Please Help: Save Darfur

Happy Father's Day! to all the dads who read this blog. I hope it was a long, relaxing day filled with the people you love.

Along with the U2 By U2 book, java barbecue rub, handmade ceramic bowl, and gifts he ordered himself online, Dad received the "Instant Karma: Save Darfur" compilation of newly recorded John Lennon hits by today's artists. All proceeds go to support Amnesty International's efforts to save Darfur's, and other worldwide, human rights crises.

"In the remote, parched landscape of Darfur, Sudan, the rhythms of everyday life are a distant memory. Now there are days and nights filled with the dread of 'evil horsemen' called Janjawid. They charge into villages on horseback, camelback and trucks, armed with automatic weapons and murderous intent. As one survivor told Amnesty International, 'They came in the houses and ran after those who were trying to flee. A man was shot four times in the back and in the leg. They burned the village. Only 10 out of 100 houses remained intact.'

This is Darfur's nightmare. The inconceivable suffering. The deaths of thousands of civilians. The rape of thousands of women. The loss of homes for millions of men, women, and children. The metrics of pain are staggering.

The catastrophe began for the people of Darfur in 2003, when the Sudanese government enlisted Janjawid militias to carry out the dirty work in its scorched-earth campaign to crush rebel activity in Darfur. The conflict is fundamentally about resources, especially the increasingly scarce land that farmers and nomads must share. The conflict spilled over into the neighboring Chad in 2006. And so the nightmare multiplies."

After learning more about Darfur's crisis within the liner notes of Instant Karma, I visited www.instantkarma.org and signed the petiton to urge the new UN Secretary-General to act. I ask that you would visit the link and do the same. There are song-by-song previews and an option to buy the CD from this link; it's excellent.

You can watch Green Day's rendition of "Working Class Hero" here.

I admit I bought and gifted the CD for the music primarily, but after reading about the crisis' particulars, I felt I must act in the best way I could. You can donate money here. If you can't, please at least sign the petition. It is a very simple way to get involved and end the killing in Darfur.