DARFUR: Fasting for Darfur is useless! Right?

An honest email exchange regarding the Rescue Darfur Fast-Till-Genocide-Stops. Thanks Jennifer. jay

Subject: hunger strke

Jay, While I appreciate that you're expressing your outrage toward the horrible situation in Darfur, I do not see how refusing to eat helps the people who need help. The people cannot eat ideas. They can't live on philosophy. They need medicine, food, and shelter. What you are doing does not do anything but feed your ego and make you prideful in your fame. Jennifer

From Jay: Hi Jennifer. I have no fame, and many, many, many months of rejection and being ignored. Having said that, as one person, I've achieved the type of focus, thinking, change, movement through my Hunger Strike and Vigil efforts since May 15th, with virtually zero $ resources as I had as a business executive with huge budgets, for which I was paid hundreds of thousands per year.

If you are certain of what you say, thank you for sharing. Truly.

If you are not certain, and want to explore whether Fasting, Hunger Striking is a valid, even potentially mighty way of bringing about social change you will find quite a lot about this at:
http://darfurdyingforheroes.blogspot.com/
http://www.standwithdarfurwhitehouseii.blogspot.com
The lives and teachings of Dr. King, Gandhi and other antiviolent warriors would also tell one otherwise than what you state.

* One recent success was about a year ago when a handful of Georgetown U. students in less than 2 weeks on hunger strike achieve living wages for their custodial workers.
* Another: In a month of Hunger Strike a hand full of women gained an audience with the Iraq Parliament regarding the current war (do you know how much lobbyists pay for such an audience?)
* Another success is happening as we speak - Santa Clara U. students are achieving $10,000's thousands worth of press for Darfur through their 1,000 calorie per day fast this week: DARFUR HEROES: Santa Clara Univ Vigil &Fast

Your brother, jay ...ALSO...

FROM THE BLOG: Addison Road A DIALOG...

2 Jay McGinley Oct 18th, 2006 at 8:38 am
Your mentioning Darfur in your blogging is imperative. And as doubtless you have noticed, blogging volume regarding Darfur has plummeted. Thank you for your efforts.
We are hopelessly stalled in Saving Darfur. But it is only hopeless if we-the-citizens continue to be bystanders risking little or no cost to ourselves.
Please help promote what must fast become our role models:DARFUR HEROES: Santa Clara Univ Vigil & Fasthttp://darfurdyingforheroes.blogspot.com/2006/10/darfur-heroes-santa-clara-univ-vigil.html
More Darfur Heroes at DARFUR Dying for Heroeshttp://darfurdyingforheroes.blogspot.com/
Thank you. Rosemary, Dave, Mary Rachel, Jay coming up on week three ofRescue Darfur Fast-Till-Genocide-Stopshttp://darfurdyingforheroes.blogspot.com/2007/09/join-rescue-darfur-fast-till-it-stops.html
Jay McGinley jymcginley@cs.com
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3 Chad Oct 18th, 2006 at 9:09 am
Wow. We didn’t see that coming!
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4 harmonicminer Oct 18th, 2006 at 9:59 am
No, the word is not Al Qaeda, though there is a relationship…

I went to the links above. I am so very sad. The problem in Darfur is not solved by fasting, and the problem is not too little aid from the west. A few college students sending a few bucks from lunch money will make no difference. The aid that IS available is simply not getting to the need.
Raising awareness is a good thing if it leads to the right kind of political/military action. But that is unlikely to happen while the UN is unable to deal effectively with its own members.
How many of you think the US should invade and replace the government and disarm the militias? Or should the US wait until the UN says it OK?
1 Jay McGinley Oct 18th, 2006 at 10:53 am

Dear harmonicminer,
Be not sad, I think. Anyway, this is why I think you should not be -
http://darfurdyingforheroes.blogspot.com/2006/10/darfur-fasting-for-darfur-is-useless.html
also…http://darfurdyingforheroes.blogspot.com/2006/10/darfur-we-citizens-kill-darfur-with.html
Jay
ps: Darfur is dying from a disease - neglect - and the symptom is Genocide. Honest, intelligent compassion / Love / Brotherhood is the cure, the yeast, the health that if spread will eradicate the disease. The form is secondary. The quantity, intensity and purity is paramount.