The Slavery That Continues

The last bottle of celebratory cheer has been popped; the final slice of American pie eaten; the spectacular blaze of fireworks faded to ash. The weekend after America's 236th anniversary of independence from England's tyranny comes to a close.

And as the good people of America are full of holiday eats and patriotic pride, tucking away their Americana decorations till the next holiday, I suggest our thoughts should turn not to the next summer bonanza, but the freedom we enjoy that others still do not have.

And some of them, a shocking number actually, are Americans who were kidnapped in other countries, many to never return home or see their families again. Others are foreigners tricked or stolen and shipped to other parts of the world, some even into the States to work primarily as sex slaves.

I'm not referring to something that happened long ago. This is something that is happening now, all around the world. Sex slavery is a multimillion dollar industry.

Unless there is awareness drawn to problems, the problems continue to go unchecked. And this is a huge problem.

Slavery of ANY kind is morally and ethically wrong. You do not need a religion or theological view to know that all humans deserve kind, just treatment and that The Golden Rule of "treat others as you want to be treated" supersedes all ethnic, cultural, gender or age lines.

We are all part of the same human family. A person’s value can not, should not be monetized and exploited.



The only way we can with a clear conscious enjoy our holiday of freedom and independence is if we are actively working to make sure that everyone has those same rights and luxuries.

To be who we want to be. To live where we want to live. To have command of our lives and our bodies. And to enjoy life’s pleasures and struggles as we see fit with the people who care about us.

Now that would be something worth celebrating.