President Obama Issues Human Rights Proclamation

National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, 2012

By the President of the United States of America

Nearly a century and a half ago, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation -- a document that reaffirmed the noble goals of equality and freedom for all that lie at the heart of what it means to live in America. 

In the years since, we have tirelessly pursued the realization and protection of these essential principles.  Yet, despite our successes, thousands of individuals living in the United States and still more abroad suffer in silence under the intolerable yoke of modern slavery. 

During National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, we stand with all those who are held in compelled service; we recognize the people, organizations, and government entities that are working to combat human trafficking; and we recommit to bringing an end to this inexcusable human rights abuse. 

Human trafficking endangers the lives of millions of people around the world, and it is a crime that knows no borders. Trafficking networks operate both domestically and trans-nationally, and although abuses disproportionally affect women and girls, the victims of this ongoing global tragedy are men, women, and children of all ages.  

Around the world, we are monitoring the progress of governments in combating trafficking while supporting programs aimed at its eradication. From forced labor and debt bondage to forced commercial sexual exploitation and involuntary domestic servitude, human trafficking leaves no country untouched.  

With this knowledge, we rededicate ourselves to forging robust international partnerships that strengthen global anti-trafficking efforts, and to confronting traffickers here at home.

My Administration continues to implement our comprehensive strategy to combat human trafficking in America.  By coordinating our response across Federal agencies, we are working to protect victims of human trafficking with effective services and support, prosecute traffickers through consistent enforcement, and prevent human rights abuses by furthering public awareness and addressing the root causes of modern slavery.  

The steadfast defense of human rights is an essential part of our national identity, and as long as individuals suffer the violence of slavery and human trafficking, we must continue the fight. With the start of each year, we commemorate the anniversaries of the Emancipation Proclamation, which became effective on January 1, 1863, and the 13th Amendment to abolish slavery, which was signed by President Abraham Lincoln andsubmitted to the States for ratification on February 1, 1865.  These documents stand as testaments to the gains we have made in pursuit of freedom and justice for all, and they remind us of the work that remains to be done.  

This month, I urge all Americans to educate themselves about all forms of modern slavery and the signs and consequences of human trafficking. Together, and in cooperation with our partners around the world, we can work to end this terrible injustice and protect the rights to life and liberty entrusted to us by our forebears and owed to our children.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 2012 as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, culminating in the annual celebration of National Freedom Day on February 1. I call upon the people of the United States to recognize the vital role we can play in ending modern slavery and to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities. 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.

BARACK OBAMA

FBI Launches First Mobile App: Child ID

The FBI has designed an app to help parents contact authorities if their child goes missing.

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Congress Must Investigate Dating Sites

Global Scam Could Be Funding Terrorists or Sex-Slave Trade!

Members of the House of Representatives and the Senate have held numerous hearings over the years to discuss what poses the greatest threat to national security. Officials from both the Central Intelligence Agency (C.I.A.) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I.) have testified that nuclear, chemical and biological weapons should be given top priority when assessing the threat. However, The G-Man believes there is one more "weapon" that the C.I.A., F.B.I., Congress and the Senate need to include as a topic of discussion during these hearings because they may pose a serious threat to national and global security: Internet dating sites!

I came to this conclusion after investigating an email I received from a dating site called "2Busy2Date.com." As hard as this may be for some of you to believe, I became a member for the sole purpose of gathering information for another article I was working on involving people in their 50's and 60's re-entering the dating scene. Most of the other sites I looked at charged a fee. This one was absolutely free, so I said what the hell. At any rate, the email was from a 25-year old black woman named "Cindy", who listed herself as a resident of New York City. Having just turned 46, I informed her that I was old enough to be her father and could only offer her friendship. She included her email address, cindy4one007@yahoo.com, and requested that I contact her to chat. I sent an email through her Yahoo address to say hello. The following is the actual letter I received 24 hours later.

