Darfur

A close friend attended his first funeral, his grandfathers, this weekend. It's always suprising to me to find out how few of those other people go to. An enormous closenit family and other events have lead to more than I care to, or honestly even can, remember. Thinking about this over the weekened has led to a lot of thoughts and 'funtastic' dreams. Some of my earliest memories involve death and laughter interspersed, and I've found through life my own sense of humor to be a great aid in dealing with loss and pain. Maybe, probably even, it's a primary source of my sense of humor. Granted occasonally redirected at a blogpost or girl but always originating in my internal conflict with the world. Given this I find it strange that I can find no humor in others pain. I don't know, maybe humor can only mitigate my own feelings, or my empathic nature simply leaves such feelings too strong and beyond my control. Whatever it is, that sorrow is never more accutely felt than from the pain of the innocent. I had an epiphany of my hypocricy the other day in the protected hollow of liberalism and free thought. (outside helping my dad with yard work, j/king mom, love you) In my laments to my dad I fumed at the lack of outrage on the Bush administration backing off from the 'language of genocide' in referring to Darfur, and their low balling of casualty numbers. It was incomprehensible to me why the masses of america didn't care more. But who am I? And what is caring without action? I was ranting as someone who cares on those who don't, but it's not the case. Americans aren't indifferent, they're simply ignorant. If anyone is indifferent it's me. It reminds of a quote from Boondock Saints, "We must always fear the wicked. But there is another kind of evil that we must fear the most, and that is the indifference of good men." So I guess I have to start somewhere.

The Darfur conflict has claimed close to 380,000 people, and almost 2 million have been displaced from their homes and live in refugee camps. This death toll number is close to 1/20th of the holocaust, larger than any single ethnic cleaning in the holocaust except gentile poles and jews. Next Sunday (6/26/05) I intend to order as many darfur bracelets as I have requests from people. If you read this and would like one please leave a comment here, send me an email/aim (verify I get it though cause my aim dies and I lose messages), or give me a call. They're about $2 a peice, and the purchase money goes to SaveDarfur.org towards public education about the humanitarian crisis. Barring more people than I believe to read this site or even know me requesting a band, I'd like to pay for the bands myself and donate the money people give for the bands to MSF (doctors without borders). The recent popularity of these bands which has even begun to transcend causes may make them seem cliched or even trite, but to me the words they conjur is sincerity and hope.

sincerely,
me.