Help Put a Stop to Grave Crimes in Darfur

New Action:

From Human Rights First:

Since the human rights emergency in Darfur began, civilians have been victims of mass killings and rape, their villages have been burned, and they have been forced to flee for their lives.

More than 1.8 million people have been cast out of their homes, and as many as 300,000 people may have already died.

At the same time, the Sudanese government has engaged in a pattern of targeting human rights defenders in an attempt to prevent news about serious violations of human rights in Darfur from reaching the outside world.

The Sudanese government, whose army and proxy militia, the Janjaweed, are responsible for much of the violence, has taken no serious action to bring those responsible for these crimes to justice.

In January 2005, the U.N. appointed International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur strongly recommended to the U.N. Security Council that the situation in Sudan be referred to the International Criminal Court and stated that such a move would contribute to the restoration of peace in the region.

The United States has said that it does not support a referral of the situation in Darfur to the ICC, but the alternative it has proposed has no budget and little international support. It would mean delay in bringing serious human rights violators to justice and risk prolonging the suffering in Darfur.

Please join with us in asking Secretary of State Rice to ensure that the United States not veto a Security Council referral of the situation in Darfur to the ICC.

TAKE ACTION NOW!

Tell Congress: Please Fund Tsunami Relief!

New Action:

From Oxfam America:

Here's an amazing figure. An estimated 89 million Americans – that's three out of every ten – have given to the tsunami relief effort. They have been part of the most stunning display of generosity and human spirit we have ever witnessed. As a result, relief agencies such as Oxfam have been able to provide food, water, and shelter to hundreds of thousands of tsunami survivors.

Want to do one more thing to help? It won't cost you a dime, and it will take just a few minutes. Click here to take action.

The relief effort is well underway. But the rebuilding effort, as we've said before, is only beginning – and it will continue for years to come. But this will take even more money, beyond the nearly $600 million that Americans – people like you – have already donated.

The US government has graciously made an initial commitment of $350 million to relief efforts. But additional aid is also needed for longer-term reconstruction. Moreover, it is important that the US government fulfill its pledge of support without depleting resources for vital relief work in other parts of the world.

Please ask President Bush and Congress to invest in the future of the people affected by the tsunami, as well as other crises around the world. By appropriating $1 billion in emergency assistance the US can help meet the needs of tsunami survivors and others affected by conflict.

• $500 million for the relief and reconstruction efforts surrounding the tsunami (including fulfilling the $350 million pledge already made by President Bush)
  
• $500 million for other emergencies including Sudan, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

It takes just a minute to email the President and Congress. Please visit our easy-to-use web form TODAY and express your support for robust humanitarian funding around the globe.

Take Action for Tsunami Survivors and Sudan

New Action:

From American Jewish World Service:

Tsunami Update:

Nearly six weeks have passed since the devastating tsunami that destroyed parts of South Asia and Africa. Today, AJWS is supporting the efforts of many grassroots organizations in affected regions. Click here to view a list of our current emergency grants. But even as we continue this vital work, we need you to take action to ensure that the U.S. government provides additional funding for emergency relief. In the days following the tsunami, President Bush promised $350 million for relief - now we must pressure the government to make good on this pledge.

Later this month, Congress will debate an emergency spending bill to fund the U.S. commitment for relief and reconstruction to areas ravaged by the tsunami. The bill will also include hundreds of millions of dollars to alleviate the suffering of people who have been impacted by the conflict in Darfur, Sudan, and it will provide additional resources to combat global hunger. Click here to learn more about the issues and let your members of Congress know that you support funding these critical needs.

Sudan Update:

Despite signs of hope in southern Sudan, where a more than 20-year civil war has come to an end, the crisis in Darfur continues. The Sudanese government has taken advantage of the world's attention on the tsunami to continue its policy of destruction and murder. Early this week, the United Nations Commission investigating the violence in Darfur released its report. It concluded that serious crimes against humanity are being committed with the involvement of many government officials, and that they are "no less serious and heinous than genocide."

More than two million Sudanese continue to suffer, and hundreds of thousands have been murdered or have died of disease and starvation due to forced displacement. Please take action now to let new Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice know that we must not turn our backs on the people of Darfur.

Help Protect the Air You Breathe

New Action:

From The American Lung Association:

The American Lung Association needs your help! Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) has introduced an unprecedented rollback to our nation's clean air laws, S. 131. The big polluters and their lobbyists are backing this legislation that will make lasting, damaging changes to the Clean Air Act.

The better, more immediate way to healthier air is to enforce the Clean Air Act. The Clean Air Act holds polluters accountable. Enforcing the Clean Air Act will reduce air pollution from large smokestacks, power plants, cars, trucks and buses and all other sources.

Take action now! Send a message to your U.S. Senators calling on them to oppose S. 131 and support enforcement of the Clean Air Act for cleaner air, faster.

TAKE ACTION NOW

Community Update

I apologize for the long absence in updating the site. As I am still tweaking some things and figuring other things out as well as managing other affairs, sometimes pauses and hiccups do happen. Please note on the right hand side of the page (you may have to scroll down a bit) we now have a Yahoo Group. Signing up is another easy way for you to get involved in the direct Internet humanitarian activism we strive to do around here. Stay tuned for action updates.