Originally posted at Stop Genocide.

The internet.  One of the best things about it is that anyone with a connection and a computer can use it to spread ideas, learn and connect with other people.  One of the scariest things?  Anyone with a connection and a computer can use it to spread ideas, learn and connect with other people.

Michelle recently highlighted some of the innovative ways that people are harnassing the internet to map conflict to better study and prevent it.  (That’s the good).

On the other end of the spectrum, the “Balloon Boy” national fascination late last week took a particularly odd and nasty turn when it revealed that instead of floating away with his father’s experiment, the boy had instead been hiding in the attic.  Thousands upon thousands of Twitter users repeated a short “joke” turning the other recent national fascination, Kanye West’s interruption of Taylor Swift, into variations on:

“Yo, Balloon Boy. I’m really happy for you and Imma let you finish, but Anne Frank had the best hiding place of ALL TIME!”

That one person wrote this — let alone that so many people decided that something like this was worth repeating — is clearly the bad.

And the questionable?  Last week the Polish authority that manages Auschwitz created a Facebook page for the memorial. A spokesman said:

“If our mission is to educate the younger generation to be responsible in the contemporary world, what better tool can we use to reach them than the tools they use themselves?”

And the page itself isn’t necessarily the problem.  The motivations behind it clearly make sense, and the dialogue on the page (which is closely monitored) is mostly respectful memories of visiting the memorial and exhortations to “never forget”.

Perhaps it’s the Facebook terminology that’s most troubling – it’s hard to want to become a “fan” of Auschwitz.  And the general setting of Facebook – with its “what Mad Men character are you?” quizzes and birthday party invites – might not be the most appropriate for such a complicated and weighty topic, as Sinead Gleeson points out in the Irish Times.

What makes me most nervous, though, is that although the page is supposedly closely monitored and the comments to date are civil, the page is open to anyone on Facebook.  And Facebook is open to anyone on the internet.  And the internet is open to anyone with a computer and a connection.  Which isn’t a problem until people stop thinking and start inanely retweeting jokes about Anne Frank.

Washington Post

“The new U.S. policy, which will be formally unveiled Monday, calls for a campaign of “pressure and incentives” to cajole the government in Khartoum into pursuing peace in the troubled Darfur region, settling disputes with the autonomous government in southern Sudan and providing the United States greater cooperation in stemming international terrorism, according to administration officials briefed on the plan. It also provides Khartoum with a path to improved relations with the United States if it begins to address long-standing U.S. concerns.” “From now on, the United States will maintain that genocide “is taking place” in Darfur, officials said.”

New York Times

““To advance peace and security in Sudan, we must engage with allies and with those with whom we disagree,” said a statement of the policy that was obtained by The New York Times.”

AP

“The announcement is planned to show unity within the Obama administration.”
“the new policy is designed to bring Khartoum into the fold by offering incentives for improved relations for improvements in the situation in Darfur as well as in southern Sudan, which will hold a referendum on succession scheduled to take place in 2011″

Reuters

“The U.S. official said he did not expect direct talks with Bashir, but that “my understanding is that the administration is not planning any immediate lifting of sanctions.” The intent was to test Khartoum’s willingness to take steps to end the conflict in Darfur and implement a 2005 North-South peace agreement on a specific timeline before there is any move toward dropping sanctions, the official said.”

Save Darfur will be monitoring the release and advocacy opportunities and posting regularly on our blog.  To see our past posts on this, including a “what we’re looking for” series from over the summer, please visit www.blogfordarfur.org

We’ll also be comparing the policy review to our checklist for an effective Sudan strategy, which you can find at http://savedarfur.org/pages/checklist

“Don’t waste time fighting the competition; use that time to fight the issues and win and that will take care of the competition.”

“We educate people in order to organize them.  We don’t organize people in order to educate them.”

“Good organizers never give up – they get the opposition to do that.”

“Usually those who can spare a little time for the cause are actually ready to give it all if only someone would ask them.”

“A good organizer is a social arsonist who goes around setting people on fire.”

Axioms for Organizers, by Fred Ross Sr.

“Every effective organizer I’ve ever known has had this talent: the ability to listen to people, rather than spin them or demonize them. Organizers don’t seek personal glory, they help other people lead and be recognized for that leadership.” – DEEPAK BHARGAVA

Originally posted at Stop Genocide

Calling someone a Nazi is one of the worst insults out there.  Unfortunately, it’s also one of the most pervasive in our culture.  From the famous (satirical) Seinfeld “Soup Nazi” to recent political protests, calling someone a Nazi is the go-to way to convey how mean or unfair or overbearing someone is.

Now, the insult has returned – this time resurfacing in the healthcare debate.

