A few blocks from the White House, what the State Department defines as a modern form of slavery is taking place every night in the form of sex trafficking. A CNN series — called The Freedom Project – recently highlighted the trafficking network, a multi-million dollar business thriving on women and children, most of whom are immigrants.
“If President Obama had walked out his front door at two or three in the morning, he would go two blocks away, and he would see traffickers forcing girls and women out into the streets, every night, right here in the United States,” said Tina Frundt, a former sex slave who founded Courtney’s House, a non-profit organization that helps girls who have been victims of human or sex trafficking.
And while the United States leads the way on genuinely working to eliminate these kinds of networks, many other countries stand silent or complicit. Many corrupt governments that retain good standing in the United Nations do little to combat human trafficking, a violation of natural rights against humanity. Part of the failure to curb the trafficking problem is a failure to understand the difference between human rights and natural rights, which are endowed by God.
As part of The Heritage Foundation’s Understanding America series, Kim R. Holmes, Vice President Foreign and Defense Policy Studies, explains in “How Should Americans Think About Human Rights?”:
This principle of “inherent” or inalienable rights outside of and despite government imbues our Declaration of Independence and invigorates our Constitution. Since our founding, these important documents provided the basis for our social order and American jurisprudence. They have guided our struggles to overcome slavery and discrimination by race, religion, sex, or birth. And they have guided our engagement abroad.
Yet this principle of inalienable natural rights—fundamental rights that government neither creates nor can take away—isn’t the same as the thoroughly modern idea of “human rights.”
Although both are universal, natural rights most emphatically do not come from government. Government only secures these rights, that is, creates the political conditions that allow one to exercise them. Human rights, as popularly understood, are bestowed by the state or governing body.
As Alexander Hamilton said in 1775, “The sacred rights of mankind…are written…in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinity itself; and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power.”
Such is the basic explanation of the natural rights so many government entities fail to emphasize in their attempts to protect citizens from inhumane acts.
Recently, the United Nations created the Trafficking Victims Protection Act to track and prevent human and sex trafficking worldwide. However, a UN initiative rarely translates into action or accountability, as demonstrated by China’s membership on the hapless Human Rights Council (HRC). Recently, China wouldn’t even allow human rights activist and intellectual Liu Xiaobo out of prison to accept his Nobel Peace Prize, and the UN stood silent.
In fact, in March 2011, the HRC released its Universal Periodic Review on Libya, and made 66 recommendations for the Qadhafi regime to improve its record. In contrast, the council offered the United States 228 recommendations. So in their eyes, the US has further to go on human rights than Libya.
As Heritage expert Brett Schaefer explains:
[T]he Council has proven to be a weak body easily manipulated by repressive regimes to provide a patina of international legitimacy on their abuses. The Bush administration was right to shun the Council and the Obama administration has made precious little progress in improving the HRC since overturning that decision and joining its ranks.
Human trafficking and other crimes against humanity flourish because groups like the HRC refuse to acknowledge the difference between human rights and natural rights — attempting to rely on government to grant what no man has the power to give.
The UN is rife with countries touting the rights they claim to uphold but a closer look reveals that they barely meet the basic standards for protecting fundamental liberties. The world body masquerades as a positive entity defending the rights to life and liberty but endless examples prove they are spin doctors for corruption.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton responded yesterday to the 2011 Trafficking Report, which ranked 184 countries, including the United States:
…We have to really mix the commitments with actions in order to get results. For example, the number of prosecutions worldwide has remained relatively static. And so the measure of success can no longer be whether a country has passed laws, because so many have in the last decade; now we have to make sure that laws are implemented and that countries are using the tools that have been created for that.
Actions speak louder than words, as Clinton acknowledges, and it’s time for the UN to recognize its true obligation to protecting the natural rights of every human being.
Quick Hits:
- After debt ceiling talks with President Obama yesterday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) continued to oppose the president’s efforts to raise taxes on Americans.
- The White House is ramping up to push the DREAM Act again, which provides amnesty to illegal immigrants. After failing twice on Capitol Hill, President Obama already began implementing parts of it by executive fiat.
- As Pentagon Chief Robert Gates leaves his post this week after four decades of service, the Washington Post documents his tenure.
- A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander claimed that his country has the ability to build longer range missiles than what they already have.
- Congressional leaders looking for an excuse for lousy unemployment numbers are pushing a Chinese currency manipulation bill.
Excellent article. How do most of these girls get here? Through our porous and unenforced borders – and we have not been enforcing them for over 23 years. We molest our own citizens before they can board an airplane (because our own citizens are the problem, right?), yet criminals, terrorists and these U.N. scumbags abound. And, of course, it is all because of big, bad Obama the teleprompter reader. Not the 528 useless, lying rats in the Capitol.
The UN is a bad joke. New York should close it down and turn the site into a commercial parking garage. At least then the city and the US would turn a profit on the space
MOVE THE UN, It is time to move the UN to Dubi, Take a vote from the American People and see what they want done with this C—.
This is an awesome article.
"Many corrupt governments that retain good standing in the United Nations do little to combat human trafficking, a violation of natural rights against humanity. Part of the failure to curb the trafficking problem is a failure to understand the difference between human rights and natural rights, which are endowed by God."
While "natural rights, which are endowed by God" are recognized in these United States, they are not recognized, nor adhered to, by governments that "march to the beat of a different drummer".
Curt Krehbiel
Nothing to add. Best article I've read in a long time.
