QUESTION PRESIDENTIAL AND VP CANDIDATES ABOUT DARFUR PLANS

This is the letter I sent to Jim Lehrer (and a modified letter also went to Gwen Ifill)

Jim Lehrer
MacNeil/Lehrer Productions
2700 South Quincy Street
Arlington, VA 22206

Dear Mr. Lehrer,

My name is Sandra Hammel and although I was raised in Indiana, my entire adult life I have lived in Massachusetts and Rhode Island as a public school music teacher. I am __ years old and for the first time in my life have volunteered for a Presidential campaign because I am so worried about the direction of our country. Since retiring a few years ago I have been a community leader and lobbied with other concerned individuals of all ages about ending genocide of Darfuris with our U.S. Senators, Representatives and the President.

I haven’t always been aware of the history of genocide. Not until the ten year anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, when I caught the PBS Frontline airing of Ghosts of Rwanda did I know much of what happened in 1994 in Rwanda. Stunned by my ignorance and the horror of the reality, I educated myself further. Frontline was merely a springboard to my becoming a part of activism and engaged in our “We the People” government. I did not want to be defined by complicity. And I believe neither should we allow our representative government to be in the case of the Darfuris and the government-supported genocide that is in its sixth year.

In July, I did a study on Darfur and media coverage in my state and it was published in my local newspaper as a Letter to the Editor. With overwhelmingly higher media mention of any one of Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie or Britney Spears than Darfur, I made my personal effort to sound an alarm of underreporting important stories, especially the genocide of the Darfuri families.

Mr. Lehrer, I would like to thank you for mentioning Darfur to the extent that you do on PBS. It is noticed by the citizen activists. We sincerely appreciate your efforts and your fair and balanced reporting.

As the moderator of the up-coming Presidential debate, I ask you to consider asking the candidates to express their views about genocide and why it is important for a country that is the leader of the world to support the human right of the Darfuri families to live out their natural lives. Historically after a genocide has played itself out, our national leaders say the words “never again”. But those words do nothing more than assuage our guilt after it is safe that we will have to do nothing more than speak these words of a future promise. It is so depressing that we have broken that promise with Darfur. I urge you to ask Senators Obama and McCain to speak of their future administration’s specific plans to stop the five and a half year genocide of the Darfuris. It is important that the USA supports the ICC in their indictment of al-Bashir because no accountability is license to continue the genocide strategy. I urge you to consider asking the candidates why they would or wouldn’t strongly support the ICC. Please, include this subject in this important election debate.

I feel that this issue needs to be included in the debate because the USA stands for justice and genocide is not justice. And complicity makes the USA a tool of Bashir’s army. Genocide can only be successful if we remain silent and maintain empty rhetoric of concern.

I apologize if I sound preachy. It is not personal toward you, but out of my passionate plea to state the case for the Darfuri families who have no voice in the debate. Better to speak up than to be still about genocide. My freedom to speak with my voice is all that I have.

Thank you for your time and interest in the USA citizens who believe that we are defined by what we do or do not do about the Darfur crisis. Your consideration is appreciated. We will watch with interest.

Sincerely,

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www.savedarfur.org

www.darfurolympics.org

GENOCIDE STOPS WITH US

Remember the Darfuri people

Silence Kills

Use Your Freedom to Speak Out Against Genocide

1-800-GENOCIDE

ACTION: Tell Presidential Candidates to Support ICC

On September 10th the government of Sudan launched new attacks on ZamZam Camp for internally displaced persons. Many of those who were injured and killed were already forced to flee their homes one, two or three times. This attack comes a week after an attack on Kalma Camp by government troops. This violence is unacceptable. Our leadership has not done enough to end this violence. We need to build the political will to move our leaders to action.

When we speak to refugees in the camps, they tell us that peace will not come before justice.

The candidates have spoken out on Darfur, but they have yet to stand behind the ICC case against Sudan’s Presidnet al-Bashir. This case will begin the process of justice and reconciliation for Darfuris who have suffered, and continue to suffer every day. The Kalma Massacre, recent attcks on ZamZam Camp, and al-Bashir’s threats against humanitarian aid workers are war crimes. We cannot allow his threats and military action in Darfur to continue as we stand by. Violence has led to yet another NGO pull out leaving 1/2 million people without aid and another attack on World Food Program envoy may push them to also pull out, leaving millions without assistance. The next President must be prepared to uphold justice and bring peace to the region today not tomorrow. The first step is for both Obama and McCain to support the ICC case.

Send Presidential candidates McCain and Obama messages asking them to support ICC case by CLICKING HERE

Source: www.stopgenocidenow.org