CHILDREN AND ADULTS GOING HOMELESS, HUNGRY, LACKING MEDICAL SERVICES ~ ACCEPTABLE BY MANY ~ NOT BY ME

REGARDING: CHILDREN AND ADULTS GOING HOMELESS, HUNGRY, LACKING MEDICAL SERVICES

US politics Washington D.C. ~ Republicans, Abortion, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray

ANY ONE FINDING THIS ACCEPTABLE, MAY ONE DAY FIND THEMSELVES IN THE POSITION OF NEEDING PEOPLE LIKE ME ONE DAY.

THEN, THEY MAY CHANGE THEIR TUNE. BUT, PROBABLY NOT, IF AND, UNTIL THEN.

"LET THEM STARVE ON THEIR PRINCIPLES" ~ a comment made in support of the Republican budget cuts. Those who leave comments that are put-downs at online threads, even if they are the only one stated their side of the viewpoint, get others to take the bait and answer his or her comments. On the threads, probably it would be best to ignore what they say if they are the only one or two making such statements. Not be silent, but use your voice somewhere else. Changing the mind or hearts of those who don't see it worthy to feed the children and avoid starvation probably are not where to put energy to make a change.


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Uploaded by karinmoveon

Text at youtube with the video:
So far, over 30,000 people are participating in a rolling fast to protest the immoral budget cuts Republicans are pushing in Washington. With some help from Grammy-nominated recording artist Moby, MoveOn.org Political Action (moveon.org) has put together a short, powerful video about this fast. Please check it out and then help spread the message by passing it on.

The effort comes as the President and Republicans in Congress agreed to a budget that could severely impact the lives of the poor. Republicans are preparing even steeper cuts in their upcoming 2012 budget, including a proposal that would hand Medicare over to the insurance companies. The Republican 2012 budget is expected to come up for a vote in the House by the end of this week.

The fast was first launched by Reverend Jim Wallis of the Sojournors (www.sojo.net), and Ambassador Tony Hall. As word spread, more than 30,000 Americans joined the fast, as well as 28 members of Congress.

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The Daily Show - Countdown to the Next Countdown - Jon Kyl's Planned Parenthood Statistics
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

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The Colbert Report
Tags: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

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Stewart and Colbert on US Arizona Senator John Kyl

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The District of Columbia plantation

Source/Read the full article: Washington D.C. Republicans and abortion

Our British friends may not know just what a sad little oddity the District of Columbia, our nation's capital, is in legal terms. As a federally chartered city that isn't part of any state, it's sui generis. It was run entirely by Congress until home rule was granted in 1973, and the fact that this mostly black city was ruled by a committee that was often in the hands of devoted segregationists (Democrats, back then) sure didn't help matters.

Now, that minatory impulse has shifted to the GOP, so every time the Republicans get hold of a house of Congress, they make sure to do something to mess with DC, just to let people know who's in charge.

As part of last Friday's budget deal, you may have read, while the "riders" on Planned Parenthood and National Public Radio and others were left out, one was included: Washington DC can no longer use its own locally raised tax revenues to fund abortion services for poor women.

Right now, 17 states have laws that allow for their own revenues (not federal revenues spent in state) to pay for abortion services. Another 32 states prohibit the use of state funds except in circumstances where the use of federal funding is permissible (life of mother, rape, incest). South Dakota allows for no state funding at all, not even for these long-agreed-upon exceptions.

Congress would never dream in a million years of trying to pass a law saying one of those 17 states couldn't do what they do. It would be blatantly unconstitutional and any court would throw it out. But they can tinker with DC all they want because the constitutional question is far less clear because of DC's odd status. The local funding had been blocked by the previous GOP majority, then won back when the D's took over, and now it's back.

Read the full article: Washington D.C. Republicans and abortion

LETTER #5 TO PRESIDENT OBAMA - WILL HE BE DIFFERENT REGARDING DARFUR?

Letter #5 to President Obama
regarding his inaction about Darfur and Sudan

Sent via http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

When are you going to take the lead and do something about the Darfur crisis? We are counting on your word to actually take seriously the crisis. Are we wrong to count on your word?

