Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Who would have thought?

Benjamin Skinner

There are more slaves in the world today than at any point in human history, and A Crime So Monstrous is their story, in full color. For four years, I traveled in over a dozen countries, talking to slaves, traffickers and liberators, going undercover when necessary in order to infiltrate slave trading networks.

The book is a record of evil. I witnessed the sale of human beings on four continents, once being offered a suicidal, mentally handicapped young woman as a sex slave in exchange for a used car.

But it is also a story of survival. A young man in Sudan escapes slavery in the Muslim north, finds Christ, and frees his mother and sisters. A Haitian girl is freed when two Americans of sterling conscience discover her domestic bondage in a suburban Miami home.

And it is a living history of quiet heroism. John Miller, a former Republican congressman appointed to be America's antislavery czar, zealously cajoled foreign governments—friends and foes alike—to bear their responsibility and free their slaves. At the same time, he battled State Department elites in an attempt to convince them that abolition mattered. Thanks to his efforts, the Bush Administration can boast of the most aggressive antislavery record since Lincoln.
Human rights, that Western imperialist notion.

16 comments:

Vanny said...

Indeed the Bush Admin can boast of a long record of aggressive abolishment of many "evil" things. Well, I guess all the right words are there: boast, aggressive, evil, Bush. What am puzzled about is how they still manage to all work together to make a pro-US sentence, sheer PR genius. Watch and learn Muslims, watch and learn.

Anonymous said...

It was actually the Iranians that first had human rights, just google Cyrus + Human rights.

Nevermind though, the West still excels at hypocrisy.

Hazar Nesimi said...

And what's so bad about slavery anyway. Traditional societies always had slaves. Hey, beloved Greeks had slaves and Aristotle had no qualms about having any. Slaveboys were the stuff of the poems and tales. Without them the ancient would not have build civilazations they did. It is so not true that ancients could do anything with their slaves. Many slaves occupied high positions in states and sometimes even ruled empires - like Mamelukes of Egypt.

Hazar Nesimi said...

Hello!

Vanny said...

I hope the slave traders haven't got hold of him! Slaves are not allowed to blog, that's a real tragedy!

Anonymous said...

Where's he gone?

Vanny said...

I think we have upset him. Always complaining and blaming the West for all evil - no wonder he got fed up with us. It's your fault wodge, always rubbing in that WMD fiasco. Who knows, he might have got it in his head to go and look for them himself now! Oh no, I hope he hasn't - come back Noola, we miss you.

Anonymous said...

I hope he's not been slave traded, looking for the WMDs or ill.

Come back Noola.

Hazar Nesimi said...

just let us know you are ok

NoolaBeulah said...

My apologies for the prolonged absence. It might not have been so prolonged if these comments had arrived in my Inbox - this conversation has gone on without my being aware of it. Blogger is not passing on messages.

Obviously, if I'd looked I would have noted all these frivolous interventions and probably responded in kind. I haven't looked, and I don't even know why. I've recently started working a 6-day week - 2 jobs, but that's not the reason. I've been reading a lot, mostly history and mostly ancient (only the imperialist powers, mind you; no change there). But nor is that a reason.

I cannot explain myself. I can only apologise for not contributing anything (and I have felt guilty), have kicked myself in the bum (that took some doing) and will try to reform.

Vanny said...

Oh God! He's been at it again, hammering those dodgy history books! Have you found the WMDs by the way? Thank God you're well and back. Your prolonged abscence did start to look a bit dodgy.

Hazar Nesimi said...

Who would have thought that you'd disappear for that long!!!

Vanny said...

I think I've finally managed to put noo and beu together and realised that there probably won't be anything new on NoolaBeulah..


Noola, you better come back before Israel bombs Iran to smithereens. I want a word with you old boy hahaha!

NoolaBeulah said...

Hello, Riri old girl. Have you been good? Or is that why you want to talk - to confess your many sins?

No? I thought not. I wish I had time to sin (except by omission). One has become a drone, my dear, a beast of burden - plod, plod, plod. But do tell me what you are doing - you are so much more interesting than me. And that reprobate, Nazim, what's he up to? He sent me an email, to which I replied, and then...nothing.

So, talk. You I will listen to.

Vanny said...

Oh I've been sining like there was no tomorrow!

"Reprobate Nazim" - haha! He is a degenerate one that one! Latest reports say that he's been looking for a wee wifie in Turkey.

Not doing much, Summer Holiday starts tomorrow. Looking forward to that so I can do even less!

I don't know, I feel the blogging motivation surge within me again, so I thought I'd give you a poke.

NoolaBeulah said...

I'll come and visit you tomorrow. But I have just started doing something that is almost blogging, and I'll tell you about that tomorrow as well. (Been out to play squash and drink excellent beer; consequently feel that the world is a beautiful place that doesn't require any comment tonight. Contentment (in others) is a most unattractive state of being, so I will not inflict it on anyone else.)