Not on Our Watch.

During the course of my senior year at Western, I've been introduced to things that I wish I had found years ago. Websites, blogs, other activists that feel the same way I do, hopeful and hopeless for a better future. Every penny I donate is backfired by the government's ability to cut off the flow of aid. But there is hope. By supporting the right groups and pressuring the right people. Nothing can stop the momentum of a movement driven by passionate people willing to do whatever it will take to stop genocide.

Some of the more proactive groups I've found to be well organized and determined to find solutions to the genocide in Darfur, Sudan are listed here:

www.EnoughProject.org -- Don Cheadle (played Paul Rusesabagina in "Hotel Rwanda") and John Prendergast have developed and maintained this organization that takes into account the reality of humanitarian aid difficulties and the problems getting dreams of peace into working methods of aid relief. They are normal everyday people who have dedicated their lives to this cause becuase there is nothing that can distract them from the mass atrocities that continue to occur on our planet. I applaud their dedication, becuase they are like any of us. Hopeful for the aid they can produce, and determined, no matter what funding issues arise. They despair in certain times and yet persevere becuase no matter how hard they have it, the refugees, internationally displaced persons and victims of mass atrocities and genocide will always be more important.

I strive to be as these men are. They are true unsung heroes.
See their work here:

http://www.notonourwatchbook.com/

This has links to the types of work and humanitarian aid that anyone can do to help. There are realistic and simple strategies for getting your home grown grass roots activism really going. :) Applaud at will.


Another group of activists I find work very hard at delivering facts to the people in a clear, concise, NOT overly emotional way that is very important when trying to deliver your message. Many activists fail becuase their emotions get in the way of what your trying to get people to understand and it either scares them, angers them or pushes them away to forget. This Video is one of many (and is available at any time on my website sidebar) that produce very real facts in such a manner.

NOT ON OUR WATCH

To the Future President of the United States. I hope.

In Progress.
Letter re: Darfur, Keep up your efforts and continue to pursue them strongly.

As the front runner for the Presidential Election. I find it incredibly important that someone of this nature has the power to stop the genocide in Darfur.

If you would like to write to HRC, the more pressure she recieves, the more important she'll realize that the United States does in fact have a moral and ethical obligation to stop this type of mass atrocity from continuing in a countries like Sudan and Chad. (Among many others, of course)


The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton
United States Senate
476 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-3203

His Excellency Mr. Warren W. Tichenor

This being one of my first international letters written to address the issue in Sudan, I felt uncomfortable becoming too demanding in my wording. I find the more letters I write to people in high governmental positions, I find myself in a unique place to critique their work. Finding ways to write people is easy enough, but making those ways forceful and still effective is a task not so easily done. This particular letter is written in a style that makes it fairly obvious I know nothing about Mr. Tichenor's position as an Ambassador for the US Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, but I thought the pursuit of learning how to write more efficient letters was worth the effort.

Written: November 14th, 2007.

November 14, 2007

His Excellency Mr. Warren W. Tichenor
Ambassador
Permanent Representative
Route de Pregny 11
1292 Chambesy
Geneva, Switzerland

Your Excellency:

I appreciate your time in reading my letter of concern for the people of Darfur. I understand your time is limited, but the content of this message is sent with a significantly important request for your help. With the innocent people of Sudan and the surrounding countries affected by the unending violence having no voice in the political realm of our world, I feel it is my duty to express their voices so that they may be heard.

If the people of these countries could talk, you would hear stories of tragedy, heartbreak and utterly horrific scenarios being described in the calmest of manners. Their tragedies are unparalleled while their homes are destroyed. Children are taken from their families to be manipulated, tortured, drugged and taught to fight their own people. These are learned behaviors. These are behaviors that can easily be prevented with strong words of wisdom and measures taken to ensure the safety of civilians by ensuring the continuation of humanitarian aid relief workers. Understandably, I would assume you already know these things. So why is nothing being done to prevent further actions of this nature?

The world is our problem, we have single-handedly as a human species deteriorated it in more ways than one could think possible, but to turn a blind eye away from the problems will never solve nor eliminate their long term effects on the innocent lives that are taken each and every day.

I urge you to use your influence and wisdom in the position that you have gained over the years to look inside yourself and find the difference between petty matters of little consequence to the actions you could provide that would save the lives and limbs of the people in developing countries fraught with violence such as the Sudan, Chad, Eritrea and Ethiopia. Ukraine, Congo, Iraq, Afghanistan.

Rwanda, Bosnia, Iran or China. The list continues and daily grows larger. Continued attacks of genocide and mass atrocities go unchallenged and unscathed because no one in the position to stop them will use their influence.

On behalf of the people of these countries, I again urge you to use your influence in whatever ways you find can be done. Whether that is making a few calls to organize the security for relief workers, or advocating more strongly for the acceptance of stronger policies enforcing action to be enacted in the United Nation’s Missions work. You are not alone in this fight, there are people who need your guidance and will follow your lead in taking the first step towards ending genocide.

Please take the first step. The world depends on your courage to stand up.

Regards,




Sara L. Cartwright
1440 10th Street #207
Bellingham, WA 98225
United States of America

Senators writing back। Read their letters here.

Click on the letters to enlarge them on your screen for easier reading.
It is interesting to note that only the senators responded to my letter. None of the House of Reps did. Of course, there may be a reason for this as one of the things that activists are warned against is sending the same letter to multiple people. Now I understand why.









Responses to my letter re: Darfur.

Two Responses, One from each of our current WA State Senators. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray. I thank them for their consideration in writing a return letter regarding my concerns.