| i was going to post a lengthy diatribe about president bush's first veto (does he get a cake for that?), but i'm leavin' it to something more immediate:who else is affected by the israel/hezbollah/lebanon/ad infinitum clash? according to sepia mutiny, over 86,000 sri lankans, who already work in low-wage maid and service positions, are stranded in lebanon. citing the middle east research and information project, it reported that the sri lankan women (whom i'm considering victims of human trafficking,) are already "...struggling to repay large loans taken out for migration expenses...it is estimated that 20 percent of the 80,000 sri lankan migrant workers living in lebanon experience some form of maltreatment, ranging from non-payment of wages to verbal, physical and sexual abuse." this is not just "another" conflict in the middle east. with an ever globalized world, this is a problem that will only increase in severity if we continue to engage and dialogue at a lackluster pace. yes, i'm talking about these war(s), but also their collateral problems - displacement, trafficking, famine and so on. thoughts?*billy bragg, days like these, reaching to the converted |
