The Darfur Dilemma

One can’t help but feel terribly sorry for the people of the Darfur region. Their current situation is bleak at best, and their future seems even darker. I’m at a loss however to understand the goals and objectives of the various Darfur related protests around the country.

There was one in Philadelphia this past weekend that drew a couple hundred people. A few protestors got their picture in the local paper, they tied up traffic for some time while marching, many got to show off the latest fashion in picket signs. But I have yet to read anything that explains just what these folks want done about Darfur? What was the purpose of the protest? To do what?

If the only answer to this is “to raise awareness”, then the protest was an apparent failure. I doubt that anyone heard about the Darfur tragedy for the first time because of this (or any other) protest. Many people protest in order to feel good about themselves. One protestor was quoted as saying “I look forward to these marches,” she said. “they make me feel better as a human, as a global citizen.” If any of the protestors was helped in this way, then good for you. At least something was achieved.

Aside from that, I just can’t see what it is these folks expect to be done. They say they want the suffering stopped, but they never suggest how . . . . . except those who claim that turning money over to them is the answer! How do these people propose stopping all of this suffering? Apparently, the targets of their message are us Americans. More specifically, Philadelphians! So what do they expect us Americans/Philadelphians to do? Maybe they just want everyone to protest. Maybe they think that protests are the way to stop the genocide that occurs everyday in Darfur. Maybe the protestors think those mass murderers have a conscience!

The plain truth is that these murderers will be stopped only one way, by force. I know that and so do most (if not all) of the protestors. They desperately want this to happen. They just don’t have the nerve to say it, because these are many of the same people who protest our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. The difference here is that Darfur is “their cause.” But of course, they would prefer to send troops there from other nations. That way it won’t be our spouses and children who get killed. And as sure as the sun rises in the east, they would be protesting again to pull our troops out of Darfur . . . . . just as soon as an appropriate number was killed.

So I suggest leading by example instead of by your mouths. You know what has to be done in order to stop the terror in Darfur. Go do it.