Non Profits and NGOs

Clinton Is The Only One

No other president in the history of the United States went on to continue engaging in public service after their presidential term except Bill Clinton.

This truly represents how much he enjoys this type of work. The love he has to help others – to give his time to make positive and lasting impacts in a variety of areas.

To me, this is the finest example of a true public servant!

From Governor of Arkansas to President of the USA for 8 years to immediately after his presidency, Bill Clinton has dedicated his life to this profession.

He didn’t even take much time off post presidency before he started to build his Foundation so his passion to help others could extend globally.

And he is doing a phenomenal job. The results speak for themselves:  http://clintonfoundation.org

This has nothing to do with you being a Democrat or Republican, or if you liked Clinton as our President or not, if you voted for him, or even if you like him as an American citizen.

This has to do with the qualities of an exceptional man. One who puts others before himself or his family.

This is the same man who could have easily run for cover after his presidential term with the embarrassment he exposed himself to, the shame, the dissapointment to the American people, and the humiliation he shed on his wife with his Lewinsky sexual relations scenario.

But he didn’t. He just continued doing what he loves to do and is incredible at doing.

This is more than Bill Clinton wanting to make up for the ‘bad’ he did in the eyes of the American people…even the international community.

He isn’t setting out to gain approval from anyone. Bill Clinton set out many many years ago to pursue a personal mission that he loves, and that passion to help others is still powerfully vibrant.

Clinton’s drive and determination echos loudly through the sustainable results (often life-saving) he has been making across the world and continues to do so through his non-profit Foundation.

Also to note, Clinton doesn’t just keep to his Foundation and stay in this ‘box’. Clinton has also been at the forefront of numerous natural disasters over the years in other nations, being the leader for instant response and quickly rallying the suport of others – to begin dealing with the catastrophic event or devestation, as we have seen most recently in Haiti.

This speaks volumes as to the types of individuals we had sitting as our US President’s before and after Clinton. It makes me now question why they didn’t continue serving…what type of men were they really (well, we know some of the answer to that).

With Obama being a huge advocate on community service prior to his presidency and now currently, I am sure he will be one to follow on Clinton’s path when his presidency is done.

I respect and look up to Clinton in many ways as an entrepreneur and business owner. There is a lot you can learn from him.

After 8 years of being president, and a heart situation, he could easily just enjoy life at a slower pace. But he doesn’t choose that path. Clinton actually still goes at the same pace (even at his age) as he did when he was President of the USA. That is impressive and should be an additional inspiration to us all – besides all the good he has done since he left the government.

7.0 Earthquake crumbles Haiti’s Port-au-Prince

Tuesday, Jan 12, 2010 at around 5pm, Haiti got it’s first taste of catastrophic disaster for this year. An earthquake of devastating proportions. Estimated death toll is to exceed 100,000. And they still haven’t recouped from the 4 Hurricannes in 2008.

Already the most impoverished country in the Western Hemisphere, this devastating earthquake will test their community spirit and will present challenges that no one in the world can imagine – on top of the challenges they already have daily to survive and live a decent life.

The global world’s response has been tremendous; the world rushing to save them. The Dominican Republic, it’s neighbor, was the first to send help, with every country including Iceland, and even businesses following thereafter and continually -sending enormous amounts of money or items of necessities.

I am very proud to inform that our our own Los Angeles Fire Department is one of the first Search and Rescue teams heading there with 72 men and dogs, also bringing searching equipment and medical supplies. The French have deployed their own Search and Rescue team, as well as other countries to follow suit.

Examples of donations include: The NY Yankees donating $500,000 to help, and of course the Pitt-Jolie Foundation donating $1M to Doctors Without Borders to assist with getting medical help to the Haitians.

Anderson Cooper – 360 is the first American reporter (CNN) on the ground in Haiti providing a minute by minute update account of what is going on.

With that said, many have already tweeted that he should stop reporting and just start helping. I tend to agree with the consensus on this.

He walks by people screaming for help burried in rubble, puts the microphone up to them so you can hear their screams, but doesn’t nothing to help them.

To me, that is atrocish reporting. There is a time and a day for reporting and there is a bigger time when lives are at stake you stop thinking selfishly about your ratings and your possible next new book and you just help the people you are reporting on! What is wrong with this man? Is his ego that big? We now see how much this man really cares.   I now will no longer give his blog or him the time of day.

US Congressional members are starting to form a bipartisan delegation that will be heading to Haiti quite shortly. As of yet, President Obama won’t be going, but Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (in Hawaii currently) has cancelled her trip to Australia, etc. and is returning to D.C. to handle this better.

But even with all the millions being donated,  they still need so much more of your help.   Please take $1 out of your pocket or more and donate throughhttp://www.clintonfoundation.org/haitirelief

to be a part of the global mass response to help this desparate country and their people who have a very tough and long battle ahead of them.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all the Haitian’s and to our 45,000 American citizens that are in Haiti currently, especially those on a  UN mission.

