Don't Call Them "Do-Nothing"

Yesterday, 5 U.S. Congressmen were arrested outside the Sudanese Embassy while protesting President Bashir's crimes against humanity. Don't say Congress is completely useless!

Reps. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Lynn Woolsey (D-Petaluma), John Lewis (D-Ga.) and Donna Edwards (D-Md.) along with three activists were arrested on charges of civil disobedience by Secret Service and were released a few hours later after each paying a $100 fine.

U.S. Rep. John Lewis, center, is led away in handcuffs by a Secret Service officer during an act of civil disobedience to protest the Sudanese government's ongoing genocide in Darfur on Monday outside the Sudan embassy in Washington, DC.

After reading statements calling on President Obama to pressure the global community into action regarding Darfur, the congressmen and activists crossed the yellow tape and refused to move during the large and reportedly peaceful demonstration, which is what lead to their arrests.

"I hope that is very clear to our administration and to international communities that violence in Darfur must end," said Representative Woolsey. Bashir , she added, "must allow the NGOs back into the country and admit he has only worsened the crisis in Darfur."

It has been over two months now since the International Criminal Court issued its arrest warrent for Bashir and since 13 major international relief and aid groups were expelled from the country. This has left over 1 million people at risk and since these events not much has happened. Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times reported on his blog yesterday that there is talk of Sudan appeasement by the Obama administration, who appears to be taking the "let's be friends" approach to the Darfur crisis and Bashir.

The fact that nothing has been done by anyone in any country around the world is pretty dispicable. The confict and genocide in Darfur began in 2003 about the same time as the Iraq war began. It has been five years of silence by an international community that seems to have plenty to say about Iraq.

Where is the outrage? Where is the humanity? Where is the responsibility?

Photo credit: Tim Sloan / AFP/Getty Images