10 May 8 - 14, 2008 • Valley Journal

OPINION
Ashamed to say it, but slavery does still exist
It’s so easy to forget or to be completely
unaware of everything going on outside my
tiny little sphere of life.
Preoccupied with gas prices, shopping
lists, birthdays, soy lattes and all the other
trappings of what the majority of us con-
sider everyday life; immediacy, familiarity
and routine is generally in sharpest focus,
with the horizon of the rest of the world
mostly a distant blur. This life is generally
just too big for my little mind to wrap it-
self around most of the time. It’s a bit like
trying to think of how many grains of sand
there are on all the beaches in the world, or
stars in the sky — it just makes my head
hurt trying to quantify everything. So
when I step outside myself to try and ab-
sorb a bit more, the task can be a bit
daunting.
I recently learned that there are more
slaves on the planet today than at any other
time in human history. This is so impossibly
monstrous, I cannot even absorb it. That this
vileness still exists; what it would be like to
live as someone enslaved.
The fact that we are developing vaccines
to be delivered via nanotechnology and hu-
man beings are using one another as slaves
this very second is simply too much for me
to compute. How exactly does one “own”
another? Of course, we have all met those
special people who seem to think that
everyone owes them some-
thing, or that they are enti-
tled to something that
everyone else isn’t; but to
make that leap into actual-
ly believing in owning an-
other being — that is
something new altogether
for the psyche.
I’m well aware of peo-
ple actively trying to screw
poor people out of the little money they
have, trying to get something for nothing.
Earlier this year Elizabeth Hurley and her
husband, both multimillionaires, were
caught paying their full time, live-in maid
about $200 a week. Yes Virginia, there are
plenty of greedy bastards out there. I know
a few myself.
I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised as
greed and evil and hate seem to be so om-
nipresent (as is kindness and virtue and
hope, of course) as to be almost numbing.
Things have to be especially horrific to
make the major newswires, it seems. I just
simply was not aware that with $50 and a
five-hour plane ride to Haiti I would be
practically guaranteed to have a slave. Or,
that sex slaves are being sold at Gatwick
Airport in London, as was announced by
Scotland Yard yesterday. An investigative
journalist named Benjamin Skinner had this
to say about the modern-
A Side of
day slave trade: “The thing
Blather
that struck me more than
anything afterwards was
how incredibly banal the
transaction was. It was as if
By I was negotiating on the
Christopher street for a used stereo.”
Mullally
Apparently in London one
can get a slave for about
7,000 pounds.
I get so caught up in all the frivolities of
my life that that fact these things are hap-
pening nearly in front of all of us, and I
wouldn’t notice a thing. Even if I did, I
lead a fairly insular existence from that
sort of life, so it’s fairly unlikely I would
even realize this if it were looking me in
the eye.
Now, I’m not naive enough to think that
corporations have anyone’s interest other
than their own in mind, and that they will
happily put a price tag on human life. The
Ford Pinto was sold for years while that au-
tomaker knew that hundreds of people
could and would die because of a design
flaw. The cost benefit calculations of this
little disaster pinned a human life at a nice
round $200,000.
I was naive enough to think that slavery
did still exist, but likely in small pockets, far
far away. I’m ashamed and horrified at how
I just simply was not
aware that with $50 and
a five-hour plane ride to
Haiti I would be
practically guaranteed
to have a slave.
stunningly out of touch with reality I seem
to be.
It is our education and awareness that this
atrocity is still a vivid reality for many peo-
ple that will shine a light on the horrors of
human trafficking and slavery.
I would invite you to take a look at
www.humantrafficking.org to educate your-
self and help bring a permanent end and
turn the page on this awful stain on human
history. If there is only one thing that I am
not ignorant of, it is simply that there is al-
ways hope, there are always good and kind
people among us, and their light will not be
extinguished.
(Christopher Mullally of Carbondale is a
columnist for The Valley Journal and the
Glenwood Post Independent, and welcomes
comments at: christophermullally@gmail.
com)

LETTERS
Arbor Day thanks Great principal Cliff, and all of our deserving
leaders in their tireless quest to ed-
Public Works: Smiley Wise, Tony
Coia, Jack Bowman, Larry Cheney,
Thanks,
Dear Editor:
Many thanks to the people
choice ucate the children of the valley. Brian Brown, Steven Frick, and bodyworkers
Sincerely, Carlos Loya-Rico; Finance Depart-
who came out to make our 14th Dear Editor: Dear Editor:
Denise Moss ment: Santana Schumer and Sandy
annual Arbor Day celebration Thanks to the selection com- Carbondale Thanks to all the massage thera-
Joyner; Colorado Resource Man-
such a success. We planted four mittee who chose Cliff Colia to pists, yoga/pilates instructors and
agement: George MacDonald, Dan
beautiful Schubert Canada Red be the new principal at RFHS, trainers who came in for body-
Schwartz, Don Boynton, and Gus
Cherry trees in front of the new and to the new school board who Garden of thanks Bellm. workers week at Sopris Chiroprac-
recreation center. They look let the decision stand. Five years Dear Editor: Thanks again, tic. It was great seeing so many fa-
great and make a huge differ- ago, 200 people let their voices On behalf of the Carbondale Lark Anderson miliar faces and meeting so many
ence in the feel of the whole be heard at a school board meet- Community Garden, I would Community Development Dept. new ones.
