting me know, sophonisba! That’s definitely a legitimate excuse for not being there. I’ve not been inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I should have looked into it more.
I still don’t understand how that is even legal. How can you prohibit employees from pursuing crimes committed against them? I am glad they are going to punish them know, but I don’t get how this is even an issue.
Megara, the status quo doesn’t necessarily impede criminal trials, but it impedes civil actions. That’s why it’s legal.
@Shiyiya – THANKS SO MUCH! Your letter was perfect I just fired off my own angry missive to Corny!
ah thanks Jill. Of course I think it’s crappy they even had the power to block civil actions, but I don’t know much about law. Glad that law passed either way.
@MissTiff, glad it was useful! :)
For once, I don’t see an Ohioan on the list… We seem to be oh-so-good at electing exactly this kind of bullshit. (sigh) Personal relief aside… I am very disappointed. They should be ashamed of themselves.
[...] to, among other things, sexual assault on the job. Who would actually vote against such a bill? Feministe’s got their names. Clinton: Guinea’s Military Leaders Should Step Down – At a protest, Guinean soldiers [...]
And every single one of them is a Republican. What a shock.
I believe the victims of these crimes were pursuing civil suits because there was NO jurisdiction for criminal charges: no US law b/c not on US territory, no Iraqi law b/c US personnel were exempted from Iraqi jurisdiction, and no US military law b/c they were contractors.
Although they’d never say it in public, I’m sure these “family values” types think gang rape is what a woman deserves for pushing herself into a man’s job, where she’s not wanted, in a war zone, what did she expect, she should have stayed safe at home, etc., etc.