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17 Jun 09 - 07:16 PM (#2658966) Subject: BS: Something I can agree with Hillary on. From: beardedbruce Partnering Against Trafficking By Hillary Rodham Clinton Wednesday, June 17, 2009 Twenty-year-old Oxana Rantchev left her home in Russia in 2001 for what she believed was a job as a translator in Cyprus. A few days later, she was found dead after attempting to escape the traffickers who tried to force her into prostitution. Oxana's story is the story of modern slavery. Around the world, millions of people are living in bondage. They labor in fields and factories under threat of violence if they try to escape. They work in homes for families that keep them virtually imprisoned. They are forced to work as prostitutes or to beg in the streets. Women, men and children of all ages are often held far from home with no money, no connections and no way to ask for help. They discover too late that they've entered a trap of forced labor, sexual exploitation and brutal violence. The United Nations estimates that at least 12 million people worldwide are victims of trafficking. Because they often live and work out of sight, that number is almost certainly too low. More than half of all victims of forced labor are women and girls, compelled into servitude as domestics or sweatshop workers or, like Oxana, forced into prostitution. They face not only the loss of their freedom but also sexual assaults and physical abuses. To some, human trafficking may seem like a problem limited to other parts of the world. In fact, it occurs in every country, including the United States, and we have a responsibility to fight it just as others do. The destructive effects of trafficking have an impact on all of us. Trafficking weakens legitimate economies, breaks up families, fuels violence, threatens public health and safety, and shreds the social fabric that is necessary for progress. It undermines our long-term efforts to promote peace and prosperity worldwide. And it is an affront to our values and our commitment to human rights. The Obama administration views the fight against human trafficking, at home and abroad, as an important priority on our foreign policy agenda. The United States funds 140 anti-trafficking programs in nearly 70 countries, as well as 42 domestic task forces that bring state and local authorities together with nongovernmental organizations to combat trafficking. But there is so much more to do. The problem is particularly urgent now, as local economies around the world reel from the global financial crisis. People are increasingly desperate for the chance to support their families, making them more susceptible to the tricks of ruthless criminals. Economic pressure means more incentive for unscrupulous bosses to squeeze everything they can from vulnerable workers and fewer resources for the organizations and governments trying to stop them. The State Department's annual Trafficking in Persons Report, released this week, documents the scope of this challenge in every country. The report underscores the need to address the root causes of human trafficking -- including poverty, lax law enforcement and the exploitation of women -- and their devastating effects on its victims and their families. Since 2000, more than half of all countries have enacted laws prohibiting all forms of human trafficking. New partnerships between law enforcement and nongovernmental organizations, including women's shelters and immigrants' rights groups, have led to thousands of prosecutions, as well as assistance for many victims. The 2009 report highlights progress that several countries have made to intensify the fight against human trafficking. In Cyprus, where Oxana Rantchev was trafficked and killed, the government has taken new steps to protect victims. Another example is Costa Rica, long a hub for commercial sex trafficking. This year, it passed an anti-trafficking law; trained nearly 1,000 police, immigration agents and health workers to respond to trafficking; launched a national awareness campaign; and improved efforts to identify and care for victims. This progress is encouraging. Much of it is the result of the hard work of local activists such as Mariliana Morales Berrios, who founded the Rahab Foundation in Costa Rica in 1997 and has helped thousands of trafficking survivors rebuild their lives. Advocates such as Mariliana help spur change from the bottom up that encourages governments to make needed reforms from the top down. We must build on this work. When I began advocating against trafficking in the 1990s, I saw firsthand what happens to its victims. In Thailand, I held 12-year-olds who had been trafficked and were dying of AIDS. In Eastern Europe, I shared the tears of women who wondered whether they'd ever see their relatives again. The challenge of trafficking demands a comprehensive approach that both brings down criminals and cares for victims. To our strategy of prosecution, protection and prevention, it's time to add a fourth P: partnerships. The criminal networks that enslave millions of people cross borders and span continents. Our response must do the same. The United States is committed to building partnerships with governments and organizations around the world, to finding new and more effective ways to take on the scourge of human trafficking. We want to support our partners in their efforts and find ways to improve our own. Human trafficking flourishes in the shadows and demands attention, commitment and passion from all of us. We are determined to build on our past success and advance progress in the weeks, months and years ahead. Together, we must hold a light to every corner of the globe and help build a world in which no one is enslaved. |
