{"id":3841,"date":"2008-08-07T15:49:37","date_gmt":"2008-08-07T15:49:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tomfarandasfolly.com\/?p=3841"},"modified":"2025-09-30T01:07:47","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T01:07:47","slug":"darfur-update-the-olympic-protest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tomfarandasfolly.com\/?p=3841","title":{"rendered":"Darfur Update &#8211; the Olympic protest"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>No doubt, there is going to be controversy over the Chinese human rights record at the Olympics. And the Chinese <strike>support the<\/strike>&#160; will not speak out about Sudanese government&#39;s genocide in Darfur &#8211; China is the Sudan&#39;s leading market for oil. I received this email from the Save Daurfur coalition today.<\/em><\/p>\n<style>\nBODY, P, TD, TD P, TD UL, TD BLOCKQUOTE, BLOCKQUOTE {\ncolor: black;\nfont-family: Verdana, \"Trebuchet MS\" , sans-serif;\nfont-size: 10pt\n}\nA:link { color: #003366 }\nA:visited { color: #003366 }\nA:active { color: #0000FF }\n.bodybold { font-weight: bold} \/* this is for making body text bold *\/\n.bodybold10px { font-weight: bold; font-size: 10px} \/* this is for making body text bold at 10px *\/\n.bodybold11px { font-weight: bold; font-size: 11px} \/* this is for making body text bold at 11px *\/\n.bodybold12px { font-weight: bold; font-size: 12px} \/* this is for making body text bold at 12px *\/\n.bodybold13px { font-weight: bold; font-size: 13px}\n.bodybold14px { font-weight: bold; font-size: 14px}\n.bodybold15px { font-weight: bold; font-size: 15px}\n.body8px { font-size: 8px} \/* this is for making body text smaller *\/\n.body9px { font-size: 9px} \/* this is for making body text smaller *\/\n.body10px { font-size: 10px} \/* this is for making body text smaller *\/\n.body11px { font-size: 11px} \/* this is for making body text smaller *\n.body12px { font-size: 12px} \/* this is for making body text smaller *\/\n.body14px { font-size: 14px} \/* this is for making body text smaller *\/\n.body16px { font-size: 16px} \/* this is for making body text smaller *\/\n.body18px { font-size: 18px} \/* this is for making body text smaller *\/\n.bodyunderline { text-decoration: underline}\n.bodyitalic { font-style: italic}\n.none {list-style-type: none}\n.titleitalic { font-weight: bold; font-style: italic}\n.titlebold { font-weight: bold} \/* this is for making title text bold *\/\n.titlebold10px { font-weight: bold; font-size: 10px}\n.titlebold11px { font-weight: bold; font-size: 11px}\n.titlebold12px { font-weight: bold; font-size: 12px}\n.titlebold13px { font-weight: bold; font-size: 13px}\n.titlebold14px { font-weight: bold; font-size: 14px}\n.titlebold15px { font-weight: bold; font-size: 15px}\n.titlebold16px { font-weight: bold; font-size: 16px}\n.titlebold17px { font-weight: bold; font-size: 17px}\n.titlebold18px { font-weight: bold; font-size: 18px}\n.titlebold19px { font-weight: bold; font-size: 19px}\n.titlebold20px { font-weight: bold; font-size: 20px}\n.titlebold21px { font-weight: bold; font-size: 21px}\n.titlebold22px { font-weight: bold; font-size: 22px}\n.titlebold23px { font-weight: bold; font-size: 23px}\n.titlebold24px { font-weight: bold; font-size: 24px}\n.titlebold25px { font-weight: bold; font-size: 25px}\n.titlebold26px { font-weight: bold; font-size: 26px}\n.titlebold27px { font-weight: bold; font-size: 27px}\n.titlebold28px { font-weight: bold; font-size: 28px}\n.titlebold29px { font-weight: bold; font-size: 29px}\n.titlebold30px { font-weight: bold; font-size: 30px}\n.flashtitle { font-family: Georgia, \"Times New Roman\", Times, serif; font-size: 18px} \/* Used for Advocacy Campaign titles *\/\n.monospace { font-family: Courier, monospace;}\/* monospace fonts for input forms *\/\n.roll { text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal; color: black }\/* rolling links *\/\na.roll:hover { text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal; color: D10000 }\n<\/style>\n<div style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: center\">\n<p style=\"MARGIN-BOTTOM: 1em; FONT-FAMILY: &#39;ARIAL&#39;; TEXT-ALIGN: left\"><font color=\"black\">tom, I was about to send the note below asking you to support Team Darfur\u2014400 athletes from around the world speaking out for Darfur\u2014when I heard the news: <strong>China has revoked the visa for Joey Cheek, Olympic gold-medalist and co-founder of Team Darfur.<\/strong> It is so important that we send a message of encouragement to Joey and the Team Darfur Olympians, so please <a href=\"http:\/\/action.savedarfur.org\/campaign\/teamdarfur\/ie3gndi4r7j8weem?