Anyone who reads the newspapers is concerned about the plight of the
people of Darfur in western Sudan. The message below gives both more
detailed information about the horrific situation there as well as
suggesting a way to help.

Mary Anne


---------- Forwarded message ----------
The Government Won't Let Us Bring Darfur Witnesses Here
So We Want to Bring the Cameras to Them

The people of Darfur need to tell their stories. Click here -
http://truemajority.kintera.org/darfurdonation - to help us send a camera
crew with a satellite uplink directly into the refugee camps.

We've had some big successes in our campaign to save the genocide victims
in Darfur. Most recently, both houses of Congress unanimously passed the
resolutions we supported, calling the atrocities in Sudan "genocide" and
pressing the Bush administration to take any action needed to stop it.
This has really isolated Bush's position?that this isn't really genocide
requiring immediate action. Instead, he's using a "go slow" approach with
the hope that the Sudanese government will do an about-face and save the
millions who are now being starved to death.

To focus the media's attention on this, and really put the heat on the
President, we tried to bring some witnesses from Darfur to the United
States as "Refugee Ambassadors," but the State Department wouldn't issue
them any visas. One employee actually defended the State Department's
position by saying that some of the refugees might be terrorists. If it
wasn't so tragic it would be funny.

Well, if the government won't let us bring witnesses to the media, we'll
bring the media to the witnesses. Working with our friends at
FaithfulAmerica.org, we have created a plan to send a camera crew,
complete with a satellite uplink, directly into the refugee camps on the
Chad/Sudan border. From there we'd be able to get witnesses, aid workers,
and human rights activists directly onto talk shows here in the States.
We'd also be able to have local experts appear in the studios, to comment
on how our government can stop this.

Now we just need to raise the money to pay for this project. We figure
the cost, including crew, equipment, and satellite time, will be about
$45,000. If we raise any additional money, we'll use it to continue
pressing the government to do the right thing in other ways, such as an ad
campaign. But first we need to get the crew over there.

To help send a camera crew with a satellite uplink to the Darfur refugees,
click here and give whatever you can:

http://truemajority.kintera.org/darfurdonation

We are all doing what we can to stop the genocide. TrueMajority founder,
Ben Cohen, was even arrested at a protest in front of the Sudanese
embassy. Now please do whatever you can.

Thanks for helping,

Andrew Greenblatt, Online Organizer


Here is some background on what is going on in Darfur:

Over the last several months, a government-backed Arab militia in Sudan,
called the Janjuweed, has been attacking black Africans. The Janjuweed
tactics are crude, but effective. They enter a village and use terror to
force everyone to leave their homes and crops. Entire populations have
fled to distant camps in the middle of desolate areas. These desert camps
are now surrounded and controlled by the Janjuweed, and anyone who tries
to leave is raped or killed. Unarmed international aid workers are turned
away. A total of 370,000 human beings are already dead, or in the late
stages of dying, from starvation in these extermination camps. The death
toll could reach one million within the next few months.

Time is our greatest enemy. Every day one thousand people are dying in
these camps. Currently, starvation is claiming the weakest?70 percent of
the dead are children aged five and under. As time goes on, the death
toll will rise more quickly. The United States needs to ensure that food
aid is brought to the people of Darfur, along with the protection of an
international military force. Both houses of Congress have already passed
resolutions calling this "genocide", and have called on the President to
act to stop it. The problem is that the Bush administration is unwilling
to take the decisive action needed to make sure that the food aid is
safely delivered to those who need it most. Instead, they are calling on
the corrupt Sudanese government to disarm their allies, the Janjuweed, and
allow food aid in. To pressure the Sudanese government, the Bush
administration is talking about using sanctions, a process that will take
months?long enough to kill everyone currently starving in the camps.
That is why it is crucial that President Bush act now.

You can learn more at www.darfurgenocide.org.