the rallies begin

Standing in the blazing sun while listening to speakers, I began to have second thoughts about coming to the rally... then the chanting began with Jim Wallis leading the crowd: "Not on our watch!" In Darfur, Sudan, over 400,000 people have died due rebel forces. A year ago tomorrow marks the date that President Bush called the actions a "genocide." After the previous genocides during the last century, our country has declared "Never again"... yet it continues today. Fairly uneducated about the situation in Sudan, I attended the rally today to see the environment. The group putting on the rally, Africa Action (www.africaaction.org), believes that the US government has failed to respond to the situation even after acknowledging that it is a genocide, which goes against international rights policies. We rolled out sheets of paper that contained over 100,000 signatures from all over the states requesting that Bush take action.

While I am devestated to hear the corruption and death occuring in Sudan, I also am unsure if it's Bush's responsibility to respond. How much should the US step into "monitor" other countries? Is it more valuable to stand with posters chanting in front of the White House or to go to Sudan and serve among the people? There are challenges both ways.

As we moved from the back of the lawn upcloser to the gates of the White House, we ran into another rally that was being held. About 50 people stood with signs condemning Bush' s response to Katrina. Martin Luther changed the world with speeches and rallies... but where is the line between ridiculous emotional energy and serious action?

More questions than answers....