participate in Amnesty International's Write A Thon 7-10 December 2007

so i’m super duper late. however i’m sending out 3 letters today and then I just need to buy stamps for the rest.

:: runs and hides ::

this didn’t get done. But I’m keeping the goal alive until some form of Amnesty-related correspondence is accomplished.

i’m posting my letters mon.

I’ve written my letters and they’re in my bag to be posted tomorrow. But it would appear that to register my pledge I need a US address. I’m really keen on adding myself to the numbers, so I’m pretending I live at a very very famous American address – 1060 West Addisson St, Chicago, Il, the home of Wrigley Field, as it’s the one Elwood uses in The Blues Brothers to fob off the cops. I’m lying to Amnesty! I’m going to hell! But at least I played my part, and that’s the main thing (I think).

I need to do 5 more tomorrow (I pledged 10—and my name is on their list posted online), then label and stuff the envelopes and send them on Monday.

for inviting me to this goal.

Here’s the deal: Amnesty International is encouraging people to write letters on behalf of individual political prisoners from 12/7 to 12/10. You can sign up and pledge to write some letters on your own or host a letter-writing event. Unfortunately, there are no public letter-writing events I can attend (since I’m traveling for most of that time period), but I pledged to write 5 letters on my own.

..that the same day that Maggie sent me the invitation to do this, another 43Ter’s blog had a link to this disturbing film, which is unsuitable for under 14s. It was commissioned by Amnesty to highlight the enhanced interrogation techniques used by the CIA in the “War on Terror” (that’s “terrorISM”, fellow language pedants). A volunteer was put into what is known as a “stress position” – the kind of body position in which prisoners in Guantanamo Bay are shackled – for six hours. The fear, pain and anguish you see and hear are not acting.

The campaign Maggie’s invited me to is separate from the one connected to the film, and is run by American Amnesty, but that won’t stop me taking part. Human rights is a global issue that transcends borders. I urge everyone, especially those who revel in living in what they see as the “Free World”, to take a look at the links above, and play at least a small part in ending this abuse by making their voice heard.

info here.

“All that’s necessary for evil to prevail is for enough good men to do nothing.”

- Edmund Burke