This is one of two posts. I didn't want them in one because they're about two different things but they both came from the same experience I had today.
I went to temple, yeah I don't know if I can call it that but that I did. And the other post is going to be about that experience and my take on Judaism. Don't worry, it's not horribly ignorant- hopefully. The reason I went was to listen to Mark Hanis who is one of the co-founders of the Genocide Intervention Network. He was there to speak about the situation in Darfur.
Website: http://www.genocideintervention.net/
Pretty darn useful.
Phone number: 1-800-Genocide
Even better. You can put in your zip code and it will tell you exactly what your state's politicians need to improve regarding their action towards the situation in Darfur and best of all, it will connect you for free directly to said politician. Hanis cited a few senators who cleaned up their act in response to the grades they've received.
You can watch a video:
What Hanis is doing is pretty amazing. It's a good thing and I can't help but think that my teeny contributions have assisted in some way to getting the bill to the House. And the bill was passed but Bush has been taking his sweet time implementing it and he's beyond the deadline so obviously Congress needs to take some action. Hopefully after a phone call or two we'll be able to get that taken care of and finally those poor fucking people will be able to live, which isn't a huge thing to ask. I can't even believe the attitude of the administration- who acknowledged it as being a genocide back in 2005 or something. It's complete bullshit and it only goes to show the incompetency and neglect (I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt although I believe they do nothing because there is no benefit-political or monetary- for the U.S.) by the President and the rest of them regarding this and every other decision made since Bush took office. I keep thinking, "I am saddened, I am dismayed." I feel bothered and also a bit betrayed by a lot of people and I wish so badly there was some easy way to correct everything. I feel like I did when I was a kid and I told my mom I wanted to become president so I could get rid of money. How irrational. In a capitalistic society like America, that would be fatal. And of course there really isn't any alternative. But more importantly if Americans, or at least some of them, shed their egotistical attitude and refuse to be ignorant and blind to the truth, we wouldn't have had to experience a lot of the atrocities that have occurred since 2000. I can't really excuse it because it's so simple to access alternative media resources. It's easy because Michael Moore is commercial and Noam Chomsky is everywhere and the internet! So honestly it has to be laziness and selfishness and weakness and who knows what. I'm sure they have a slew of excuses for not doing anything and for re-electing a horrible president. I bear responsibility too, I may contribute in small ways but it's not enough. I feel so young and naive in my dreams to change the world. But seriously, I just can't ignore the responsibility I have. I mean this is my country, right? And I live in the world. But it's clear that not only are politics motivated by money but religion plays a huge part as well. So you have conservative Christians electing and re-electing Bush, and even some democrats who were turned sour by Gore and/or Kerry and you have this ignorance of a majority of the population and seriously, I wonder how anyone can have faith in this nation to make the right decision. I mean if it comes to Obama being a Muslim and Hillary being a Christian the choice is obvious right? Where is the rationality in that? Because everyone knows religion influences the person and therefore their decisions and actions. And some people associate Muslims with being terrorists is which again shows the ignorance which almost seems to be intentional. Muslims aren't terrorists- terrorists are terrorists. It's so simple, the reality of it. The lies are so complicated which is maybe why people accept that they just don't understand politics. But when you lay it out for them they see things as they are and they realize as well how easy it is to find out. The change needs to come with education of the masses about all of the truly important things that affect them, their country, and the world around them. They must stop with this singular thinking and the notion that they are unaffected by the world. Any respectable person would feel compassion if they saw someone suffering. So you put it in their faces. But I don't ever recall seeing anything in the mainstream media about Darfur. You have to wonder about that as well. Who is in charge of that stuff? Because that's a huge issue. And people need to recognize that too, that the news they receive is bullshit. I keep saying it: It's our responsibility to ensure this shit! Accurate news and a government that isn't corrupt isn't too much to ask! It's not hard to find someone who is able to make good decisions when faced with things like Katrina, Iraq, and Darfur. It's not hard for the media to decide what's important, they just need to be held accountable made aware that we are aware of their motivations - whatever those may be. These things are simple and should be this way regardless but alas we find ourselves so deep in shit it's hard to see a way out. Baby steps. Hopefully those people in Darfur can handle our learning curve. It's not like their lives are depending upon action or anything. I mean they've waited for three years, what's three more?
