Hunger Strike Day #45 and Holding - 700 calories / day so that I have the energy for a special round-the-clock project to marshal attendance for THE ALL IMPORTANT SEPT 9TH White House/AfricaAction.org and SEPT 17th SaveDarfur.org NYC. !!See now also: California, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Nevada, Oregon, Washington!!
Harvard’s Samantha Power’s Pulitzer Prize winning Genocide study of the last 100 years presents a clear conclusion: “the battle to stop genocide has thus been repeatedly lost… [because] Americans outside the executive branch were largely mute….” From "Problem from Hell."
I pray to God that we email, blog, write articles and DEVOUR THE NEWS for more than just its ENTERTAINMENT VALUE. Well, its crunch time now, FOR US.
Maybe not with the greatest skill or diplomacy in the world, but Bush and Bolton have gotten us up to bat - they are bringing the situation to a head at the UN. Per a number of really, really sobering articles recently, WE, THE US ARE IN A MUCH WEAKER POSITION THAN I HAD REALIZED (NY Times, Washington Institute for Near East Policy). Bases loaded, final inning, DARFUR IS BEHIND.
So, what are we the people, and what are we the US going to do? BUSH CANNOT DO THIS WITHOUT OUR HELP - MASSIVE HELP. With it, he and we cannot fail.
1. Failure is not an option. We must do whatever it takes - we the people - to get the Peace Keeping troops on the ground. NOW. If we lose this round in the UN: Bashir is FURTHER EMPOWERED, WE are FURTHER WEAKENED, 10,000s more in DARFUR are tortured and die BEFORE WE CAN SAY, "we shuda...." (Are we all emulating SAVE DARFUR MASS. in some way? Thanks http://www.savedarfurma.org/).
2. THE 9TH AND 17TH MUST BE EVEN HUGER. Such a mandate that the other countries of the world QUAKE and realize that BUSH MUST ACT; THAT WE HAVE GIVEN HIM NO CHOICE.
3. IF CHINA OBSTRUCTS? What do we do? DON'T WE PROTEST SEVERELY AT THE CHINESE EMBASSY, presuming that they obstruct in the Security Council? Or SEVERE DEMONSTRATIONS at whatever Embassy obstructs?
4. CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE ON SEPTEMBER 17th?!?!?! IS ANYONE CONTEMPLATING THIS? YOU WOULD IF IT WERE YOUR IMMEDIATE FAMILY IN THE CAMPS.
Contact me if you need to plan and discuss this.
Jay McGinley
84 356 6243
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2 comments:
[email received by me tonight]
Jay,
Thank you for the inspiring e-mail and the loud call to action during September. I look forward to seeing you out there. And thank you for the wealth of information and articles included in the email.
One note: You mentioned civil disobedience. I was just considering whether or not our objectives for the rally would be better advanced by this tactic. As you said Bush needs our help. We in Fort Wayne feel that above all the rally is intended to lay out our demands for action to be taken in Darfur AND to let Bush know that when he does take AGGRESSIVE action, he will have our support. I think that perhaps civil disobedience may be a counter-intuitive measure in this instance.
[MY RESPONSE}
Dear Comrade,
How wonderful to hear from you. I believe I understand your concern. Is it that Civil Disobedience is generally considered PROTEST?
As you may know I have been in front of the White House or similar institutions in Washington on Vigil since May 14th, pretty much round the clock. Many times a day I am asked, "what are you PROTESTING?" I explain that I am "DEMONSTRATING" to SUPPORT and ENCOURAGE the president, and my fellow countrymen to higher levels of action! My point? That I believe that you and I see that SUPPORT and ENCOURAGEMENT is what the President needs. But the world community, our fellow countrymen, China, al BASHIR need to be our focus TOO!
CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE, and/or HUNGER STRIKE are ESSENTIAL at this point:
* THEY ARE THE LOUDEST WE CAN SHOUT OUR SUPPORT FOR TROOPS ON THE GROUND. Why are they loud? Because like any loud, widely heard ADVERTISING... THEY COST A LOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
* Yes, but what about Civil Disobedience? WE MUST PROTEST WORLD INACTION / U.N. INACTION / WE-THE-PEOPLE INACTION / CHINA OBSTRUCTION / BASHIR OBSTRUCTION!!! And unfortunately, THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE. If we do NOT use Civil Disobedience, but use ONLY less "costly" means (meetings, concerts, rallies, 4 hr demonstrations), THAT is the message - that Darfur requires ONLY CHEAP SOLUTIONS.
* SOME OF US MUST INSPIRE / ENCOURAGE / PROVIDE EXAMPLE to our brothers and sisters so that they "see," and step up in HUGE NUMBERS, MORE FORCEFULLY THAN OTHERWISE THEY WOULD. This has always been the way, no? Civil Rights, Sufrage, stopping the Vietnam War....
Please tell me if I understood your thoughts, and your reaction to the above. I grow through such thoughtful people as you.
Your Brother,
Jay
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