I've signed up with Amnesty International for the Write for Rights taking place December 4-12 2010. In my case, I'm writing letters during this week, with several cases Amnesty International requests, and then adding additional ones that I care about. If any one else would like to join this event - Amnesty International I just wanted to add, these are the 12 cases Amnesty International has decided to focus on for the December 4-12th letter writing campaign.
Let me get this straight: The strategy is, in addition to asking Congress to pass various toothless resolutions, to write letters to a bloodthirsty Burmese general, the Chinese police state's bureaucracy, and the President of the DRC, who was the commander of an army of child soldiers? And you think they'll care? Meanwhile, Amnesty International advocates the disarmament of civilians through international arms sale treaties, including those civilians who AI wants to protect from bloodthirsty totalitarians by sending pieces of paper from Point A to Point B. The only way to protect good people from armed thugs is to let the good people themselves have an equal footing in terms of armament to the thugs, or to send in soldiers to protect them (the former is preferable since in the event the soldiers leave, the unarmed are at the mercy of the armed again). If sending pieces of paper worked in stopping mass murderers, there would be no more militaries around the world, and I suspect that the oppressed citizens of these countries would have written a few life-saving letters themselves long ago before the geniuses in the developed world discovered this miracle despotism cure in their R&D laboratories. By AI's standards, the Warsaw ghetto uprising would be a bad thing (naughty oppressed civilians illegally obtaining arms and resisting genocide), and the massacre at Srebrenica would be ideal (the civilians there had been disarmed by peacekeeping forces). I hate to sound rude since you obviously mean well in volunteering your effort to help the oppressed, but don't you think it's a bit absurd to think that the screams of those about to be murdered might not invoke a dictator's compassion, but a letter to them or a meaningless congressional resolution will?
And the crowd goes wild! [video=youtube;IxAKFlpdcfc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxAKFlpdcfc[/video] Sorry Rebecca.
You don't sound rude at all, just someone with a different perspective. The strategy isn't necessarily (at least in my case) to "ask Congress to pass various toothless resolutions." In fact, if you read the 12 cases they are featuring, only one involves the US congress (the first one). In your next point, I can see your point - why contact brutal dictators in letter writing campaigns? In my perspective, for one, it reminds them that the world is watching. It's possible that a prisoner of conscience may be released by worldwide pressure, and at least, they are not forgotten. Sometimes bringing attention to cases of human rights abuses around the world does help to bring about positive change. So, letter writing campaigns are a waste of time, except of course, in the few times they're not. With the gun comments, I'm totally with you on that. I believe, absolutely, in the right to bear arms. I promise, I won't write any letters for AI demanding guns be taken away. Lastly, no, I don't think letter writing campaigns are absurd.
Thanks for the response. I guess it depends on the tone of the letter. When I picture people writing letters to foreign dictators to ask for clemency, I imagine a great deal of deference being given to those who do not deserve it in the letter. Would you be appealing to their "nice" side or sending a letter of warning that their behavior is unacceptable? Personally, if I joined in such a letter campaign, I would simply print this and mail it with the subject, "Re: [Insert human rights cause here]": Btw, it's very nice to know that there are AI supporters who still see value in armed citizenries.
For the writing campaign, you can download an entire set of sample letters. The tone of the sample letters are all respectful, but not what I would consider with a "great deal of deference." Here's a few examples... You can download all the sample letters here.