All weapons of mass destruction, in a country you probably have never even been to. People you've never known. But what you buy is changing their lives, destroying their homes, killing their families.
armed groups own mines (exploiting workers, selling "blood minerals". With that money, they buy more weapons!) ----> "blood minerals" are smuggled out of the Congo ----> and into other countries, taken by boat, by plane ----> to electronic manufacturers (who make devices, for example, how your cell phone vibrates) ---> those devices are sold to major companies (Apple, Intel, etc.) ---> US.
There is legislation going through Congress, similar to the "blood diamond" legislation passed a few years ago, that will require companies to know where the minerals in their products came from.
Consumers would be able to tell when a product is conflict mineral free or not, and pressure companies to stop inporting conflict minerals.
4. Share this information! Talk to your class about it, encourage others to write to their representative, post about it on facebook, send emails, tweet about it
The results of the election in Sudan have been released, with the sitting President Omar Al-Bashir winning with 68% of the vote.
International observers have declared the elections fell "far short of international standards".
The elections were not fair,
-The Sudanese government didn't allow all people running equal access to the press -Names were missing from the voting lists -Polling places were opening late -Widespread confusion on the levels of voting -Many refugees were not registered to vote
The International Criminals Court has put out an ARREST WARRENT on the basis of Crimes Against Humanity for him.
The government of Sudan, under Bashir's leadership, has supported the Janjaweed, the group attempting to eliminate the native population of Sudan. He is responsible for millions of deaths, for the suffering of the refugees, for the difficulties so many in the country face.
We cannot let his regime be legitimized by this show of an election!
Please sign THIS PETITION asking that the US take a stand on this issue.
With the elections rapidly approaching (a post on that is coming!) and the recent signing of a new peace agreement between the government and rebel groups, Sudan is in a state of uncertainty.
And it is up to us to make that uncertainty into something positive.
The most significant changes and progress in working for peace in Sudan have come when the international community has come together and demanded action. It is time that we come together again to make that request, to demand peace for the innocent people who have suffered for far too long, for those who have died as a result of the horrific genocide, for those children who have never known more than a refugee tent for a home.
Compassion is not an idea, it is an action that lifts the burden of the other because the other is of us. It is the determination to end the suffering of the other by spending oneself to do it.” -Sister Joan Chittister, member of the Council of Conscience
What if this new years, you made a resolution that really mattered? And what if it wasn't just you, but people from all over the world, joining in determination to build a better world?
The Charter for Compassion is exactly that. Created by the amazing Council of Conscience, it's designed to promote a standard for compassion, a standard for all people, everywhere.
Compassion is spread by those who live it. The Charter for Compassion encourages others to be more compassionate, by offering inspiration of compassionate acts.
What I think is one of the coolest parts of this Charter is that we all can join in its message by signing, and the signature isn't only a personal pledge, but a pledge that will be sent to world leaders who have countries in conflict.
Your voice matters. Your signature will make a different.
Just to update, there are currently two different piece of legislation that deal with blood minerals that are being discussed in both the House of Representatives and the Senate right now.
You can easily help the bill in the House of Representative become law!
Also, THIS SUNDAY, CNN's 60 Minutes is talking about conflict minerals.
The preview is below, be sure to tune in to learn more about what is going on and what you can do! Please share this trailer with your family, friends, classmates, etc. Post it on myspace, facebook, tweet it, blog it, however you can spread the word!
