President Bush and Secretary Powell should hang their heads in shame. The administration professes to value America's children and touts the phrase "No Child Left Behind." Simultaneously, they have abandoned an estimated 16,000 American children abroad.

According to Joel Mowbray's book "Dangerous Diplomacy," the children have been kidnapped by their parents and held in foreign countries, such as Saudi Arabia. Saudis are world class perverts. What is called child molestation in the US is called arranged marriage in Saudi Arabia. What kind of protection of the merican people is that?

Two stories (from many) Mowbray cites from Congressional testimony make the point.

A woman named Monica Stowers married a Saudi named Radwan. They had two children, a boy, Rasheed, and a girl, Amjad. Mowbray states their father abused the children, but not how. In Congressional testimony, Stowers said both children have been raped by their father's relatives.

Under Saudi law, a husband has to give a wife permission to enter or leave the country. Stowers entered Saudi Arabia, collected her children, and fled to the American embassy for help.

At the US embassy, the counsel general, Karla Reed, told Stowers that the embassy was not a hotel. Reed ordered the Marine guards to throw the kids outside. So the Marines dumped the girl on the sidewalk. The mother and son followed.

By the next morning, Amjad was locked up in her father's house. Her mother and brother were hiding. In time, Stowers was jailed, and Rasheed was on the run. The US embassy let Stowers rot in jail, but a Saudi friend bailed her out.

Ultimately, Rasheed paid $20,000 to be smuggled out of the country. He made his way to New York City, and touched the World Trade Center. The same year, Amjad, aged 12, was married off to a Saudi. She escaped and went into hiding with her mother. They lived in an abandoned school.

Amjad's grandmother testified about the situation to Congress in 2002. A Congressional delegation went to Saudi Arabia to get Amjad and fourteen other kids. By that time, Amjad had been married off to another Saudi. She met with a Congressman and was able to get an exit visa.

Amjad tried to leave Saudi Arabia in February, 2003. The Saudis stopped her because she didn't have her husband's permission.

The State Department did nothing to get her out. They continue to do nothing, for Amjad or for others.

Margaret McClain married a Saudi man named Alomari. He abused her for two years. They had a daughter, Heidi, in the third year of their marriage. The abuse worsened, and McClain got a protective order against Alomari. He got unsupervised visitation in the divorce decree, despite being a bigamist.

Alomari allegedly sexually molested his daughter when she was three years old, but the cops couldn't make the case. He kidnapped Heidi and took her to Saudi Arabia. The State Department did nothing.

Through her own investigation, McClain learned where Alomari lived. The State Department dawdled for two years before it arranged for a consular officer to see Heidi in person.

Three years after that, McClain was able to see her daughter in Saudi Arabia. They visited together for three hours at McDonald's in Riyadh. That was in July, 2002.

Both a State of Arkansas and a Federal warrant are outstanding for Alomari's arrest. The State Department has dithered ever since.

Stowers and McClain evidently have testified before Congress.

Secretary of State Powell, formerly an honorable appearing man, and President Bush, a professed Christian, cannot claim ignorance of their cases. They know.

Powell is in charge of State. Bush is in charge of the executive branch. They know.

That they do nothing is shameful.

As Secretary of State, Powell has sullied his honor. He should have stayed a soldier.

As for President Bush?

I cannot understand how a Christian man idles as Christian children are raped.

I cannot understand how a Christian man idles as Christian children are forced to become Moslems.

I cannot understand how American evangelicals regard Bush as God's anointed. He idles as Christian children are defiled in body and soul.

A panderer, according to Webster's dictionary, is a person who provides the means of helping to satisfy the ignoble ambitions or desires, vices, etc. of another.

Inasmuch as President Bush commits the sin of omission, of doing nothing, while Saudis defile Christian children in body and soul, he is a panderer.

Jesus said: "Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein." Luke 18: 16-17.

Secretary Powell and President Bush have passports to enter the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

But, will they have permission to enter the kingdom of God?

? Copyright David Chananie, 2004. All rights reserved.

This is an intellectual product to use in the fight against terrorism mandated under the provisions of the Homeland Security legislation.

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Electronic redistribution and paper reproduction are allowed provided you don't change the file, or your suggested edits are approved by the author in writing. Approximately 1,000 words.

Dr. David Chananie is an expert on the Vietnam War. His latest book is Not Yet At Ease: Photographs of America's Continuing Engagement With the Vietnam War. Visit http://www.NotYetAtEase.com to learn more about this internationally award winning book and his other writings. He predicted an invasion of Iraq could devolve into a guerrilla war.