I'm thankful for the history lesson this string has generated. However, slavery in modern times was also mentioned, by Brian Siano, I believe.
By some estimates, there are more slaves alive in the world today than there have been at any point before in history. Many of them are used in difficult &/or dangerous mining or harvesting operations. There is also the sex slave trade, of which many, if not most, could be classified as children (since 21-year-olds have more rights). This trade exploded with the fall of the Berlin Wall, with poor and desperate people trying to get out of Eastern Europe and into the "golden West". Sex slavery in the West is different than in the East; virginity is not the commodity in Senator's sex toys in North America that it is in Bangkok. By the time some CEO has paid $35,000 for a slave, she has been systematically drugged, underfed, beaten and raped repeatedly, until all she (or he) has the energy to do is obey orders. It's scarcely surprising that such a slave's working life is only two years (and they're unlikely to live much longer), and there are tens of thousands of more slaves being taken every year. It is my belief that this practice will only fade slowly, as simulacra and virtual reality slowly reduce the demand, and as politics reduce the supply. As it is now, there are too many people in power who benefit fom it, both here in the US and in Mexico, as well as the Eastern European cartels that supply the slaves. So if you wanna stand up on your soapbox and work for justice, I would start there. Jed McKee. PS Much of my specific info on this is from a January 25, 2004 New York Times Sunday Magazine article, and and interview on WHYY radio Fresh Aire program on Monday of that week. (My specific dates may be a little off, but they're close to that.) --- John Desmond <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Salutations, gentlefolk, > > Mr. Siano mentioned sanctions against 'collaborators > with the British during the > Revolution'. The turth, however, is even stranger. > > Many Tories - King George III's partisans - had > their property (including a good > chunk of downtown Philly) confiscated during the > revolution, and sold to finance > the Continental war effort. In the Treaty of Paris > (the US copy is in the > American Philosophical Society library on 5th St) we > promised to compensate > them. Congress, however, never appropriated the > money for this. > > Foward two hundred years or so, and in the > Helms-somebody Act we insist that the > Cubans must pay up for what they nationalized in > '61. Of course the United > Empire Loyalists (think Daughters of the American > Revolution, turned inside out) > have been keeping close track of the amounts due > their ancestors, plus interest. > > Will a future Film Festival see a remake of > "Passport to Pimlico" set in our > neighborhood - but this time a documentary ? > > Yours, John Desmond > > ---- > You are receiving this because you are subscribed to > the > list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive > information, see > <http://www.purple.com/list.html>. > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Personals - Better first dates. More second dates. http://personals.yahoo.com ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>.
