Damn good Sudan post...

...by Bird Dog over at Tacitus; so good, in fact, that I'm just going to link (and this additional roundup by Rajan Rishyakaran, via Instapundit) and be done with it. We don't link often enough to Tac's place, what with half of us being regulars over there; never hurts to spread the linky goodness around.

(pause)

There should be more synonyms for 'link'.

Moe

PS: Obviously, change in plans. Trip starts early tomorrow morning. Joy.

Comments

[fabius]

There should be more synonyms for 'link'.

How about "hook up"?

[Bird Dog]

Thanks, Moe. The genocide in Darfur is one of the many things I'm keeping regular tabs on.

[Longinus OAB]

According to Reuters, France is not causing the US any problem at the UN:

"At initial negotiations on a U.S.-drafted resolution on Thursday, China, Russia, Pakistan, Algeria, Brazil and others were wary of any embargoes, arguing it would be more helpful to get Khartoum's cooperation than force it into a corner, participants in the meeting said.

"Europeans, including Britain, France, Germany, Spain and Romania, supported the Bush administration in the 15-member council, they added."

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=5626111

I don’t really know what is going on in Sudan or in the meeting rooms at the UN. I don’t believe anyone is telling the truth: not the French, not the Americans and certainly not the Sudanese Government.

I suspect very few people really know and the ones who do are not saying. But that won’t stop the shrillies from sounding off about the perfidious French – or sliming the BBC one minute and quoting them the next.

[Bernard Yomtov]

I seldom agree with Bird Dog, but he's right about this. I don't pretend to know what the state of the UN game is, but this is a human disaster that calls for action.

[Yamamoto]

France and the rest of Europe have most certainly dragged their feet on UN resolutions concerning Sudan. But so has the US. Both sides seek to implement their own, independent solutions to the conflict in an effort to protect commercial interests, primarily oil. Now the refugee situation has reached massive proportions and the world is still arguing about how to stop the killings. Yes, the French are perfidious and so is the rest of the world, including the US. Watch as the UNSC approves a watered down resolution that consists of minimal sanctions, embargoes, etc. but no threat of troop deployment. Afterall, Danforth, Muselier, and Fischer are still working hard on a "diplomatic" peace.

[Bird Dog]

There are no U.S. oil companies in Sudan, according to USAID. We can go in there and no one can credibly say it was all about OOOIIILLLL.

[Yamamoto]

I stand corrected, Bird Dog. The US has no commercial oil interests in the Sudan. It appears the biggest offenders in that regard are Canada, Sweden, China and few other players, including France, all with companies that in partnership with the Sudanese governments have benefitted from human (rights) abuses. More here from Human Rights Watch on corporate complicity. Note especially the active support for the human rights abuses by Talisman, the Canadian oil company.

[MrX]

President Bush wants a constitutional amendment that defines marriage as a union between a man and woman as husband and wife. I personally don’t believe that there needs to be an amendment. The states should be able to work out a compromise that will give gays and lesbians the same legal rights and benefits that are afforded to married couples. Civil unions that provide the same rights and benefits married couples receive would be a good compromise. If this is done, the traditional definition of marriage is not changed and the government recognizes gay and lesbian couples as equal. I realize this is a very simple compromise that may bring up other arguments, but in my view this would be a step in the right direction. A whole group of people would start to receive benefits they have not been getting in the past. It’s time for these people to be recognized as nothing less than first class citizens.