The entire world's attention is drawn like a moth to a flame this week towards the Democratic National Convention. Every news anchor, every reporter of any renown, and television satellite trucks all jockey for position. Everyone wants a front row seat to the Big Event. The opposition Party sends two well known operatives, and demonstrators against an entire bucket full of things have descended like locusts upon the Mile High City in an attempt to have their voices heard also. The air has a festival feel to it, and hope for the future shines brightly as Americans all pray for sunnier days ahead.
But yet, throughout all of the hope and the joy and the merriment, throughout the festivities and the speeches and the clamor of voices, the tears stream slowly down my cheeks. I could not help myself as I watched the news from overseas of yet another bloodbath orchestrated by the madman in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.
Taking advantage of the fact that no one seemed to be watching him, this bottom feeding troll completely ignored the cease fire agreements he signed. He showed what he thought of the United Nations and the African Union forces that are supposed to be protecting the civilians from al-Bashir and his Janjaweed militias. In Southern Sudan, in a refugee camp called Kalma, al-Bashir sent over fifty vehicles loaded with soldiers and security forces, and armed with rocket launchers and machine guns.
As soon as the well armed soldiers arrived at the refugee camp, they opened fire, killing at least 45 civilians and wounding scores more. Even as the Sudanese military denied they opened fire on the civilians and claimed they acted in self defense, reports came from humanitarian workers of the gunshot wounds to the heads of many of the dead, or in other words, they were executed.
Burning dozens of homes to the ground during their killing spree, the forces achieved for al-Bashir the desired effect. The IDP camp, (Internationally Displaced People), of over 100,000 refugees will now be closed and the remaining people will be moved to another location. In this way, al-Bashir keeps his word to the ICC who issued an arrest warrant for al-Bashir on charges of genocide, war crimes, and other criminal atrocities. He warned them he would step up activity against what he claims are rebel bases, which in his warped brain means anyone that moves that isn't part of his inner circle or military.
Rebel groups such as the Sudanese Liberation Army immediately vowed retaliation, but in reality, if the U.N./A.U. Peacekeepers are unable to stop al-Bashir from murdering people right in front of their noses, and in fact have had their own members become targets for the Janjaweed, then what chance can anyone give to the rebel forces?
Combine the above murders with the rampage that took place in the same refugee camp earlier this month, and the al-Bashir government can not deny or call it a mistake once again.
Southern Sudan and Darfur have long been the focal point of the eyes of a world weary of war and bloodletting. But in al-Bashir's world of mayhem and rape, he also commits further atrocities in North Eastern Sudan, most notably in the Port Sudan region of Beja. In an attempt to kill off the entire population of the area, al-Bashir restricts food shipments, access to drinking water and even medical attention for the sick and dying. The entire region and all of the indigenous people are slowly being starved to death by a monster who wants to allow the Chinese to drill for oil on the land where these people live.
But yet, al-Bashir somehow, through all of the abject poverty that is the nation and people of Sudan, managed to give a few gifts to the Egyptian Olympic Team. Nothing major mind you, just 35 expensive cars, $25,000 in cash for each team member, and baubles valued at close to a quarter of a million dollars. China, hosting the Olympics, had their representative at the ceremony where al-Bashir honored the Egyptian team. While the people of Sudan starve to death, al-Bashir gives away millions of dollars to a team not even from his own country.
There comes a point in which the entire world must finally agree on one thing. We killed Saddam Hussein for the crimes he committed against the people of Iraq. Well, the crimes of al-Bashir are far worse, even if he hasn't used chemical weapons........yet. He has murdered far more people than Hussein ever dreamed of, allowed for the use of mass rape as a weapon against his own people, had children hacked to death to ensure they don't grow up to oppose his rule, defied the United Nations and their peace keeping forces, defied the International Criminal Court, and defied the will of people all over the world who want this genocide stopped.
It therefore becomes incumbent upon someone to kill al-Bashir. There is no other solution left. Let China sit and rot in their putrid barrels of blood soaked barrels of oil and fire a bunch of cruise missiles directly at al-Bashir's palace. If you miss him the first time, fire some more. Because as the years of the Rwanda/Burundi massacre fade into distant memory, and other African dictators are smart enough to try to stay out of the limelight, al-Bashir has killed by some accounts, over three quarters of a million people. Just because 'official' estimates say 300,000 dead, I prefer to believe the people on the ground in Darfur.
And so the killings go on. But if the United States government has any decency left, any breath of life beyond the oil seeking goon squads, if President Bush wants to leave office with just one shred of a legacy, then let this be it. President Bush, stop al-Bashir. The people of the world will back you and respect you for it. Who cares if China gets mad? What are they going to do? Stop selling us toys? Mr. Bush, I'll pay a few more dollars in taxes to replace the amount of cruise missiles it takes in order for you to take out this devil and his satanic hordes. There are no other options left, and to not act when people are dying, is to make us complicit in the murder of an entire nation just so China can have it's oil supply.
Seed Newsvine
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