Unfettered Letters

So much suffering in Sudan

In what should be the season of holiness and joy, there is a nation’s worth of displaced people in refugee camps in the Darfur region of war-torn Sudan. Women are assaulted when they venture outside the camps for firewood. Hungry children are dying. Those who stay in their villages risk death from militia raids.

In the face of so much suffering, it can be hard to see how one can make a difference. My hope is that President-elect Obama will be able to work toward peace, with the help of U.S. citizens and the world.

What is one suffering child worth?

We are so accustomed to the familiar picture of a young mother and child on a donkey, led by a watchful father figure, that we may forget the meaning of the event. “The Flight Into Egypt” was a real-life escape from oppression.

Remember, the child Jesus was a refugee.

Janice Stallings
Kansas City

U.S. wastes golden opportunity

As disappointing as it was to see the U.S. collect 15 fewer gold medals than China, American athletes’ performances outside their respective playing surfaces won a far greater portion of my disappointment.

For a three-week window, during which these athletes had the greatest audience listening to their every word, all went silent. American athletes stated that the Olympics were neither the time nor place for politics, referencing the genocide in Darfur.

The Olympics should be the world’s greatest forum. The only thing having no place should be violence. So, whoever started the ruckus in Georgia is really the only one being impolite, but that’s an argument for another day.

The First Amendment allows any one citizen to speak out without having to reflect the opinions of the government, or of all citizens. This is why U.S. athletes missed the golden opportunity to show support for Darfur, having been given the ability to speak out without putting the U.S., as a whole, into any sort of conflict with other nations.

Despite earning 110 medals, the, U.S. failed to succeed in the challenge more important than sport, in which human lives, rather than medals, are at stake.

Michael King
Kansas City

Darfur needs help from U.S.

The continuing destruction of innocent life in Sudan’s conflicted Darfur region continues to haunt me (6/6, A-10). I commend our presidential candidates for their commitment to the people of Darfur.

However, the people of Darfur cannot wait for the election of a new U.S. president in order to survive. Genocide continues daily, hourly. The violence is escalating while, contrary to promises made years ago, U.N. peacekeepers are not yet fully deployed. Darfuris who have escaped the murderous rogue militias now starve.

The senators have promised to pursue peace and security in Darfur with unstinting resolve. President Bush must ensure that the next president is in a strong position to help the suffering people of Darfur.

Promises to Darfur made earlier in his administration must be kept. It is a matter of life and death.

Janice Stallings
Kansas City

Israel, Sudanese refugees

How dare the government of Israel, without explanation, announce to the world that it will deport Sudanese refugees (8/20, A-10, “Darfur refugees can’t stay in Israel; Human rights advocates object to policy, which officials won’t explain”). In all likelihood, those refugees will be returned to Sudan, where they will be treated as traitors or become victims of genocide.

As an American citizen who has had to take Israel’s side in most things Middle East, I find it appalling that it has taken this stand. How many more Jews would have perished had every country that offered asylum during the Holocaust taken this approach?

Israel, do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

Nancy Oglesby
Westwood

Stop genocide in Darfur

Six million people died in the Holocaust. The phrase “never again” was echoed throughout world. Never again would we allow genocide to take place. It is time for us to keep our word and stand up against genocide, to stand up for Darfur.

In Darfur, located in Sudan, Africa, a government-supported militia has killed 400,000 people causing 261/27 million civilians to become refugees in neighboring areas. Villages are bombed, men and children killed, women are raped and mutilated. These violent crimes are done with the intent to destroy the Darfur people.

If no one confronts Sudan about these crimes, the militia will continue to commit them. We need to tell our government to work with the United Nations to put pressure on Sudan. We need to tell our government that we will not sit and let humans be exterminated.

I was not alive for World War II. I don’t know how I would have reacted to the Holocaust. But I am alive now. Let the people in power know these people did not die without a voice. The Sudanese government and their militia have taken 400,000 Darfur voices away. It is time for them to hear our voice now. Never again.