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30 Jun 09 - 06:50 AM (#2667861) Subject: RE: BS: Something I can agree with Hillary on. From: GUEST,beardedbruce OK, the world is back to normal... Honduras Defends Its Democracy Fidel Castro and Hillary Clinton object.By MARY ANASTASIA O'GRADY Hugo Chávez's coalition-building efforts suffered a setback yesterday when the Honduran military sent its president packing for abusing the nation's constitution. It seems that President Mel Zelaya miscalculated when he tried to emulate the success of his good friend Hugo in reshaping the Honduran Constitution to his liking. But Honduras is not out of the Venezuelan woods yet. Yesterday the Central American country was being pressured to restore the authoritarian Mr. Zelaya by the likes of Fidel Castro, Daniel Ortega, Hillary Clinton and, of course, Hugo himself. The Organization of American States, having ignored Mr. Zelaya's abuses, also wants him back in power. It will be a miracle if Honduran patriots can hold their ground. That Mr. Zelaya acted as if he were above the law, there is no doubt. While Honduran law allows for a constitutional rewrite, the power to open that door does not lie with the president. A constituent assembly can only be called through a national referendum approved by its Congress. But Mr. Zelaya declared the vote on his own and had Mr. Chávez ship him the necessary ballots from Venezuela. The Supreme Court ruled his referendum unconstitutional, and it instructed the military not to carry out the logistics of the vote as it normally would do. The top military commander, Gen. Romeo Vásquez Velásquez, told the president that he would have to comply. Mr. Zelaya promptly fired him. The Supreme Court ordered him reinstated. Mr. Zelaya refused. Calculating that some critical mass of Hondurans would take his side, the president decided he would run the referendum himself. So on Thursday he led a mob that broke into the military installation where the ballots from Venezuela were being stored and then had his supporters distribute them in defiance of the Supreme Court's order. The attorney general had already made clear that the referendum was illegal, and he further announced that he would prosecute anyone involved in carrying it out. Yesterday, Mr. Zelaya was arrested by the military and is now in exile in Costa Rica. It remains to be seen what Mr. Zelaya's next move will be. It's not surprising that chavistas throughout the region are claiming that he was victim of a military coup. They want to hide the fact that the military was acting on a court order to defend the rule of law and the constitution, and that the Congress asserted itself for that purpose, too. Mrs. Clinton has piled on as well. Yesterday she accused Honduras of violating "the precepts of the Interamerican Democratic Charter" and said it "should be condemned by all." Fidel Castro did just that. Mr. Chávez pledged to overthrow the new government. Honduras is fighting back by strictly following the constitution. The Honduran Congress met in emergency session yesterday and designated its president as the interim executive as stipulated in Honduran law. It also said that presidential elections set for November will go forward. The Supreme Court later said that the military acted on its orders. It also said that when Mr. Zelaya realized that he was going to be prosecuted for his illegal behavior, he agreed to an offer to resign in exchange for safe passage out of the country. Mr. Zelaya denies it. Many Hondurans are going to be celebrating Mr. Zelaya's foreign excursion. Street protests against his heavy-handed tactics had already begun last week. On Friday a large number of military reservists took their turn. "We won't go backwards," one sign said. "We want to live in peace, freedom and development." Besides opposition from the Congress, the Supreme Court, the electoral tribunal and the attorney general, the president had also become persona non grata with the Catholic Church and numerous evangelical church leaders. On Thursday evening his own party in Congress sponsored a resolution to investigate whether he is mentally unfit to remain in office. For Hondurans who still remember military dictatorship, Mr. Zelaya also has another strike against him: He keeps rotten company. Earlier this month he hosted an OAS general assembly and led the effort, along side OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza, to bring Cuba back into the supposedly democratic organization. The OAS response is no surprise. Former Argentine Ambassador to the U.N. Emilio Cárdenas told me on Saturday that he was concerned that "the OAS under Insulza has not taken seriously the so-called 'democratic charter.' It seems to believe that only military 'coups' can challenge democracy. The truth is that democracy can be challenged from within, as the experiences of Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and now Honduras, prove." A less-kind interpretation of Mr. Insulza's judgment is that he doesn't mind the Chávez-style coup. The struggle against chavismo has never been about left-right politics. It is about defending the independence of institutions that keep presidents from becoming dictators. This crisis clearly delineates the problem. In failing to come to the aid of checks and balances, Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Insulza expose their true colors. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124623220955866301.html |
