Another Petition for Tibet

This one comes from the people at care2.com. The text reads:

Stop China's Crackdown on Tibet

To: Louise Arbour, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), United Nations
Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee
Lassana Palenfo, Intendant General, Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa
Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, President of the Olympic Council of Asia
Patrick Joseph Hickey, President of the European Olympic Committees
Richard Kevan Gosper A.O., President of the Oceania National Olympic Committees

Dear Human Rights Commissioner and Olympic Games Officials:

We are outraged by the abuse of power displayed by the Chinese government to suppress the protests in Tibet.

Violence against protesters, monks and civilians in Tibet is quickly escalating as the deadly crackdown continues. Only a few months away from the Beijing Summer Olympics, the Chinese government's violent attacks have already caused the death of around 100 people, while hundreds continue to be shot at, beat up and detained by China's security forces.

We demand that you urge China to end the crackdown immediately. The protesters grievances should not be addressed through the use of force but with an open and peaceful dialogue. Freedom of expression is a basic human right that should be respected and not punished with violence.

In addition, the UN should visit Tibet as soon as possible to carry out an investigation into the security forces' attacks and make the findings from that investigation public.

We can't remain silent while these abuses are taking place. We urge you to speak up and take urgent steps to end the crackdown and protect the people of Tibet.

Sign the petition here.

Two petitions for Tibet

I woke up this morning to two emails asking me to sign petitions in support of the Dalai Lama's call for a dialogue with China. I've signed both of them, and I invite you to do the same.

The first petition is sponsored by Avaaz.org, and reads as follows:

Petition to Chinese President Hu Jintao:

As citizens around the world, we call on you to show restraint and respect for human rights in your response to the protests in Tibet, and to address the concerns of all Tibetans by opening meaningful dialogue with the Dalai Lama. Only dialogue and reform will bring lasting stability. China's brightest future, and its most positive relationship with the world, lies in harmonious development, dialogue and respect.

The second petition focuses on the Olympics to be held in China. Note: This petition requires you to click on an emailed link to confirm your signature - don't forget this important second step! It reads:

I DECLARE THAT I WILL NOT WATCH A CHINESE-HOSTED OLYMPICS, AND I WANT THE MEDIA TO KNOW.

Thank you for joining me in protesting China's responses so far to the peaceful protests of the Tibetan monks.

I Met a Real Canadian Hero

Lt.-Gen. Romeo Dallaire spoke in Waterloo last night, and I was privileged to be part of the audience at this sold-out show. If you're wondering where you've heard that name before, he was the head of the UN forces in Rwanda where he watched powerlessly as 800,000 people were murdered and the world did nothing. His award-winning book Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda "is an eyewitness account of the failure of humanity to stop the genocide, and the story of General Dallaire's own struggle to find a measure of peace, reconciliation and hope." (from the book cover)

His message that he kept coming back to was that no one is more human than another - we all share the same basic human rights, regardless of the colour of our skin or what country we live in. No one wanted to help Rwanda because, he was told, there was nothing there but people, and there were too many of them. In other words, no oil, no vested interests to protect, and no one wanted to risk their necks for a bunch of Africans. And yet they were people, the same as any of us, and they were being slaughtered and it could have been, should have been, prevented.

When asked what can be done in a country like Rwanda to help them rebuild, he had three pieces of advice. First, empower the women. Second, educate the children. Third, eradicate poverty. And do these in a sustainable manner.

The evening went by too quickly, and it will take me a long time to sort out all the tidbits of advice he shared with us. He urged us to consider what our vision for Canada was, and what our place in that vision is. He talked about the necessity of nuclear disarmament, and the challenges of dealing with issues such as child soldiers and the proliferation of small arms. He talked about the failings of the United Nations, but also gave it a strong endorsement as the best organization available for the work it needs to do.

The evening wouldn't have been complete without a call to action - the current situation in Darfur is not unlike what happened in Rwanda, and again the international community lacks the political will to do anything about it. Please contact your local politicians and tell them "never again" - let's do the right thing and stop this one.

More Trouble in Gaza

Back in January, I posted a link to a petition for a ceasefire in Gaza. Once again, the violence has escalated and is threatening to turn into all-out war. Please add your voice to the 18,000+ who have already signed this new petition. It reads simply this:

We call for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal to stop the bloodshed and agree to an immediate ceasefire, and for the international community to engage constructively and help broker a fair deal for the safety of civilians on both sides.

Sign here!

Today's Quote: Quit quarreling!

Today's quote is from Don Marquis, an American journalist who lived from 1878-1937.

When chickens quit quarrelling over their food they often find that there is enough for all of them. I wonder if it might not be the same with the human race.

You could exchange "food" in this quote for just about anything people quarrel over. When we let go of our fear of there not being enough for ourselves, and cooperate with each other, not only do we find that there really is enough for everyone, we increase the amount of peace in the world.

Smiles That Make My Day

I love surfing the net, particularly when it comes to searching for blogs to share with you. Today's find, Smiles That Make My Day came from blogcatalog, a great resource to check out what other bloggers are doing. It is a collection of smile photos, and the creator has set the goal of collecting one million smiles. In his words:

"So I want to create the happiest blog in the world, which hopefully to inspire, motivate, encourage millions people. I want to collect million smiles on this blog. I want to share happy stories and happy smiles. I want to make this blog a place to give people a bright future and have a happier life. By sharing your happy smiles and happy stories, you are helping out others and encouraging others to forget about the sadness and move forward on their happy life. You are showing a great example of motivation, encouragement."

Smiles are contagious. Have a look at this blog, maybe subscribe to its news feed (as I did), consider sending in your own smile and story, and most importantly, go out there and share your smile with the world. We need you!