Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Cool Stuff: TED–Bruce Bueno De Mesquita Predicts Iran’s Future
Legal News: Amendment in Defense Bill Ensures Contractors Have Legal Rights
Under the congressionally approved provision, the federal government would not be able to do business with companies with $1 million or more in contracts that deny court hearings for victims of assault, false imprisonment or emotional distress. Victims of assault would be able to sue the employers of the alleged attacker, as well as the attacker. The Defense Department can apply a waiver for national security reasons.
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Interesting news, and I am not too sure how this ‘really’ applies to contractors, both male and female, who are ‘victims of assault, false imprisonment or emotional distress’. I assume this only applies to U.S. citizens, and this law only works if they are seeking legal action against others who U.S. citizens and working as contractors? But yeah, I think it is great that individual contractors have a little more teeth to deal with companies who mistreat us.
The problem here though, is that I am not a legal expert about this stuff, and I do not know how this new legal mechanism will fair in court. Boy, where is the Feral Jundi legal team when you need them? Guns, money, and lawyers is all you need for a party. lol
I think the most important part to look at in this amendment in the defense bill, is that the DoD reserves the right to apply a waiver for national security reasons. That is smart, because I could easily see this law being abused. I want those that have truly been wronged, to get justice. But I also want to emphasize how much more important it is to maintain national security and to not hinder the war effort in any way. We will see how it goes, and hopefully commonsense dictates on how this is used.
Oh, and for the guys that did those things to Jamie Leigh Jones, and to those leaders that allowed it to happen or did nothing about it, may you all rot in hell for your crimes. –Matt
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Amendment ensures contractors have legal rights
Dec. 20, 2009
By MARIA RECIO
McClatchy Newspapers
Four years ago, Jamie Leigh Jones, a 20-year old Texas contract employee working in Iraq, was drugged, stripped, beaten and gang-raped by her co-workers on her fourth day in country. She finally managed to get a phone call out from the shipping container where she was being detained – by her employer, KBR, then a Halliburton company.
That call to her father led to a call to her congressman, Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, and her rescue after Poe had the State Department locate her. But Jones’ attempts at justice – and restitution – were blocked by a little-noticed compulsory arbitration clause in the contracts of private employees working for federal government contractors.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Funny Stuff: Holiday DVD Special!!–‘Let’s Learn Judo’, With Vladimir Putin
Media News: So Why Aren’t Contractors Represented At American Forces Network?
The other day I was thinking, why aren’t contractors represented at American Forces Network? There are thousands of us overseas, and we have been a part of the war effort for years now. So where is the acknowledgement of our existence at AFN?
I say this, because every contractor that has ever been to Iraq or Afghanistan, has been exposed to AFN. We watch all the DoD commercials about safety or suicide prevention or wearing reflector belts on bases, yet there is nothing about contractors. I think the only commercial I have ever seen dealing with contractors, is a hotline that troops can call if they see contractors ripping off the government. I wonder if there are any commercials that give information on how to turn in troops who are ripping off the DoD? Or are contractors the only ones that can do harm?
Furthermore, you watch all these shows like the Pentagon Channel or the Marines or Army Show, and it is great to see news about what they are doing in the war, but what about the thousands of contractors performing important and essential missions as well? How about the guys training Afghan Army or Border Patrol folks? Isn’t that a crucial element to the strategy in Afghanistan, yet the contractor side of this is completely ignored?
How about the munitions clearance programs, or the interpreters, or the dining facility folks? Where’s the Christmas messages from the various company management out there? Or the thanks from Generals or Congressmen for the work we have done? I mean you guys contracted our services, are you not thankful for that service?
I guess my point is, is that we continue to be treated as if we do not exist, or that we really don’t matter in this war. The reality is that we do matter and we do have a great impact on this war. And for the DoD to not at least use AFN to communicate with their contractor force, is just stupid.
They could be developing public service messages that communicate directly to contractors. The DoD can also target contractors with their resiliency messages, to prevent any future Fitzsimmons type incidents. There is so much that needs to be said and communicated to my group, yet there is silence. If in fact the DoD wants to make contracting work in this war, they need to connect with us. To not take advantage of this media tool to create a unity of effort in this war, is yet again, a strategic mistake.
The irony of it all, is that AFN uses civilians and contractors in the production of their shows. But shhhhh, don’t tell anyone. lol –Matt
Film: Avatar is CGI Cool, But PMC’s Are Once Again The Bad Guys
Thanks to Christian Lowe for the review. This movie sounds impressive, but yet again, Holly-weird has decided to portray private industry as the bad guy. Pffft. For that, I will more than likely watch this movie as a rental or at the cheap theater in town when it gets there.
This gets old, and it is a slap in the face of the thousands of contractors currently in the war, who have served in the war at one point or another, and most importantly, have been killed or maimed in this war. Thanks James Cameron for nothing. Next. –Matt
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Avatar Thrills, but Troops Take Hit
Military.com – Christian Lowe
Dec 17, 2009
It’s pretty simple.
Spend a gazillion dollars on computer animators; concoct an entirely new language, throw the whole thing on another planet with ten-foot-tall aliens that ride dragons and plug into their extraterrestrial horses with biological data cables and add some jet-hovering, super-fortress gunships, belt-fed blasters, and latter day V-22s and you’ve got yourself a pretty good action movie formula, right?
Now make it all 3-D.
That’s exactly what writer/director James Cameron (Aliens, Titanic) tried to do with what is reportedly the most expensive film ever produced. His latest movie Avatar — which opens in U.S. theaters today — certainly lives up to its billing as a visceral assault on the senses. Think of the most gut-wrenching roller coaster ride of your life — and stretch it two and a half hours.