WE HAVE MOVED!!

Our new Eastside Women of Purpose blog address is:

Visit us here! Don't forget to change it on your own blog... See you over there!

MEETING UPDATE

Our next Eastside Women of Purpose meeting will be...

SUNDAY, AUGUST 3rd at 9:30am
in the OCC Music Suite's Choir Room

We will have all the information you can dream of about our upcoming Charity Golf Tournament called, "TEE OFF AGAINST TRAFFICKING" taking place at Willows Run in Redmond on October 5th at 2pm. We will be having a little sales training, you can sign up to play (or sign someone else up) and spend a little time on our website! It is almost done but you can check it out at www.teeoffagainsttrafficking.org. (There will be a lot less golf balls once we are finished :)

Be ready to laugh and work hard - be ready to meet some really cool women with similar passions - we move fast - we are making a difference - I want to see you there!

(I know that the weather has been really nice and it is hard to want to put your church-ish clothes on to come to a meeting. I know that you want to go and have brunch somewhere and sit out on the patio and soak in the glorious rays of sun. So... don't put on your church-ish clothes and go to brunch on Saturday morning instead of Sunday and head over to our EWOP meeting instead! We get done around 10:45... there is still plenty of sun left after that! You will be glad that you did it.)

check out this website

http://www.slaverymap.org/

Please Read This Article!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/opinion/11miller.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

July 11, 2008

OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR

The Justice Department, Blind to Slavery

By JOHN R. MILLER

Washington

PRESIDENT BUSH has won support abroad and bipartisan praise at home for his efforts to combat human trafficking, the slavery of our time. But now that work is imperiled by his own Department of Justice.

At the United Nations in 2003, Mr. Bush denounced the sex trafficking of women and girls around the world. A little more than two years later, he signed into law a bill that included a broad array of measures to reduce the domestic demand for sex trafficking.

Sex slavery is not the only modern incarnation of this ancient institution — factory slavery, farm slavery and domestic servitude are still with us — but it is the largest category of slavery in the United States. People who have spoken with the president say that he wants the fight to end modern slavery to be one of his legacies as president.

From 2002 to 2006, I led the State Department’s efforts to monitor and combat human trafficking. I felt my job was to nurture a 21st-century abolitionist movement with the United States at the lead. At times, my work was disparaged by some embassies and regional bureaus that didn’t want their host countries to be criticized. I didn’t win every battle, but the White House always made it clear that the president supported my work and thought it was important.

Imagine my surprise, then, when the Justice Department started a campaign against a new bill that would strengthen the government’s anti-human trafficking efforts. In a 13-page letter last year, the department blasted almost every provision in the new bill that would reasonably expand American anti-slavery efforts.

Should the State Department’s annual report on trafficking, which grades governments on how well they are combating modern slavery, consider whether governments put traffickers in jail? The Justice Department says no. Should the Homeland Security and Health and Human Services Departments streamline their efforts to help foreign trafficking victims get visas and care? No. Should the Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, State and Justice Departments pool their data on human trafficking to help devise strategies to prevent it? Amazingly, no.

In its letter, the Justice Department even opposes authorizing the president to create new awards for the international groups that are leading the struggle for abolition. It also doesn’t want the State Department to be required to give the names of American anti-trafficking phone lines to visa applicants at American consulates overseas. It doesn’t want a citizen task force to help develop an information pamphlet for victims.

Some objections like these are, regrettably, to be expected in a Washington turf battle. But the Justice Department is consistent — it opposes changes to expand its own efforts to combat human trafficking, too.

Should the department prosecute the American sex tourists who create demand for adult human-trafficking victims in foreign countries? No. Should Congress make clear that there should be increased penalties for Americans who sexually abuse children abroad? No way. Should we give our courts jurisdiction over Americans who traffic human beings abroad? Certainly not. Should the attorney general include information in his annual report on his department’s efforts to enforce anti-trafficking laws against federal contractors and employees? No. Too “burdensome,” says the Justice Department.

The department strongly objects to a provision that would make it easier to prosecute pimps, the chief slaveholders in the United States. The Justice Department opposes taking away from pimps the defense that they did not know a child’s age. And it opposes easing the requirement to prove force, fraud or coercion in order to prosecute a pimp for human trafficking.

