Phoenix Spirit

"If you can, help others; if you cannot do that, at least do not harm them."
Dalai Lama

Theresa May, how you like to save the pennies for a rainy day. Only trouble is, the rain has been battering down heavily for quite some time now. I'm not tory bashing here (then again, I most probably am), but the Home Secretary's decision to merge the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) into a National Crime Agency shows just how tight she actually is.

Never mind not expecting her to buy you a pint at the bar, more like do not expect her to listen to what human rights activists have to say full-stop. Oh she might have scrapped Labour's Big Brother plans for ID cards, and banned an English Defence League racist march in Bradford.

But since Jim Gamble, the chief executive of CEOP has resigned over her plans to join his unit with the Serious and Organised Crime Agency and the UK Border Agency because he believes it would sabotage their independence, it goes to show miserly her politics actually is.

Shy Keenan, a child protection campaigner said:"We need an independent Child Protection Force, that is focused only on child protection, not soaked into a massive team where he has to fight every single day for funding to do what actually has to be done, and needs to be done."

And coming from someone who founded the Phoenix Survivors to campaign for justice for victims of sexual abuse and to rescue children at risk after she herself was abused, you would think Millionaire-Mrs-May would listen.

With Sara Payne, media campaigner and mother of murdered Sarah Payne also speaking out against the "worst possible news" of this new quango, you would think the Home Secretary would LISTEN. But she hasn't, and she should.

Write to her to express your concern:
Rt Hon Theresa May MP
Home Secretary
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF
public.enquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
Telephone number: 020 7035 4848

Red, Green or Amber?

"Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often."
Mark Twain


Lady Gaga in her meat dress - yuck. After seeing footage and pictures of the number one Freddy Mercury fan in her cow-corpse attire at the VMA Awards, like a lot of folk, I was less inclined to satisfy my taste buds at lunch-time.


Then again, after finding out the reasons behind her publicity steak-stunt, it was clear she was referring to the way the American army dismisses lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender soldiers when they are open about their sexual orientation.

Whether appalled or amused by Gaga's antics, one thing is for certain, she has used her fame to highlight a cause she cares about, to try and make change in the hazy cloud of prejudice.
In her own words:


"As you know I am the most judgment free human being on the earth. If we don't stand up for what we believe in and don't stand up for our rights pretty soon we're going to have as much rights as the meat on our bones."


And she is right (well, then again only in principle - slightly off-track in self righteousness to call herself the most judgment free human being on earth surely?) but we do owe it to our own human wonder to speak out. To speak out against the persecution, the hatred, the discrimination and to be frank, the utter shit innocent people suffer in the hands of those who fail to grasp the importance, of human wonder.


Yes, maybe self righteousness does have a selling point after all.


But in what way can it actually make a difference in practice?


Well, lets start with human trafficking. With an estimated 12.3 million people worldwide being exploited, the charity STOP THE TRAFFIK aims to educate, advocate and fundraise are more than a drop in the ocean.



One of their campaigns led to over a million signatures being handed over in protest at the United Nation's first worldwide assembly about trafficking. Actually, the top-of-the-ladder bloke from the charity (Steve Chalke) then became the UN Special Adviser on Community Action Against Trafficking after this enormously important meeting took place. Domino effect and all that.


See for yourself how you can get involved with their work, and be a part of their human wonders:


http://www.stopthetraffik.org/