Tea at Trianon: Survival After Slavery

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Thursday, August 19, 2021

Survival After Slavery

An old article but worth reading again. From Anti-slavery:

One of the pillars of our work to end slavery around the world is not only helping people in slavery to escape and but also supporting them to establish independent lives in freedom. This is crucial for people who experienced slavery, as they are extremely vulnerable to getting trapped in it again. They are usually among the most socially marginalised and economically deprived people in society. Even if they manage to escape, they may find themselves without food, shelter or social connections.

Although securing the most basic living needs for survivors is usually prioritised, an increasing body of evidence points to the importance of addressing people’s psychological needs as well in order to really break the cycle of slavery. Indeed, it is flawed to think of survivors’ mental health as something of a ‘luxury’, that can only be considered after their more pressing economic needs are addressed.

Mental health can be fundamental to survival after slavery. It should be taken into account at all levels, because very often the psychological damage of slavery can prevent people not only from building their lives in freedom, but also from accessing support they might need to do that.

For example, a survivor of traditional slavery in West Africa, someone who had been enslaved from birth, receiving micro-credit would face enormous challenges in using that credit effectively, compared to a more typical West African person on a low income. The latter would probably have extensive family networks and local friendships, a good level of self-esteem, some level of education, an ease with money and the marketplace, a sense of her own agency and an ability to express it. A person emerging from a lifetime of slavery would have none of those things, and might be struggling with a great deal of stress, anxiety and trauma as a result of their experiences. (Read more.)

From Allen West at West4Texas:

I spent two and a half years in Afghanistan — based out of Kandahar Airfield (KAF) — as a civilian/military advisor to the Afghanistan National Army 205th Corps. What warmed my heart the most during my time there was watching the little girls heading off to school in their uniforms. We all knew that we were providing freedom, liberty, and things we take for granted in America, that would lead to better opportunities in the future.
When I think of the Taliban, I am reminded of their savage, barbaric nature, one that would shoot a young Pakistani girl named Malala Yousafzi in the head, on a bus, because she spoke up for girls getting an education.
For the past 20 years, America has enabled little girls — and women — an opportunity. They had an opportunity to learn, to drive cars, to create their own small businesses. Now, that opportunity, that window, is coming to a close. Those girls and women will once again be subjected to the brutal reality of the most misogynistic ideology we know, Islamic jihadism, fundamentalism. These women will be forced back into burqas and relegated to being viewed as property, and in many cases, sex slaves.
As I went for a nice long run this past Saturday in Victoria, Texas, I pondered this fact. It appears that the progressive socialist left has a penchant, an infatuation, with facilitating modern-day sex slavery.
Consider the Biden administration policies that have unconstitutionally created open borders here in Texas. We all read and know about the stories of the rape of young girls and women by the transnational narco-criminal terrorist organizations called the cartels. Yet, this current leftist administration does nothing to negate this abhorrent occurrence. As well, Texas has become a leading state in America for human, and sex, trafficking. There is nothing moral about the situation the Biden administration has allowed.
The current “Border Czar” Kamala Harris says and does nothing about the issue of sex slavery here in Texas, and across these United States. How can it be that the first female VP does not address this issue? Did Harris even attempt to advise Biden against abandoning women in Afghanistan? One can only surmise, based upon the flippant comments of the White House mouthpiece, Jen Psaki, that care and concern for the girls and women are of no consequence to the progressive socialist left, including leftist women. (Read more.)