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You Make Me Sick

THURSDAY JANUARY 31 2008 6:00 AM

Submitted by FearTheReaper. Edited By erin_broadley.

TAGS: Private Contractors, Iraq, Justice Department, State Department, Bush, Rape, Jamie Leigh Jones

Yes, you. I think you are fucking disgusting. Wait, I take that back. I only think you're disgusting if you are an American citizen; you Brits and Scots can rest easy. Now, you may be wondering why it took me so long to realize that you are lazy, filthy, awful creatures. Turns out I didn�t know so many of you were okay with gang rape.

Last month a woman came forward to reveal she had been gang raped while working for Halliburton/KBR in Iraq. I cannot fathom the strength it would take to tell the nation you were gang raped by fellow employees of a company working under a government contract.

Jamie Leigh Jones, now 22, says that after she was raped by multiple men at a KBR camp in the Green Zone, the company put her under guard in a shipping container with a bed and warned her that if she left Iraq for medical treatment, she'd be out of a job.

"Don't plan on working back in Iraq. There won't be a position here, and there won't be a position in Houston," Jones says she was told.

I guess we can be happy they didn�t kill her; because that is the only thing worse I can think of in this situation. The story is truly horrifying and it sounds like they may have actually planned on killing her, but she managed to call her FATHER.

Jones says she was held in the shipping container for at least 24 hours without food or water by KBR, which posted armed security guards outside her door, who would not let her leave. Jones described the container as sparely furnished with a bed, table and lamp.

Yeah, I�m sure they were just keeping her in that container until she calmed down from the gang rape. No way they were discussing killing her. Jones managed to convince a sympathetic guard to give her a cell phone, which she used to call her father.

I said, 'Dad, I've been raped. I don't know what to do. I'm in this container, and I'm not able to leave.'

Just the kind of call a father wants to receive. Dad called his local Congressmen, who called the State Department, who then sent agents from the US Embassy to the base, where they freed Jones from the container. Army doctors examined Jones and determined she had been raped "both vaginally and anally." Then they gave the rape kit to Halliburton/KBR security officers, who made sure it disappeared.

That was two years ago. During those two years it became apparent our State Department and Justice Department are not going to do anything about a young woman being gang raped by other Americans while working in Iraq.

Over two years later, the Justice Department has brought no criminal charges in the matter. In fact, ABC News could not confirm any federal agency was investigating the case.

Why? Because private contractors operate outside of the law in Iraq. Apparently, they can rape at will, without expectations of any punishment. Without any criminal prosecution forthcoming, Jones sued Halliburton/KBR in civil court. But that might also be a problem.

KBR has moved for Jones' claim to be heard in private arbitration, instead of a public courtroom. It says her employment contract requires it.

In arbitration, there is no public record nor transcript of the proceedings, meaning that Jones' claims would not be heard before a judge and jury. Rather, a private arbitrator would decide Jones' case. In recent testimony before Congress, employment lawyer Cathy Ventrell-Monsees said that Halliburton won more than 80 percent of arbitration proceedings brought against it.

Politicians, like Hillary Clinton, then demanded hearings and asked why there was no justice for this woman. Of course, through all their blustering, our lawmakers failed to mention that they are partially at fault. Congress left these giant private contractor legal loopholes open. Congress has not created proper oversight in regards to Iraq, and that created the environment that led to a woman being gang raped by her fellow employees.

The press dug up more instances of overseas rape, which the Justice Department ignored.

The Department of Justice declined to prosecute a State Department employee who allegedly sexually assaulted a female Halliburton/KBR worker in Iraq, despite a recommendation from the State Department that he be charged

Then Congress had a hearing on December 19th, but the Justice Department decided to take a pass and refused to send a representative to answer questions.

I'm embarrassed that the Department of Justice can't even come forward," said the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee John Conyers, D-Mich.

�This is an absolute disgrace. The least we could do is have people from the Department of Justice and the Defense over here talking about how we're going to straighten out the system right away."

So, here we are over a month later. The State Department and Justice Department are stonewalling Congress.

A Republican lawmaker wants Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to answer questions in person about the high-profile rape case of Jamie Leigh Jones, after lower State Department officials failed to provide information that satisfied him.

One branch of our government is asking another branch of our government why they are blowing off the gang rape of an American citizen. The answer is simple: The gang rape is the result of the Bush administration�s total lack of oversight of private contractors in Iraq. At the same time, the Justice Department has been turned into a political wing of the White House and the case of Jamie Leigh Jones is a glaring example of what happens when our system of law is usurped by politics. The rule of law crumbles as it caters to political interests. This is the sort of case that can explode and shine a light on the entire system.

Now, why do I think you are disgusting, filthy animals? Because, what the fuck have you done? I immediately wrote my Senators and Congressman, explaining my disgust. The fact that America is quietly sitting around, after a woman was gang raped, while her rapists are protected by our government is sickening. The fact that the system is set up to allow something like this to happen is repugnant. But what is more repugnant is that we sit on our fat asses doing nothing, while women are gang raped and people are killed.

If we put massive pressure on our government to answer for this injustice, there would be action. That is sort of how a Democracy works. And you fuckers are silent. Which makes us complicit in the gang rape of an American citizen. Or you, anyway. At least I managed to take time out of my day to write an email and make a phone call. But don't worry about it, after all, you've got that Lost message board to get to.

