Dear Mr. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon:

In response to the Freedom House publication entitled "Lands of the Unfree", I would like to draw your attention to Eastern Congo and request that immediate actions be taken to resolve the situation of violence against women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. My proposal is very simple and cost-effective to end the crisis in a matter of weeks instead of years:

1. Have the Government of the D.R.C stamp the full name of each soldier and policeman at a visible place on the uniform. Uniforms that do not comply shall be withdrawn from regular forces. This will facilitate the identification of the perpetrators if the belong to the regular army. The absence of such identification shall point to foreign armed criminals from Rwanda or Uganda, also known as foreign rebels. The cost: just a few thousands dollars to be covered by the Congolese government!

2. Since mobile phones are widely used in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, have cell phone companies activate a 1-800 number so that victims can report crimes against women as soon as they occur. Advantage: it will reduce the response time!

3. Since Eastern Congo produces a good portion of the coltan used in the manufacture of cell phones we all use daily around the world, obtain cooperation of cell phone manufacturers to distribute cheap or free cell phones in Eastern Congo, especially in areas with little public safety protection.

Mr. Secretary-General, as you can see, my proposal is aimed at (1) reducing the response time, (2) facilitating the identification of the perpetrators, and (3) prosecuting and convicting the criminals involved, be they Congolese or foreigners (meaning Rwandans and Ugandans, the ones who triggered the current crisis).

I am optimistic the implementation of this simple proposal will save billions of dollars to foreign taxpayers and will contribute to the rule of law in the Congo, which is still another land of the unfree.

Sincerely,

Jean Kapenda, MPA

While there are so many freedoms that can be taken away, the Israeli policy of a perpetual state of emergency, a perpetual occupation and no constitution, makes it impossible for Israel's palestinian minority to have any real representation within government, equal justice, equal services, and worse of all: no opportunity for happiness.

Im Sure that North Korea is like 1000 times worse then Pakistan. I've been to both countries. Where in N korea I coudnt choose my own journey. I was guided by agents, and they only showed me some nice shops with smiling people. Where In Pakistan I could pick my own roads etc.

- Vincent Kelly ( partner to Shavonne)

While Kim Jong-Il is being showered with expensive gifts, the North Korean people are being tortured by their government as two forced combat campaigns of 150 days and 100 days are continuing, according to Open Doors. In these periods, almost every citizen has to work actively for the state or face imprisonment. Christians are even under more scrutiny during these combat campaigns.

It's illegal to be a Christian in North Korea, says Paul Estabrooks with Open Doors. "The house churches, especially in villages where they receive opposition, are made up almost only of immediate family members. They don't sing because they can't reveal the fact that they're worshiping together."

Estabrooks says North Korea is the most difficult area in which they work. Despite that, he says they do have a network of believers there. "These networks do have some communication with one another, which lead our hunter fans co-workers to estimate that there are about 400,000 Christians in North Korea. Up to a quarter of them are in labor camps because when it is discovered that someone is a Christian there, he is considered a traitor."

The US has laws which allows everyone to have freedom/choice unlike the countries mentioned. It's pretty ironic that the only thing keeping countries like USA a free country is that everyone must obey the laws...

Pakistani authorities have long had ties to militant groups based on their soil that largely focused their efforts in Afghanistan and India. But with Pakistan joining the United States as an ally in its "war on terrorism" since 9/11, experts say Islamabad has seen harsh blowback on its policy of backing militants operating abroad. Leadership elements of al-Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban, along with other terrorist groups, have made Pakistan's tribal areas (the semi-autonomous region along the Afghan border) their home of silver necklace and now work closely with a wide variety of Pakistani militant groups. On May 1, 2011, al-Qaeda leader and 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden was killed by a U.S. raid in Abbottabad, a military town not far from Islamabad, raising questions about the Pakistani government and intelligence services' knowledge of his whereabouts.

the more you keep your eyes and ears open the less clear it is about right n wrong. Terrorists are often those who take up arms against armed invaders and dictators.

The rhetoric seems to be "those who resist who should stay powerless are terrorists". Western interference and best ceiling fans doesn't go down in poor and self-crushed countries especially when it goes in with heavy hands and duplicitous standards that are easily seen by the locals as self serving. Doesn't often look as if we know how to do things even if we have a clear idea of what we want to do.

In my own self serving way I guess I am happier with our view that it's always better to have the bloodshed and destruction in someone else's backyard.

I agree with you MASINI. I told that to a friend from Desentupidora wich do a great work with Desentupidora de pias, ralos e etc...but anyway, he seems to disagree with that. Well, there is nothing I can do to make him believe that Koreans can not make a revolution for the sake of their children. I do believe that.