SEE ALSO: STAND WITH DARFUR I and also, RESCUE RESTORE DARFUR

President Eisenhower: "...Planning is Everything!"

"PLANS ARE WORTHLESS, but PLANNING is EVERYTHING!"

Why? Because planning creates Vision and Vision creates Courage and Action.

ACTION is what will Save Darfur, and we LACK ACTION because we LACK VISION. And we lack VISION because we have PROTECTED OURSELVES from the most aggressive PLANNING EXERCISES. This is my best working theory.

To be more specific, I don't think we have tuned ourselves up seriously regarding IMMAGINING WHAT COULD BE POSSIBLE TO ACHIEVE. Wouldn't it be valuable to be really sharp on this??!?!?

I think I would give my life, quite literally, if I could get movement leaders to fully exercise themselves on this. I think it is what is missing. I might be wrong, of course.

#1. Here is one exercise I am going through. Purpose? To be sharp as possible on KNOWING WHAT KEY INFLUENCERS COULD DO IF THEY WERE MOTIVATED. ALSO, HOW RADICAL COULD/WOULD DIFFERENT PARTIES GET? WHAT COULD THEY DO IF I/WE COULD MOTIVATE THEM? "IF IT WERE..."
* If it were Bush’s Family he would…
* If it were Americans in Africa Bush would...
* If it were My Family I would…
* If it were OUR (WE THE PEOPLE) American Family in Africa WE would…
* If it were Americans in Africa Congress’s would…
* If it were the average American’s/Frenchman’s/ German’s/Englishman’s Family he would…
* If it were the Pope’s Major issue he would…
* If it were a Major Interest of China / Russia they would…
* If it were a major interest of the Arab League they would…
* If it were...
* If it were...
In my experience, it is pretty taxing to do this type of exercise effectively. It is VERY HEAVY LIFTING for the IMMAGINAION and HEART. VERY TAXING. That is one of the reasons folks rarely do it. But WOW, it could begin to unlock some miracles.

#2. The second exercise I intend to start is HOW COULD I/WE GET THEM TO THIS LEVEL OF INVOLVEMENT/RADICALISM?!?!!?!?!?

PLEASE contact me if you would be open to brainstorming/dialoging on this, that we can help each others Vision-of-what's-possible expand. What kind of miracle could be worked?

IF WE ARE GOING TO SAVE DARFUR, WE MUST BE WILLING TO FAIL, BUT UNWILLING NOT TO TRY AS THOUGH OUR LIVES DEPENDED ON IT.

Day #47, June 29: TIME & QUANTITY determine HEAVEN vs HELL

At the White House, etc.

[Note: I'm not feeling up to the task of communicating the following WELL. But here is my best shot, for now.]

Is there a dreadful void in Washington and among WE THE PEOPLE when it comes to "do unto others ALL that you would have them do unto you...?" Here's what I'm horrified that I think I am seeing. Let me try to frame it for you:


ENVIRONMENT A: Wow! In our private lives, wouldn't it be wonderful if we could eliminate QUANTITY and TIME at our will?!?!? Some examples:
* Tell our bank, "I'll pay some of my mortgage, sometime!"
* Tell our boss, "I'll do something for you, sometime, for $120,000 per year!"
* Tell our spouse, "I'll do some of the laundry, someday (maybe)!"

ENVIRONMENT B: HOWEVER, in our private lives, wouldn't it be ABSOLUTE HELL if OTHERS could eliminate QUANTITY and TIME at THEIR will?!?!?!?!!?
* POLICE: "Hmm, ok, your family is being attacked by thugs. We may send some officers, sometime."
* Dr: "Yes, your child is dying. I'll maybe take a look at her, maybe sometime(unspecified)."
* Boss: "If you can guess what I want done and to it fast enough(unspecified) and cheap enough(unspecified), maybe you'll keep your job, and maybe I'll pay you."
* Bank: "If you pay me enough(unspecified), fast enough(unspecified), maybe we will not foreclose."
Wouldn't this be the worst kind of hell?

ISN'T ENVIRONMENT "B" WHAT WE ACTIVISTS, WHAT WE IN THE US ARE BEING/PROVIDING TO DARFUR? No, we cannot CONTROL the US Gov, or UN, or AU, or Nato, or EU. BUT WE CAN CONTROL OURSELVES.

WE could choose to STAND for NOTHING LESS THAN THE:
* SPECIFICITY,
* TIMELINESS,
* ADEQUACY,
* HONESTY AND
* THOROUGHNESS...
OF PLANS AND ACTIONS than WHAT WE WOULD ACCEPT AS PLANS AND ACTIONS FOR OUR BIOLOGICAL FAMILIES.

WE COULD CHOOSE TO HOLD OURSELVES TO NOTHING LESS THAN THE STANDARD:

"WHAT DO I HAVE TO PAY/CONTRIBUTE/DO "DR." SO THAT YOU WILL OPERATE ON MY "CHILD" IN TIME TO SAVE HER?... TELL ME WHAT THE BILL IS, AND I'LL MOVE HEAVEN AND EARTH, NOW, TO PAY IT."

WHAT DO WE HAVE TO PROVIDE TO THE PRESIDENT, CONGRESS, EU, AU, NATO... SO THAT IT IS EASY FOR THEM TO MOVE AHEAD AND RESCUE AND RESTORE DARFUR, NOW!!!

And then to put our lives (careers, time, futures, whatever...) on the line to do it. No? Isn't this really the war we want to be in, and wage? DON'T WE WANT TO FIGHT TO WIN?

Day #46, June 28: SHIFTING DAYS from WHITE HOUSE to SAVE DARFUR COALITION

MOVING TO VOLUNTEER AT SAVE DARFUR COALITION and/or GENOCIDE INTERVENTION FUND/STAND (until asked to leave). Evenings, nights and weekends will remain at the White House on Vigil, I expect.

What I saw Monday at the meeting of Darfur Activists at Georgetown gives me hope like I've never had before for our Family in Darfur. If we are going to Rescue and Restore Darfur it will be through a Heroic, Inspired, Miraculous expansion/leveraging/execution around the core of what was laid out / fleshed out by the Coalition on Monday.

I consider this a continuation of the Vigil, and the Blog will continue. I remain homeless and penniless because that is what it took so I could afford to be in DC. If any of these organizations are willing to take advantage of my skills (A LIFETIME DEDICATED TO HYPER-FAST SITUATION DEVELOPMENT IN BUSINESS) then they will have use of me as a full time volunteer.

If they don't want this, I expect to return to the White House and to ratchet up whatever encouragment I have been supplying to our efforts by going on HUNGER STRIKE UNTIL THE TROOPS ARE ON THE WAY.

Day #45, June 27: THERE IS NO OCTOBER FOR DARFUR

Genocide is won or lost on the Calendar. Whoever controls the calendar wins. Genocide is a war of time.

AL-BASHIRE HAS WON. LET'S FACE IT. Please. While we still have a few days left to turn it around.

AND, given the extraordinary group of Save Darfur Coalition advocates gathered at Georgetown this past Monday, we have no excuse except lack of will, vision, courage and imagaination IF WE DO NOT TURN IT AROUND, NOW.

IMPERATIVE IN ORDER TO STOP THE GENOCIDE:
a. ACT AS THOUGH THE SITUATION WERE REVERSED (like it was OUR loved ones being butchered and tormented), WE WITHIN THE DC NONPROFIT, US Activist Community, and Faith Groups, to RESCUE & RESTORE DARFUR NOW because therein lies our only hope (http://standwithdarfurwhitehouseii.blogspot.com/2006/06/day-35-june-17-what-if-situation-were.html);
b. TOTAL SURRENDER to the calendar. THERE IS NO OCTOBER FOR DARFUR. THIS MUST BE WHAT WE LIVE AND DIE BY, because Darfurians WILL live and die by this. WE MUST WIN TROOPS ON THE GROUND BY SEPTEMBER. Why? You pick a better date for us, and them, to live and die by.
c. "NEVER AGAIN" means NOTHING until it means ME. Some of us must become "soldiers" in ABSOLUTELY EVERY sense of commitment that this word means, or Al-Bashir's win is final.

SITUATION:

1. WE ARE OUT OF TIME:
a. 2,000-8,000 per week are dying BEFORE the Cholera outbreak. Three 9/11's per month.
b. THINGS HAVE GOTTEN WORSE SINCE APRIL 30. Momentum is dying fast.
c. This is precisely the pattern of other genocidal regimes, Lie-Delay-Lie-Delay... then the REAL SLAUGHTER BEGINS (S. Power, "Problem from Hell.")
d. Every day of delay REDUCES THE LIKELIHOOD OF RESCUE.
e. Every day of delay PLAYS IN THE FAVOR OF AL-BASHIR, and against Darfur.

2. THE SAVE DARFUR COALITION GROUP JUST ASSEMBLED HERE IN DC CAN STOP THIS GENOCIDE (or no one can):
a. They have the intelligence, connections, training, worth, status... TO BE THE NECESSARY CATALYST. (Thank God they have brought us this far!)
b. In the scheme of US/World Resources, not that much is required to stop this genocide.

3. THIS IS GENOCIDE but so few of us are yet PUTTING OUR LIVES (careers, comfort, families, leisure, prestige, health...) ON THE LINE FOR for these folks. WHAT IS WRONG WITH US?!?!!? [If already you are "on the line", obviously a "soldier", thank God for your courage, compassion and commitment!]
a. THIS IS THE MESSAGE THE PUBLIC GETS WHEN IN THE FACE OF GENOCIDE WE LIVE "NORMAL LIVES" (we who are currently "involved") - PEOPLE IN DARFUR ARE NOT WORTH PUTTING OUR LIVES ON THE LINE FOR.
b. RESCUE NEVER HAPPENS UNLESS SOME FOLKS "GET THEIR HEADS KICKED IN" [Dr. King]. This is universally true in social movements, business, career.... THE PRICE MUST BE PAID BY ENOUGH COMMITTED CHAMPIONS.

Let's WIN THIS WAR, BEFORE OCTOBER. Or, let's have the decency and honesty to admit that we've already given in.

Day #38, June 20: Cholera. Darfurians are out of time.

Time is up. Some of us are going to have to try to throw a "Hail Mary" pass. What might that be?

Thank God for some wonderful brothers and sisters today. Let's Rescue and Restore our family. Now.

Day #37, June 19: Slipping off the radar screen

Almost certainly Darfur is slipping off of the radar screen of the folks coming to the White House. April 30th was a peak. Fewer people are drawn to the posters on Darfur. On more and more people it makes no impression at all. Maybe this is just random. I hope so.

Thank goodness for these folks:

Day #36, June 18: Some amazing people

Some truly astonishing young souls stop by here from time to time. Virtually all the folks that stop by are wonderful, and may help save our Darfur family.

Last night a young white woman from the US that knows 5 times more important information about Africa than I know about the US. She is passionately committed in her life to making life better there for her sisters.

Today a young woman stopped by, 18!, that is stunning in her knowledge and convictions on a whole host of issues. She spent the day lobying her representatives. She would have been VERY effective, for someone of ANY age.

These are people that STAND FOR HUMANITY. WE MUST STAND FOR THE LEAST OF THESE.

Day #35, June 17: WHAT IF THE SITUATION WERE REVERSED?

WOULD YOU WANT FOLKS TO PUT THEIR LIVES, FAMILIES, CAREERS, FUTURES ON THE LINE FOR YOUR FAMILY?

YOU AND YOURS ARE WORTH IT, NO? How about them and theirs?

Whatever you would have them do unto you, NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME.

And, if you are already doing it, THANK YOU, and please ignore my stridency.

NOTE: Cartoon can be purchased at New York Times. Cartoon has been on passionofthepresent.org since November 2004.

Day #34, June 16: Back at Our House

It was great to see immediate family. It is great to be back here in the fight.

Day #32, June 14th (R&R off site): What would I have us do?

A dear friend asked me that today. Jay, "What would you have us do?"

Simple. This is what I would have us do:

#1. Think of the 3 people that you most love in the world.
#2. Get in touch, right here in your mind, with how dearly you love them.
#3. Imagine (please do it now) that irrevocably, their fate had been exactly tied to those in the Camps in Darfur/Chad where they are living torturous lives, dying at 2,000 per week.
#4. Imagine (right now please) that you know that THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN SAVE THEM IS TO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE, TO BRING ABOUT THE SAVING OF DARFUR.
#5. NOW, what would YOU do? What would you have ME do?

Well, if you executed the above in your mind, YOU JUST ELIMINATED THE DOUBLE STANDARD WE LIVE BY. You have crossed over, in your mind at least, for a moment, to - DO UNTO OTHERS ALL THAT YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU. (My Mom was clear with we kids from the time we were quite little - "I do not believe in God. What I believe in is, 'Do unto others ALL that you would have them do unto you.")

