MuskogeePhoenix.com, Muskogee, OK

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November 1, 2009

THE PEOPLE SPEAK: Coburn obscures point on purpose

I assume that saying "canceling existing contracts (would) comprise our missions in Iraq and Afghanistan" was an inadvertent error, that Sen. Coburn likely meant to say "compromise" the missions. But to dismiss Kim Clagg's protest by saying Al Franken's bill had "nothing to do with this woman's case (the Halliburton employee raped by other employees and denied legal recourse) and everything to do with helping trial lawyers" is intentional obfuscation of her point.

Lawyers, whom most of us need in order to get a fair shake in all the legal gobbledygook in our justice system, are indeed deprived of employment when an employee cannot sue other employees for wrongdoing, but it also means Halliburton can continue its course of "do as I please" without fear of consequence, since it is still receiving US contracts.

Would it not be preferable to deny companies such power even at the cost of employing a couple of "trial lawyers," and send the message that we believe in justice?

Defeating Franken's bill perhaps prevented additional trial lawyer employment, but it also continued Halliburton tyranny. This is the alternative Coburn prefers? May some of us remember this as long as your next election day.

Bob Hooper

Fort Gibson

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