Local Action Brings Global Satisfaction
More than 350,000 people have been murdered in the Darfur region of Sudan. They’re being exterminated. This is a Genocide. Women and Children are being raped to force them into being social outcasts, and scores of villages have been burnt by a coalition of Arab Zealots and their Sudanese Government Allies. Now, there is an effort to stop food aid from reaching refugee camps and to simply starve the non-Arab people of Darfur to death. Why? Because the Darfur Sundanese are Black African Muslims and not Arab Muslims. This is just wrong.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: A) We’ve known this for a long time! Why are you bothering me with it? and B) This is a Blog about ATLANTA!! What does this have to do with Atlanta?
I tell you all this because you can do something about it. Representative Tyrone
Brooks has introduced House Bill 964. This bill would prohibit the State from investing in or doing business with Firms with capitalization of over $100,000 who do business with Sudan. This Bill is in the Banks and Banking Committee of the Georgia House. You can write your representatives and the members of the committee and urge that the Bill be “recommended Do Pass” and moved on the Rules Committee and then sent to the floor of the House for a Vote.
Now, this does bring up tricky issues. First, linking fiscal policy to social strategies on a government wide range isn’t a great idea. The primary goal of pension and investment funds is to maximize the economic use of the States Recources to improve the life of citizens. That means investing pension funds in a way that maximizes returns. Second, linking policy to spending means that untimately, the budget is the only policy device that matters. This creates a whole can of worms. If the policy side of things get settled pre-budget, both the policy and fiscal debates will be more transparent and cleaner.
However, sometimes there is an overriding moral imperative and this is one of those times. 15 years ago, several states and groups divested themselves of dealings with South Africa and this pressure lead directly to the end of apartheid. If apartheid was cruel and wrong, clearly the organized rape and murder of people is even more insidious. Stop the murder and rape first, then clean up the fiscal mess.
Please support HB 964. 5 minutes of your time now will stop a child from being raped and killed.