posted April 25, 2008
Many people have heard about Sudan and the problems that this region is facing. They probably also know many of the ways that people can help to put an end to the poverty-stricken region. One of the ways that people can help is in a form called divestment.
Divestment is the process where an organization washes its hands of its investments in companies that support genocidal governments. For example, China imports a tremendous amount of oil from the Sudanese government; their money allows the Sudanese dictator to remain in power.
In Tennessee, there is a bill that is trying to reach the Senate — Bill number 3161. This bill supports divestment. It would require the Tennessee government to divest itself of the companies’ part of its portfolio that invest in Sudan. Thankfully, our state government has only a few investments in genocidal companies, and further, divesting ourselves of those companies will make a big difference to the genocide in Sudan.
Unless everyone makes a combined effort and writes letters to their Senators, there probably is little hope that this bill will be passed and that the Sudanese will get the help that they need.
So please call your senators and tell them to stop funding genocide in Darfur.
Johanna Kibble
Chattanooga
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I, too, support the need for divestment from Sudan while the genocide is occurring in Darfur. Siemens, a German engineering conglomerate, is often awarded million-dollar contracts by the U.S. Postal Service: $54.6 million modification contract in September 2007, $109.4 million November 2006, $240 million June 2002, $560 million in September 2005.
In January 2007, Siemens announced their plans to divest from Sudan. This was good news for me being a postal employee who is familiar with the products that Siemens provides at our plant. I am also encouraging citizens to contact their state representatives in support of Bill 3161.
Other states have already signed similar bills that support divestment from Sudan such as the “Stop the Darfur Genocide Act” Senate Bill 247, which was signed by Texas Gov. Rick Perry in May 2007. Also several universities and colleges have divested in various forms, including: University of California, Brown University, Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Amherst College, and Dartmouth College.
V. Elisabeth Myers
Chattanooga
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