Human Trafficking

That stupid, immoral war in Iraq has been so distracting that it took a million people in Los Angeles and other cities to get some front page coverage and actual dialogue on the subject and problem of illegal immigration. I've known there was a problem for a long time. But ever since George scared us into starting that war, I've considered our corrupt and immoral leadership to be our worst problem followed closely by the plight of our soldiers being sent to die (and worse) defending Iraq from Iraqi and the freshly hatched terrorists our policy is spawning.

While in the car this afternoon, I listened to a few callers talking to Ed Shultz on Air America Radio. A woman calling from Texas told a tale that made me very uncomfortable because it seemed to be tainted with statements that could easily be branded as racist. I remember thinking that daytime talk sure gets its share of crazy people.

The caller detailed how immigrants are coming to this country, sometimes legally but often not, and in an organized way reaping the benefits of our economy and sending the profits back to their country of origin. She said there were Mexican, Central and South American illegals as well as Japanese, Korean, Chinese and other nationals living, working and going to schools in her state. She detailed the organized ways they arrive and stay in this country after they get here. She blamed various problems on them and I found it difficult to listen to what I heard. She didn't sound like a fanatic but her words did. I think many other talk show hosts would have cut her off and indeed, Ed sounded like he was only letting her talk out of common courtesy.

And then tonight I watched a program on PBS that validated everything she said and went much, much further. The program Wide Angle presented "Dying to Leave." As the introduction on the website says,

"Human trafficking is on the rise worldwide. Many nations are affected --
serving as source, transit, and/or destination countries where human beings
are procured, transported, and enslaved."

I have no doubts that terrorism is a global concern. There have been bombs going off my entire life. I personally feel that our fear of terrorism is worse than the threat and blame that on our inept president and his administration. But from what I learned tonight, I'm now much more concerned about this terrible assault on the human spirit. If ever there was a need for a global war, a global emergency, it's now and it needs to be waged against those who participate in the trafficking of human beings and the corporatists who allow the trades to thrive while doing nothing. The war should be waged on failed global trade agreements that ravage one country and indulge the next.

Our current administration, shamelessly pro-corporation, must not be aware of this sad state of current human affairs or its own "moral high ground" would absolutely behoove it to create a global coalition to bring down this horrible and tragic trade. I'm ashamed of the leaders of California too, from the governor on down to school district administrators, for letting the problem of illegal immigration lapse into such a massive problem. And the government of Mexico hasn't done anything worth noting that I'm aware of to curb this problem. Somehow Mexico has enabled the US to grow their corn and sell it back to them (Read about the history of corn and see if THAT makes sense!) and allow the export of their people to work in our fields. And now they're constructing a new Pacific port and trucker's highway from it to the US border. This is one example of how Mexico is complicit in the global problem, not the solution, and risking its own economy and the economy and security of this hemisphere.

There will always be people who try to get into other countries illegally. But this terrible cancer eating away at the soul of the human spirit is being fueled by the evils of an out of control globalization of capitalism. Corrupt and ignorant leaders either ignore the issue, fail to understand the scope of the problem or are woefully incapable of dealing with the problem.

I lack the stamina to get into the fight for all the causes I believe in and realize that by writing articles here, I may only be helping myself to focus my own thoughts. But to anyone who may read this, please pay attention to the issues. Watch the PBS program! Read about it on their website. Get just a little bit involved and voice your opinion. I believe that by working together to solve the problem of human trafficking, illegal immigration and the ill-effects of globalization, we would also severely reduce the threat of global terrorism. I'm afraid capitalism and colonialism are to blame for this century's biggest threats so far.

And now I have yet another reason to write to Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer. That's how I've chosen to get involved. One thing I've learned from history is the "power of the pen."
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PLEASE view the following web page to learn more: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/shows/dying/map.html