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30 Jun 09 - 08:43 AM (#2667943) Subject: RE: BS: Something I can agree with Hillary on. From: Richard Bridge Whil it is unsurprising to see juicy brucie defending a military coup the facts here (if establishable) may be interesting. |
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30 Jun 09 - 08:51 AM (#2667952) Subject: RE: BS: Something I can agree with Hillary on. From: Rapparee I'm pretty much in favor of hanging (by the neck) those who engage in human trafficking. Or better, let's call it by its real name: slavery. |
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30 Jun 09 - 09:57 AM (#2667993) Subject: RE: BS: Something I can agree with Hillary on. From: Greg F. O'Grady joined the Wall Street Journal in 1995 and became a senior editorial page writer in 1999. Previously she was an options strategist for Advest, Thomson McKinnon Securities then Merrill Lynch, where she worked for 10 years. She has a bachelor's degree in English from Assumption College and an M.B.A. in financial management from Pace University. MORE |
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30 Jun 09 - 10:37 AM (#2668010) Subject: RE: BS: Something I can agree with Hillary on. From: beardedbruce Greg F. Great discussion of the facts presented. Care to give us equivilent information on you so we know whether to bother reading your posts? Or maybe you can discuss the facts instead of the person presenting them. "That Mr. Zelaya acted as if he were above the law, there is no doubt. While Honduran law allows for a constitutional rewrite, the power to open that door does not lie with the president. A constituent assembly can only be called through a national referendum approved by its Congress. But Mr. Zelaya declared the vote on his own and had Mr. Chávez ship him the necessary ballots from Venezuela. The Supreme Court ruled his referendum unconstitutional, and it instructed the military not to carry out the logistics of the vote as it normally would do. The top military commander, Gen. Romeo Vásquez Velásquez, told the president that he would have to comply. Mr. Zelaya promptly fired him. The Supreme Court ordered him reinstated. Mr. Zelaya refused. Calculating that some critical mass of Hondurans would take his side, the president decided he would run the referendum himself. So on Thursday he led a mob that broke into the military installation where the ballots from Venezuela were being stored and then had his supporters distribute them in defiance of the Supreme Court's order. The attorney general had already made clear that the referendum was illegal, and he further announced that he would prosecute anyone involved in carrying it out. Yesterday, Mr. Zelaya was arrested by the military and is now in exile in Costa Rica." Is there some statement here that you dispute???? |
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30 Jun 09 - 10:42 AM (#2668014) Subject: RE: BS: Something I can agree with Hillary on. From: beardedbruce from the clicky I posted with the article: "About Mary Anastasia O'GradyMary Anastasia O'Grady is a member of The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board and editor of the "Americas," a weekly column that appears every Monday in the Journal and deals with politics, economics and business in Latin America and Canada. Ms. O'Grady joined the paper in August 1995 and became a senior editorial page writer in December 1999. She became a member of the Editorial Board in 2005. She previously worked as an options strategist, first for Advest Inc. and then for Thomson McKinnon Securities in 1983. She moved to Merrill Lynch & Co. in 1984 as an options strategist and was also a product manager and a sales manager for Merrill Lynch Canada and Merrill Lynch International during her 10 years with the company. In 1997 Ms. O'Grady won the Inter American Press Association's Daily Gleaner Award for editorial commentary, and in 1999 she received an honorable mention in IAPA's opinion award category. In 2005 she won the Bastiat Prize for journalism, which honors writers who promote the institutions of a free society. Ms. O'Grady, who was born in Bryn Mawr, Pa., received a bachelor's degree in English from Assumption College and an M.B.A. in financial management from Pace University." |
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30 Jun 09 - 11:30 AM (#2668032) Subject: RE: BS: Something I can agree with Hillary on. From: Little Hawk Interesting situation in Honduras, BB. I find it intriguing that Hillary Clinton, the OAS, AND Mr Castro, and the European countries, and Mr Ortega and Mr Chavez are all opposed to the ouster of Zelaya. (!) What an unusual consensus! ;-) It sure makes me wonder what the hell is going on in Honduras and who stands to gain from Zelaya staying in power. I will watch the story further with great interest...I have no opinion about it one way or another myself as yet. As for the human trafficing, that is just disgusting. Something drastic has to be done to stop it, and I mean on a worldwide basis. I have to say that this is one case where I would show absolutely no mercy to the perpetrators if I caught them. (There was a rather over-the-top but nevertheless quite good movie made recently with Liam Neeson playing an American agent whose daughter gets kidnapped by a trafficing outfit of Albanians based in Paris. Being Liam Neeson, he finds them and kills them all of course. In real life it ain't quite that simple.) |
