Human Trafficking Slavery supported by U.S. Tax dollars??

It's amazing! Here is a recent U.S. Congressional hearing where an American reveals that slavery is alive and well -- and supported by U.S. funds to build the Baghdad Embassy. What is amazing? Amazing that I discover this on YouTube -- not ABC, CBS, NY Times, or other "Main Scream Media."

Inform yourself. Become aware. Don't be ignorant... simply, don't ignore issues which you may be able to affect. As in the 1840's, citizens today must be vigilant... unlike in Germany in the 1930's... we must not ignore... no, we must demand -- both, of our government and of those with whom our government contracts with our money -- that Human Rights be honored and respected...



UPDATE:
I initially caught this video on YouTube as I stated above. Having left my TV tuned to C-Span after Saturday morning's Washington Journal, I had the (mis)fortune of getting to see a re-peat of the above-noted testimony... within full context of the Congressional hearing. What is more amazing to me, now, is the way that a couple of the Congressmen (Republican Partisans, I am conflicted to say) on the Committee responded to these "whistle-blowers."

One of these jerks, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-California, 49th District, San Diego, Oceanside, Vista) was Orwellian in his examination of these witnesses! I haven't looked, yet, but I venture a guess that Halliburton has a great influence in his district¹. I know that I intend to point out this monstrous behaviour to all my friends, family and associates in Southern California. It's important that each of us keep our eyes on our congressional representatives and senators.

I'm gonna return to the Boob Tube... this one isn't over yet... but I wanted to make notes while they are fresh.

The Committee which conducted the hearings is the Committee on House Oversight and Government Reform. The interested person may review all the content of the hearings at the C-SPAN website and additional information which has been made publicly available by the Committee.

In researching some of the names and companies mentioned during these hearings (which were originally held this past Thursday), I found an article about First Kuwaiti Construction at a website called CorpWatch which was published (on the web) in 2006. First Kuwaiti Construction is the company which has been contracted by the U.S. State Department to perform the work for the U.S. It is this company which, allegedly, participated in human trafficking of workers from India and The Philippines.

After speaking with a good friend of mine about this issue, she pointed out that, even here in the U.S., such tales of human-trafficking slavery occasionally make the light of day in the "Main-Scream Media." And, yes, I realize that this is true; but, make no mistake... the euphemism "Human-Trafficking" does not make me feel any less concerned. It is slavery, pure and simple, when one's liberties -- indeed, one's rights! -- to travel are restricted. Where's the "trafficking" when one's movements are at one's employer's whims? Pardon me for being forward, but this is slavery. Perhaps, the 19th-Century slavery precluded the victims from ever returning to the land of their birth... perhaps that slavery even encouraged breeding for the sake of "cost-free" slaves... and perhaps 21st-Century slavery is not that overbearing. These differences (whether minor or otherwise) do not permit us to adorn the action with such "comfortable" phrases as "human-trafficking."

Bottom line? If it smells like slavery; if it looks like slavery -- then, by the civility of modern humanism, it is slavery.

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FOOTNOTES

¹Wrong. According to TruthOut.org, Halliburton has relocated its HQ to Dubai, in the UAE; which has no extradition treaty with the U.S. This, apparently, as a result for the multiple lawsuits exposing Halliburton to Federal investigations due to Hurricane Katrina contracts and non-bid contracts in Iraq.