DO YOU WANT THE DARFUR GENOCIDE TO STOP?

Would you be willing to make a phone call ~ 1-800-GENOCIDE ~ to make a difference about stopping the Darfur genocide? Here is your opportunity......

Last Step for SADA: President Bush Must Sign Bill

Dear Anti-Genocide Activist,

Our office is abuzz this afternoon. Less than an hour ago, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act (SADA) with a vote of 411-0. While speaking on the floor of the House earlier today, Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) personally thanked the Genocide Intervention Network, STAND and advocates across the country for their dedication and commitment to SADA.

Now we need your help with the last step! Last Wednesday, the Senate passed SADA by unanimous consent. With the House's vote today, all we need is for President Bust to sign the bill.

President Bush now has 10 days to sign the bill into law. Call 1-800-GENOCIDE and ask President Bush to sign SADA.

During his first year in office, President Bust wrote the words "Not on my watch" in the margins of a memo on the genocide in Rwanda. Help President Bush to remember his promise.

Call President Bush and ask him to sign the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act.

Your support is critical in ensuring that American dollars are not enabling the genocidal government in Khartoum. Call today!

Thanks for all you do to end genocide.

-Sam, Allyson and the GI-Net team
genocide intervention

The Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act:

• protects state and local divestment
• prohibits federal government contracts with the companies listed
• authorizes state and local governments to prohibit contracts with the same companies

1-800-GENOCIDE

• Call 1-800-GENOCIDE
• Enter your zip code.
• Choose to be connected to President Bush.
• You will receive talking points on SADA before you are connected.
• Visit www.1800genocide.com after your call to tell us how it went.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (from Save Darfur Coalition )

December 18, 2007

DARFUR DIVESTMENT BILL PASSES HOUSE AND SENATE, MEASURE CLEARED FOR WHITE HOUSE ACTION

Statement: ‘Scrawling ‘not on my watch’ along the margins of this bill isn’t required, the president just needs to sign his name’

WASHINGTON – Following unanimous action last week in the U.S. Senate, the House of Representatives today overwhelmingly passed the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act, clearing the bill for White House action. The bill would authorize state and local governments to divest from companies that support the Khartoum government at the expense of marginalized populations in Sudan and prohibit federal contracts with those companies.

In a joint statement, Darfur activist groups – including the Save Darfur Coalition, Genocide Intervention Network, and American Jewish World Service– said the president has an opportunity to make a difference for the people of Darfur by signing this bill.

"The House of Representatives wasted no time in passing this key bipartisan measure and Darfur activists applaud their swift action,” the groups said in a joint statement. “Representatives Frank, Lee and Bachus all played key roles in ensuring this legislation was tough, thorough, and was singularly focused on helping the people of Darfur. The measure is now ready for White House action and Darfur activists across the country expect nothing less than for President Bush to swiftly sign and implement this legislation. Scrawling ‘not on my watch’ along the margins of this bill isn’t required, the president just needs to sign his name.”

In 2001, President Bush wrote "not on my watch" in the margins of a memo detailing the Rwandan genocide. With a little over a year left in office President Bush has an opportunity to protect civilians in Darfur and help ensure lasting peace for Sudan. Signing the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act is the first step towards fulfilling the promise he made early in his presidency.

President Bush described the ongoing crisis in Darfur as “genocide” more than three years ago and identified the Government of Sudan and its allied militia as responsible. Since then, diplomatic efforts by the United States and the international community have failed to leverage sufficient pressure on the Government of Sudan to end the violence. In the meantime, as many as 400,000 Darfurians have been killed and more than two million displaced.

A U.N. peacekeeping mission authorized by the Security Council in July has yet to deploy in large part because the Government of Sudan has refused to allow non-African peacekeepers into Darfur, landing rights for U.N. transport and unfettered communications between peacekeepers. In addition, the Government of Sudan continues to bomb villages and to relocate its supporters onto land vacated by the displaced.

Since 2005, 22 states and over 50 universities have adopted Sudan divestment policies. The movement has rapidly spread through Europe: in July the European Parliament unanimously adopted a resolution calling on European Union members to support targeted Sudan divestment efforts. Seven major foreign companies - CHC Helicopter, ABB, Siemens, Rolls Royce, ICSA of India, Schlumberger and La Mancha Resources - have ceased problematic operations in Sudan or significantly changed their behavior in the country since the proliferation of the Sudan divestment movement.

The broad and diverse coalition that supported and played a critical role in the passage of Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act also includes the American Jewish Committee, the Armenian National Committee of America, the Armenian Assembly of America, B'nai B'rith International, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, the National Council of Churches, the ENOUGH Project, STAND, the National Council of Jewish Women, the Religious Action Center, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, and dozens of state and local faith-based and community organizations.

Thank you.

Sandra Hammel

Portsmouth ~ Rhode Island ~ USA

Above pictures of the New York City Torch Relay are provided by Gerry and Melissa or Fall River, Masschusetts, who were Torch Carriers at our Providence, Rhode Island Torch Relay.

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