THE SITUATION IN THE SUDAN

I know this blog is supposed to be about the writing life, but real life is a lot more important. Right now, genocide is occurring in the Sudan. This isn't a new thing, except it seems more systematic right now than in the past, especially in the area of Dafur. It's important that the United States and the United Nations condemn the actions of the Sudanese government as genocide, and intervene as quickly as possible.

It was outrageous that the international community never intervened in the genocide that occurred in Rwanda. It would be doubly outrageous if the international community did not act swiftly at this juncture to stop the slaughter in the Sudan. For years, the United States government has allowed an interest in Sudan's oil to drive our foreign policy, helping to sustain and escalate the misery of hundreds of thousands of people in the region. Now we have an opportunity to pursue a different policy that can save lives.

What can you do? Well, for starters, this link to a diary of an aid worker in the Sudan also includes links about how you can help, and I'm sure we're all imaginative enough to do some googling and find out how to do more.

Jeff