I was reading an article in the paper and I saw an interesting reference to Darfur that I thought I'd post in here, with the holidays and such.

Thanksgiving, more than any holiday, is also a testimony to the gluttony, hedonism, and sloth that has become part of the American fabric while people in the Third World nations like Darfur starve.

- Ross T. Runfola, Buffalo News, November 30, 2006

I found this quite interesting, and somewhat true. Think about it. As much as I love getting together and visiting with my family, there are people in Darfur and other places starving while we stuff our faces. We have so much, and yet they have so little. But then again isn't that the point of thanksgiving? Being thankful for what we have and appreciating the little things in life? (After writing that I realize that we consider food, shelter, and family the little things don't we... we just take it for granted, but in Darfur those must be the BIG things in life... interesting.) So I think that if I have learned anything from my research with Darfur, it would be to be thankful for what we have. Granted we live in America, and most of us haven't lost everything we've owned, so it may be harder for use to know what its like. I am thankful though, everyday I'm thankful for my family and all that my parents have done to provide for me. Who knows if everyone else feels the same way, but its the holidays... just be glad.
And since it is the holidays and the time of giving and donations I would encourage donating to the Doctors Without Borders foundation. No I'm not on commission (haha) and no I have no ties with the organization, but I truly believe in what they are doing for Darfur and am trying to spread the word about them. Maybe someday I WILL work for them :D (hint: I want to be a doctor and travel with them :D)

I'm confused now....

I had heard a rumor that the Sudanese government had agreed to allow UN troops to enter their country. But I hadn't been able to find any news about it until I found this article. Honestly, I'm too tired to read it right now, but I'll put it here and read it later haha. http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/Africa/11/16/un.darfur.ap/index.html
ANYWAYS: this really confuses me. First of all, have they really agreed to allow troops in? Just peacekeeping troops? Or military troops to stop the fighting? And then if they do allow military troops, which side would they favor? The Janjaweed who are attacking the rebels, or the militia that is opposing the Janjaweed? (Personally, I would think that they would fight against the Janjaweed cause in my opinion they are the "bad" guys).
But here is another thing that confuses me even MORE: Why would the government allow these troops to come into their country? It has always been assumed and believed that it was the government that was behind all of these attacks to begin with, so for them to now allow a force that would oppose the movement they sponsored seems a tad ridiculous to me. Perhaps the government was never actually involved with this conflict? Or perhaps they have just now "changed their mind" in an effort to protect their image. It seems like there have been a lot more news reports about this subject in the past little bit. National evening news shows seem to air something about Darfur once a week. That's amazing. Usually it is the journalists and reporters that seem to start trouble with exposing conflicts and problems, but thankfully they have done the right thing. YAY!
I was so happy when I heard the news. I am a bit sad though, in a sick sort of way, cause I really wanted to go to Darfur to help. I want this conflict to be resolved ASAP, but another part of me really wants to go work there, but I'll have to wait until I get my medical degree and such. Hopefully this conflict will be long done by then.
Who knows what lies ahead....

I just wanted to ask all of you something. Look at these pictures. Look at the distruction that is occuring to these poor, innocent people, and tell me that we have time to waste. Ok, I'm done for now, but I hope that these pictures bothered you in some way. Have a heart.

Here are some pictures of the area of Sudan. For those of you who don't know, its located in the northern part of Africa.

Hello everyone

As you can tell from the title of this blog, I am greatly interested in helping the people of Darfur. For those of you who don't know, Darfur is a region in Sudan, where the African population is being brutally massacred by a group called the Janjaweed. It is believed that this military group is sponsored by the Arabian Dictator, as an attempt to "racially cleanse" the country of Sudan. This situation bothers me a lot. It just makes me so sad to think that people are in such a horrible conflict over race. We thought we had it bad here in the US during the fight against racism, countless people are murdered, raped, and chased out of their homes and villages everyday. Hundreds of thousands are believed to have died and millions of families have been forced to relocate to refugee camps as a result of this conflict. What bothers me the most about this situation is that no one seems to be doing anything about it. I have seen numerous news reports of the US and the UN admitting that there is a problem, that this is a horrible genocide, but yet I still haven't heard any news reports of any action being taken to STOP this conflict. I do commend the UN for creating the refugee camps, because without those camps it is unknown what would have happened to the millions which depend on them for survival. I do realize that the government of Sudan will not allow UN peacekeeping toops into the country, and has warned that they will, and apparently have, attacked those who do not heed these warnings. (By the way I do find that a bit suspicious considering the Sudanese government denies their involvement, yet doesn't seem to want to end the problem?? Interesting). However, I still hope that more assistance is granted to this region to help these people. I had a discussion with my father about this particular topic of aid being sent. He responded that the US aid is already spread out so thin that they cannot afford to spend the money or the man power to handle the situation right now. I can understand where he sees that happening, but then I am forced to ask this question:
HOW MANY MORE PEOPLE CAN WE ALLOW TO DIE BEFORE SOMETHING IS DONE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!