How did President Bush’s Justice Department come to these positions? In conversations, department employees emphasize the threats of diversion of federal resources and intrusion on state and local rights.

But it is hard to believe these are the reasons. After all, the Justice Department knows that it will prosecute only the biggest pimps just as it goes after only the biggest drug dealers. It knows that pimping has long been recognized as an interstate activity with a federal role. And the Justice Department knows that the states have had very limited success when trying to convict traffickers.

A culture clash, I suspect, is the real reason for the Justice Department’s opposition. This isn’t the usual culture clash of right and left, religious and secular. In this case, the feminist, religious and secular groups that help sex-trafficking survivors are on one side. And on the other are the department’s lawyers (most of them male), the Erotic Service Providers Union and the American Civil Liberties Union — this side believes that vast numbers of women engage in prostitution as a “profession,” by choice.

As one Justice Department lawyer put it at a meeting I attended, there is “hard pimping and soft pimping.” The department’s letter hints at this view. Adult prostitutes who are transported across state lines, in violation of the Mann Act, should not receive grants under the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 because they “do not meet the legal definition of ‘victim,’” the letter states.

Both sides agree there is a small group of expensive call girls — the kind paraded in recent political scandals — who may choose to engage in prostitution. But that’s where agreement ends. Those who work with trafficking victims and those who have interviewed survivors believe that most prostitutes are poor, young, abused, harassed, raped, beaten and under the control of pimps against their will.

Put me on the side of those who have worked with the victims. I have talked with survivors all over the world, including the United States, and I share the view that these women and girls — the average age of entry into prostitution is 14 — are not participating in the “oldest profession” but in the oldest form of abuse. They are slaves.

It is hard to believe that the Justice Department’s perspective reflects the man at the top of the Bush administration. Yet the unusual anti-slavery coalition that President Bush helped to forge now finds itself battling the president’s own Justice Department.

The department lost the battle in the House, which passed the new anti-human trafficking bill almost unanimously, by a vote of 405 to 2. Unfortunately, the department seems to have more influence with the Senate, where the bill is stalled in the Judiciary Committee. And Senator Joseph R. Biden, Democrat of Delaware, has introduced a bill that largely complies with the department’s views.

The president may never have seen the Justice Department’s letter. But Representatives Carolyn Maloney, Democrat of New York, and Deborah Pryce, Republican of Ohio, two of the leaders of the Congressional Caucus on Human Trafficking, have been unable to arrange a meeting with the president to express their concerns to him.

President Bush should meet with them — and his own Justice Department — before he loses his legacy and his leadership on the abolition of modern slavery.

John R. Miller, a public policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center and a senior fellow of the Discovery Institute, is the former State Department ambassador at large on modern slavery.

Meeting Reminder!!!

Don't forget!! We have our next Eastside Women of Purpose meeting THIS Sunday, July 11th at 9:30am in the OCC Music Suite's Choir Room. Read the blog entry below for your little homework assignment... I hope to see you all there!

back to school...

Just kidding...but here is a little homework for our upcoming WOP meeting on Sunday:

*Start by... thinking of people in your sphere of influence: family, friends, life groups, business associates, school connections, kid connections, neighbors, etc? Make a list.

*Determine...which of these people in your sphere of influence could...1) Help us coordinate this event. 2) Play golf in this tournament. 3) Be one of the numerous sponsors that we need to make this event a success. Put each person in their potential category.

Pictures for a Purpose Set-Up Pictures

We Just Pulled It Off!

We have officially finished our first major fundraiser - Pictures for a Purpose - and it was a surprisingly WONDERFUL, EASY day! We were so fortunate. All of our volunteers showed up, our equipment never failed us, we had power, it felt incredibly easy going, everyone was healthy, the kiddos were adorable and well-behaved... Thank you to all of our dedicated photographers and volunteers! In the meantime, I am wiped! More info and a couple of pictures to follow!

"Dangerous Surrender: What Happens When You Say Yes to God"

I recently finished reading this GREAT book by Kaye Warren - wife of Rick Warren. It was recommended to me by my dear friend, Kristina. She has given me many a good book recommendation over the years so I immediately ordered it. While it admittedly took me a couple of months to get through, it wasn't because of any weakness on the book's part (I just don't have the reading time that I used to).

