:BRIGHTSTUFF:..Personal & Political Musings & Rants by a Liberal Leftist Black & Asian Teacher

On Friday, Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel was arrested for protesting outside the Sudanese Embassy (http://www.hillnews.com/news/071404/rangel.aspx).

In case you don't know about this (which is likely, since there seems to be very little news coverage about the situation), the African people of the Darfur region of the Sudan are facing a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions.

The Sudan's pro-military government has been using rape and witholding of food as weapons against the non-Arab population (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3906039.stm) . The situation is so dire that in a few weeks, it is predicted that famine, ethnic cleansing, and finally, genocide will be the likely outcomes.

Many of the women and girls are being raped and attacked when they sneak out of camps to get food or water.

Why are they being attacked, murdered and raped?

Because they are black (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16001-2004Jun29.html).

Some are told that they are being raped so they could make "light babies" (thus, the whole notion of ethnic cleansing).

Here are some sources:
http://hrw.org/reports/2004/sudan0504/6.htm#_Toc71531703
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/1179981.html

This is genocide- pure and simple. It is genocide in the same way the Holocaust was an act of genocide against the Jews. It is genocide in the same way that the Muslims of Kosovo were being wiped out.

So what are we going to do about it?

First, it is important to recognize this issue for what it is- it is genocide being played out before our eyes and before the eyes of our government.

If we are to embark on a war against terror, what better way to do this than to aid people who are being terrorised?

It has been echoed by proponents of the war in Iraq that we were there to free the people from the tyranny of Saddam Hussein.

What about the people of Darfur?

Why have we not chosen to help them?