\" title=\"http:\/\/action.savedarfur.org\/campaign\/teamdarfur\/ie3gndi4r7j8weem?\"><strong><span style=\"TEXT-DECORATION: underline\">take action today.<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"MARGIN-BOTTOM: 1em; FONT-FAMILY: &#39;ARIAL&#39;; TEXT-ALIGN: left\"><font color=\"black\">&#8212; Colleen<\/font><\/p>\n<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"BORDER-RIGHT: #999999 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: #999999 1px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: #999999 1px solid; WIDTH: 600px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: #999999 1px solid\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"600\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" 0=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"95\" src=\"https:\/\/img.getactivehub.com\/08\/custom_images\/savedarfur\/emailbanner-middle.jpg\" width=\"600\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"PADDING-RIGHT: 16px; PADDING-LEFT: 35px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 32px; COLOR: #555555; LINE-HEIGHT: 18px; PADDING-TOP: 8px; TEXT-ALIGN: left\" valign=\"top\" width=\"600\">\n<table bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: center\" width=\"100%\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p style=\"MARGIN: 0em 0em 1em\"><font color=\"black\">Dear tom,<\/font><\/p>\n<table cellpadding=\"3\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"BORDER-RIGHT: #006600 2px solid; BORDER-TOP: #006600 2px solid; MARGIN-TOP: 0em; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #006600 2px solid; WIDTH: 190px; BORDER-BOTTOM: #006600 2px solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff; TEXT-ALIGN: right\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"WIDTH: 100%\">\n<p style=\"MARGIN: 0em 0em 1em; TEXT-ALIGN: center\"><font color=\"black\"><strong>The Team Darfur athletes are standing up for Olympic values and human rights.<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n<p style=\"MARGIN: 0em 0em 1em; TEXT-ALIGN: center\"><strong><span style=\"TEXT-DECORATION: underline\"><a href=\"http:\/\/action.savedarfur.org\/campaign\/teamdarfur\/ie3gndi4r7j8weem?\" title=\"http:\/\/action.savedarfur.org\/campaign\/teamdarfur\/ie3gndi4r7j8weem?\">Send them a message of support before the games begin.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p style=\"MARGIN: 0em 0em 1em\"><font color=\"black\">Lopez Lomong was six years old when a militia group kidnapped him from a Sudanese church, determined to turn him into a child soldier.<\/font><\/p>\n<p style=\"MARGIN: 0em 0em 1em\"><font color=\"black\">He managed to escape and walk for three days to Kenya. He spent ten years in a refugee camp before finally immigrating to the U.S.<\/font><\/p>\n<p style=\"MARGIN: 0em 0em 1em\"><font color=\"black\"><strong>This year, Lopez will compete for the U.S. in the 2008 Olympics. While at the games, he will join Team Darfur, an alliance of almost 400 athletes from around the world raising awareness about Darfur.<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n<p style=\"MARGIN: 0em 0em 1em\"><font color=\"black\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/action.savedarfur.org\/campaign\/teamdarfur\/ie3gndi4r7j8weem?\" title=\"http:\/\/action.savedarfur.org\/campaign\/teamdarfur\/ie3gndi4r7j8weem?\"><span style=\"TEXT-DECORATION: underline\">Send a message of support to Lopez and his fellow Team Darfur Olympians as they head to Beijing.<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n<table border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"3\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"MARGIN-TOP: 0em; MARGIN-LEFT: 0px; WIDTH: 150px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 10px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff; TEXT-ALIGN: left\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"WIDTH: 100%\">\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: center\"><a href=\"http:\/\/action.savedarfur.org\/campaign\/teamdarfur\/ie3gndi4r7j8weem?\" title=\"http:\/\/action.savedarfur.org\/campaign\/teamdarfur\/ie3gndi4r7j8weem?\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"http:\/\/action.savedarfur.org\/campaign\/teamdarfur\/ie3gndi4r7j8weem?\" border=\"0\" height=\"205\" src=\"http:\/\/img.getactivehub.com\/08\/custom_images\/savedarfur\/Lomong_email.jpg\" title=\"http:\/\/action.savedarfur.org\/campaign\/teamdarfur\/ie3gndi4r7j8weem?