White House Says Child Soldiers Are Ok, if They Fight Terrorists

[kpete]

Published on Monday, November 15, 2010 by RaceWire.org
White House Says Child Soldiers Are Ok, if They Fight Terrorists

by Michelle Chen

“You cannot be completely happy with all these wounds—both in your body and in your mind.” —15 year-old child soldier

The phenomenon of child soldiers, like genocide, slavery and torture, seems like one of those crimes that no nation could legitimately defend. Yet the Obama administration just decided to leave countless kids stranded on some of the world’s bloodiest battlegrounds.

The administration stunned human rights groups last month by sidestepping a commitment to help countries curb the military exploitation of children. Josh Rogin at Foreign Policy reported that President Obama issued a presidential memorandum granting waivers from the Child Soldiers Prevention Act to four countries: Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan and Yemen. The memo instructed Secretary of State Hilary Clinton that it is in our “national interest” to continue extending military aid to those countries, despite their failure to comply with the rules Congress passed and George W. Bush signed in 2008.

A thumbs-up for child soldiers from the pen of President Obama? Whitehouse spokesperson P.J. Crowley explained it was a strategic decision to ease the 2008 law. The rationale is that on balance, it’s more effective for the U.S. to keep providing military assistance that will help countries gradually evolve out of the practice of marshaling kids to the battlefield, rather than isolating them.

According to the Christian Science Monitor, Crowley argued, “These countries have put the right policies in place… but are struggling to correctly implement them.” The New York Times reported that administration spokespeople also cited the countries’ crucial role in global counter-terrorism efforts.

more:
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/11/15-5

[Kelvin Mace]

1. This in vile and repugnant

and completely in keeping with this administration's attitudes toward human rights so far.

Why are we giving these people weapons? Because they are fighting for democracy?

Hell, no!

We are giving them weapons so money will continue to flow into the coffers of the arms industry.

And this, my friends' is what makes America great!

:sarcasm:

[asdjrocky]

2. After all, it's not their children, and it never will be.

See people, there are two worlds, the world of the bushs and the obamas and the clintons, and the rest of us.

[lovuian]

3. Obama another disappointment

I'm getting tired sending money to all these evil places

[flyarm]

4. This is sick and makes me sick, but do remember

when the Iraq war began more than 50% of the citizens was under the age of 15..we went to war attacking many children in our shock and awe..

This is sick and not what I have worked and spent my money on to see a democratic president sanction this or sign off on it.

This is a disgrace!

K&R so everyone see's this. Thanks for posting and bringing this to all our attention!

Who will stand up and be the voice for the children?

Well I used to think Democrats, now I know..that is not true.

[DirkGently]

5. Insane if true.

[Solly Mack]

6. K&R

[katandmoon]

7. Bush III Strikes Again

[charlie]

8. Kick, with this 1986 account of children in warfare from, of all people, Robert Cringely

...I eventually finished the piece and decided to go see the war since I had been in Beirut and Angola, but had never seen trench warfare, which is what I was told they had going in Iran. So I took a taxi to the front, introduced myself to the local commander, who had gone, as I recall, to Iowa State, and spent a couple days waiting for the impending human wave attack. That attack was to be conducted primarily with 11-and 12-year-old boys as troops, nearly all of them unarmed. There were several thousand kids and their job was to rise out of the trench, praising Allah, run across No Man's Land, be killed by the Iraqi machine gunners, then go directly to Paradise, do not pass GO, do not collect 200 dinars. And that's exactly what happened in a battle lasting less than 10 minutes. None of the kids fired a shot or made it all the way to the other side. And when I asked the purpose of this exercise, I was told it was to demoralize the cowardly Iraqi soldiers.

It was the most horrific event I have ever seen, and I once covered a cholera epidemic in Bangladesh that killed 40,000 people.

Waiting those two nights for the attack was surreal. Some kids acted as though nothing was wrong while others cried and puked. But when the time came to praise Allah and enter Paradise, not a single boy tried to stay behind...

http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/2004/pulpit_20041104_000831.html

[Catherina]

9. Done. Goodbye. I will never have anything to do with him again. Finished. n/t

[asdjrocky]

10. Kick because it's important to know the kind of person our President is. nt

[The Northerner]

11. I hope this isn't accurate

[Poll_Blind]

12. Here it is on the official White House website. It is, astoundingly, REAL.

Presidential Memorandum--Child Soldiers Prevention Act

I have the link because I actually had to see it for myself to believe it.

PB

[Poll_Blind]

13. How is this supposed to help fight terrorism when conscripting child soldiers IS terrorism?!

PB

[Poll_Blind]

14. K&R! n/t

PB

[Scurrilous]

15. Kick

:kick: