What If They Threw a Genocide And Nobody Came?

The humanitarian catastrophe in Darfur, Sudan, continues to get worse and worse and worse, and nobody seems to give a damn. Sadly, it’s quite possible you don’t even know what the hell I’m talking about, for while the media loads up on Michael Jackson and Paris Hilton, they have, with a few notable exceptions, basically ignored this genocide raging in the Sudan, affecting more than two million people.

“Not since the Rwanda genocide of 1994 has the world seen such a calculated campaign of slaughter, rape, starvation and displacement.”

Former President Clinton is on record as stating that the greatest regret of his time in office was his failure to stop the genocide in Rwanda. Yet here we are again, a decade later, repeating that tragic mistake, quite unforgivably, even as we purport to bring freedom and democracy to the world like some superpower Santa Claus. And compared to what’s going on in Darfur these days, Iraq under Saddam Hussein may as well have been a trip to Disneyland.

“During past genocides against Armenians, Jews, and Cambodians, it was possible to claim that we didn't fully know what was going on. This time, President Bush, Congress and the European Parliament have already declared genocide to be under way. And we have photos. This time, we have no excuse.”

Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times has been one of the lonely few following this story for some time, trying his damnedest to put the issue on the radar. Yet the silence from the US, the UN, and the EU has been deafening, even as ten thousand more people die horrific deaths every month.

Above, a drawing by a young child
in response to the prompt,
"Draw a picture of what your life in Darfur is like."

The President likes to swagger around and talk about battling evil. He claims to see things in black and white. Where the hell are you, Dubya? Certainly it’s not fair to lay all the blame at his feet, but his bully pulpit does loom the largest. Where is the leadership in Congress? Calling Mr. Obama…Step up to the plate, Europe. Earth to Kofi….

Where are our churches and religious leaders? I’m talking to you, Billy Graham, Jerry Falwell, James Dobson. Surely we can put aside our significant differences on other issues to work on something of this magnitude. Isn't this a moral issue on which we can all agree?

Where the heck is MoveOn.org?

When the tsunami hit, Americans of all stripes saw the horrors, opened their wallets, and gave freely. I believe we all want to do the right thing, however much we may disagree with each other about tax cuts for the rich or Social Security privatization. We have a responsibility to do something here, to step up to the plate. This catastrophe could be halted in short order with a minimum of resources.

So stand up. Get angry. We can make a difference. All we need to do is get this issue on the radar, and the shame at our complacency will take over. Write a letter to your newspaper. Contact your congressman or Senator.

Click here, here, or here for more info.

No MP3s today.


N/P Jackson C. Frank – Blues Run the Game