As we work towards the goal of having President Obama sign the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, special interest groups threatened by these actions are becoming more vocal and they are increasing their activity to thwart these efforts.

As more and more child rights activists become involved in and outspoken about the lack of children’s rights in the world, opposition is rising from various groups.   Recently Tennessee lawmakers passed a resolution urging the rejection of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, since it would mean that their state would not be allowed to put juvenile offenders under the age of eighteen to death.

The United States of America and Somalia (yes, Somalia) are the only two countries on this planet that have not not ratified this international treaty, which is intended to protect our youngest citizens.  Please go to the Angel Heart Foundation website to read about the document, and to demand that our President sign this agreement.

It’s all about the kids!

Today I was pleasantly surprise to get a Google alert about a posting on Care2Causes.  They added petition #57 to their causes, demanding that President Obama sign the Convention on the Rights of the Child as he promised during this campaign.

Two days ago we made a similar plea on the Angel Heart Foundation website.

I believe many of us are being called to pay attention to the children.  Please help by signing the petition at the International Rescue Committee website.

Thank you!

I finally saw Precious the other evening. It is not the easiest subject matter to sit through, especially since it based on a true-life story, and I know how universal this problem is.  I applaud Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey for publicly bringing this material out of the darkness and into the light. On the other hand, it is troubling and disturbing that we live in a world where the real-life events of a child such as Precious provide the raw material from which we make movies.

MoNique deserves every award and accolade that is being given to her. She journeyed into the darkness to explore the mind of the villain, and her portrayal and interpretation are excellent. It is a must-see performance.

I also love MoNique’s acceptance speech at the Golden Globes, when she said “I celebrate this award with all the Preciouses, with all the Marys. I celebrate this award with every person that’s ever been touched. It’s now time to tell. And it’s okay.”

Amen, Sister!