"Good day to you, and how are you doing at the moment? I hope that you are fine indeed. As far me, I am cool and came over here from Kampala, Uganda, except for the mess which ups and downs of the earth has put me into. I have just read your email back, and I like your person in general. I would like to be with you in the nearest future, if God permits. Like I told you earlier, my name is Miss Cindy Mbaye from Kenya, in East Africa. I am currently residing here in refugee camp in Kampala as a result of the death of my parents. My late father, Dr. Colonel Patrick Mbaye, during my family's good-old days, was a well-known coffee farmer and vibrant politician before the rebels attacked our house one morning and killed my mother and father. It is only me that is alive now, and I manage to make my way to the nearby country, Uganda, where I am living now as a refugee through the help of the United Nations. My dear, if it will please your majesty, I would like to know more about you, such as your likes and dislikes and what your are doing presently. I will tell you more about myself in the next email. I am sending you here as an attachment with this email, my picture for you to see and know better, though I am not that photogenic. I hope you wouldn't mind? Hope to hear from you soon. Have a nice day! Yours in mind, Cindy."

Now, as you folks know, The G-Man is nobody's fool. This letter completely reeked of bullshit, and my initial reaction was to simply hit the delete button. Something told me not to, and I decided to follow up. I punched the father's name into the Google search box just to see what would come up. It came as no surprise to find several websites listing the alleged doctor's name and warnings of a major scam. What did come as a total surprise was what I found on one website, which was extremely disturbing, to say the least. This particular website not only warned of the scam, it posted the photos other women, with many different names, that were apparently from all over the world! Excerpts from emails sent by these "women", in English, African and Russian, just to name a few, were also posted. Many of the sites also displayed comments from men who were actually corresponding with the women for extended periods, and they noted the communication ended after they refused to send the women money to come to the United States to visit, live with or marry them. In an example of one of the more elaborate scams that was perpetrated, a bogus copy of the allegedly murdered father's/mother's death certificate was sent to unsuspecting victims to gain sympathy and trust.

An alleged copy of the slain parent's death certificate that was sent to unsuspecting victims.

It didn't take me long to realize that for every guy smart enough to steer clear of this setup, there is probably another who fell prey and relinquished his life savings in pursuit of what he believed to be true love or someone that really cared. If you don't think someone is capable of being that dumb, naive or gullible, don't forget that a large percentage of Americans voted to give George W. Bush a second term. There are millions of desperate and lovelorn people out there, especially men, and I'm willing to bet they'll never come forward and admit to being scammed because of anger and embarrassment. Globally speaking, there is no way of knowing just how many have been scammed or how much money has been or is being taken in on a daily basis. This is scary, but here's an even more frightening scenario. Given that this appears to be happening all over the world, it is more than possible that the money being obtained could be used to fund terrorists groups, human trafficking, the sex-slave trade or nuclear arsenals!

Human trafficking is a consideration because of the women being showcased in these photos. Who are they? Are they among the millions of women reported missing from all over the world? Are they being held against their will by the people or organization behind the scam and forced to take the photos? If they are common citizens, do they know their photos are circulating on the Internet and being used for criminal purposes? This is a serious global problem, but in order to reassure and protect Americans, the national media and federal authorities need to launch an official investigation. In addition, The Congress and Senate need to conduct hearings with top-level executives from the leading Internet dating websites in the country to find out what safeguards are in place to protect their customers and how these criminals might be stopped.

Some person or organization has set this up too intricately for me to believe it's just a small, backroom operation run by three guys in dark glasses and leather jackets. Someone has managed to infiltrate security systems of popular dating websites and create profiles with the intention of stealing private information, finances and identities. If they bypassed the security safeguards of the site I was registered with, it's pretty likely that eHarmony, Match.com and others are just as vulnerable and will be targeted at some point. For all we know, they already have and just aren't saying anything about it.

Note: The photos displayed in this article were all obtained during email correspondence with the alleged love interests. The mysterious woman known as "Cindy" is pictured in the first photo. The true identity of these women, how the photos were obtained and whether or not they know their photos have been posted on the Internet is a complete mystery.