We have been waiting for you to put humanity before politics. The people of Darfur have a far greater crisis than the most recent flu news frenzied reporting here in the USA. Your inaction is not only defining you and proving your lack of seriousness about the Darfuri situation, but it is defining me as a citizen of the USA. Don’t choose a stagnant approach to Darfur and Sudan. Be the leader we believed you would be. We who have worked for years in the grassroots network to prevent and stop genocide are losing faith in your good will and your words about Darfur.

We were among your strongest supporters during the campaign. We didn’t join your band of supporters because we were swept up with the crowds, but because we believed you were a man of your word and would do what it takes to respond in a timely manner regarding inhumanity of such a dire story.

"A big lie."

That's what Sudan's ambassador to the United Nations calls a U.N. report that there are "over one million people at life-threatening risk" due to the government of Sudan's decision to expel aid groups.

With a million Darfuris without food and water since March 4, 2009 and many at the mercy of diseases spreading through the huge IDP populations, time is running out not only for the unarmed civilian Darfuri refugees, but time is running out for our respect of you on this important issue.

Genocide by starvation, diseases and other "passive" means have been done before. It was done on the North American continent to the indigenous people:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/weshallremain/

Now it is being done to the Darfuris.

When are you thinking it would be beneficial to actually act for those living without water and food for two months? When they are dead it will only matter in history texts because when you could have done something to save them, you were too busy to act. Surely, not too uncaring.

I have written four previous letters to you about Darfur. And in each letter, I have been less and less formal and more and more expressive about my anger at your failing to show us you are going to be different than President George W Bush about Darfur. In his first term, after reading the report on the Rwandan genocide, he wrote in the report’s margin “Not on my watch.” And indeed it did happen on his watch. Will it be different with you? Or more of the same? “We can’t say ‘Never again’ and then allow it to happen again…when you see a genocide…that’s a stain on all our us.” I believe that. And you, Mr. Obama, said that.

Genocide will never stop without us being stewards of humanity. In Sudan, extermination by starvation, dehydration and diseases - which come because of the weakened bodies due to lack of water and food- is happening right now in Sudan and since March 4, 2009.
We are all the keepers of justice. In Sudan, there is an emergency in which human beings are dying to have their stories heard. Silence kills in its complicity to killing by treachery. Our silence and indifference are just as necessary to genocide continuing as having genocidaire perpetrators and weapons.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Martin Luther King

We are watching you and your representatives be less than effective regarding our Darfuri brothers and sisters. We are the ones we have been waiting for and we are doing our part. You are the leader we thought would do the right things to help end this crisis of the human race – the most defining issue on three levels: 1) the perpetrators, 2) the ones who stand by and allow the perpetrators to carry on without accountability and 3) the human beings being victimized, rendered unimportant enough for others to act on behalf of justice and what are the right responses. Is this the human race you want to be a part of? Not me. I want to be a part of a human race that is on the side of truth and justice. And we are all a part of genocide until it doesn’t happen anymore. Matthew 25:34-45. (From verse 45: I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.)

From http://www.mandatedarfur.org/en/introduction.php
"Two imminent political events could undermine the unity of the country and worsen the crisis: national elections in 2009 and the referendum on self-determination of the South in 2011. If Sudan's situation further deteriorates, peace throughout the region (from the Horn of Africa as far as Nigeria to the west), will be at risk. The scale of humanitarian crisis will be beyond the capacity of the international community to manage. Any solution must begin with a resolution of the conflict in Darfur."

Don’t let the hope die around you regarding Sudan.
Thank you for not remaining silent and indifferent for the Darfuri people.

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You can write to President Obama

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

or at

http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

Call him at 202-456-1111
or
1-800-GENOCIDE

Send a post card to President Obama
AddYourVoice.org

He is not going to act for Darfur without you and without me pressuring him

In this way, he is no different than other politicians.

