Sen. Nelson pushes for more oversight of military contractors

[maddezmom]

Source: TambaBay.com


TAMPA -- Disappointed by the lack of prosecutions in more than two-dozen alleged rapes of female contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan, Sen. Bill Nelson said today he is seeking to pass tougher rules that will better protect overseas private personnel.

Nelson said he hopes to pass the new rules by the end of the year. They would require contractors to report offenses and provide protection for victims and witnesses reporting criminal behavior.

"The least we can do is to try and protect these women," Nelson said from the steps of the U.S. Federal Courthouse in Tampa.

Standing next to him was John Spiegel, a Miami attorney who is representing a Tampa woman who says she was raped in December 2005 in Camp Ar-Ramadi in Iraq. The woman, a former employee of the Houston-based KBR who worked as a "morale coordinator", didn't attend the news conference and wishes to remain anonymous. Spiegel said he hasn't been given access to key material in her case, including forensic evidence collected by a doctor who the woman saw within 24 hours of her attack.



Read more: http://blogs.tampabay.com/breakingnews/2008/04/sen-nelson-push.html

[niyad]

1. I want to know why these contractors haven't been under oversight before now

[thunder rising]

2. Nelson sniffs the wind and decides to tack left.