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March 02, 2007
the war abroad impacts employees here
Evidence of the war’s reverberation into the world of employment extends beyond two well-publicized whistleblower cases (the employee lost one and won the other) and a freedom of speech case (applied the general rule: the right to express one’s views does not extend into official capacity during work time).
Perhaps most compelling are the cases involving US citizens sent to Iraq by their private employers. The Associated Press has estimated that during their stint in Iraq some 800 of these non-military folks have been killed, and over 3,000 have been wounded – statistics that it claims are not reported by the government reports of U.S. casualties.
Curiously, a federal court has denied jurisdiction over one set of wrongful death claims filed by civilian workers, despite the likely involvement of federal laws and issues. My prediction – rulings of the courts will be inconsistent with each other, and the generally more generous state courts will better compensate those who are able to recover for their injury.
Contact me if you’d like further detail on any of the above. And if you’d like something done about the war, exercise one or more of your constitutional rights.