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MANDATE DARFUR Conference

9 am — 5 pm (EAT)
12 — 16 May 2009

From Mandate Darfur introduction page
http://www.mandatedarfur.org/en/introduction.php

If Sudan's situation further deteriorates, peace throughout the region (from the Horn of Africa as far as Nigeria to the west), will be at risk.

The scale of humanitarian crisis will be beyond the capacity of the international community to manage. Any solution must begin with a resolution of the conflict in Darfur.

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Check out Mia Farrow's Fast for Darfur

miafarrow.org
fastdarfur.org

"OVERCOMING POVERTY IS NOT A GESTURE OF CHARITY - IT IS AN ACT OF JUSTICE"

THE TITLE IS A QUOTE OF NELSON MANDELA

Every day that I get hungry because I haven't gotten something to eat while working on a chore or a project, I think of those who only get one snack a day. I know how much better I feel when I take a bite when I am hungry, how it changes my whole outlook, how it affects my mental health as well as my physical being. People who live outdoors, in refugee camps, in insecure places every moment of the day and night don't have the luxury of making this simple change by having an easy bite to eat.

We who are not mindful of our simple luck to have food to eat because we can go to the grocer, drive home with bags of food and put our bread, fruit and cheese....in a refrigerator would serve our own lives better by being mindful. My current sponsored sister in Rwanda (www.womenforwomen.org) has no running water, no electricity, no education and she is raising her children and others' children because there is a need for her to do so.

It is easy to think how woeful our lives are even when we have our basic needs met.

The luxury of having a bed with blankets, food for my body and health is enough to be grateful.


The text below is from www.charity.org

According to the World Bank, 1 billion people currently exist on less than $1.25 a day. For those in developing countries, such absolute poverty is a meager existence. Some are even forced to take desperate measures: In Haiti, people are eating patties made from mud.

Every year, we learn of the personal stories of hundreds of individuals and families who live in absolute poverty—portraits of hardship, hunger, lack of clean water to drink, no access to schools or medical care that are both heart wrenching and inspiring. We won’t soon forget their faces and stories, and we're sure that you won’t either.

Nelson Mandela once said, “Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice.” Please join Global Impact in righting this injustice by giving a gift of help and hope this holiday season.

Asha, Sudan (Darfur)	Shakila and Rahmutullah, Afghanistan
Bosco, Uganda	Solange, Rwanda
Judith, Haiti	Village of Nga Yoke Kaung, Myanmar
Rita, Ghana

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World Food Program doing our work for us, but still needs our help
Text by Youtube poster:

24 November 2008 - WFP is increasing its food distributions, not only in the six camps for displaced people near the regional capital, Goma, but also in three camps to the north-west, in territory held by Laurent Nkunda's rebels.

The fighting between the rebels and the Congolese army has heightened the need for food assistance, as hundreds of thousands flee their homes, leaving behind their farms and belongings.

WFP is providing food assistance to a total of 145,000 displaced people near Goma and has completed distributions to almost 100,000 people in Rutshuru and Kiwanja, in rebel-held territory.

A further three camps in rebel-held areas in the Masisi region have received WFP food over the past week. About 25,000 displaced people in two Kitchanga camps and 11,000 in Kilolirwe were provided with rations that will last 30 days.

Persistent insecurity

Despite a pull-back by rebels in the north-east, the persistent insecurity is preventing WFP from reaching many of the displaced. Heavy rains have also hampered food convoys from reaching the towns of Masisi and Lushebere, which are virtually cut off.

We urge all parties in the conflict to put in place mechanisms that will allow humanitarian staff safe and unhindered access to people who are in desperate need, said Carlos Veloso, WFPs Emergency Coordinator for the eastern DRC crisis.

WFP estimates that a total of 1.3 million displaced people and host family members are in need of food assistance in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

for more info and updates go to:
www.wfp.org


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The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo
Uploaded by WMMNYC

Rape Victims' Words Help Jolt Congo Into Change

Much of the problem in the Democratice Republic of Congo is an extension of the Rwandan genocide. Some of those who committed the Rwandan genocide went over the border to the Congo when they knew they had to run from Rwanda. And there they continue their sick behavior.

