Children

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LET THEM SPEAK

“It’s been almost a year since I traveled to Pakistan to investigate, film, and interview drone victims and their families. While there, I met Rafiq ur Rehman and his two children, who shared with me the story of how Rafiq’s 67 year-old mother, the children’s grandmother, was killed by a drone strike. Not only did Rafiq lose his mother that day, but his daughter Nebila, 9, and son Zubiar, 13, were also injured.”
See on www.warcosts.com

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Choosing not to protect child farmworkers

 

“Children are particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of pesticide exposure as their bodies are still developing, and they consume more water and food and breathe more air, pound for pound, than adults. Long-term effects of pesticide exposure include cancer, neurological problems and reproductive health issues.

 

Most children working on farms in North Carolina are poor and Latino. While their parents are frequently undocumented migrants, most of the children are U.S. citizens. Farmworker parents rely on their children’s minimum wage earnings to help supplement meager family incomes, averaging less than $20,000 annually nationwide.

 

Under a double standard in federal labor law, children can work in agriculture at far younger ages, for far longer hours and in far more hazardous conditions than other working children. Federal law has no minimum age for children to work on small farms with their parents’ permission. At age 12, children can work for hire on a farm of any size.

 

…”

 

Community Village‘s insight:

 

Racist U.S. laws allow certain groups of children (mostly Latino) to work in these dangerous conditions.

 

@getgln

See on www.newsobserver.com

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The 16th Street Baptist Church bombing

On Sunday September 15th 1963 the Ku Klux Klan bombed the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, killing four girls: Addie Mae Collins, age 14 (1949-1963) Cynthia Wesley, age 14 (1949-1…

 

Community Village‘s insight:

 

There is an excellent Spike Lee documentary called “4 Little Girls” filled with many heart wrenching scenes and interviews of the parents, family and friends.

 

One of the most heart-rending and poignant scenes is when the father of one of the murdered girls shows the cinematographer an absolutely perfect photo he took of his beautiful happy daughter hugging a white doll as close as she can to her head as her and the doll pose for the camera.

 

The beautiful innocence of childhood contrasted alongside the hate and violence of racist adults is emotionally overwhelming. Viewing a happy photo from a grieving parent made me sad and sick to my stomach at the absurdity of the hate and violence in this world.

 

It’s not enough to say that one man or four men were sociopathic killers. The whole U.S. culture allows those sick and twisted people to be members of our society virtually unchecked.

 

@getgln

See on abagond.wordpress.com

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Spike Lee w/ Bobby Rivers: “4 Little Girls”

“On WNYW’s morning news show, Bobby Rivers interviewed filmmaker Spike Lee for the release of his first documentary, “4 Little Girls.” Lee’s 1997 feature covers a racial hate crime in September 1963 that made international headlines.

 

Four children were killed in an Alabama church bombing two weeks after Dr. Martin Luther King’s historic March on Washington.”

 

Community Village‘s insight:

 

I just saw this superbly made documentary on HBO Go.

HBO Go is available through Apple TV if you have an HBO subscription.

It will be availalbe through HBO Go through 9-30-2013

 

It’s also available through NetFlix.

 

It may also be at your library on DVD.

 

@getgln

See on www.youtube.com

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US says no charges for border agent who shot Mexican teen

“PHOENIX – U.S. authorities will not bring charges against a Border Patrol agent in Arizona who shot dead a rock-throwing Mexican teenager two years ago because the fatal injury did not occur in the United States, the Justice Department said on Friday.”

 

Community Village‘s insight:

 

horrific and racist

See on Reuters

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“Yeah, I shot that kid” – An 8 Year Old ‘Trayvon Martin’ Was Just Shot

“CBS News 11 in Dallas, Texas is reporting that an 8 year old African American boy was shot in the face while playing a game of ‘tag.'”

 

Community Village‘s insight:

 

horrific

 

I was trying to find the name of the European-American who shot the African-American teen through the truck because his music was too loud; before I could find that I found that last month a 33-year-old Merritt Landry (European-American) shot a 14-year old unarmed Marshall Coulter (African-American) in the head. http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/07/29/homeowner-charged-with-attempted-murder-in-new-orleans-after-shooting-teen-he-says-he-thought-was-breaking-into-his-home/

 

I follow @gundeaths on Twitter and most of the shootings don’t make the main stream news.

See on politicalblindspot.com