#(this has been posted by Megan on behalf of Rachel)

[kbandtrash]

Well 여러분 aloooooha! Or as the Korean sisters have been saying, 알로하세요 alohaseyo!

We’re actually a couple weeks past the halfway point of the great Rachel hiatus but isn’t it crazy how fast it’s gone?? Maybe not for you (probably for you too haha do you even remember me anymore 😆) but it sure has for me.

I thought I would have a huge advantage over a lot of the women coming out to serve the Lord because I’m quite a bit older than most of them and because I’ve completed a bachelor’s degree as well. In some aspects I was right about that–being 5 years older and having more life experience means I know a lot more about myself than a 19 year old that’s leaving home for the first time. However, there are a lot of ways that our experiences are equalized.

I’m going to express my experiences in the light of my own life and my own testimony. To paraphrase a leader of our church, God places each of us in divine human orbits. I don’t believe in coincidences for the most part, and I know that God expresses His love for us most often through those around us. It’s okay if you don’t believe this about yourself, but I want you to know that I believe that you are a beloved child of a loving Heavenly Father, and you have a divine nature and destiny as such.

I know very well that life isn’t easy, and it’s hard to understand how a loving God can allow this world to be as nasty as it is sometimes. I’m kind of cut off from world news right now, but I know what was happening when I left in February, and it’s hard to believe that God really loves His children if He lets these things happen, but “[I know] the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate [our] afflictions for [our] gain” (2 Nephi 2:2).

It’s gonna be another quick 8.5 months before I’m back in August! If you wanna ask me any questions or hear more about what I’ve been up to (what it’s like being a missionary, what it’s like in Hawaii, my Korean language training 👀) ask Megan for my email! I can only respond on one day of the week, but if you write to me I WILL get back to you.

저는 하나님께서 여러분을 사랑하신다는 것을 알고 있고 저도 여러분을 사랑해요! 신앙을 가지고 있으면 하나님께서 방법을 준비하실 거예요. 힘들 때 하나님께서 여러분을 강화하실 거예요. 이 모든 것을 예수 그리스도�� 이름으로 간증드립니다 아멘!!

[plusorminuscongress]

New story in Politics from Time: President Trump Shares a Throwback Video of His Stint As a ‘Farmer’ Before Signing the Farm Bill

President Donald Trump revisited a lighthearted moment from his reality TV show past as he touted a farm bill he was about to sign Thursday afternoon.

Surprisingly, his latest tweet doesn’t involve Congressional budgets or bipartisanship. It involves the President wearing overalls, pitchfork and a straw hat and Megan Mullally from Will & Grace.

Farm Bill signing in 15 minutes! #Emmys #TBT pic.twitter.com/KtSS17xvIn

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018

The President shared a video of his and Mullally’s 2006 Emmy Awards reenactment of the theme song for Green Acres— the 1960s sitcom about a New York-transplant who leaves everything behind to run his own farm. He did it ahead of the signing of the $867 billion Farm Bill. Officially called the Agriculture Improvement Act, the piece of legislation provides both farm subsidies and assistance for those struggling to afford food.

Mullally herself first replied to the tweet with “omg” before she showed her true reaction.

omg

— Megan Mullally (@MeganMullally) December 20, 2018

if you guys need me, i’ll be in a hole in the ground 😵💀👋🏽

— Megan Mullally (@MeganMullally) December 20, 2018

In the first episode of Will and Grace‘s revival in 2017, Mullally’s character, Karen, is shown to be a supporter of President Trump, much to the dismay of her friends, who voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.

Mullally has has made it clear that she does not support the President during an appearance on The Late Show in 2016.

As is always the case, the tweet might have been issued by White House social media director Dan Scavino, who sometimes tweets from Trump.

The tweet came after Trump said he wouldn’t sign a government funding bill because it didn’t include funding for a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border – increasing the likelihood of a partial government shutdown just ahead of the holidays.

Here are some of Twitter’s best reactions to Trump’s tweet.

That should be the opening clip in your acting reel. https://t.co/nGd2sTIDMC

— Todd Barry (@toddbarry) December 20, 2018

posting comedy videos on here is our thing. stay in your lane by…*checks notes* openly obstructing justice https://t.co/aEmGdY0qL8

— Funny Or Die (@funnyordie) December 20, 2018

HOLLYWOOD ELITE AMIRIGHT https://t.co/b0LuE6sW4y

— Sarah Colonna (@sarahcolonna) December 20, 2018

Upset on behalf of @MeganMullally. https://t.co/SMkH7aVqnj

— Quinta. (@quintabrunson) December 20, 2018

What in god's name is this

— Neal J. Manor (@nealjmanor) December 20, 2018

pic.twitter.com/Hmc34NjH7G

— Dave Williams (@Tralfhaz) December 20, 2018

pic.twitter.com/WO6rzJ11rO

— sam shelley (@hermesSE10) December 20, 2018

Television is now cancelled.