What would I have you do? NO MORE DOUBLE STANDARD. "Do unto others ALL that you would have them do unto you." Try to work a miracle to Rescue and Restore Darfur." For Darfur. For the Joy of it. For your loved ones.

Note: I expect to be back on site for as many months as I can hold out, Friday.

Day #31, June 13: Much Compassion here today

NOTE: Will be visiting family in PA Wed-Fri. Back on station Friday.

Some days the park here is filled with compassionate people. Today was one of those days. Including some angels, 2 of whom funded a whole month of computer/wireless communications functionality for this mission here at the White House. A great blessing in deed. Come on folks, let's STOP this Genocide with OUR Action, NOW:

Day #30, June 12: "Somthin's Hapnin Here

What it is aint exactly clear...."

NOTE: Will be gone Wed - Fri to see immediate family in PA, and to bathe and launder. :-)

Stopping Genocide? Probably not. Hurting the cause? PROBABLY NOT. Helping a tiny bit? Probably so.

A staffer for Hillery stopped by the other night. "Oh, Darfur is my major issue!" This is BEFORE I learned he was a staffer (no reason for him to lie). Is he more pumped up / encouraged now? Yup.

But what I refer to in the title above has to do with Standing With a totally disenfrachised population as I am. Probably 1 out of 100 people, IT TOUCHES. It changes them. Ever so slightly, but it changes them. This is a good thing. It encourages that place in their heart that could contemplate STANDING WITH those in need. This is very important. I can't think of anything more important that I can be doing.

"As you do unto the least of these my family, you do unto me." If what I am doing IS hopeful, this is why. I really feel like I am where I belong right now, doing what I need to be doing.

I am sure that STANDING WITH, as opposed to JUST earning, and working to a salary (9-5) in one of the DC NGO's and SITTING FOR Darfur, is infinitely more hopeful. YES, the NGOs have made contributions. But ultimately, they are NOT proportional response, proportional force, appropriate response, in my view. TOO COMFORTABLE. TOO LEFT BRAIN. TOO LITTLE HUMANITY UNLEASHED. I wish what they were doing was / could be enough. It cannot.

MERCINARY ARMIES RARELY WIN. I think this is the essence of my concern.

I pray that they wake up, and find their humanity and courage before it is too late.

THERE IS HOPE! See here:

Day #24-28; June 6-10: Catch up!

Hmmm. I feel that the Day #23 entry on standwithdarfur is a pretty effective view of the situation in Darfur from the perspective of we in the US, and WHAT WE NEED TO DO. Hence, I’ve not wanted it to lose the top spot on the page.

For a while, I’ll preserve top billing of that entry, and use this supplementary blog for updates.

I’ve been on station pretty much every day 20 hours per day.

There have been some extraordinarily heartwarming and hopeful conversations with people from all over the world.

I do NOT have the sense that I am making a significant difference here. I DO have the sense that I am making a definite difference here to the tune of about 5-20 hearts per day from around the world. Like the angelic young woman, 8th grader moved to honest, innocent tears for her Darfur family upon learning of the situation this morning. There is hope. Like the 2nd chance high school guys from Montana that at the end of our deep and honest discussion of Darfur said, “We meet with our congressman tomorrow and we’ll talk about Darfur!” Like the treo from Florida that showed me the announcement for the Darfur Benefit they are hosting! The same folks are meeting with their congress person and will discuss Darfur with them as well!

People from various NGO’s, the State Department, etc. come thru the park, see Darfur, talk, and it certainly increases visibility on their radar screen.

It continues to be the case that not yet has there been a moment that there is anywhere else on the planet that I would rather be. It has to do with Standing With the least of these as powerfully as I am able. I feel that in some small way I am standing with the Good, with Compassion, for Kindness and Restoration. I never want to feel any other way.

Finally, often I find myself mentioning to folks that the killingly scarce resource for Darfur, is the same scarcity causing the rest of the world’s ills – humanity; our humanity is all but atrophied and gone. But not quite. In the almost 4 weeks that I’ve been here I’ve connected with more promising spirits of great and growing humanity than in any year I can think of (excepting my CI family). This is important. We have had wonderful, energizing, affirming, expanding, strengthening conversations. In a small way, my being here is helping to expand the pool of available humanity, including my own. This is the only hope.

Some of the wonderful, hopeful humanity wanting the Genocide in Darfur to stop NOW.