Irregular Times: News Unfit to Print Logo

It is a time of fear in the face of freedom, a time of barricaded roads and new paths. Maps fade and direction is lost as we glance sideways at the strange lands through which we pass, knowing for certain only that our destination has disappeared. We are unready to meet these times but we proceed nonetheless, adapting as we wander, reshaping the Earth with every tread. Gone are the old times, the standard times, the high times. Welcome to the irregular times.

Accountability for Contractors: The Civilian Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act
posted 5th February 2010 in Legislation, Politics, War and Peace by Jim

Blackwater, the American agency of civilian contractors that has been accused of assembling assassination squads, bribing Iraqi officials into compliance, and engaging in massacres of civilians in more than one time and place, has gotten off scot free by writing its own exonerations but also by exploiting legal loopholes that grant Blackwater employees and other contractors immunity from the law. The lack of accountability when American contractors commit crimes overseas makes diplomatic relations difficult and sends the signal to contractors that they can continue to rampage with impunity. Do you need to hear about an American who got hurt by all this in order to care? Fine: when an American contractor for Halliburton was violently raped by Blackwater contractors and the Blackwater rapists hugged tight to their claims of legal immunity, who would respond then?

The sponsors of the Civilian Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (H.R. 4567 in the House and S. 2979 in the Senate) have responded. If passed, this legislation would bring contractors for companies like Blackwater back under the law.

The following are the House and Senate cosponsors of CEJA:

In the Senate:
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) — principal sponsor
Sen. Edward Kaufman (D-DE)

In the House:
Rep. David Price (D-NC, District 4) — principal sponsor
Rep. Timothy Bishop (D-NY, District 1)
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR, District 3)
Rep. Robert Brady (D-PA, District 1)
Rep. G. K. Butterfield (D-NC, District 1)
Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN, District 5)
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT, District 3)
Rep. Norman Dicks (D-WA, District 6)
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN, District 5)
Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA, District 17)
Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA, District 51)
Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ, District 7)
Rep. John Hall (D-NY, District 19)
Rep. Mazie Hirono (D-HI, District 2)
Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA, District 4)
Rep. Steve Kagen (D-WI, District 8 )
Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH, District 9)
Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI, District 13)
Rep. Larry Kissell (D-NC, District 8 )
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA, District 9)
Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA, District 7)
Rep. James McGovern (D-MA, District 3)
Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-NC, District 7)
Rep. Brad Miller (D-NC, District 13)
Rep. Janice Schakowsky (D-IL, District 9)
Rep. Vic Snyder (D-AR, District 2)
Rep. John Spratt (D-SC, District 5)
Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA, District 13)
Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA, District 6)
Rep. David Wu (D-OR, District 1)

If you don’t find your Senators or Representative on this list, then find their contact information here and let them know that so long as contractors commit violent acts overseas without heed, you’ll be heeding the action or inaction of Congress.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

2 Comments to “Accountability for Contractors: The Civilian Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act”

  1. Bob S-K says:
    2/5/2010 at 2:25 pm

    A bright spot, thanks for sharing. I’m proud of my man David Price.

    Reply
  2. Robert g Zamparelli says:
    2/23/2010 at 9:35 pm

    You can count me in support to decrease the work done by independent contractors in the Iraq and Afgan wars. And do it within this year!

    Reply

what are you thinking?