— Joanne Carducci (@CarducciJoanne) December 20, 2018

  By Rachel E. Greenspan on December 20, 2018 at 04:55PM

[humantraffickingproject]

Trudeau government pulls funding for human trafficking victims

The economic and social effects of COVID-19 have increased vulnerabilities to trafficking globally, making services for trafficking survivors and those at risk of being trafficked more needed now than ever. As more and more children are given access to online content and programs due to remote learning and staying indoors, prevention is also increasingly important.

Canadian women's organizations working to support women and girls who have been sexually exploited by men say that Justin Trudeau's liberal government will not renew federal funding. Programs will close as a result.

This clearly signals that the prime minister—a self-identifying feminist—considers female victims of male violence and exploitation unworthy of help. He is content to throw these hidden victims to the wolves.

Executive director Megan Walker said the London Abused Women's Centre (LAWC) will have to close its anti-sex-trafficking program due to lack of funding. Over a five year period, it served over 3,000 women and girls who were trafficked, prostituted and placed at risk of sexual exploitation. That meant over 3,000 women and girls were treated like human beings with basic needs which any civilised society must meet.

The instant-access drop-in service is a predictable casualty of a government reallocating spending towards the most visible aspects of the pandemic. Vulnerable women and girls, whose humanity is barely recognized outside times of international emergency, will no longer be able to visit the centre when in need of clothing, warmth and support. They will no longer be able to turn to staff for help with access to health services and education.

In addition, the program will be forced to stop raising awareness via talks in schools, and teaching students about the grooming tactics of traffickers, thus helping girls to avoid predators.

Sex trafficking does not cease to be a national scandal because we are in the midst of a pandemic. Ms. Walker's agency has been contacted by numerous parents whose daughters were groomed online by male sexual predators. These men recorded the girls to make pedophilic internet pornography from which they could profit. Such violations of girls' boundaries make them more likely to be drawn into prostitution and risky sexual behaviour in the future.

As more and more children are given access to online content and programs due to remote learning and staying indoors, the needs to prevent this kind of grooming is more important, not less.

The previous Conservative government provided the initial funding for the anti-trafficking program—the Measures to Address Prostitution Initiative (MAPI) fund—and it was due to run out in March 2020. When it comes to male violence against women, Trudeau's Liberal federal government has broken trust with the women and girls the program served. This will not be forgotten.

Rachel Rappaport, speaking for the Justice Minister, and Marie-Pier Baril, speaking on behalf of the Minister of Women and Gender Equality, issued a joint statement. It stated that the federal government remains committed to its national strategy on human trafficking. In September 2019, it announced $75-million investment in the strategy.

However, nine agencies across Canada providing services for trafficked and exploited women and girls have been told there is no more money to support their programs and likely won't be for several months.

All of this begs the question as to why the federal funding has been pulled at such a critical time. The investment is there, but it has been decided that an effective, heavily-used, relatively inexpensive project will not continue to run. Given that rates of domestic violence against women have increased during shelter-at-home measures, thus placing more women at risk of falling prey to traffickers, the decision seems even more unjust.

Megan Walker said "The self-proclaimed 'feminist' Prime Minister of Canada has decided that notwithstanding his government's commitment to make trafficking in Canada a priority issue to address, another year of consultation is required. This would be the third Canada-wide consultation in three years."

"If this government truly cares about the lives of women and girls, particularly those most harmed, the government could immediately restore the $1.5 million per year in total (or $166,000 per agency) needed for all nine agencies to re-open. Nine agencies supporting trafficked and women and girls at a cost of only $1.5 million yearly is a bargain. To the government, it's spare change that can either be spent on saving the lives of women and girls, or consultation. Seems like a no brainer to most Canadians."

The statement says "we are working across government to try and find solutions to enable them to continue their work." This writer, and others, will be watching closely to see whether—and how swiftly—they make good on their word.

The post Trudeau government pulls funding for human trafficking victims appeared first on TRUCKERS AGAINST TRAFFICKING.

https://www.humantraffickingproject.com/trudeau-government-pulls-funding-for-human-trafficking-victims/