Halliburton/State Department Rape Stories Get Worse and Worse
By David Swanson
I just interviewed Tracy Barker for an hour.
You can find the clip at http://www.thepeoplespeakradio.net/audio/2008/#february
She is one in a string of sexual assault and harrassment victims who suffered what they did while employed by Halliburton in Iraq.
Her particular story is the worst I've heard and far worse than I had thought before conducting the interview. She was initially harassed sexually in the Green Zone in Baghdad. When she reported on her supervisor to a Halliburton ethics line, they simply told her supervisor.
When she transfered to Basra the environment was intensely worse and the sexual harassment constant. She attempted to report to Halliburton;s human resources office in Kuwait but was caught and brought back.
She was assaulted by a State Department employee who attempted to rape her. She was then denied medical attention and locked up and cut off from outside communication. She was offered sleeping pills to help her anxiety, and then woke up with her supervisor naked on top of her.
No one in any of these cases has been prosecuted criminally. No one has been disciplined by the State Department or Halliburton.
The State Department offered Barker money (our money!) to drop a civil suit, which she refused.
Halliburton has forced a civil suit into arbitration.
A caller to the program asked why Congress doesn't do something. But how can Congress compel the Justice Department to do anything, while impeachment is off the table?
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Thanks David and phone question to anyone.
You are such a great citizen. That was a great interview and I hope you make it accessible for others to send out with links. What a horrible story. How Halliburton gets any money from our gov't (us) anymore has to be stopped.
Wasn't going to call because you've heard enough of me, but when I heard no calls had come in, I decided to at least call to thank Tracy for being so very brave. Phone gave a strange tone every few seconds for close to a minute and then went to busy signal. That happened a few times. Then when calling I got a little upside down triangle on my phone which said "Warning - Service May Not Be Available" That happened a few times. Then "The number you have reached is..(can't remember details)..msg 4switchyadayada...at verizon" Since I was pressing the send button on my phone, which means I was dialing the same correct number each time, anyone have any ideas? Have same experience? Pretty creepy.
thanks
unless there are witnesses to hear the tales, who would believe anything
it must be cruel to hear all of that
hang in there, and take a break to clear your thoughts
Pelosi has to go this year.....
What is the status of Pelosi's re-election campaign? Are we supporting people to kick her a.. out of office. Looks like Pelosi is playing the propaganda game now pretention she is going to fight with a lawsuit against White House chief of staff ""Josh Bolten and former counsel Harriet Miers"" which refused to appear before them. Pelosi , Reid , Schumer , Feinstein , most of the Blue Dog Democrats have supported Bush and the republicans for his whole term and now they play the game that they are against his policies. Where were they when the Supreme court was being stacked with Bush and republican judges , when his spying program was being passed , when the torture was being done , when he was caught lying about the reason he gave to invade Iraq, now that they are giving the same type of BS about Iran and Syria to invade them.
Pelosi must be an idiot about our constitution , or doesn't give a d... or she is married to Bush and the republicans like so many of our democrats are now.
We need a great deal of investigation about the candidates running in the primary election as well as the general election.
Pelosi , Reid , Schumer , Feinstein and a lot of the Blue Dog democrats have to go.
They are key players in helping Bush when the chips are down..
Senator Barbara Mikulski is a great supporter of Bush and his programs under the illution that we need to give up our rights to help "PROTECT US AGAINST THE TERRORIST".
Problem our administration is worst then any terrorist I have seem in their destruction of our country. There is to close of an affair with Bush with Saudi Arabia and Saudi Arabia ties to the terrorist.