\" width=\"124\" \/><\/a><font color=\"black\" size=\"1\"><em><\/p>\n<p>Lopez Lomong, Sudanese refugee and Olympic athlete<\/em><\/font><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p style=\"MARGIN: 0em 0em 1em\"><font color=\"black\">Lopez Lomong&#39;s story of courage and perseverance is an inspiration and a reminder. Thousands of Darfuri children, driven from their homes and fearing for their lives, deserve the chance to live lives of success and dignity in peace.<\/font><\/p>\n<p style=\"MARGIN: 0em 0em 1em\"><font color=\"black\"><strong>That&#39;s why the Save Darfur Coalition and Team Darfur are working to press world leaders to action.<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n<p style=\"MARGIN: 0em 0em 1em\"><font color=\"black\">And act they must. The Olympic Games can be a festival of good will, an opportunity for all nations to come together in a spirit of cooperation and common humanity. But tragically, China, the host of this year&#39;s games and a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, isn&#39;t living up to these values. <strong>The Team Darfur Olympians are\u2014let them know you stand with them.<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n<p style=\"MARGIN: 0em 0em 1em\"><a href=\"http:\/\/action.savedarfur.org\/campaign\/teamdarfur\/ie3gndi4r7j8weem?\" title=\"http:\/\/action.savedarfur.org\/campaign\/teamdarfur\/ie3gndi4r7j8weem?\"><span style=\"TEXT-DECORATION: underline\"><strong>Salute the Team Darfur athletes with a word of thanks and encouragement today.<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"MARGIN: 0em 0em 1em\"><font color=\"black\">The Team Darfur athletes are speaking out on the Olympic stage, showing incredible courage by advocating for the people of Darfur from the heart of China. Driven by the same determination that made them Olympians, these incredible athletes know that it is our resilience and resolve that will end this genocide.<\/font><\/p>\n<p style=\"MARGIN: 0em 0em 1em\"><font color=\"black\"><span style=\"TEXT-DECORATION: underline\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/action.savedarfur.org\/campaign\/teamdarfur\/ie3gndi4r7j8weem?\" title=\"http:\/\/action.savedarfur.org\/campaign\/teamdarfur\/ie3gndi4r7j8weem?\">Send them a message of support<\/span><\/strong><\/a>\u2014and then <strong>forward this message<\/strong> to your friends and family and ask them to do the same.<\/font><\/p>\n<p style=\"MARGIN: 0em 0em 1em\"><font color=\"black\">Best regards,<\/font><\/p>\n<p style=\"MARGIN: 0em 0em 1em\"><font color=\"black\">Colleen Connors<br \/>Save Darfur Coalition<br \/><\/font><\/p>\n<p style=\"MARGIN: 0em 0em 1em\"><font color=\"black\">P.S. Check out the <strong>Darfur Olympics<\/strong>, daily alternative programming from August 8 through 15, the first week of the Olympics. Visit <a href=\"http:\/\/action.savedarfur.org\/ct\/UpNpt5M13cGn\/\" title=\"http:\/\/action.savedarfur.org\/ct\/UpNpt5M13cGn\/\">www.darfurolympics.org<\/a> to learn more.<\/font><\/p>\n<p style=\"MARGIN: 0em 0em 1em\"><font color=\"black\"><strong>Donate to Help Save Darfur<\/strong><br \/>Help build the political pressure needed to end the crisis in Darfur by supporting the Save Darfur Coalition&#39;s crucial awareness and advocacy programs. <a href=\"https:\/\/donate.savedarfur.org\/08\/savedarfur\/nk7Npt5MqWjJ9?\" title=\"https:\/\/donate.savedarfur.org\/08\/savedarfur\/nk7Npt5MqWjJ9?\"><strong><span style=\"TEXT-DECORATION: underline\">Click here now to make a secure, tax-deductible online donation.<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/font><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: center\" width=\"100%\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<hr color=\"#aaaaaa\" noshade=\"noShade\" size=\"1\" \/>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: center\" width=\"100%\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this important issue. <br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/action.savedarfur.org\/join-forward.html?domain=savedarfur&amp;r=k7Npt5MqWjJ9\" title=\"http:\/\/action.savedarfur.org\/join-forward.html?domain=savedarfur&amp;r=k7Npt5MqWjJ9\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"http:\/\/action.savedarfur.org\/join-forward.html?domain=savedarfur&amp;r=k7Npt5MqWjJ9\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/img.getactivehub.com\/images\/tellafriend_icon.gif\" title=\"http:\/\/action.savedarfur.org\/join-forward.html?domain=savedarfur&amp;r=k7Npt5MqWjJ9\" valign=\"middle\" \/>&#160;Tell-a-friend!