Thursday, April 24, 2008

Op-Ed Submission/ Human Trafficking.

This is a piece I just submitted to a couple of newspapers. Hopefully, it makes some people think.

Slavery, as much as we would like to believe, has not ended. There are still 27 million slaves in the world today. How, you might ask? I’ll tell you how. They are in brothels, rock quarries, rug loom sheds, restaurants, sex shops, peep shows, orange farms, wars in the jungles of Africa, and slavery in almost every major city in the United States. We may have thought that the transatlantic slave trade ended in 1865 with the thirteenth amendment to the U.S. Constitution: “Neither slave nor involuntary servitude…shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction;” but unfortunately, there are still millions of women, men and children enslaved around the world.

Human trafficking is a business that generates over $32 billion dollars annually, according to International Labor Office. This is not a small operation, and the United States is not exempt from this epidemic. Over 200,000 human slaves exist in the U.S. today, and 17,500 are trafficked in each year. Also some 30,000 are trafficked through the United States on their way to other international locations. These statistics are staggering, and we as people, as the nation that is built on freedom need to stand up and put an end to it.

As a person of faith I believe we need to stand up for the rights of other human beings, whether they be a sex slave in Nepal or an illegal immigrant that has been trafficked into Florida to pick oranges and undergoes inhuman treatment. I urge all Senators, Congressman, and Presidential candidates, to make human trafficking a part of their platform. I urge a support of HR 3887, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, which will strengthen the current laws to effectively identify and aid victims of trafficking.

We need to stand up together to put an end to Human Trafficking and slavery. You don’t need a faith perspective, to see that slavery is inhuman treatment. We are in a nation that fought hard to attempt to free ourselves, and then fought internally to make sure that when we say ‘freedom’ it meant for EVERY person, regardless of race, class, sex, or sexual orientation. We need to fight again for the freedom of those who cannot free themselves. Defenseless women, children and men who are duped into slavery, kidnapped, and forced through threats to their family. I ask everyone to step out, find out, and make a change. There are many organizations to be involved with or find out more information from. A good place to start is the Not For Sale Campaign: www.notforsalecampaign.org.

As Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Secretary of State said, “Defeating human trafficking is a great moral calling of our time.” Wouldn’t you like to say that everyone was truly free?

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Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Political Mumbo Jumbo.

As I read the BBC for the top news of today, I come across the first expose, and guess who it is about? That's right my good ole friend Hillary. That carpetbagger was up to it again. So apparently today, while in Pennsylvania, since they are having their primary today and all, the honorable idiot decided to make an extreme statement about Iran.

See this link to view the actual debacle: Video from the BBC website.

Does it make sense to say that we will 'obliterate' a country? Does it make sense that after we have been in a war for almost 7 years, that we will once again destroy innocent people's lives to just assert our dominance? And again, what the heck is she going to do about it before she is elected?

So sure, let's go out and antagonize foreign countries before being elected, so that they have plenty of time to prepare or attack us first. Intelligent one Hil. Brilliant I might say. Seems as if Hil is stepping up into the category of good ole DubYa.

Our country and world has been torn apart by war so many times, so how to do we respond to someone maybe building up their weapons, we obliterate them, thus causing an all out war. Great. Let's end blood shed by shedding some blood, very logical. Thanks Hil, maybe one day we can end hunger by taking away all the food.

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Thursday, April 17, 2008

A couple signs that you should walk out of a used car dealer...

1. When you ask for a car under $5000 and they show you a car appraised at $12000.
2. The $12000 car has burn holes on the seats, smells like smoke, and has the trunk broken into.
3. When you tell them this car won't work, the management gives the salesman helping you a hard time and guilt trips him.
4. You are shown another car, which is great, and then get told that it's going to be $8000, after reiterating the $5000 limit.
5. An assistant manager comes over and tells you that he will explain how the loans work, and proceeds to give you a number demonstration even though you tell him you are not an imbecile and were a physics major.
6. The assistant manager goes to see if he can get a better price for you, and leaves calling the salesman a 'fag'.
7. The main manager, comes over as the assistant is on the phone, and asks why you have been here so long, and that this is ridiculous that we have sat there so long.
8. The manager then continues on to give a tirade about how we can't just sit there all day expecting to get a better price.
9. After you interrupt him and explain that you asked for a $5000 car as soon as you walked up, and these have been the cars that were offered, and that he has no right to yell at you.
10. He tells you that you HAVE to drive this other car, and tells the salesman to force us to drive it, and it turns out to be a piece of crap that doesn't turn over until it chokes for four or five times.

