What it Costs to...

In response to my posting of May 21, 2006..."Darfur's Fleeting Moment," an anonymous contributor writes:

"Hate to sound like a total pessimist, but we have to realize that no country is willing to take the weight of Darfur. A tragic end to an already tragic story is inevitable at this point, unfortunately."

The resources are available. The tragedy is not inevitable. The weight of saving the people of Sudan is not too onerous and the justification is far stronger than the untenable invasion of Iraq in search of weapons of mass destruction. Never again? Remember Rwanda?

Consider this: The cost of one Nimitz class aircraft carrier is $4.5 billion. The U.S. has 10 of these towns on the oceans.

Consider also: The cost of occupying Iraq is currently at $284,000,000.00. The number is based on Congressional appropriations.

If there is money for these things than why not for the people of Sudan? Would we want the U.S. to act any differently if a part of Canada was suddenly underwater? Would we not expect the world to help Canadian citizens?

You may ask, 'why pick on the U.S.?' The answer is: Being the world's pre-eminent power carries responsibilities. The privilege of acting preemptively, the privelege of acting unilaterally, the privilege of being the richest nation in the world, and the loudest exponent of democracy and human rights carries with it certain moral obligations. One of these is the ability and responsibility to save innocent human beings from slaughter and certain slow death from starvation.

Clay Bennet...Cartoonist

Clay Bennett has been nominated finalist in the Pulitzer competition - journalism's highest award - five consecutive years (1999-2003). No other editorial cartoonist has ever matched this feat. To see more of his work...click on the title of this post.

Scarborough Book Club

I have started a book club for the Scarborough area.

Officially known as the Scarberia Culture (!) Committee (Book Club).

We will be meeting on June 9th at 7 p.m. at the Starbucks, inside the Chapters at Kennedy Commons (401 and Kennedy Rd.).

Interested? Click on the title of this post to go to the book club page to join. Or just show up.

Tired...So Very Tired

It was the weekend from hell at the Paryani household. At least it was for this Paryani. The boy was unsettled to say the least. The girl had a fever, on and off, from the vaccine shots she had on Friday. Which means she was clingy and miserable. At times unconsolable. Waking at night to walk her after forcing her to have something to bring her fever down.

I mean't to do some gardening, clean the garage, the bathroom. Ended up only cleaning the bathroom and did some gardening with the boy in tow. The wife has done her share to drive me nuts...what exactly I can't put my finger on.

The weather has been dreary...raining, windy with bits of sun showing through.

Physically and mentally tired. Oh, what I wouldn't give for two days away on a beach. By myself.

And now I have to watch Oprah's self indulgent legends ball. Oprah, I have always said, is a simple woman with simple tastes. Shut-up Oprah, just shut-up. I don't give a rat's ass what kind of underwear you wear. I actually saw her getting her eyebrows done on TV by the greatest eyebrow artist...Are you kidding me? How about you take your fat ass to Darfur instead of plucking you brows on national TV?

And now, Trump, a man recognizable by his catch phrase: "You're fired." A man so egocentric that he must put his name on his helicopter, his tower, his casino and probably his toothbrush. Trump-teriffic! A man so worried about image, despite his millions, that he has a combover to rival all combovers. We know you're bald or balding you moron...give it up! Go get a Trump-cut and be done with it. People will still love your Trump ass.

Darfur's Fleeting Moment

Anthony Lake, a professor at Georgetown and Francis Fukuyama, a professor of international political economy at Johns Hopkins, have recently written an opinion piece for the New York Times.

They conclude: A failure of international will has allowed Darfur to bleed into another year of rape, slaughter and starvation. Only strong leadership and urgent, resolute action can save lives before this moment of hope is lost.

To view the entire article, click on the title of this post.

Tarah and Son (MY Son)

More Darfur

Why Should We Care?

Click on the title of this post to listen to an Op-Ed piece entitled: Why Should We Care? by the New York Times' Nicholas D. Kristof. Kristof responds to a letter writer who questions the involvement of the United States in African problems like the crisis in Darfur.

The audio-visual article is towards the bottom of the middle column under this picture...

"Nous sommes en deuil"

""Nous sommes en deuil," the Sultan says in his careful French: "We are in mourning." In the last six weeks, 10,000 more of his people have lost everything."


By Tim Whewell, BBC Correspondent...was broadcast on Saturday, 6 May, 2006 at 1130 BST on BBC Radio 4. Link to the full article by clicking on the title of this post.

Nadia Died in 2004...Others Also Continue to Die Today

(Photo: AP)
I apologize for the sermonizing...I am gripped by the stupidity of the silly 48 hour extensions to the peace/power sharing agreement being hammered out by the Sudanese government and the rebel groups. These talks have been going on for a year!

More than 2 million people have been displaced, more than 200,000 have died by the violence which started three years ago when black African rebels took up arms against Khartoum. The government has in turn used arab militias to implement a policy of "draining the pond." By burning villages and killing people thought to support the rebel groups it means to starve the rebel movement of its supporters. Thus, the refugee crisis. Thus, the starvation of children.

In the meantime, talks continue. What difference could another 48 hours make to a process which could not be wrapped up after a whole year at the negotiating table?

What follows are excerpts from an article by BBC correspondent, Hilary Anderson. The piece was originally aired on Saturday, 24 July 2004...yes, 2004!
You can link to the full article by clicking on the title of this post.

"Among the stench and flies, the children lie wasted, staring into space. Tiny human beings, who were born into the madness of man's inhumanity to man...And now, they face starvation which is cruel and slow.

We travelled to Mornay camp, where we were a month ago. On arriving back, we went to the medical tent. It was strangely quiet inside.

Four people were sitting in a circle. A mother was looking down and sobbing silently, rubbing her hands on her face. I realised I knew her. Then it slowly came to me what was going on. Her daughter Nadia, whom we had spent two days with in this tent a month ago, was dying.

The mother, Juma, was saying an awful goodbye.

After the funeral I went to pay my respects. But when she saw me, perhaps remembering the filming we did with Nadia last month, she started screaming "Nadia, Nadia, Nadia".

She fell on me, screaming, she kept screaming. She kept repeating her daughter's name. Then the older women started screaming too. When Juma left the graveyard I saw her walking away on her own, sobbing and crying her child's name out into the breeze of the vast desert, into the nothingness of the camp."

Million Voices for Darfur

I just signed a postcard to President Bush asking him to take action to stop the genocide in Darfur.

Right now a campaign of rape, slaughter and displacement is currently being carried out in the western region of Sudan, the largest country in Africa. Government-supported troops have displaced 2.5 million people in the past two years, hundreds of thousands have died due to attacks, disease and starvation, and it is estimated that 500 men, women and children continue to die every day.

You can make a difference today by sending a postcard to President Bush at http://www.MillionVoicesForDarfur.org!

Please join me in calling for immediate attention to Darfur and more robust action on behalf of the U.S. to support security efforts in the region.