Bush in Guatemala; CAFTA is working for 6 y/o Children

So as you probably know Bush is in South and Central America this week to promote "economic development."

Yesterday he was in Guatemala, where thanks to "economic development" (neo-liberalism, globalization, etc) child labor has reached epic proportions. According to the New York Times, "An independent study of the issue estimated that about a million Guatemalan children under age 18 are working. Another review by the United Nations found 16 percent of children between the ages of 5 and 14 in the labor force in 2000, more of them boys than girls."

Don't you worry, Guatemalans, because Mr. Bush speaks Spanish, trabajadores y campesinos, and he really cares about his "little brown brothers" (bonus points for the reference).

But the best part is that these children are growing vegetables for our children. Reportedly Legumex, Inc. a large global agricultural corporation, uses children as young as 13 to grow and package food that is sold in hospitals, schools and the military.

As Alma de los Ángeles Zambrano, who is 15, explained "They like us young people because we don’t say anything when they yell at us."