When genocides aren't tended to (Sudan, for example) peace won't just one day "break out". Attention and accountability are needed.

Paralyzed by Fear –
Women Hope for the Violence to End

November 19, 2008, Goma — “I am afraid of the fighting reaching my area. Like all women, I am afraid of being raped,” says Jeanette Yamwerenye, one of the women, who has made it to the Women for Women training in Goma on this November morning. At the age of 28 she has spent half her life surrounded by conflict, poverty, hunger, disease, and uncertainty. Twice Jeanette had to pack her few belongings and run from her home. The last time she was heavily pregnant and gave birth while fleeing the fighting.

Like all women in our program Jeanette is paralyzed with fear of violence and concern over displaced family members. “My parents in law are very old and we don’t know where they are.” From the people who have fled the area north of Goma, where violent clashes have displaced more than 250,000 people, she hears that women and children are being killed.

The women in the classroom are poor and afraid. They don’t want to lose the small gains they have made toward a stable life over the last year. Completing the Women for Women International program is a way to a self-sustaining life that might enable them to support their families with the skills they have learnt.

Marie Jeanne Kabuo is 25 and looks after three children. Last year she was abducted while working on her fields by armed men. They tried to rape her but she managed to escape. Jeanne came to Goma and joined the Women for Women program.

"If the fighting reaches us, people will get killed, women and girls will be raped," she says. "I am praying because I know that there will be so many orphans, widows, and so many people, who had their property looted."

Source: www.womenforwomen.org/global-initiatives-helping-women/help-women-congo

There are Thousands of Women in the DR Congo Who Desperately Need Your Help, Like Honorata.

A Journey from Rape Survivor to Advocate

Honorata Kizende’s past is marked by incredible hardship, horrific violence, social isolation, and near death destruction. And yet, it is also an account of survival, strength, and testimony to human strength.

Honorata had been a sex slave and kept in captivity by armed militias in eastern Congo for almost a year. She was repeatedly gang-raped in public. After she escaped, the stigma of rape made her family reject her. Alone and destitute she found refuge in a friend’s house and was raped again when armed men looted the property. This time her daughter had to watch.

Today Honorata Kizende runs a small tie-die business with a group of women who pooled their resources. And she has decided to break the silence. Honorata is advocating for an end to sexual violence and calls on members of her community to restore the rights of women who have gone through rape and stigmatization.

Source: www.womenforwomen.rg/global-initiatives-helping-women/help-women-congo

Read her story, a journey from victim of sexual slavery to active citizen and advocate.

New York Times: Honorata Speaks Out Against Rape in the Congo

With Your Help Today Women for Women International Can Continue Its Success in the DR Congo

We are making enormous strides in DR Congo, but our work is far from done. The women are filled with hope that you will help them continue to rebuild their lives. You're not only changing the course of one woman's life – you're support and generosity improves entire villages and communities!

In the last two years, we have expanded our program to reach remote villages and have now served over 21,066 women and 113,756 family and community members since our start. Women for Women International program in DR Congo is working:

• 72% have a greater awareness of their rights;
• 76.9% report an improved relationship with their family;
• 80.7% have an improved economic situation;
• 81.1% of women expressed increased self-confidence; and
• 80% have greater participation in family decisions;
• 81.3% have greater participation in family decisions;

"This program has dared me to hope of having a house, of living in peace, of reclaiming my dynamism, my dignity.... I would like to be someone of value again." - Honorata

Source: www.womenforwomen.rg/global-initiatives-helping-women/help-women-congo

Sponsor a Woman Now

IF YOU WERE A STARVING CHILD WOULD YOU WANT ANYONE TO CARE

SOMETIMES WE NEED TO BE REMINDED
WE ARE HERE FOR ONE ANOTHER
Every Child Has:
The right not to starve
The right to education
The right to protection from abduction, exploitation and neglect

Every child deserves these fundamentals - everywhere and always ............................................... ............................................... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAlXBU7p_6w

http://www.savechildrennow.org/photos.html
photos

http://www.savechildrennow.org/solution.html
The Solution to Saving Children