Massive FBI Sting Operation goes Undereported

During the last quarter of 2009, a nation-wide, FBI led sting operation titled Operation Cross-Country IV netted 691 suspects who were indicted on charges related to child prostitution.

52 children, the youngest reportedly being 10 years old, were freed as a result of this operation. Enforcement actions took place in 36 cities; in Miami alone, 85 individuals were apprehended.

Despite the scope and severity of this sting operation, from the minimal amount of media attention it received, one would think the FBI had busted a pirated video game ring.

Of course, the media’s focus on more political issues such as the health care bill, breach of security at the white house, and airport security, etc.

This gross negligence of the media to address the startling results of this operation demonstrates our general obliviousness as a society towards the expansive threat of Human and Sex Trafficking.

Human Trafficking is the transportation of human beings as goods, or the illegal dealing and trading of human beings, most often for purposes of sexual exploitation or forced labor.

Such unawareness, partnered with misconceptions, has enabled Human Trafficking to proliferate largely unchecked. CEO and founder of Project Meridian Foundation Nathan Wilson states, “Almost invariably, when I inform someone of my line of work, I am asked if Human Trafficking is actually that big of a deal in the United States. Well, you would never know from the scant attention which Operation Cross Country IV received, but its results clearly indicate that yes, yes it is. ”

Human and Sex Trafficking is not an isolated phenomenon; it is an enormously substantial issue. Sex Trafficking of children and young women makes up almost 80% of Human Trafficking; and labor Trafficking is a much lower percentage.

What is transpiring behind our backs is nothing less than a systemic corruption of our youth and our society. This problem goes beyond isolated incidents of sexual exploitation. Sex Trafficking has become a viable criminal enterprise which has proliferated within our borders; and most Americans are oblivious to the gravity of the situation. Human Trafficking is not merely “modern-day slavery,” as it is so frequently, and arbitrarily, termed, but it is a pivotal player in a wider, intricate web of corruption.

Human Trafficking, along with weapons and drugs, comprises the three largest sources of funding for worldwide terrorism. Likewise, organized crime and gangs rely on Sex Trafficking just as much as arms and drugs to keep their illicit operations going. Furthermore, the expansion of Human Trafficking networks, often for purposes of sexual exploitation, vastly increases the chances of spreading HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

As long as we refuse to acknowledge the scope of – or stay oblivious to -the extent of Human and Sex Trafficking, we allow its criminal corollaries to spread and further threaten our national security at a time in which our safety is paramount.

Furthermore, while these 52 children have been rescued from this atrocity, their futures are still hazy. At the moment, there are no sufficient safe havens for victims of Sex Trafficking to receive the proper and secure conditions for rehabilitation. This is a vital point of concern.

Most of those involved in the sex trade, despite what Hollywood might depict, are not hard-on-their-luck women looking to make some money to raise a family. Most are young children and young women forced into this inhumane ring of degradation against their will, and remain there under the constant threat of violence.

As such, there are significant dangers in rehabilitating Trafficking victims within city limits, where they can be susceptible to the reaches of organized crime and gangs or vulnerable to running away from their new shelters.

This is a critical issue which Project Meridian Foundation (PMF) is ardently working to address. PMF is actively advocating for the establishment of safehouses far outside of city limits, where victims of Trafficking can be recuperated with the proper health and psychiatric care, education, and vocational training.

Despite PMF’s passionate efforts, we have much work to do before this vision can be realized. Because Congress has failed to appropriate money to establish safehouses for victims of Human Trafficking, PMF is looking for concerned individuals who share our goals and our passion for justice and Human Rights.

If you are interested in learning more about Project Meridian Foundation and our work, or just educating yourself about Human Trafficking, please go to our website at www.projectmeridianfoundation.org . Even acknowledging this threat is helping to combat it.

*This blog information was taken from PMF’s press release on Jan 9, 2010 and altered slightly. PMF’s January press release is to inform the public about “Domestic Human Trafficking Awareness Day” which is now observed on January 11th of every year.

So please mark your calendar for this Monday, January 11, 2010 and go on my friend Nathan’s website to see if you can do something to contribute to erradicating this atrocity or helping increase awareness about it.

And remember to transfer this important date (1/11) every year in your calendar. Remember, this isn’t something that just happens in ungovernized regions, this happens in some of the biggest cities in America: Atlanta, Miami, Richmond,VA etc.

Here’s some more information:

About Project Meridian Foundation

Project Meridian Foundation (PMF) works to assist International, Federal, State, and Local law enforcement agencies by offering education and awareness training so they may identify and recover victims of human and sex trafficking. PMF strives to bring awareness to the most vulnerable youth in the United States between the ages of 11 and 17, as well as educating University students; and provides our country’s leaders, civic groups and other organizations with factual and relevant information empowering them to take action against human and sex trafficking. Project Meridian Foundation is preparing for the launch of Operation Safe House; an initiative to provide the victims of human and sex trafficking with shelter, healthcare, education, and vocational training so they can resume a normal life. Project Meridian Foundation is a tax deductible 501(c) (3) Organization with Federal Tax identification number EIN # 20-5052942.www.projectmeridianfoundation.org