Sun-Sentinel, FL
May 24 2005
We must stop recurring genocide
Jack Rosenbaum
Boca Raton
Morally, Jonathan Gurwitz’s opinion piece, “A moral issue that people
are ducking,” points to a few segments of our population.
First, the press and general media. I am constantly distressed by the
South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s and general media choices of front-page
news. Had Armenia, the Holocaust, Cambodia, Rwanda and, now, Darfur
been on the front pages, politicians, people of moral conscience and
the world would take better notice. Mr. Gurwitz understands this.
Second, if every school would include service learning and moral
consciousness in its curricula, our national leaders would be shamed
into doing what is morally correct. It seems that “Never Again” are
just two words that ring hollow. Our government has labled what is
happening in Sudan as genocide; how much more clearly can this be
stated?
All persons of conscience must inform their representatives, sign
petitions and become educated when governments choose to
“exterminate” the opposition. Our representatives in Congress and the
executive branch can do much more.
Perhaps our government devalues lives when those lives happen to be
lived in countries that are of no use to our economic and political
interests. Shame on our representatives and shame on you, the media,
for self-interest.
Show the tragedy. Elie Wiesel also said, “The opposite of love is not
hate; it is indifference.” The Muslims of Darfur who are being
targeted for extermination need attention and action. They are as
worthwhile as the people of Iraq. Why do we keep repeating genocide?
Our schools, our government and the fourth estate can make a
difference. So, stop ducking, already.