CAMERA IN HAND, READY TO “ACT”

The past 6 years feels like one big long whine-- a lot of wind pushing dirt around and not going anywhere. One event after another seems to fill the sky with dust clouds, resulting in inaction and an inability to see clearly.

Now, George Clooney and dad are promoting the Darfur situation as is Angelina Jolie et al. And yet, we've had the knowledge that genocide was occuring in Sudan for years, only to twiddle our thumbs and sit by idly expecting OTHERS to step in and do something while we complain about how BAD things are here in good ‘ol USA-- griping about the war, WMDs, George Bush, Karl Rove, DeLay, Hillara, Leaks, Dems, Repubs, etc. A tremendous amount of energy put to waste instead of to good use.

Something about George walking around with a mike and camera just put me off. His tourist approach to the situation made my stomach churn—it felt too smug, too comfortable, too much like “I’m DOING something. Let ME inform YOU because I’ll sure be the better for it…” (It's unclear how Darfur will be the better for it.)

Will Darfur get better now that we SEE, thanks to George and company? Will we, after years of mass killing, look back via first-hand survivor accounts, books, documentaries and films (money-making enterprises) on the tragedy of it all and say “we should have done something” like we did with Rwanda? Is this our way of appeasing and congratulating ourselves at the same time for NOTICING even though we refuse to speak the truth of what action must be taken?

Would George Clooney go to a car wreck with mike and camera in hand asking the victims what they thought, how they felt, etc? I should hope not. One would hope he’d call for help, maybe administer first aide, put out the fire, etc. Darfur is a burning car with men, women and children inside and bringing attention will not save those people, DOING something will.

I'm not picking on George. He appears to be sincere. But how many deaths must occur before we stop talking and start doing? Time for action. Do what was not done in Rwanda. Put down the cameras. Bring in the troops.

http://www.darfurgenocide.org/