The United Nations is not an organization that is good for America. The United Nations is anti America.When are we going to learn?
with the warrants for libya's leadership issued for defending themselves from themselves..what power this to give an unaccountable agency…if libya…who next….the U.N. has a perfect record on human rights…perfectly selective and perfectly withouit justice…the people who post an opposing view might in the future be targeted as enemies of the super-national state being formed… as we read our credit reports and see world wide labor being de-valued…the laboerer is worthy of his hire…or is he….how many moved from the land now and what rights these if we are shorn of our produce with no recourse by the U.N and its spawn…
Please note what Bill Clinton did whem the U.N. pulled out of Rawanda and 800,000 people were killed within a 90 day period. He specifically told the other countries to not call it genocide or we would have to send troops in to stop it. So, who's really cares if we don't care. No other nation on this earth. Paul M. Yandura
The UN will not and cannot protect rights, period. Too many of the nations have no concept of Rights Endowed by a Creator and too many people in too many nations have no reason to protect others. Women are second class, female children are third class.
Either the US pushes its concept of Inalienable Rights or it doesn't. The current administration won't.
I think it's past time either to remake the U.N. and rid it of the corruption, anti-American sentiment and look the other way mentality or simply defund it. I mean we have dictators who promote anti-human rights telling us that we are wrong and the corruption within the U.N. is so deep it would make a Mexican taxi driver look like a saint. These U.N. Delegates pass these initiatives but look the other way until sometihing really tragic happens and then they do little too late, the current problems in the middle east or Rwanda are prime examples.
Need to make human sex trafficking a sex crime.
Instead of trying to get the corrupt UN to do what is proper, we should just abandon the albatross and get it out of our country.
Seems promotion of deviancy is more important to this State Department than stopping it; witness the pride with which US diplomats "seal the deal" for Lady Gaga to perform at a Gay Pride event in Rome:
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/hillary-us-am…
Since before biblical times there have been homo-sapians willing to deprive others of their free will of choice, forcing them into a life of servitude. We should continue to battle against it, yet not loose sight of the fact that this battle is a redundant one, for on the dark side of human nature each battle won, is the conception of another one to be fought. With respects to spin doctors of corruption, what other names besides Hillary come’s to mind?
Just had the best idea about what to do with the UN. Sell it to Donald Trump. He would turn it into million dollar condos. Call it the Trump Card.
Very well said, if only the news media would support this and condem lady gaga.
"And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep forever."
Thomas Jefferson – Notes on the State of Virginia, Query 18, 1781.
I agree 100% with Bill re the conduct of this country under the Obama admin. The UN does not have effective or virtuous leadership. It is an abject failure and the NGOs use the matra of the UN to push their own ideologies on other countries in the 3rd world. America is no longer the shining city on the hill, an example of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. It now suscribes to the same follies that other miscreants push in the world. A person's choice to take an unborn's life or a choice of behavior does not constitute a human right.
"Many corrupt governments that retain good standing in the United Nations do little to combat human trafficking, a violation of natural rights against humanity. Part of the failure to curb the trafficking problem is a failure to understand the difference between human rights and natural rights which are endowed by God."
While "natural rights, which are endowed by God" are recognized in these United States, they are not recognized, nor adhered to, by governments that "march to the beat of a different drummer".
Curt Krehbiel
Thanks for the article about this issue and the United Nations. This is evidence that the United States should get out of the United Nations and have them move the site to another place. It is a cost we should no longer tolerate but demand change or get out. Sadly there are so many people who do not see any thing wrong with what is reported–not only in our country but world wide.
Agreed. The UN is a giant money pit that is useless. Perhaps someone way smarter than I will tell us the benefits of membership. I can't think of one.
Can Congress or Senate overide/invalidate a presidential exec order; ie, dream act?
Yes we CAN!
I don't think so and in fact there is a Senate Bill that will streamline presidentinal "appointments" so that the Senate will not be voting to approve or disapprove these former "recommendations" (perhaps like the two unqualified (IMHO) new Justices of the Supreme Court. Regan instituted an EXEC. ORDER wherein the President can close ALL Nation Lands when he wants. I remember it because it really ticked me off !!! Nowhwere to Run to, Nowhere to hide sort of deal.
While it is absolutely certain that the UN is a worthless organization, it is equally true that "human sex trafficking" is merely the latest made-up crisis. The fact is, what we are talking about is prostitution, and there is NO evidence that does not come from 1) feminist organizations, all of which lie all the time, or 2) so-called humanitarian organizations, who have a financial interest in perpetrating the myth of "human sex trafficking", that such a social malady exists on a wide scale.
This has long ago been disproven: http://www.villagevoice.com/sex-trafficking/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/arti…
The UN has never lived up to its mandate and should be defunded and kicked out of the United States.
Gracie,
Not to mention mutilating of young boys, which is in accordance with the Bible and the Torah. There's plenty of human rights violations to go around, and we're not exempt.
The Obamas are like Marie Antoinette and the Romanovs. Out of touch with reality.
Ponder this a moment. Do you think the founders term “inalienable rights” and their reverance for God’s Word had in mind homosexual marriage in their efforts to found this one nation under God??? My hat is off to the 29 New York State Representatives or Senators who voted NO to this perversion of “freedom”!! Shame on the 33 who voted YES!!
Seems it may be time to withdraw from the U. N. and withdraw financial support. The U.N. should base itself in Haiti to boot. All this "league of nations" does is meddle with U.S. sovereignty to the delight of the elitist anti-Constitutionalist regime and it's Soros type backers. I do not want to fundamentally destroy our Constitutional Republic any more than America ought to endorse Sharia Law!!!
Please remember that approximately 300,000 AMERICAN children are at risk for commercial sex trafficking right here in the US. Not that we shouldn't care or do something about trafficking worldwide, but we need to clean up our own shameful mess within our own borders.
The U.N. should be exiled to Geneva, and allowed to die a natural death like the League of Nations. Not another dime of U.S. taxpayer money, real or borrowed.