This all results in you walking out, telling the main manager that the salesman was a nice guy, and he was a rude piece of shit, that you hope gets fired.

Price paid: two hours of my life that I will never get back.

Yes, it's true this is my real life. I just don't know how I get involved with these idiots all the time.

Note to anyone who lives on Long Island, don't EVER attempt to buy a car from AutoWorld on Sunrise HWY in Patchogue. This is a public service announcement.

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Friday, April 11, 2008

Spring?!

By Spring of course I mean 70 degree weather. Until yesterday, the weather in Philly was a measly 40 degrees, and bam! now it's spring. Of course, just because the flowers sprung up about 2 weeks ago, that didn't mean anything. It's not spring till people can wear short sleeves and shorts. But that's right, it's here, in all its glory. Bees have started swarming faces again, the blood suckers are already out and spreading disease, gnats, hornets, girls with short shorts, and every other summer pest has come out of hiding. It is only a brief amount of time now till there will be almost naked people roaming the streets of Philly. Now, don't get me wrong, I love spring, almost as much as the next person, but it's really the small things I don't like. The flowers are beautiful, the daffodils, Maple blossoms, magnolia trees and the small children allowed to frolic outside without being bundled up are all blessings. I just don't like being afraid of that nasty yellow and black insect stinging me, or getting red itchy bumps from those flying bastards sucking my blood.

But really, it's spring, so be excited right?

One more rant, then I promise I'll be done bashing this beautiful season. Spring makes me think new love, and apparently has affected everyone else this way. Everyone wants to be in love, to have that puppy love, walking down the street together holding hands, kissing at every free moment, making people sick as they walk down the street. Seriously, I threw up in my mouth a little watching all the love in the air. Yeah, I was talking about you, you and that girl who couldn't separate your faces from each other. What are your braces stuck together or something?

Through it all, I still love spring, can't you tell?

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Monday, April 7, 2008

Politics

Well here goes nothing...

Democrats across the United States are split as to who they are supporting. The two candidates sling back and forth all the time, challenge each other, and sometimes get downright nasty. Instead of lifting up that they are both changing history, they fight with each other like squabbling children. (This isn't to say that I don't have my own bias for one over the other.) Since when has political mud-slinging become appropriate? I guess I just don't understand why people would even respond do one anothers child like behavior.

America has taken on attributes of believing that we are a chosen people. That God protects us, and that we are in the land of milk and honey. Are you kidding me? Since when has this land racked with dissension, violence, and self-centered behavior become the perfect ideal golden land? Did we win the golden ticket? If so, when was this contest, because I'm sure there are countries who handle corruption much better then we do. It seems that we have adopted this image, and have since then started naval gazing. We no longer look out broader, helping our fellow human beings, but we decide everyone should be like us, I mean c'mon we are like amazing right? This whole ideal of perfectionism has infected our presidential candidates. They are so focused on making sure they are represented perfectly, that they go and respond to things that are completely fabricated. Who freaking cares if you wore African garb? You were visiting Africa, you should be wearing the traditional garb, you were presented with it! Besides Hillary wears roach clothing everyday, and you don't see her apologizing to the insects for insulting their very existence.

Alright, so by this point you have most likely figured out who I support. Unfortunately myself is not a choice, because I'm like amazing right? Ugh, darn I slipped into my American thinking again. But yes, I support Obama. And I support him for several reasons. He hardly ever starts the mud-slinging. Although I don't really agree with attacking back, but hey, you can only put up with so much roach poop till you call an exterminator.

Obama has stepped up his faith based advocating. Which is beneficial, since McCain can't keep the evangelicals at the moment, and they need to vote for someone. Obama also has history with faith based organizing, he knows what works, he's sat in low wage homes before, he's willing to move out of his comfort zone. Hillary on the other hand, just hangs out with the roaches, doesn't take much effort for her though, I mean her husband is King of the Scuzzy.

It's really too bad that Hillary is so focused on just herself, otherwise, she might have actually benefited NY state, and I may have considered voting for her. My feminist self however, is disgusted by her actions, and therefore will not vote for someone who will use their cheating husband as a way to move up the political pole.

To conclude, I guess people just can't get out of their human sinfulness. Even in this post I mud slung, and I'm not even a political candidate. So let's grasp for the golden ticket, and get the heck out of this war already!

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