<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: center\" valign=\"top\" width=\"100%\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>If you received this message from a friend, you can <a href=\"http:\/\/action.savedarfur.org\/savedarfur\/join.html?r=k7Npt5MqWjJ9E\" title=\"http:\/\/action.savedarfur.org\/savedarfur\/join.html?r=k7Npt5MqWjJ9E\">sign up for Save Darfur Coalition<\/a>. <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: center\" valign=\"top\" width=\"100%\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>This message was sent to tgfar@aol.com. Visit your <a href=\"http:\/\/action.savedarfur.org\/savedarfur\/smp.tcl?nkey=ie3gndi4r7j8weem&amp;\" title=\"http:\/\/action.savedarfur.org\/savedarfur\/smp.tcl?nkey=ie3gndi4r7j8weem&amp;\">subscription management page<\/a> to modify your email communication preferences or update your personal profile. To stop ALL email from Save Darfur Coalition, click to <a href=\"http:\/\/action.savedarfur.org\/savedarfur\/remove-domain-direct.tcl?ctx=center&amp;nkey=ie3gndi4r7j8weem&amp;\" title=\"http:\/\/action.savedarfur.org\/savedarfur\/remove-domain-direct.tcl?ctx=center&amp;nkey=ie3gndi4r7j8weem&amp;\">remove<\/a> yourself from our lists. <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"600\">\n<div style=\"PADDING-RIGHT: 20px; PADDING-LEFT: 20px; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px; PADDING-TOP: 20px; FONT-FAMILY: &#39;arial&#39;; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #e7e7e7\"><font color=\"black\">The Save Darfur Coalition is an alliance of over 180 faith-based, advocacy and human rights organizations whose mission is to raise public awareness about the ongoing genocide in Darfur and to mobilize a unified response to the atrocities that threaten the lives of more than two million people in the Darfur region. To learn more, please visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.savedarfur.org\/\" title=\"http:\/\/www.savedarfur.org\/\">http:\/\/www.SaveDarfur.org.<\/a> <\/font><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td bgcolor=\"#004b22\" style=\"PADDING-RIGHT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 5px; COLOR: white; PADDING-TOP: 5px; FONT-FAMILY: arial\">\n<center><a href=\"http:\/\/www.savedarfur.org\/section\/learn\" style=\"FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: white; TEXT-DECORATION: none\" title=\"http:\/\/www.savedarfur.org\/section\/learn\">Learn More<\/a> &#160;|&#160; <a href=\"http:\/\/action.savedarfur.org\/savedarfur\/join-forward.html?domain=savedarfur&amp;r=k7Npt5MqWjJ9&amp;\" style=\"FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: white; TEXT-DECORATION: none\" title=\"http:\/\/action.savedarfur.org\/savedarfur\/join-forward.html?domain=savedarfur&amp;r=k7Npt5MqWjJ9&amp;\">Tell a Friend<\/a> &#160;|&#160; <a href=\"https:\/\/donate.savedarfur.org\/08\/savedarfurdonate\/nk7Npt5MqWjJ9?\" style=\"FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: white; TEXT-DECORATION: none\" title=\"https:\/\/donate.savedarfur.org\/08\/savedarfurdonate\/nk7Npt5MqWjJ9?\">Donate<\/a> &#160;|&#160; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.savedarfur.org\/pages\/contact\" style=\"FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: white; TEXT-DECORATION: none\" title=\"http:\/\/www.savedarfur.org\/pages\/contact\">Contact Us<\/a> <\/center><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<center><a href=\"http:\/\/www.convio.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"http:\/\/www.convio.com\/\"><\/a><\/center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/action.savedarfur.org\/nlor\/ie3gndi4r7j8weem\" \/><\/font><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>No doubt, there is going to be controversy over the Chinese human rights record at the Olympics. And the Chinese support the&#160; will not speak out about Sudanese government&#39;s genocide in Darfur &#8211; China is the Sudan&#39;s leading market for oil. I received this email from the Save Daurfur coalition today. tom, I was about [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomfarandasfolly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomfarandasfolly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomfarandasfolly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomfarandasfolly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomfarandasfolly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3841"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tomfarandasfolly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3841\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6214,"href":"https:\/\/tomfarandasfolly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3841\/revisions\/6214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomfarandasfolly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomfarandasfolly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomfarandasfolly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}