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Give a Little Bit

Two stories that appeared on the same spread of the Winnipeg Free Press today:

"The Pentagon wants the White House to seek another US$99.7 billion to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to information provided to The Associated Press... The military's request, if endorsed by President George W. Bush and approved by Congress, would boost this year's budget for the wars to about $170 billion... Overall, the war in Iraq has so far cost about $350 billion. Combined with the conflict in Afghanistan and operations against terrorism elsewhere, the cost to taxpayers has exceeded $500 billion, according to the Congressional Research Service."

"The genocide in Darfur is 'just waiting to explode' across its international border with neighbouring Chad, so the world should do more to at least contain the crisis, says Liberal Senator Romeo Dallaire... who called on the government to contribute hundreds of millions more dollars in aid... The United Nations approved the 20,000-strong military mission in August to assist the badly outgunned African Union protection force of 7,000 that has so far been ineffective in stemming the rising tide of carnage, something Dallaire called 'genocide in slow motion.' Dallaire called on the Conservative government to lead an international diplomatic push to persuade the Sudanese government to support the deployment of a UN force. Khartoum has refused to allow UN troops on its soil, essentially creating a stalemate in resolving the three-year old crisis that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions in an area of western Sudan that is the size of France... Now the violence has spilled across Darfur's western border into Chad, as well as into the neighbouring Central African Republic to the south. The Janjaweed rebels that have terrorized Darfurians for three years on their own soil have attacked refugee camps that have become home to more than 350,000... 'I think we're into a very serious problem with the instability in Chad. There is no doubt that the Janjaweed are going on both sides. That border is just waiting to explode,' Dallaire said... Since November, more than 70 villages have been attacked, burned or emptied, including the looting of $1 million in supplies from its warehouses."

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It's really sad for this entire region of Africa that they don't have oil fields.

Anyway. If this news irritates you as much as it irritates me, you can help me with my Christmas mini-project (yay!). Anyone who knew me back in high school will know the drill by now :)

I'm going to put together a couple of Health Kits for MCC's relief efforts around the world. These kits are distributed to refugee camps around the world, wherever people need them. I'm officially making a donation box at my house, and I'll drop off the goods at MCC in the middle of January.

Here's what they need:
- Adult toothbrushes
- Tubes of toothpaste
- Bars of soap
- Fingernail clippers
- Hand towels (dark colour)
- Drawstring bags (instructions on how to make 'em at www.mcc.org)

Thanks in advance :)

L

Labels: Current Events

posted by Lindsay @ 1:35 PM