Home Current News News Archive Shop/Advertise Ridecamp Classified Events Learn/AERC
Endurance.Net Home Ridecamp Archives
ridecamp@endurance.net
[Archives Index]   [Date Index]   [Thread Index]   [Author Index]   [Subject Index]

Re: [RC] [RC] Sultan's Slave Trade - Howard Bramhall

I haven't seen the piece Melissa is speaking of but, consider this. I'm not sure if we know who exactly is running this supposed sex slave trade that she's speaking of. IF we did, I do believe arrests would be made. At least I'd like to believe this.

On the other hand, the camel jockey slave traders in UAE are known. We know who they are. Sheihk Mohammed who sponsors quite a few of our International endurance rides along with the other Sheihks in the UAE are DIRECTLY responsible for this camel jockey slavery of young boys in their country. They own the camels, they send out the men to kidnap these boys, they pay the trainers who beat the boys and who sleep with these boys and make sure the boys are fed only crackers and water to keep their weight down.

It's comparisons like Mellissa's that say, "Well, bad stuff is happening over in the Sudan and bad stuff is happening in our own country so we might as well turn a blind eye to it all."

Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit. Look, we need to take a stand here. I plan on taking a very serious one and I know there's a touch of irony since few consider me to be a serious man. But this is plain hypocrisy on anyone's part to take their money one day and the next go to church and pray for wolrd peace, thinking we are living moral and dignified lives, when we know this kind of crap is going on but we do NOTHING about it.

Every aspect of International Endurance Riding is touched by the Sheihks. This is where we can make a difference. We cut that cord. WE no longer do business with them and we make it very public.

Yes, this will take courage and it won't surprise me if those in charge fail to show any when it comes to money, greed and the bottom line. But, watch that show, tonite, 8 pm, HBO REal Sports with Byrant Gumble, and then tell me this is not the road to take here.

You, also, might want to contact your Congressman on this subject. When you see the part of the show there the fellow from the State Department talks about it, well, it made me ill. Like Maryanne has said, we've known about this for quite sometime. I didn't know but I know now. IF we do nothing about these atrocious crimes against humanity, and, we not only know who the perpretators are, but, we actually do business with them, what does that say about us?

I used to believe take their money and run. But, I feel that way no longer. We're talking about dealing with those whom we should not even be in contact with and should be taking legal action against them for crimes against humanity. Serious crimes. We can survive just fine without their money. By continuing to take this money we turn a blind eye to a practice that is so repugnant most of ya'll can't even talk about it.

cya,
Howard

----Original Message Follows----
From: Lynne Glazer <anyone@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Melissa Alexander" <mcalex@xxxxxxxxxx>
CC: <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [RC]   Sultan's Slave Trade
Date: Fri, 22 Oct 2004 12:59:31 -0700

Illegally, IOW, without the complicity of the authorities. Not comparable, IMO.

This thread isn't necessarily "dead". I've had trouble coming up with a reasonable comeback to what Marianne said. Because we personally didn't know about the slave trade, that means because we've supported the US gov't, from what she's said, it sounds like I'm complicit. And that because we don't understand the desperate situations in much of the world, we should support slavery as a reasonable alternative to overpopulation, world hunger--or that it is acceptable in certain cultures. No. Sorry. This is directly connected to the sport I love, because the people who allegedly are responsible for this slavery are hosting our world championships and sponsoring events here. And the reason it's reached the radar now perhaps is because it's all in the name of SPORT. Not wartime atrocities. Peacetime atrocities. Now that I know, I can't keep silent--at the same time, now that my fellow sportmen know where I stand, I'll shut up here.

Consider indentured servitude--and how it's different from slavery. Someone agreed, somewhere to a term of service in exchange for something. And the service includes a reasonable standard of living. Millions of us have done that by serving in the US forces, for instance. You aren't "chattel".

I'm donating some prizes to the raffle for our local US team member's fund raiser tomorrow night, and am deciding whether to attend. I've supported her efforts thus far, contributing saddle fitting, etc., but boy, I wish we had the huevos to investigate these allegations and make the right moral choice as a National Team. We've done it before, at the Olympic level. Why is this any different?

Lynne



On Oct 22, 2004, at 12:38 PM, Melissa Alexander wrote:

I know this thread has died, but there was just a story on our news in
Seattle about a human trafficking in the US. (This was motivated by a
conference/seminar on the subject given here recently, not by the TV show
we've been discussing.)

They said in this story that they estimate between 14,000 and 17,000 people
are brought illegally into the US each year as sex slaves.

We don't need to look far for human atrocities.

Melissa


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

Ride Long and Ride Safe!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

_________________________________________________________________
On the road to retirement? Check out MSN Life Events for advice on how to get there! http://lifeevents.msn.com/category.aspx?cid=Retirement



=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=


Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

Ride Long and Ride Safe!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=