Posted on 10/01/2012 12:47:25 PM PDT by mojito
U.S. President Barack Obama issued a new executive order last week to fight human trafficking, touting his administration's handling of the issue.
"When a little boy is kidnapped, turned into a child soldier, forced to kill or be killed -- that's slavery," Obama said in a speech at the Clinton Global Initiative. "It is barbaric, and it is evil, and it has no place in a civilized world. Now, as a nation, we've long rejected such cruelty."
But for the third year in a row, Obama has waived almost all U.S. sanctions that would punish certain countries that use child soldiers, upsetting many in the human rights community.
Late Friday afternoon, Obama issued a presidential memorandum waiving penalties under the Child Soldiers Protection Act of 2008 for Libya, South Sudan, and Yemen, penalties that Congress put in place to prevent U.S. arms sales to countries determined by the State Department to be the worst abusers of child soldiers in their militaries. The president also partially waived sanctions against the Democratic Republic of the Congo to allow some military training and arms sales to that country.
[....]
Bush signed the child-soldiers law in 2008. It prohibits U.S. military education and training, foreign military financing, and other defense-related assistance to countries that actively recruit troops under the age of 18. Countries are designated as violators if the State Department's annual Trafficking in Persons report identifies them as recruiting child soldiers. The original bill was sponsored by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL).
Obama first waived the sanctions in 2010, the first year they were to go into effect. At that time, the White House failed to inform Congress or the NGO community of its decision in advance, setting off a fierce backlash.
(Excerpt) Read more at thecable.foreignpolicy.com ...
Hmmmm. What could these places have in common?
WWMD?
Wow it is the no-law law. Turban Durbin must be thrilled he did exactly nothing.
If this is true, it’s enormous. It is the clearest proof yet that Obama is actually in league with the Islamists, not merely sympathetic to them.
Will any of the media pick it up, I wonder? Waiving penalties for just these three countries (where the problem is arguably the worst, particularly in the Sudan) should really make people wonder.
I know everybody here LOVES to jump to conclusions, but see, these underage soldiers are actually on what’s called a “jihad” (pronounced GeeeHad!). You see, thats an internal struggle to become more pious.
And if it looks like they are shooting an AK at you, it just shows how stupid we Americans can be. That kid is embroiled in a DEEP existential struggle. If you wait till he shoots dry, and look. You will see the pensive expression, and dare i say a little sadness in his face, if that 30 rounds didn’t take him all the way to enlightenment.
> It prohibits U.S. military education and training, foreign military financing, and other defense-related assistance to countries that actively recruit troops under the age of 18.
And yet, our own military has soldiers, sailors and marines who are 17 years old.
‘_______didn’t take him all the way to enlightenment.’
Eggs - celent explanation.
There’s a hint of Mark Steyn in your writing - - - to me, anyway . . .
Sorry Jack but they volunteer to join the military and they must have parental consent at that age.
I want him gone. It gets harder and harder to post without having to worry about getting banned.
Clinton Global Initiative is BJ's version of the Davos World forum.. I imagine both "forums" are working hard to get an international Disabled Protection Act to correct another horrible abuse:
Danish psychologist Nicolai Sennels:
. . . close to ninety percent [of the suicide bombers were] suffering from severe illness such as blindness, cancer, missing limbs or leprosy. Many Muslim societies . . . have a low social acceptance of handicaps and severe illnesses . . . being physically handicapped or mentally retarded often leads to exclusion . . . and becoming a martyr might be the only chance of achieving social recognition and honour if not just a way to end the pain of being socially isolated (which is especially traumatizing in collectivist cultures like Islam). Al Qaidas use of people with Downs syndrome might be another unpleasant side effect of the many chromosomal illnesses resulting from inbreeding between first cousins. People with low intelligence (because of inbreeding) might also be easier to brainwash with fundamentalist Islam.
Wot? Clinton is not working harder than he ever worked in his life to correct this abuse? Clinton Global Initiative doesn't even mention it? Golly gee. I never expected that.
great point.
...but the MSM ignores ALL the evidence.
and continues to berate anyone who claims Obama isn’t a Christian...
And, this is exactly why the Congress needs to pull the Executive Order privilege from the POTUS. While most presidents have nejoyed this privilege, none have abused it to the extent of zero.
It is one more thing he has fouled for future presidents.
[And yet, our own military has soldiers, sailors and marines who are 17 years old.]
We also have ROTC and military prep schools.
really? you’re really going to equate the us military with these countries who are using 11, 12 and so year old boys as fighters? seriously?
if so I have some red oranges and orange apples to sell you.
Never mind getting banned, I worry about (if I expressed my true feelings about this sociopathic, corrupt, Chicago-thug, Fascist, bottom-feeding, scumbag, Islamic Jihadist-supporter/appeasing, COMMIE) I might be getting a "visit" from one of the Fat, Lezzie's (Big Sis) DHS (or SS) Jack-Booted thugs.
I know all about youthful people in our military. In 1962, I volunteered at the age of 16. with a birth certificate that had a clerical error on it showing the right month and day, but the wrong year of my birth. I also had to get my parents to sign a consent form. I had my 17th birthday aboard a destroyer off the coast of Cuba and a few years later I celebrated my 24th and 25th birthdays on the rivers in Vietnam.
I do not believe that boys less than 16 or 17 should go to war, but I also think it is hypocrital to impose 18 on other countries when we allow 17 in our own military.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.