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Darfur. It's not an act of nature like a hurricane or an earthquake. It's evil done by humans. It can be stopped.
I heard an interview on NPR yesterday saying that grassroots calling campaigns have been and can continue to be effective in getting the US government to move toward strengthening the African Union and ultimately bringing an end to the genocide. I'm putting a message from Darfur Genocide.org behind the cut, in case any of you in the US would be interested in making a call or sending an email. I called one of my senators and my representative, and it was sadly interesting that their offices didn't seem to know what I was talking about at first--had to ask several people in each office and no one could even tell me the politican's position on the Act. They should know.
Message from Darfur Genocide.org:
Dear Person of Conscience,
Tragically, the last few weeks have brought more terror for Darfurians, with renewed attacks by government and Janjaweed forces on civilians and refugees. The peace talks continue to founder. The international community is letting the Sudanese government get away with murder by agreeing that Darfurians should continue to live under the same brutal regime that killed their families.
Despite this deterioration, the US Congress has been paying much less attention to Darfur. The Darfur Peace and Accountability Act, an uncontroversial piece of legislation that strengthens the African Union peacekeeping force, hasn't even been scheduled to be voted upon! In response, a number of Darfur activist groups have launched a National Calling Campaign at this key time as Congress returns to session.
If you could take just a minute today to contact your Senators and Congressman encouraging them to pass the Act without delay, it could make a huge difference.
To send an email to your elected representatives, click here:
http://act.darfurgenocide.org/dg/congress.cfm
Phone calls can have even more impact than written messages, so if you're feeling brave enough...The best way to call is to dial the Congressional switchboard and ask for your Senator or representative by name or zip code. The number is:
202-224-3121
In case it's helpful, below we've included a guide for what you might want to say when you call.
We apologize to all of you who live outside the US (including some of our team!). Though you obviously can't participate in this action directly, for the sake of solidarity we wanted everyone to know what was happening.
Thanks again for all you do for the people of Darfur.
With hope,
The DarfurGenocide.org Team.
WHAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO SAY WHEN YOU CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES:
Hi, my name is ___ and I'm calling from ___. I'd like to know if Congressman/woman/Senator ___ is a cosponsor of the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act to strengthen the African Union peacekeeping force [The Act is number H.R. 3127 in the House of Representatives and S. 1462 in the Senate].
If yes:
That's great. I would appreciate a written response on what he/she is doing to make sure that this bill gets a vote before Congress adjourns this year. This is just too important to leave undone. I also hope congress will give more attention to the Darfur peace talks, and make sure that, when peace finally comes, the people of Darfur don't have to live under the same terrifying government that did all this to them. And thank you for your time.
If no:
I would like to let the Congressman/woman/Senator know that I support the Act and hope it will be voted on soon. I also hope congress will give more attention to the Darfur peace talks, and make sure that, when peace finally comes, the people of Darfur don't have to live under the same terrifying government that did all this to them. I hope that the Senator/Congressperson feels the same way. If you could mail me a written response to these concerns I would appreciate it very much.
I heard an interview on NPR yesterday saying that grassroots calling campaigns have been and can continue to be effective in getting the US government to move toward strengthening the African Union and ultimately bringing an end to the genocide. I'm putting a message from Darfur Genocide.org behind the cut, in case any of you in the US would be interested in making a call or sending an email. I called one of my senators and my representative, and it was sadly interesting that their offices didn't seem to know what I was talking about at first--had to ask several people in each office and no one could even tell me the politican's position on the Act. They should know.
Message from Darfur Genocide.org:
Dear Person of Conscience,
Tragically, the last few weeks have brought more terror for Darfurians, with renewed attacks by government and Janjaweed forces on civilians and refugees. The peace talks continue to founder. The international community is letting the Sudanese government get away with murder by agreeing that Darfurians should continue to live under the same brutal regime that killed their families.
Despite this deterioration, the US Congress has been paying much less attention to Darfur. The Darfur Peace and Accountability Act, an uncontroversial piece of legislation that strengthens the African Union peacekeeping force, hasn't even been scheduled to be voted upon! In response, a number of Darfur activist groups have launched a National Calling Campaign at this key time as Congress returns to session.
If you could take just a minute today to contact your Senators and Congressman encouraging them to pass the Act without delay, it could make a huge difference.
To send an email to your elected representatives, click here:
http://act.darfurgenocide.org/dg/congress.cfm
Phone calls can have even more impact than written messages, so if you're feeling brave enough...The best way to call is to dial the Congressional switchboard and ask for your Senator or representative by name or zip code. The number is:
202-224-3121
In case it's helpful, below we've included a guide for what you might want to say when you call.
We apologize to all of you who live outside the US (including some of our team!). Though you obviously can't participate in this action directly, for the sake of solidarity we wanted everyone to know what was happening.
Thanks again for all you do for the people of Darfur.
With hope,
The DarfurGenocide.org Team.
WHAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO SAY WHEN YOU CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES:
Hi, my name is ___ and I'm calling from ___. I'd like to know if Congressman/woman/Senator ___ is a cosponsor of the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act to strengthen the African Union peacekeeping force [The Act is number H.R. 3127 in the House of Representatives and S. 1462 in the Senate].
If yes:
That's great. I would appreciate a written response on what he/she is doing to make sure that this bill gets a vote before Congress adjourns this year. This is just too important to leave undone. I also hope congress will give more attention to the Darfur peace talks, and make sure that, when peace finally comes, the people of Darfur don't have to live under the same terrifying government that did all this to them. And thank you for your time.
If no:
I would like to let the Congressman/woman/Senator know that I support the Act and hope it will be voted on soon. I also hope congress will give more attention to the Darfur peace talks, and make sure that, when peace finally comes, the people of Darfur don't have to live under the same terrifying government that did all this to them. I hope that the Senator/Congressperson feels the same way. If you could mail me a written response to these concerns I would appreciate it very much.
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