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30 Jun 09 - 11:35 AM (#2668035) Subject: RE: BS: Something I can agree with Hillary on. From: Richard Bridge I think the suggestion, BB, is that the court moves were a fig-leaf for a conspiracy including the judges, which Zelaya saw coming and tried to pre-empt. |
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01 Jul 09 - 02:58 AM (#2668639) Subject: RE: BS: Something I can agree with Hillary on. From: Little Hawk It's an odd situation. The entire world outside Honduras seems to oppose the ouster of Zelaya...while the Honduran population appears to be more or less evenly split on the issue, if I can go by what's being reported. I think there must be a good deal more to this one than is immediately apparent. |
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01 Jul 09 - 04:31 AM (#2668674) Subject: RE: BS: Something I can agree with Hillary on. From: Richard Bridge That's "entire world apart from bearded Bruce", I take it |
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01 Jul 09 - 05:25 AM (#2668710) Subject: RE: BS: Something I can agree with Hillary on. From: GUEST,beardedbruce Richard Bridge, You seem to be missing the fact that I posted an article ( from a major publication) that questions and discusses the situation. ** I ** have not stated any opinion at all- but if you object so much to any viewpoint not in accord with your own, feel free to think what you want- YOU are entitled to an opinion, even if you do not allow others that right. But that does not mean your opinion has any relationship to reality. Have a nice day. |
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01 Jul 09 - 09:04 AM (#2668844) Subject: RE: BS: Something I can agree with Hillary on. From: GUEST,beardedbruce "Very constitutional coup Army, broad political base thwart power grab By Juan Diego Zelaya Originally published 04:45 a.m., June 30, 2009, updated 06:59 a.m., June 30, 2009 During the past 3 1/2 years, my country has lived through a sad satire of governance. Influenced by the No. 1 promoter of 21st-century socialism, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, our ex-president, Manuel Zelaya, took us down the road of social divide, abuse of media publicity, propaganda and the absolute void of checks and balances with one end in mind: to stay in power indefinitely. During his last year, he embarked on a mission to carry out a total reform of our constitution, following the well-tested formula of Mr. Chavez and Equador's President Rafael Correa so he could remain in power "constitutionally." Running a campaign disguised as promoting change for the people and true direct participation of the masses, he started to promote this project with all his executive might. The judicial branch deemed this project illegal, as did our electoral tribunal and the Attorney General's Office. Nonetheless, these institutions started to be portrayed as part of the groups of power that were afraid of change, tyrants opposed to the people of our country, who did not want people to express themselves. Whatever person or institution went against his project was also an enemy of the people. Sound familiar, Mr. Chavez? Last week, Mr. Zelaya issued executive orders to the armed forces to carry out the first phase of the constitutional reform project. The head of the armed forces, knowing that this order was illegal and unconstitutional, said "No." Mr. Zelaya went on national TV and fired Gen. Romeo Vasquez for refusing to carry out the order, but our nation's Supreme Court reinstated him. The firing was a clear signal Mr. Zelaya was putting his personal ambition and interests before any genuine interest to change things and improve the quality of life of Hondurans. He was only thinking of improving his quality of life through illegal means and at the cost of the peace of a whole country. This was the beginning of the end of a crisis in our young democracy. This morning, the armed forces restored peace and democracy to our country, backed by all institutions: legislative branch; judicial branch; political parties, including the former president's own party; business bureaus; and most other groups representing society. Their stance sends a clear message: No one, not even the president, is above the law. We may not be a perfect country with perfect citizens, but we do know what we do not want. We do not want a system in which the only power resides in the hands of the president, who can be re-elected indefinitely and can change the constitution to his own purposes when he so desires. We do not want 21st-century communism. This day, Congress accepted Mr. Zelaya's signed resignation and proceeded to vote him out, later installing a constitutionally legitimate government, whose sole purpose is to guarantee clean and free elections in November. Sadly, we have seen biased reporting on some international networks. What happened