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Wednesday, August 22, 2012

In Des Moines. *Please* Come Sunday/ Monday: Help Stop Genocide in Sudan!

[ A full listing of public programs for Sunday Aug. 26 and Monday 27  is included below.]

 

Friends,  please forward this information to all your friends.

Come learn this Sunday and/or  Monday about something most Americans know very little about: the genocide facing the people of Sudan and how the U.S. Administration can do much, much more to help – but is not.*   

“ Nothing moved me more than watching a 6-year-old girl, Israh Jibrael, tenderly feed her starving 2-year-old sister, Nada, leaves from a branch. Israh looked hungrily at the leaves herself, and occasionally she took a few. But, mostly, she put them into her weak sister’s mouth. Both children were barefoot, clad in rags, and had hair that was turning brown from malnutrition.   Their mother, Amal Kua, told me that the family hasn’t had regular food since the Sudanese Army attacked their town five months ago. Since then, she said, the family has lived in caves and subsisted on leaves.”  --*NY Times Columnist Nicholas Kristof   (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/10/opinion/sunday/kristof-from-peace-prize-to-paralysis.html?_r=1&smid=fb-share)

We have a unique opportunity in Des Moines to help save the Sudanese people of the Nuba Mountains, along with others in the region, from certain death.  Please join our local Help Nuba Coalition, along with Sudanese leaders from around the country, and notable activists in programs open and free to the public on Sunday, August 26 and Monday, August 27. 

 

                  

If nothing else, please come on Sunday,  1 pm – 3pm to the State Historical Society Building, 600 E. Locust for a major program including Hawa Salih, 2012 International Women of Courage Award Winner – then please participate in a March to End Genocide at  3:30 pm.  The March is organized by the Iowa United Nations Association.

 

   Hawa Salih

 

 

 

 Here is a complete schedule for programs open to the public this Sunday ( August 26, 2012)  as well as for Monday, August 27.   For additional information, please contact Kristen.danielle.anderson@gmail.com   http://helpnuba.net

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday, August 19, 2012

"Help Nuba" August 26. A 'Walk to End Genocide' and programs with guest speakers. Location: State Historical Society

      Help Nuba! Talk the Walk and Walk the Talk!      Sunday, August 26th

                         The Help Nuba Coalition* invites you to join us for the Help Nuba events                                                                            

         Walk To End Genocide,  An Introduction: The Humanitarian Crisis, and a Major Speakers Program 

                                                        this coming SundayAugust 26  at

                   The State Historical Society of Iowa (Auditorium)        600 East Locust, Des Moines, IA

                                    The Programs Listed Below are all Open to the Public Free of Charge

1:00 P.M. – 3:00 P.M. Educational Program with guest speakers: The Humanitarian Crisis

Highlighting the educational programs list of speakers will be Hawa Salih, Darfuri Human Rights Activist and 2012 International Women of Courage Award Winner and Ngor Mayol, one of the “Lost Boys” of Sudan. The afternoon program aims to provide an understanding of the current situation in Sudan and South Sudan while stressing urgent needs.

Hero of Darfur, Human Rights Activist Hawa Salih to attend Help Nuba Conference in Des Moines, Iowa,  Sunday, August 26

3:30 P.M. – 4:30 P.M. Walk to End Genocide (approximately 1 mile)      Departs from in front of the State Historical Society Bld

Join us as we walk together in solidarity in order to raise awareness of the crimes against humanity taking place across Sudan, from the Nuba Mountains of South Kordofan State to Blue Nile in the East and Darfur in the West. We are unifying our voices to sound the alarm on these atrocities. We call for an immediate aid corridor to be opened for humanitarian aid to be delivered to the hundreds of thousands starving at the hands of a genocidal regime. Help Nubasupports a peaceful transition to a more inclusive Sudan that celebrates and honors its diversity.

7:00 P.M. – 10:00 P.M. Evening Major Speakers Program: A Call for Peace in the Two Sudans

Amidst an ever-changing relationship between Sudan and South Sudan, we are certain of one thing, millions of Sudanese are facing a government induced famine by a genocidal regime. As a result, the crisis has spilled across the borders into South Sudan, burdening an already struggling fledgling country. We will look beyond oil pipelines and politics to square ourselves with humanity. Giving us a platform from which we can strengthen and unify our advocacy work in order to protect innocent civilians.

Evening speakers will include Sudanese and South Sudanese community leaders from across the United States and activist leaders speaking about what needs to be done and addressing the ultimate question: “What can I do?”

