Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: E who wrote (10736)	4/9/2001 12:04:51 PM
From: The Philosopher	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 82486

One wonders why Clinton, with his international orientation, was so silent to this plea. Guess the Sudan isn't part of the global village that matters to Hillary. Hentoff is, IMO, on of the most principled writers going. I love his work, even when I don't agree with him, which is seldom. Certainly in this case he is right on point. But still we ignore, and still the slavery and the killing go on.

To: E who wrote (10736)	4/9/2001 3:33:15 PM
From: Tom Clarke	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 82486

Nat Hentoff has been a lonely voice in the wilderness on the subject of slavery in Sudan. It seems Hentoff and a couple of Catholic newspapers are the only ones talking about it. Now someone is actually going to do something about it. I'm Going to Africa — Here's Why By THE REV. AL SHARPTON n April 14, 1967, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., preaching at Riverside Church, formally denounced the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War. He was criticized by many, including fellow civil rights leaders who said he was distracting attention from more urgent problems at home. But King stood firm, insisting that moral people have an obligation to oppose wrong wherever on the globe they find it. This month, as we mark the 33rd anniversary of King's assassination, the National Action Network is addressing another international issue that we are certain King would not want ignored: slavery in Sudan. This is why I will be leaving for Africa soon to lead a joint delegation of the National Action Network and Africa Action, which is headed by the Rev. Wyatt Tee Walker, on a fact-finding tour of Sudan. We need to know exactly what is going on and how we can stop it. We cannot sit by and tolerate slavery of any kind, anywhere in the world. If our fact-finding brings the spotlight to this issue and ultimately frees one slave in Sudan or protects one woman from rape, then all our efforts will be worth it. It is fairly well established that slavery is being practiced in some form in Sudan. I put it that way because there is a debate about whether the victims should be seen as slaves or prisoners of war. Civil war has gripped Sudan for decades — it is probably the oldest continuous civil conflict in the world today. There is also a debate about whether the slavery in Sudan is built on religious discrimination. Reports have circulated that Muslims are enslaving Christians for sectarian reasons. Because of these disputes, many people approach this issue with different agendas. Some question even whether intervention is justified. But we must remember King. We have the same moral obligation that he had to stand for what is right in the international arena as well as in the United States. Some of my associates have said to me that I may find blacks and/or Arabs involved in the slavery. I am insulted at the suggestion that we should fashion our response based on the color of the slave trader. We must oppose all forms of slavery, regardless of the race or religion of the slave traders, just as we do for the victims. We must not be used to unfairly label or blame any one group. Yet we must not hesitate to fight the guilty, whoever they may be. That is why we intend to go to the United Nations high commissioner for human rights and to the U.S. government and demand that they develop policies to eradicate slavery in Sudan. I've been warned of the chaotic conditions in Sudan and the dangers of traveling there. Again, I am reminded of King. He was told not to lead a fight against discrimination in a Southern city because of the danger. He responded: "The question is not, if I go lead this fight, what will happen to me. The question is, if I don't lead this fight, what will happen to suffering people." In that spirit, we must get the facts and do what is necessary to free those who suffer any form of bondage. nydailynews.com