today was a country's stand against populist regimes like that of Mr. Chavez, who even threatened to invade Honduras to back Mr. Zelaya's search for continued power. The whole institutional basis of a country stood strong and steadfast against those threats. We have been called all kinds of names and even received threats from a democratic dictator from the south, and we have received no international support until now, but we still stand strong. We know as a people that dividing a country and turning it against itself cannot solve things. This is not about rich versus poor; it's about progress versus poverty. The only way a country can progress is if it stands united. As I drove to my grandmother's house with my sister and her boyfriend, I felt the tension in the streets had diminished and one could breathe an air of peace and tranquillity that was not there before. People are at peace because they know where we are going and we know that although we have problems - poverty, crime, unemployment and many others - we also have freedom and democracy. That is still ours. A new day is born. Even if the world and networks frown at us, we smile. " |
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01 Jul 09 - 10:19 AM (#2668907) Subject: RE: BS: Something I can agree with Hillary on. From: Richard Bridge Oh, pardon, entire world apart from Bearded Bruce and Juan Diego Zelaya. I admire the "duckspeak" (from Orwell's "1984") use of "populist" as a term of abuse. |
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01 Jul 09 - 11:13 AM (#2668937) Subject: RE: BS: Something I can agree with Hillary on. From: beardedbruce Richard Bridge, You missed the meaning- YOU keep telling what MY opinion is, and you have no idea. I have not stated it. If you can state my opinion for me, I guess I can state yours. So, you are a member or sympathiser with the BNP. |
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01 Jul 09 - 12:22 PM (#2668995) Subject: RE: BS: Something I can agree with Hillary on. From: Amos The argument that the removal of the President was not a military coup but a constitutional mandate which devolved on the military because of legal shenanigans by the Executive I find persuasive if it is true. Apparently a number of people find it unconvincing as stated. THe UN and Hillary among them. The matter should be resolved by a brief inspection of the Honduran constitution and the legitimacy (or lack thereof) of the orders which mobilized the military forces against the executive branch, putatively in the interests of preserving, not overthrowing, the Honduran constitution. I don't have enough data to make that judgement, but apprently this is not an obstacle to some folks. I see no reason to accept the media-fueld picture of "another hotheaded military overthrow of legitimate power", especially when some of the Hoindurans are asserting it was done within the law. On the other hand I don't have enough data to believe the other side fully either. A |
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01 Jul 09 - 12:52 PM (#2669022) Subject: RE: BS: Something I can agree with Hillary on. From: beardedbruce BTW, MY opinion is more along the lines of Amos's statement of 12:22- but even presenting data gets one attacked here. I don't have Amos' faith in Hillary, though...But if I said I was using my faith in Cheney to determine something, he would understand how I feel about that. |
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01 Jul 09 - 01:14 PM (#2669045) Subject: RE: BS: Something I can agree with Hillary on. From: Little Hawk I think Amos has stated it quite well. |
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02 Jul 09 - 10:40 AM (#2669735) Subject: RE: BS: Something I can agree with Hillary on. From: Little Hawk I've been reading various stuff about Honduras. About the only thing that stands out which seems to give some indication of what's going on is this: Zelaya's support (which is considerable) seems to come from the poor people. His opposition (which is also considerable) seems to come from the more wealthy people. I would deduce from this that Zelaya is a progressive who is bringing in social legislation which benefits the poor people. If so, I would favor him over the people who have ousted him, given a choice between the two. I prefer those who assist the poor to those who are cronies of the elite in an impoverished society. I doubt that he's perfect. ;-) Politicians very seldom are. I doubt that the people who kicked him out are perfect either. If the poor of Honduras prefer Zelaya, then he has my endorsement. |
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02 Jul 09 - 10:54 AM (#2669751) Subject: RE: BS: Something I can agree with Hillary on. From: Little Hawk Not that my endorsement is going to make a rat's ass of difference! ;-) But he does have it. |
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02 Jul 09 - 02:12 PM (#2669954) Subject: RE: BS: Something I can agree with Hillary on. From: Richard Bridge Hmm, now what's missing from this thread? |
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02 Jul 09 - 02:48 PM (#2669991) Subject: RE: BS: Something I can agree with Hillary on. From: Joe Offer Richard Bridge and Beardedbruce, please settle down. Your personal invectives and name-calling add nothing to the discussion. I had to delete a number of messages from the both of you. -Joe Offer- |