Dear Source:
Recent letters to The Source denouncing the genocide in Sudan are, ironically, leading examples of why genocides the world over will continue apace.
Leading off, Ms. Melescu writes, "When we become aware of these issues, we become responsible to do something even if it is just writing a letter. Anything and everything helps."
Actually it doesn't.
International condemnations have been uniform and have proven to be utterly feckless in Sudan's case. Indeed, Khartoum has already been read the riot act by every Western government and the UN. Secretary Rice even delivered said riot act in person.
What Ms. Melescu fails to grasp is that there are murderous regimes that could care less if Westerners waive their little banners and then scoot off to Starbucks for a latte. Imagine the nerve of those people!
Perhaps Ms. Melescu can remember the wickedness of the Taliban. Blow up world treasures like the Buddha statues in the Bamiyan valley because it offends thee? Topple walls on homosexuals? Public executions for women accused of adultery? I'm guessing Ms. Melescu didn't write a strongly worded missive to the UN after these outrages, but even if she had, head-hackers can't be shamed into behaving civilly. To believe otherwise is to engage in what Psychologists call "magical thinking".
Ms. Farrelly is up next and writes, "People of good conscience should not and cannot continue to remain silent, while thousands of men, women and children are slaughtered. Keep pushing for change."
Presumably the "change" Ms. Farrelly has in mind is to stop the Sudanese regime from systematically raping, murdering and otherwise depopulating its citizenry in the south. Of course how that change would come about is a fiercely guarded secret, perhaps even from Ms. Farrelly to herself.
You want change? Seriously? Advocate, then, sending in a division of Marines supported by two aircraft carrier battle groups to completely crush the regime in Khartoum. And one could certainly expect an active insurgency after liberation because the Sudanese in the north are Islamic supremacists. So plan on adding another infantry division to suppress the inevitable jihad and to stabilize the country.
Any other course of action is posing. Actually it is worse than posing. It is the exploitation of grave crimes so that a "protester" can be made to feel superior through "caring". It is narcissism at its dead-end conclusion with a pinch of self-delusion added to anesthetize critical thinking.
Finally, as the Honorable Ms. Christensen recently said, "As people of conscience, we cannot stand by and allow yet another genocide to occur without raising our voices as loudly as we possibly can in opposition to the atrocities that have been committed."
Duly noted Congresswoman Christensen: voices raised, genocide full steam ahead. There's every reason to believe that this tactic will work about as well with Sudan as it did with Rwanda several years back.
Would the Honorable Ms. Christensen instead care to recruit her Black Caucus colleagues to stand on the floor of the House and demand that the President take military action so that the genocide in Darfur be stopped immediately? For what other agency could halt it? That kind of dramatic "voice raising" actually could make a difference and potentially shape the direction of American foreign policy. Will it happen? Of course not.
"Free Tibet" has been the industry standard in leftist guilt assuaging for some time now. Voices have been raised for many years (and Richard Gere's no less!) with zero, nada, zip, result. You want to free Tibet? It will take more than a bumper sticker to pry it away from Communist China. Still up for it? Didn't think so.
Neither Ms. Melescu, Ms. Farrelly, nor the Honorable Ms. Christensen can articulate an coherent foreign policy approach to genocide around the world mainly because it would involve tough (i.e., life and death) decisions. It's far easier to "raise your voice" and then hustle back to the reward of a Dove bar for a job well done.
In sum, there are no good options in the Sudan, only less bad ones. Ms. Melescu, Ms. Farrelly, and the Honorable Ms. Christensen deserve a raspberry for imagining that evil can be stopped not by the expenditure of our blood and treasure but by the mere flapping of gums.
Jay Craft
St. Croix
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