Darfur Update: A Quick Easy Step

The below comes via Suzanne Feinspan:

So we were at the Darfur rally in NYC on Sunday and it was HUGE...upwards of 20,000 people. And, due to that political pressure, President Bush decided to send a US special envoy to Darfur which the advocacy community has been asking for for a year. So what we do really does make a difference.

While it's great that the special envoy is being sent, the people of Darfur are going to be without protection if the UN doesn't send peacekeepers by Sept. 30th. The African Union troops who are now doing their best to protect who they can, will be leaving on the 30th and if there's no one to replace them more bloodshed is inevitable.

There are people there dying everyday. Men, women and children. But rather than losing hope, there is something we can do. When we put pressure on the White House, Bush listens. Please find the time today, tomorrow and Friday to call the White House comment line and say the following script to the operator who answers the line. Even if you're put on hold, the whole thing should take less than 3 minutes. And it can make a difference.

Here's what to do:
Call the White House comment line at (202) 456-1111

Hello, this is [name] calling from [city], [state]. I'm calling to urge President Bush to use all diplomatic channels to pressure the Sudanese government to immediately consent to a U.N. peacekeeping mission in Darfur. If U.N. peacekeepers are not sent to Darfur to replace the African Union peacekeepers whose mandate expires on
September 30, it will demonstrate a failure of U.S. leadership. Please don't let the perpetrators of genocide veto the international community's responsibility to protect!