Letter to the Editor

Once again, in a Feb. 2 editorial, The Morning Call expressed its disapproval of the continuing atrocities in Darfur, Sudan. It referred to a U.N. panel that rejected the belief that past and present atrocities do not constitute genocide.

So, all of these mass murders, persecutions, torture, ethnic cleansings, expulsions, rapes, starvation, burning of villages (which included burning women and children alive), allegedly do not reflect genocidal intent.

Incredibly, this report was released while an estimated 10,000 innocent people still perish each month. That is about 330 each day...

The writer Elie Wiesel, himself a Holocaust survivor, addressing the United Nations, reminded us that "If the world had listened to those of us who tried to speak we may have prevented Darfur, Cambodia, Bosnia, and naturally, Rwanda.''

We need to encourage the Bush administration to support the establishment of an International Criminal Court that would bring to justice all perpetrators responsible for these genocidal killings in Darfur.

The Morning Call stated that ''prosecutions and sanctions are both necessary.'' Yes, but diplomats have discussed sanctions for months, while the killings continued.

On Feb. 10, four of us representing the local chapter of Amnesty International USA will meet in Sen. Rick Santorum's office to discuss this crisis. Has the U.S. government done enough for these people? How can the killers be disarmed?

Sen. Santorum in the past has expressed his concern over Darfur. We hope to learn about his possible commitment to do more. It's time for more deeds to help rescue the living in Darfur.

For those who perished, rescue attempts and deeds come too late.

Hans M. Wuerth, Center Valley

The Morning Call, Feb 5, 2005

Return to News in Brief