Take a Stand on Dafur
Topic: Contact Congress
At church on 5/22/2005, JoAnn had handouts on Dafur and sample letters to send to our US Senators, etc.

In case you were not there, or if you are high tech like & pressed for time like me, there are ways to contact your representatives via the internet.

Please note the links below and the text of the sample letter is at the end of this posting.

You can copy and paste this into a word processing document (that can be faxed or mailed), a web form of a representative, or an e-mail note.

Our social action pages have links to the US Senate, but the link below will bring you to them as well.

Feel free to reply if you have questions or suggestions regarding this issue.

Take A Stand Go to this link for links to more information.

http://www.uu-uno.org/darfur/links.htm

UUSC: Send a Letter to the President Bush

U S Representatives Fax Phone and Web info:

http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/cgi-bin/newseek.cgi?site=ctc&state=ny

Sample Letter to your Senator

(Copy and paste into an e-mail note, fax note or web form)

[Your contact information here]

[date]

[Your Senator’s contact information here]

Dear Senator [Your Senator’s last name here],

A human tragedy is unfolding in the Darfur region of Sudan. If you have not done so yet, I urge you to co-sponsor the Darfur Accountability Act of 2005 (S. 495).

Last summer, for the first time in its history, Congress called an ongoing conflict genocide and acted during the crisis, rather than after violence ceased. However, the U.S. and the international community are now procrastinating while crimes against humanity continue. The failure to sustain pressure on the government of Sudan is a death sentence for thousands of people in Darfur. Strong action by the Senate as prescribed by S. 495 will put the U.S. back on the right track.

S. 495 calls on the U.S. to support the expansion of the African peacekeeping force, to take legal actions against the government of Sudan and perpetrators of the crimes, and to insist that the Sudanese Government allow humanitarian workers and monitors in Darfur. Such actions are necessary in order to stop the violence and displacement.

The genocide in Rwanda ten years ago and the failure of the United States and the international community to prevent it must animate your conscientious action today. The U.S. promises of “never again” will be empty words on worthless paper if the nightmares of Rwanda, Srebrencia, Kampuchea, and the Holocaust are repeated in this century.

We commend Congress for its past work to prevent further killing in Sudan, but more must be done NOW to succeed. Genocides can be prevented. Failing to act effectively is unthinkable.

Sincerely,

[Sign your name here]

[Print your name here]