 For additional information contact  rachelm@UNAiowa.org   

 

Help Nuba is online at http://helpNuba.net           Executive Council Members are listed at http://helpnuba.net/about/help-nuba-executive-council/

 

(ver. 8/19/12)

 

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Amb. Oren: Time Is Short For Iran Diplomacy

OPINION       August 6, 2012

 A version of this article appeared August 7, 2012, on page A13 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Time Is Short For Iran Diplomacy.

Time Is Short For Iran Diplomacy

Iran is the world's leading terror sponsor without nuclear weapons. With them, it can commit incalculable atrocities.

By MICHAEL OREN   Mr. Oren is Israel's ambassador to the United States.

Nearly two decades ago, Israel started alerting the world about Iran's nuclear program. But the world ignored our warnings, wasting 10 years until the secret nuclear enrichment plant at Natanz was exposed in 2002. Then eight more invaluable years were lost before much of the international community imposed serious sanctions on Iran.

Throughout that time, the ayatollahs systematically lied about their nuclear operations, installing more than 10,000 centrifuges, a significant number of them in a once-secret underground facility at Qom. Iran has blocked International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors from visiting its nuclear sites, refused to answer questions about the military aspects of its program, and rejected all confidence-building measures. Iran has tested long-range missiles capable of reaching any city in the Middle East and, in the future, beyond.

Iran is also the world's leading state sponsor of terror. It has supplied more than 70,000 rockets to terrorist organizations deployed on Israel's borders and has tried to murder civilians across five continents and 25 countries, including in the United States. In July, Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists killed five Israeli tourists, among them a pregnant woman, in Bulgaria. Iran's forces have attacked American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Its agents are operating in Yemen, Africa and South America. By providing fighters and funds, Iran is enabling Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad to massacre his own people.

Iran has done all this without nuclear weapons. With them, it can commit incalculable atrocities anywhere in the world, beginning with Israel. As the chief of staff of the Iranian military recently stated, "the Iranian nation stands for the full annihilation of Israel." Last week, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said "the annihilation of the Zionist regime is the key for solving the world problems."

Accordingly, Israel believes that Iran is far from forfeiting its nuclear ambitions. Our conviction is based on Iran's record of subterfuge and terror together with its genocidal rhetoric. It also reflects the inability of the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany (the "P5+1") to negotiate a compromise with Iran.

In their first round of talks with Iranian officials, late in 2009, the P5+1 demanded the suspension of all enrichment activities in Iran and the transfer of its stockpiles, then enriched to 3.5%, abroad. Iran rejected those conditions and escalated its enrichment process to 20%, which can be enhanced to weapons-grade in a matter of weeks.

Iran now has amassed roughly 225 pounds of 20% uranium and 11,000 pounds of 3.5%, sufficient for almost five nuclear bombs. Rather than stand by its initial demands, however, the P5+1 is now seeking merely the cessation of Iran's 20% enrichment, the removal of its 20% stockpile, and the closure of the facility at Qom. Arguably, this would be the first stage in the phasing out of Iran's nuclear program. But Iran has rejected even this preliminary gesture.

Iran will continue to drag out the negotiations while installing more centrifuges. These, according to the IAEA, are spinning even faster. The sanctions, which have dealt a blow to Iran's economy, have not affected the nuclear program. Meanwhile, more of Iran's expanding stockpile will be hidden in fortified bunkers beyond Israel's reach.

No country has a greater stake than Israel in using negotiations and economic pressure to dissuade Iran from developing nuclear weapons. We appreciate the determination of President Obama and the U.S. Congress to advance the sanctions and their pledge to keep all options on the table.

At the same time, the president has affirmed Israel's right "to defend itself, by itself, against any threat," and "to make its own decision about what is required to meet its security needs." Historically, Israel has exercised that right only after exhausting all reasonable diplomatic means. But as the repeated attempts to negotiate with Iran have demonstrated, neither diplomacy nor sanctions has removed the threat.

A combination of truly crippling sanctions and a credible military threat—a threat that the ayatollahs still do not believe today—may yet convince Iran to relinquish its nuclear dreams. But time is dwindling and, with each passing day, the lives of eight million Israelis grow increasingly imperiled. The window that opened 20 years ago is now almost shut.

--

Monday, August 13, 2012

Aug. 28: Maccabee's Deli Blood Drive to meet a need!

 

The Des Moines Blood Bank is low on Blood, so Maccabee's Deli is having a Blood Drive (on short notice).
If you can give blood or know anyone who can give blood,
the first 40 people who sign up will not only get a free sandwich but will be getting the Mitzvah of giving life too.