Two Points to Ponder

Information Clearing House has a translated copy of the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's letter to President Bush that I recommend everyone should read. If you're against the military striking Iran this letter will help you see that you're reasons are justified. If you're for the military striking Iran for __________ (fill in the blank), this letter is definitely required reading so that you may better understand your declared enemy.

If you know others and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles.

~Sun Tzu, The Art of War (6th century BC)

After reading his letter, I wanted to do a write-up about all the points Mahmoud Ahmadinejad makes; but I discovered an article written by Justin Raimondo that does a much better job than I could hope for. To be sure, Justin's crystal ball is much clearer on this topic than mine. His article, Letter From Tehran, can be read here at Antiwar.com. (On a side note: They're having a pledge drive, so dig deep to help support them and their fine work.)

 

Turning the page, we read that the saviors sent to aid the poor folks of Monrovia, Liberia have started a new UN-styled aid program: a Sex-for-Food Program. I'm being a bit tongue-in-cheek about this, but the events surrounding this are by no means a laughing matter. Anyone who's found to be connected with the abuse of innocent and helpless people ought to be charged to the fullest extent of the law. What a horrible thing to do to an already decimated people. From this Reuters article:

UN peacekeepers, aid workers and teachers are having sex with Liberian girls as young as 8 in return for money, food or favors, threatening efforts to rebuild a nation wrecked by war, a report said on Monday.

 

Save the Children UK said an alarming number of girls were being sexually exploited by men in authority in refugee camps and in the wider community, sometimes for as little as a bottle of beer, a ride in an aid vehicle or watching a film.

 

"This cannot continue," Save the Children UK Chief Executive Jasmine Whitbread said. "Men who use positions of power to take advantage of vulnerable children must be reported and fired."

I think that being fired from their positions should be just the starting point. Criminal charges should then be brought. Let these poor Liberian people know justice. These miscreants must understand that even in a country where lawlessness seems to be the norm, they still must treat their fellow man with dignity and respect. There is simply no excuse for abusing the power entrusted in them to provide aid. Demanding sexual favors from those they've been charged to help is simply disgusting!