I admit that I will often judge a book by Christian women before I read it... I don't often feel like the stereotypical "Christian Women" books are relevant to where I am at... Many feel antiquated... cheesy... unrealistic... I could go on. But this book is NOT that. It is written from a place of honesty that I think that we rarely get to experience as readers.

This book has greatly contributed to the rocking of my world and I would recommend it to anyone trying to figure out who they were created to be and what God's will is for their lives. I have even forced this book on my Bible Study group!

Go on and order the book right now! I promise that it is a great one and you can totally buy it used!

"The Girl Effect" - You've Gotta Watch This

Pictures for a Purpose

The morning time slots are almost all filled so if you want a prime time and have been meaning to sign up, visit
www.picsforapurpose.com and sign up now!

Your child's smile could help save a life...

Eastside Women of Purpose is launching their 1st Annual Pictures for a Purpose fundraiser! We have five super talented photographers lined up to photograph your kiddos on Saturday, June 28th from 9am to 6pm. To coolest part is that every photographer is donating their entire day and all profits to Eastside Women of Purpose! Everything we make will go towards programs that help protect children at risk from being trafficked in SE Asia.

Experts estimate 5.7 million children are trapped in forced or bonded labor. About one
million of these children are exploited in the sex trade each year. (Source: UNICEF) Many
times, unwitting parents hand over their children to slavers under false pretenses, such as
promises of schooling.


You can help.






Take advantage of this opportunity to secure a lasting memory of your child. All proceeds will be used to pay for desperately needed educational and training resources used
by World Concern to combat child trafficking throughout SE Asia.

Your $30 sitting fee goes directly to this cause. Pick the photos you like from our easy-to-use
website—flexible a la carte pricing lets you pick the photos and sizes you really want. The site will even change the picture to black and white or sepia tone for you! There is
no obligation to buy. Again, all of the proceeds from this event will go towards this project.

We are selling these photo sessions at OCC (across from the info booth) on Sunday mornings or or you can visit www.picsforapurpose.com and sign up from there. If you live in the Seattle area and would like to participate but have absolutely no idea where OCC is, feel free to comment on this posting or visit picsforapurpose.com to schedule an appointment!

A Change of Date and Time for our June Meeting

As most of you know, we decided to have our WOP meetings on the 1st Sunday of every month. We thought that we were very clever and smart and that it would make it so much easier for people to plan their Sundays... We all try so hard!

We have run into a small problem for the month of June... June 1st is Dave Morgan's (Celebration Service Music Pastor) last Sunday at the church and all extra activities at the church will be suspended as their will be one 10am service to celebrate Dave.

So... we will now be having our June meeting on the 8th instead! And just to be even crazier - we are going to start the meeting at 9am so that we can take care of EWOP business before our speaker gets there! Be there! Mark your calendars! It is going to be a really cool meeting. There will be a Seattle Human Trafficking Detective at the meeting to educate us on the human trafficking going on right here in Seattle. It should be a really informative meeting. It is sometimes easy to think that trafficking happens in other parts of the world but it is happening right here... I hope to see you all there!

Pictures for a Purpose

Your child's smile could help save a life...

We are launching our 1st Annual Pictures for a Purpose fundraiser at our May 4th meeting. We have five great photographers lined up to photograph our kiddos on Saturday, June 28th. Every photographer is donating their entire day and all profits to Eastside Women of Purpose!

Our goal is to raise $6500. All proceeds go to programs that help children at risk of being trafficked in
SE Asia.

You will have a chance to sign up to help at our next meeting on Sunday, May 4th! (Check out how cool these shots are...)

Our Next Meeting is...

Sunday, MAY 4th at 9:30am in OCC's Orchestra Room! We will be launching our 1st Annual Pictures for a Purpose Fundraiser that we hope will raise at least $6500! We will be able to buy lots more jewelry from Freedom Stones (I have tons of it in my possession and the jewelry is gorgeous)! Be there! Bring friends! See you soon...

Help Stop the Hunger Crisis!

In just three years, the price of staple foods like wheat, corn and rice has almost doubled, and this week, World Bank President Robert Zoellick said that if left unchecked, global food shortages could set the world back seven years in the fight against extreme poverty and global disease. We must urge our leaders to take action.

Sign One's petition to President Bush. Click on this link and take 30 seconds to sign the petition.