CNN: George Clooney, senators urge action on Darfur

[DeepModem Mom]

Clooney, senators urge action on Darfur
Thursday, April 27, 2006


Actor George Clooney joined Senators Sam Brownback, left, and Barack Obama to discuss Darfur Thursday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Oscar winner George Clooney Friday joined two senators, Republican Sam Brownback of Kansas and Democrat Barack Obama, to appeal for greater action to address what is being described as genocide in Sudan's Darfur region.

The three urged more attention across the board -- by the United States, other nations and world institutions.

"What we cannot do is turn our heads and look away and hope that this will somehow disappear," Clooney said.

"Because if we do, they will. They will disappear," he said, noting that an "entire generation of people will be gone. Then, only history will be left to judge us." He pointed to the massacres in Rwanda, Cambodia and the Balkans in recent years.

The director and recent winner of an Academy Award for best supporting actor for his role in "Syriana" will be attending the Save Darfur rally in Washington Sunday, one of several such demonstrations across the United States.

Other prominent speakers expected at the Washington rally include Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, "Hotel Rwanda" proprietor Paul Rusesabagina, entertainment mogul Russell Simmons, Olympics gold medalist speed skater Joey Cheek, and former NBA star Manute Bol, who was born in Sudan....

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/27/darfur.clooney/index.html

[babylonsister]

1. Clooney is on Real Time w/Maher tomorrow, and I'm sure this is

why.
I love it; time to address issues that need attention, but I don't want to lose sight of what's happening in/to this country, i.e., failed leadership.

[Reverend_Smitty]

5. really? That's excellent...

I usually look forward to watching Bill's show but now I can't wait. Do you know if he will be on the panel or will he be via satellite? Either way I know he'll speak the truth

[Maccagirl]

7. Barney Frank is scheduled as well

This should make up for the train-wreck of a show from last week (thanks to Heather Higgins of the "Independent" Women's Forum). I just wish Gen. Anthony Zinni had put her in headlock.

[madfloridian]

2. The video is up at the Hardball website.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/

[Maccagirl]

3. I love George Clooney

n/t

[DeepModem Mom]

4. Me, too.

:loveya:

[physioex]

9. Hehe......

I really appreciate all the wonderful things he is doing and can't thank him enough. However if I may indulge a bit, I don't think he is all that good of an actor..... ;)

[FrenchieCat]

6. Wonderful! bout time, too!

So far 300,000-450,000 dead.

But you will be able to tell by the response to this thread that most really don't give a fuck about all of that. it's amazing! even with George Clooney in the title and his pic in the Op. It's called apathy.....and it makes us as guilty as we were in Rwanda.

Martin Luther King said, "Man's inhumanity to man is not only perpetuated by the vitriolic action of those who are bad, it is also perpetuated by the vitiating inaction of those who are good."

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5353029
Interviews
Wesley Clark: Why We Should Care About Darfur
April 20,2006

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/04/10/a_us_plan_for_darfur/
US plan for Darfur
By Wesley Clark and John Prendergast | April 10, 2006

http://www.dems.us/clark_wes/
November 07, 2005
Clark Steps Up For Darfur, Sudan

http://savedarfur.org/index.php?q=news/newsarchives/2005_09_01_newsarchive.html
Deja vu in Darfur - 9/01/2005
Sudan Tribune
Former NATO Commander Wesley Clark is urging the U.N. Security Council to dispatch about 12,000 NATO troops to Darfur to protect civilians and humanitarian operations until a large contingent of African troops is deployed there next year.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4809638
Commentary
Wesley Clark: NATO Forces Needed in Darfur
August 22, 2005

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2004-07-05-darfur-edit_x.htm
Posted 7/5/2004 7:54 PM
Out of time in Darfur
By Wesley Clark and John Prendergast

[Debau2005]

10. Agreed!

I am heartbroken by this tragedy, and follow it closely. But I have friends and family that have never heard of Darfur. And I find people who STILL do not know about Rwanda. But then again these are the same people who think we are going to find WMD's in Iraq...

I love George Clooney and respect his stand on issues. And no, he may not be the best actor, but he stands by his convictions and lately is not afraid to step up and stir the pot!

[NVMojo]

8. this is such a tragedy but because there is no oil involved, the rich

white neocons with their token condi do nothing. Shame on this country and the bastards they elect.

[Igel]

11. In that case, Clooney should

organize a boycott against France, China, and Russia. Anything that goes to the security council will be nuked by one or more of those countries; at least one resolution was suggested for the council, and the threat was implicitly made; the genocide matter was shunted off to a committee at the UN, and it was deemed insufficient for genocide. Just having the US want the Darfur situation declared genocide is enough for lots of countries to vote that it's not genocide--partisan politics trumps facts and morality. It doesn't help that if it's declared genocide by the UN, lots of countries have to get off their duffs and actually do something.

The US and Europe have been funding fairly pointless AU troops in Darfur with Sudan's permission and oversight, but until something's triggered that makes it ok to ignore Sudan's sovereignty, that's that. Unless, of course, Clooney wants the US to embargo Sudan ... no, wait, we've done that for years now, haven't we? Well, that means Clooney's in favor of a unilateral invasion by rich, white Crusader forces against the poor, brown-skinned Arabic-speaking "civilian militia" of an Islamic republic ... over a region that has oil.

*That* should go over well. And, of course, the logical invasion route is over or through some other Arab countries ... that should also go over well. Feel-good politics ... blech.

Khartoum's already seen Islamist demonstrations vowing jihad against the Crusader invaders, that before UBL's little tape came out. This must be a coincidence, it's hardly like that Sudan's still in touch with the guy they harbored a while back--after all, they kicked him out.