Birth Place of Clowns

"They will not enjoy citizenship rights, jobs or benefits, they will not be allowed to buy or sell in Khartoum market and they will not treated in hospitals, We will not even give them a needle in the hospital," Obeid said in statements carried by public radio... So who is this Clown? Some flake from a wing party, one set on the outlying areas of the political spectrum? Unfortunately not. He is Kamal Obeid, Sudan Information Minister on the status of southern Sudanese living in the north of Sudan.

While the Sudan may not be the birthplace of clowns it's certainly the training ground.

You can read more about this idiot and what's up in Sudan at the Sudan Tribune

You have been given a voice, use it. Go out and SCREAM! about something you care about.Politics, Humanitarian, Society

Economic Crisis is Global... and decades old.

It is times like this that should cause us not to sit and sulk but to get up and get active. Now is the time that we can make a difference even if that difference is a simple conversation, a small donation or a helping hand to a brother or sister in need. While we watch our world seemingly crumble around us from the current economic crisis we must remember that a crisis a hundred fold greater has been pounding millions of people of this world for decades.

Global issues like poverty are extremely complex. There is no simple, clear answer. I've railed on and against American Politics, the Political system, the Financial Collapse of the Markets and a myriad of other things but sometimes there comes a time where we, the people, need to turn our attention away from our world and focus on THE World.

Once again we need to unite our voices and speak volumes about the world, our true world and her children. It is through raising our voices, united, that we can be heard and the world will listen.

A few facts and tidbits about 2008:

Poverty and Hunger run rampant in our world while we witnessed a monumental 1.8 TRILLION Dollar single day loss in the Stock market. Our government has bailed out the banking industry with hundreds if not Thousands of BILLIONs of Tax Dollars and seeks more while the executives of AIG and their "top sellers" partied on the posh, enjoyed undeserved bonuses and are now suing the IRS for some BS claim on their tax returns.

World governments now own portions of the banking industry, effectively Nationalizing the financial system, and taxpayers around the world have allowed their governments to use BILLIONS of dollars, Pounds, Euro's and other currencies to fight a war in the Middle East.

My point? We still live in a world where almost half of her population, over three billion people, live on less than $2.50 a day and over 26,500 children die each day. Every day. Year round. The killers of our children, the children of our world, are poverty, hunger and easily preventable diseases and illnesses. What will you do today to help prevent this?

Mister, can you spare a dime? Don't answer with the standard "you can't fix the problem by throwing money at it..." okay, we know that it's complex and the problems have very deep roots. But maybe that dime isn't in hard currency, maybe it's ten cents of your time. A moments worth of you talking to someone else about the problem. What if the whole world was talking about this at exactly the same time? Maybe your ten cents would be worth millions. Take a moment. Talk to someone. You were given a voice for a reason, use it.

Poverty Facts: These are not debate points, not opinions, FACTS. Plain, hard, cold and oh so real facts. When you read my opening and we look at all of the money that we've chased around in less than 2 months the FACT is that we are a wasteful money-centric global society that preys on those with less and forgets those who can not speak with the same volume and intensity that we can. We want our BMW's, Mercedes and our 4,000+ square foot Homes. We want gratification and satisfaction now and we don't care what it cost. We like to think that what we do does not impact anyone else. Continue with this approach to our world and we just might end up paying with more than our money.

26,500 children die each day at an astounding rate of one Child every three seconds, over 10 Million children die each year. One of those children could have been the scientist that cures cancer, saves a nation, makes the impossible possible. One of those children could have been a friend. Each of those children were fellow humans trying to inhabit the planet the we have been given stewardship over. Ask yourself: Am I a good steward for the children. Take a moment. Talk to someone. You were given a voice for a reason, use it. Statistics: At least 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day.

Worldwide. 2.2 million children die each year because they are not immunized while the United States spends 8 BILLION Dollars a year on Cosmetics, blush, lipstick, eyeliner, etc. every year. European countries and the United States combined spend 12 Billion Dollars a year on Perfumes. It would take 9 Billion to provide Water and Sanitation for ALL.

The list goes on. The world; US, Europe, Japan, and the rest spend enough on Perfume 4, Pet Food 4, Cigarettes 4, and Cosmetics 4 to provide Basic Education, Water and Sanitation and Basic health and nutrition to the WORLD and still have 3 BILLION left over. Speak up, speak out! Talk to someone. You have been given a voice for a reason, use it today.

You can help by contacting UNICEF, the International Red Cross Red Crescent, Your local Red Cross Chapter, OXFAM and other global organizations dedicated to eliminating poverty and providing basic human needs to the worlds populations. Play Robin Hood - donate, let your voice be heard.

You have been given a voice, use it. Go out and SCREAM! about something you care about.

Politics, Humanitarian, Society


portions of this article have been previously published at http://screaming-at-the-tv.blogspot.com

Arrest Warrant Issued for Bashir

The following is an excerpt from The Invisible Children website. I could have gathered this clip from any news source on the net or print. I thought it important to give anyone visiting SCREAMING at the TV! an opportunity to visit the Invisible Children site and maybe, hopefully, get a new feel for this story. My thanks to the Invisible Children Network and all that they do.

The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for his role in the death of 300,000 people in Darfur since 2003. Bashir has been indicted on seven counts of war crimes including crimes against humanity, murder, rape and torture. The Sudanese government responded by expelling ten of the largest western aid agencies operating in Sudan, including Medicines Sans Frontieres and Save the Children. Out of the 76 aid agencies operating in Sudan, these ten are estimated to contribute most of the aid to the Sudanese.

Does this worry you? It should. What would you suppose that Bashir will do? I've waited on writing anything about the warrant for Bashir because I knew that, while the intention was good the outcome could be tragic. I could feel it in my bones that Bashir would begin kicking out the aid agencies and doing what he could to minimize any UN presence in the region. I wonder how many will lose their homes, families, lives because of this? Don't get me wrong, something needed to be done. A warrant... okay, so we are the civilized world and we follow the rules of such a world - but for those who do not it only means that they will escalate their hate filled behaviors to new levels.

There's this small thing call a strategic surgical strike - maybe the age of everyone knowing everything is not good - maybe, just maybe a couple of heads of state should have sat down and decided that this fish is rotting from the head down and the head needed to be silently removed.

Maybe.

Peace.

You have been given a voice, use it. Go out and SCREAM! about something you care about.

Politics, Humanitarian, Society