block. ing when the former president like to thank John and Teresa The residents and visitors of our
Kudos and thanks also to Grana and former superintendent were Nieslanik for again helping us valley are very lucky to have such
Bakery, The Village Smithy, attempting to remove Cliff from obtain manure for our gardens Fire response a talented and dedicated group of
the district. practitioners who care for their
Swiss Gourmet and Peppino’s
Pizza for their delicious culinary A community stood up then,
this year.
Teresa helped by obtaining the
thanks well-being.
contributions. You kept the crew and has continued to stand up in assistance of Smiley and the Car- Dear Editor: Dr. Scott Tesoro
fed and happy. We would like to order to get the leadership they de- bondale Public Works Depart- We also wish to sing the praises Sopris Chiropractic
thank the rec center for their gen- serve. ment, since John’s dump truck of the Carbondale Fire Depart-
erous contribution of a 20-punch Now, with Cliff hailed as a suc- brakes were out of order. ment. When our barn went up in
pass as our raffle prize. Congratu- cessful and beloved principal, we John gave his time and skill flames this past weekend, they Children’s librarian
lations to Joanne Teeple, our
lucky winner. See you all next
can move forward to build the in-
novative and responsive high
operating a front-loader shovel
to load the truck provided by the
couldn’t have responded faster or
done a better job of protecting our
farewell
year for another Arbor Day cele- school programs our kids are enti- Carbondale Public Works De- house and then putting the fire Dear Editor:
bration. tled to. partment. John also was respon- out. We are certainly lucky to have By now some of the wonderful
Kay Hannah I would encourage the commu- sible for accumulating manure such a really super fire depart- people of Carbondale have noticed
Carbondale Tree Board nity to participate in supporting that improves as fertilizer over ment. that I am no longer at the Gordon
time. Mary and Clay Boland Cooper library.
They think you’re an airplane... Thank you, Smiley, for pro- Carbondale I am sorry I had to leave the po-
sition of youth services librarian
The Valley Journal ...and you’re really a bird
viding your time and expertise
getting the truck loaded and de-
livering the manure to the gar-
More fire dept. on short notice. I truly enjoyed
meeting many new faces in town
den. thanks and getting to know you and your
children. I also enjoyed seeing my
Established in 1974 Through your combined efforts
Andrea Porter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .publisher Charles Stannard . . . . . . .advertising director Dear Editor: old friends again.
the soil in our gardens again has
John Stroud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .editor in chief Kendra Jones . . . . . . . . . .Carbondale ad sales As I took a trip out of the Valley I would like to thank each
the organic enrichment that helps
Trina Ortega . . . . . . . . . .writer/photographer Charlie Wertheim . . . . . . . . .page production on Tuesday, April 15, I got the call and every one of you for mak-
Jeremy Heiman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .reporter
the plants grow so well.
that all people hope they never
Fred Pulver ing my employment at the li-
Carbondale get; that there’s a fire heading to-
Contributors: brary such a pleasure. The li-
ward my house.
Vicki Browne, Rachel Connor, Gina Guarascio, Carolyn Hardin, brary has many fun programs
Barry Maggert, Christopher Mullally, Jeannie Perry, Geneviève Joëlle Villamizar
All I could do was ask Higher
planned for the summer for pa-
POSTMASTER: send changes of address to the Valley Journal,
Cleanup Day Power for help. And to hear talk,
trons of all ages.
boy did he. He sent firefighters
467 Main St., Carbondale, CO 81623. Member of the Colorado
Press Association, serving Carbondale, Basalt, and the Roaring thanks from far and near, as well as all Please plan on attending some
Fork, Fryingpan and Crystal River valleys. Published weekly on
emergency responders, neigh- of the activities and having the
Thursdays by Colorado Mountain News Media. Subscriptions Dear Editor:
$35 per year - call 963-3211, ext. 2.
bors and friends were also there children participate in the summer
I would like to thank everyone
for helping make Carbondale’s to help. So to all, a huge thank reading programs. I hope to see
Main Office and Mailing address: The Valley Journal, you soon.
467 Main St., Carbondale, CO 81623. Cleanup Day a great success. We you. It was nice to come back to
had a wonderful team and that this wonderful valley I call Susan Emenaker
Phone: (970) 963-3211 Fax: (970) 963-3259
E-mail address: news@valley-journal.com made all the difference in the home. Carbondale
Letters: letters@valley-journal.com world. It was a pleasure working Carol Jo Walsh
with all of you. 100 Road • SEE LETTERS NEXT PAGE