----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, June 09, 2000 7:23 PM Subject: [STOPNATO] National Sudan Day STOP NATO: NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.COM [use top URL for numerous links -- Kev.] -- http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_fosterj_news/20000609_xnfoj_national_s.shtml June 9, 2000 National Sudan Day 25 U.S. cities holding rallies to protest modern-day slavery By Julie Foster � 2000 WorldNetDaily.com Today, activists, congregations and community leaders in more than 25 cities across the United States -- as well as Ottawa, Canada and Vienna, Austria -- are hosting rallies to protest government-sponsored slave trading in Sudan on what has been named "National Sudan Day." The rallies cap off an intensive three-week lobbying effort in Washington, D.C., by the Sudan Campaign -- a broad coalition of activists seeking an end to genocidal activities against resisters of the country's Islamic fundamentalist regime. Many of the slaves, especially women and children, are captured during raids conducted by government-armed militias. Most of the victims are members of the Dinka tribe, a group of Christians and animists from the northern part of Bahr El Ghazal region. Testimonies of the enslaved women and children reveal a consistent pattern of beatings, sexual abuse, forced Islamization and Arabization, and denial of sufficient food and shelter. Various organizations, such as Christian Solidarity International and the Congress on Modern Pan-African Slavery, have combined their efforts and resources to create the Sudan Campaign. Christian Solidarity International has been at the forefront of slave "redemption" activities. As reported in WorldNetDaily, the group purchases freedom for captured Sudanese people -- a controversial practice opposed by the United Nations Children's Fund, or UNICEF. The coalition also includes the African American Women's Clergy Association, the American Anti-Slavery Group and the Washington, D.C., branch of the American Jewish Committee, as well as members of the Congressional Black Caucus. Communities across the U.S. have coordinated their efforts with the campaign, whose leaders hope it will spur President Clinton into action on the issue. "The president is the ultimate leader" in America, Jesse Sage, associate director of the American Anti-Slavery Group, told WND. "He has a unique ability to mobilize this abolitionist nation to stop slavery and genocide." The campaign was organized in response to a "challenge" issued by Secretary of State Madeleine Albright during a closed meeting with humanitarian groups in September. Albright reportedly said the suffering in Sudan has not been "marketable" to Americans. But a group of fifth-graders in Aurora, Colo., are determined to prove the Secretary of State wrong. The class made national and international headlines for its efforts to free Sudanese slaves. Barb Vogel's class was studying the Civil War and slavery when she read the students a newspaper article about 132 slaves in war-torn Sudan whose freedom had been bought by Christian Solidarity International. The students formed their own campaign called Slavery That Oppresses People, or STOP, and wrote letters to public officials, celebrities and members of the media, attempting to raise awareness of the issue. Letters were also sent to President Clinton, addressing his visit to Africa. Students asked Clinton to join in their efforts to end slavery. Additionally, the children raised funds for slave redemption programs by selling lemonade and T-shirts and by donating their lunch money and allowances. Yesterday, Vogel's class arrived at the nation's capital for an event on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, joined by Sudan Campaign members and congressional representatives. Today, the children are lobbying Congress for U.S. action to end the Sudanese slave trade. They have also requested meetings with Clinton and Albright. The campaign's main goal is the divestment of U.S. funds from oil companies doing business in Sudan. Both private and public money is invested in such companies -- the largest of which is China Petro, the communist nation's foremost oil producer and subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corp. "As Americans and as abolitionists, we don't wait for the administration to take actions," said campaign spokesman David Rossini. "There are a number of things that all Americans can do. Particularly, Americans have a lot of power in where their money goes." Divestment efforts have been successful, he said, noting the Sudan government directly benefits from the country's oil industry. Talisman Energy, a large investor in Sudan's oil resources, lost $1 billion in investments last year, he said. Additionally, oil company BP Amoco saw its initial public offering drop from $10 billion to $2.9 billion, Rossini noted, and Canada's Fosters Corp. backed out of an oil deal in Sudan, citing humanitarian efforts as the major factor in its decision. But Rossini said other results of the campaign are noteworthy as well. "I think the best thing we've seen in the last two weeks," he said, "is we've seen the Church step up to the front and the black community step up to the front" to fight slavery. -- See Joseph Farah's column: Clinton, Sudan and genocide -- Related stories: Group kicks off anti-slavery campaign Sudan accused of bombing school Freedom purchased for slaves in Sudan Protest against Sudan slavery, genocide -- Julie Foster is a staff reporter for WorldNetDaily. [Testimonies of the enslaved women and children reveal a consistent pattern of beatings, sexual abuse, forced Islamization and Arabization, and denial of sufficient food and shelter] ---- The president ... has a unique ability to mobilize this abolitionist nation to stop slavery and genocide. -- Jesse Sage, associate director of the American Anti-Slavery Group ---- As Americans and as abolitionists, we don't wait for the administration to take actions. There are a number of things that all Americans can do. Particularly, Americans have a lot of power in where their money goes. -- David Rossini, Sudan Campaign � 2000 WorldNetDaily.com, Inc. Direct corrections and technical inquiries to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please direct news submissions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Support Antiwar.com http://Antiwar.com and also the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space http://www.globenet.free-online.co.uk. +Make nonviolent peace. Speak truth to power. Pray for one another. Be merciful. Love your enemies. Forgive those who've hurt you. Come Lord Jesus Christ. Deo Gratias.+ ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb
