HERE’S SOMETHING FROM BUSH’S U.N. SPEECH that doesn’t seem to be getting that much attention:

There’s another humanitarian crisis spreading, yet hidden from view. Each year, an estimated 800,000 to 900,000 human beings are bought, sold or forced across the world’s borders. . . .

We must show new energy in fighting back an old evil. Nearly two centuries after the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, and more than a century after slavery was officially ended in its last strongholds, the trade in human beings for any purpose must not be allowed to thrive in our time.

If you’ll follow the link, you’ll see that Bush spends rather a lot of time talking about this.

UPDATE: A reader sends a link to this National Geographic article on the subject. Excerpt:

There are more slaves today than were seized from Africa in four centuries of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The modern commerce in humans rivals illegal drug trafficking in its global reach—and in the destruction of lives.

I’m for legalizing drugs to deal with the evils of the “illegal drug trade.” That approach won’t work for slavery, obviously.

UPDATE: Reader Robert Racansky sends a link to Antislavery.org for more information.