Rush Limbaugh recently laid out all the reasons why Democrats are just like Nazis (via the LA Times):

Well, the Nazis were against big business — they hated big business. And of course we all know that they were opposed to Jewish capitalism. They were insanely, irrationally against pollution. They were for two years mandatory voluntary service to Germany. They had a whole bunch of make-work projects to keep people working [...] They were for abortion and euthanasia of the undesirables, as we all know, and they were for cradle-to-grave nationalized healthcare.

Now I understand that it feels like calling someone a Nazi – or line by line “comparing” their policies with those of the Nazis – makes a powerful point.  Except that it doesn’t.  Really, it only does it minimize the horrific suffering inflicted on the millions the Nazis terrorized and killed.  And it’s not a particularly effective rhetorical device.

As Fox News notes (while discussing how some Democrats have described protesters’ as using “brownshirt tactics”):

But an axiom in political strategy states that whoever uses the Hitler comparison generally doesn’t win the debate — unless he’s participating in a debate about Nazis.

And Mike Godwin made clear in Wired over a decade ago:

once a discussion reaches a comparison to Nazis or Hitler, its usefulness is over[.]

I say let’s keep it that way.

Photo from the Sam Stein on the Huffington Post.

In the better late than never category, just wanted to highlight some of my favorite posts from my guestblogging stint over at Change.org for my loyal Inside the Beltway readers (hi Ben!)

In addition to a whole ton of  “Daily Darfur” posts with updates on the situation in Sudan…

Rewarding Genocide: What to do with land after conflict

“There is such a thing as effective international justice”

Britney Spears, Time Travel and the Holocaust – In One Movie?

Putting your money where your mouth is

Genocide and the Ohio Second

And, although I didn’t write very much of this 4th of July post at all, it turned out to be quite popular: The Meaning of America to a Survivor of the Holocaust.

“You can’t do everything you think is right, but I think everyone should fight for something,”

via Joey Cheek Ranks Among the Last of the Activist Athletes – washingtonpost.com. [Update: the headline as published in the post is "As an activist athlete, Cheek is a rarity".]

Team Darfur athletes are profiled in the Washington Post!

It’s an interesting article.  I constantly wonder what the Beijing Olympics did to the tradition of athlete activism, and what the future of that dual role is.

Of course, the Iranian soccer team’s recent action shows that athlete activism, while perhaps quiet in the US, is definitely not dead.

Originally posted at Change.org.

On Tuesday I had the opportunity to go on a “live tweet” architectural tour of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (@holocaustmuseum).  For those unfamiliar with the “live-tweet” genre, this means that a group of us showed up at the museum, blackberries, iPhones and cell phones in hand, ready to send brief messages out about what we were seeing, learning and feeling as we went along.

We used the “hashtag” #ushmm so that people who couldn’t be there in person could follow along.  For the virtual sense of the tour, check out the feed of tweets from participants.

A “live-tweet” tour is a pretty new concept, and it’s hard to tell how many people knew about it or followed.  But, those who participated (both online and offline) seemed to get a lot out of it.

Many of us took photos on the tour, to give more of a sense of the space than twitter’s 140 characters can provide.

For thoughtful analysis of the experience and suggestions on how similar tours can be structured check out this post from @boxednoise.

“It was great to learn more about the Architect James Ingo Freed and his desire for the Holocaust Museum’s architecture to serve as a “resonator of memory.” The multitude of narratives that exist in terms of the space, exhibits and history provide a rich amount of content for such an effort. The concept is tremendous; a guided tour of a space or exhibits in which participants Twitter their thoughts, reflections and questions using a common hashtag (e.g., #USHMM).”

I highlighy recommend following the Holocaust Museum’s work in the social media sphere.  From podcasts to online-offline exhibits to Twitter and Facebook, they give you the opportunity to learn and remember in new communities and new ways.

Coverage from the Enough Project blog.

Saving Lives – Sudanese demonstrate at the White House

On Friday, Sudanese from across the US came together to demonstrate in front of the White House.  Check out a slideshow of photos from the event.

ABC news covered the event:

On Friday, a small group of Sudanese immigrants gathered in front of the White House to express their disappointment in Obama for not being active enough on Darfur from the outset of his presidency.

“I voted for him,” said protestor William Deng, of the Southern Sudan Project. “And I did it because I knew he was going to do something about Darfur. But now he’s silent, he’s never done anything. And I feel, I regret that he doesn’t do anything about our issues.”

The Sudan Tribune reported:

Dozens of US activists and members of the Sudanese diaspora marched in front of the White House on Friday just days before two members of the US Senate arrived in Khartoum to meet with top aides of President Omer Al-Bashir.

Protestors held signs saying “Save Lives Now”, “El Bashir & NCP to ICC”, “Restore Aid Now,” and “End the Genocide.”

Photo credit Natasha Ghent-Rodriguez.

Check out a slideshow of my photos from the Congressional Black Caucus press conference on Darfur (May 19, 2009)

Omer Ismail, Representative John Lewis, Niemat Ahmadi, Mohamed Yahya