144 Comments

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captainkidd

Tuscaloosa, AL

April 2007

JAN 31, 2008 02:33 PM

Yeah good points. I'm just broadly thinking that the fucked up environment that is Iraq might be causing some people to lose it. PTSD is affecting a huge amount of our military. I mean definitely bring the fuckers that snap and lose it to justice but also analyze the circumstances and see if there's some preventative measures that could be had. Gavin de Becker's Gift of Fear is a cool book that talks about rape and violent crimes. Simply labeling these people as monsters doesn't get to the core of the matter. To really prevent shit like this from happening over and over you have to look at the conditions that might have contributed: a "boys will be boys" work environment, no legal accountability, ability to cover it up with arbitration contracts. Sticking a bunch of men together with little or few females in sight I think is a situation that can lead to a variety of behaviors that would not otherwise be the case- rape, homosexuality, whatever.

Nessuno

Washington, DC

May 2006

JAN 31, 2008 02:45 PM

Colinism said:
Your assuming that all the men that take it up the ass in prison were willing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prison_rape

No I'm not. I made a point of saying there is a difference between prison nookie and a guy being raped in prison.

Consentually getting some in jail because you're horny is still different from violently forcing another inmate to take it up the ass.

Necia

San Francisco, CA

August 2005

JAN 31, 2008 02:58 PM

To those of you sending emails to your senators and representatives:

I have heard over and over from people who've worked for elected officials that said officials tend to pay a little more attention to letters, received by mail, because so many organizations make it easy to shoot off a form email in two seconds.

I'm not trying to say that sending an email is a bad thing--not at all. I'm just suggesting that it might be worth it also to print off that text in a letter, sign it, and stick a stamp on it as well as emailing. How much more weight a letter carries, I don't know, but I've always heard that a mailed letter carries a bit more weight. Most people won't take the time to mail a letter, even though they will take time to send off an email (myself included). When an elected official starts getting a number of mailed letters about an issue as well as just emails, sometimes they take a little more notice.

(Again: just what I've heard.)

Colinism

Atlanta, GA

July 2005

JAN 31, 2008 03:01 PM

Nessuno said:

Colinism said:
Your assuming that all the men that take it up the ass in prison were willing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prison_rape

No I'm not. I made a point of saying there is a difference between prison nookie and a guy being raped in prison.

Consentually getting some in jail because you're horny is still different from violently forcing another inmate to take it up the ass.

I was actually agreeing with what you wrote in response to the other guy.

Louis_XIV

France

August 2007

JAN 31, 2008 03:06 PM

When a king has all the power, it's his duty to act and not to twiddle his thumbs. If he gives a part of the power to his nobles or to a parliament, these men have the duty to act and not to twiddle their thumbs. Now, the founder of your nation gave the power to the people. Whether or not this was a good idea - it's the people's duty to act and not to twiddle its thumbs. So, dear US-Americans, could you please lift your ass off the sofa and do whatever must be done to restore justice?

You wanted power, you got it - now you have to live with it. Did you really think that power comes without duty?

Cairo

SUICIDEGIRL

Maryland, USA

JAN 31, 2008 03:07 PM

Colinism said:
Work computer won't allow me to do it here, I'll send when I get home.

Isn't that a little...odd? You can access a porn site, but they blocked your access to US government sites?

Coyotemike

Kearney, NE

May 2006

JAN 31, 2008 03:10 PM

Cairo said:

Colinism said:
Work computer won't allow me to do it here, I'll send when I get home.

Isn't that a little...odd? You can access a porn site, but they blocked your access to US government sites?

His job obviously only blocks truly perverted websites.

DarKangelAZRAEL

Albuquerque, NM

June 2004

JAN 31, 2008 03:12 PM

I sent emails and letters about this. This is a disgusting and inhuman act that just makes you feel so overwhelmed with anger and even hate. What would happen if the contractors over seas come under attack? Do they get protection being from a sovereign nation? They should fall under our Laws as well as our protection. In fact Any company from any nation should be held under the laws of it's parent company's registered business location. Not only should these men be prosecuted with extreme prejudice but so should the higher ups in the company that had anything to do with trying to cover this up.

sethsmith1210

I'm lost

December 2006

JAN 31, 2008 03:17 PM

This is utterly disgusting. I just finished signing the petition and sending a letter to my representative. We all should be ashamed of ourselves really. I didn't even know about this. Apparently I have been under a rock.

DarKangelAZRAEL

Albuquerque, NM

June 2004

JAN 31, 2008 03:17 PM

You know I am also pretty tired of hearing about this get off your asses you stupid colonists crap as well. Can we all show a little tact and maybe try to help others act that may feel overwhelmed not really knowing what all to do. There are many reference sights that can empower you. Try wiki or even your states .gov sight or representative's personal web sight. there are a lot of things we can do rather than try to make a nation of compassionate people feel like asses. thanks a lot guys.

_kungfoo_

Los Angeles, CA

April 2005

JAN 31, 2008 03:29 PM

coyotemike said:

defaultx said:
a haliburton bunny ranch in the green zone would solve a lot of problems.

Is this a flag-worthy comment?

Not quite, but it's certainly ignore worthy. I've had him on ignore for awhile now, only caught it through wildswan's reply.

Evilgasm

Netherlands

April 2007

JAN 31, 2008 03:32 PM

Writing to your representatives about this horrible injustices is, of course, something every American should do. I would ask also, that since we are a fairly private community here, you all also try to spread the word. Don't just send one email to your congressman, send one to all you friends. Talk to them. Convince them to also take action.

Most American news media keeps you in the dark. Not only about this one story but about a lot of things. Don't let them. Spread the word. Bring this story and all those like it out into the open. Maybe breaking the silence this one time can help you break it forever. At least you'll be doing all you can to help the victim of a heinous crime find the justice both she, and all of America, need.

DarKangelAZRAEL

Albuquerque, NM

June 2004

JAN 31, 2008 03:36 PM

Awesome. Thanks Evilgasm. That is more like I was talking about. And yes I did send this story and links to every friend of mine on myspace and every addy in my book in outlook.