Halliburton Rape Cover Up

Halliburton employee Jamie Leigh Jones was apparently gang-raped by company workers, but the State Department and the Justice Department seem to be covering up this, and similar rapes in Iraq. After two years, there has yet to be an investigation. The State Department appears to have a "hands-off" attitude toward contractors in Iraq, some say, preferring to look the other way.
For more information see: ABC News and Contrary View

Video Length 2 min 55 sec

Hotlining

Bet you never heard of hotlining. I hadn’t until I read that hotlining is used to pass legislation in the U.S. Senate without a vote if both the majority and minority leaders agree. “Today, the Senate passes most bills unread and without any deliberation.” While some bills such as naming post offices may not be worthy of debate, other bills involving hundreds of millions of dollars are hotlined. Is our Senate too busy with fundraising to concern itself with legislation? To learn more go to:

TrishandHalli and DownsizeDC

The EB-5 Visa Program

Can you buy entry and gain permanent residency into the U.S.? You sure can. There is a little-known feature in the U.S. immigration law that authorizes it. People and their entire families who will invest in America and create as few as 10 new jobs, can jump to the front of the legal immigration line, gain entry and can stay in the U.S. permanently. It is known as the EB-5 visa plan. The minimum investment must be $500,000, but it seems obvious that the government cannot track this. There are those who worry that would-be terrorists could gain entry under this program. Last year 803 such visas were issued but the government hopes to boost this to 10,000 by 2011. For more see:

EB5-Visas and Wall Street Journal

Deferred Prosecutions

Did you know that the Justice Department has purposely put off prosecuting more than fifty companies suspected of wrongdoing over the last three years using what is called “deferred prosecution agreements.” These agreements impose fines and appoint an outside monitor to enforce internal changes at the company. Terms of the deals are often kept secret. Former Attorney General Ashcroft has been given a multimillion dollar contract to act as monitor. This technique is to eliminate corporate criminal liability. For more information see:

NYTimes and Democracy Now!

Crack Cocaine

Did you know that you can go to prison for up to 30 years on crack cocaine charges even if you have never distributed, sold, touched or used cocaine? Even if you have never been arrested before for anything? Well you can and there are thousands of girlfriends of crack dealers that are presently soaking us millions of taxpayer dollars in prison for no good reason with these long sentences for simply being romantically involved with a dealer. Where is the justice here?
For more information go to:

Democracy Now! and Sentencing