Kelly Woodward
Leavenworth

Press for action on Darfur

Time is running out for the people of Darfur. Sunday is “Global Day for Darfur” when concerned people all over the world will pause to take action calling attention to the escalating violence and the failure of the international community to adequately respond to this crisis.

The Jewish Community Relations Bureau/American Jewish Committee urges you to take a few minutes of your Sunday to write to our elected officials, including President Bush, to let them know of your care and concern.

Four years of genocidal violence has left more than 400,000 dead, 2.5 million innocent civilians displaced, and 4 million men, women and children reliant on international aid for survival.

The international community must increase the pressure on Sudan finally to allow the deployment of an international peacekeeping force for the protection of civilians in Darfur.

President Bush should keep his promises to implement and enforce tough unilateral U.S. economic sanctions aimed at Sudan’s oil sector.

The U.N. Security Council should move quickly to pass and enforce a resolution aimed at individuals complicit in genocide. Congress and the president must provide adequate funding for peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts in Darfur.

The time for promises is over.

Judy Hellman
Associate director, Jewish Community Relations Bureau/American Jewish Committee
Overland Park

Brownback misguided

Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback decries the situation in Darfur (3/5, Opinion). Of course, it is a tragedy, just like what occurred in Rwanda where 500,000 Africans were killed while the United Nations and United States stood by.

But wait a minute, senator. We are up to our eyeballs in trying to solve the problems in Iraq and Afghanistan. American soldiers are being slaughtered and billions of dollars spent in a losing war. So why should you want to dump this problem on us?

The U.N., to which we contribute mega-millions every year, was supposed to be a peacekeeping entity. So why aren’t they solving this problem?

You say the American people have said, “Genocide will not be tolerated.” Since when do you care about what the American people say? We want our borders secured and no amnesty for lawbreakers, but you would leave the borders wide open and reward illegals.

Bob Dole said that when NAFTA was coming up for a vote, his phones were ringing off the hook for him to vote against it. So what did he do? He voted for it. Guess you are just following in his footsteps.

And to think, you want to become president.

R.J. Brown
Leawood

Many are vulnerable, suffering

I am responding to the letter from Kathy Sneed (2/27) about baby Amillia Taylor, who was born very premature and survived.

The millions of malnourished, sick and neglected children currently enduring life on this globe would be glad to meet someone who believes, as Sneed claims, that “the tiniest among us deserves a fighting chance.”

Perhaps she has not seen Kevin Carter’s photograph of a vulture stalking a starving Sudanese girl? Does she fit into Sneed’s moral parameters?

I volunteer at Spofford House. It does not atone for the atrocity Carter photographed. Yet it is better than arrogance — which has apparently bled Sneed dry of her sensibilities, perhaps her compassion.

It is obscene that millions of dollars and empty platitudes such as Sneed’s feed abortion politics instead of hungry and hurting people.

To be pro-life is to direct resources to all of humanity, not just unborn babies. It is shameful to assume pro-life means anything else.

Kelly Mathews
Liberty

Real action on Darfur

The term genocide does not seem to have the power to provoke our leaders to action, or even to rhetoric, the way terrorism does.

So here are some more descriptive terms for what’s happening in the Sudan: mass murder, rape of the most brutal kind, starvation and disease.

The African Union peacekeepers in Sudan will leave soon, and they will be replaced — eventually — by shamefully underfunded U.N. forces.

Congress and President Bush need to take the lead and make sure that these troops — not American troops — have our full support as well as the support of every nation that wants to do business with us.

Sen. Sam Brownback has been a powerful force on this issue. Our entire government must now put the pressure on the Sudanese government and keep it on. That means that the voters need to keep the pressure on our elected officials. Four-hundred thousand murders is enough.

Adam Groden
Overland Park

Darfur overlooked

Why isn’t the genocide in Darfur a bigger issue in this election year? Some estimate 400,000 men, women and children have been slaughtered, and 2.5 million people have been forced to flee their homes. This despicable genocide has to stop.

William Payne
Overland Park