Syrian Rebels Have Hope

         So today I just want to share a quote to you from Wael Ghonim, an activist who helped spark revolution in Syria with his Facebook page "We are all Khaled Saeed." (Khaled Saeed was a young Egyptian man who was tortured to death by the police in Alexandria, by the way, which sparked much controversy.)  

       Ghonim once said, to the rebels of Syria, "We are going to win because we DON'T understand politics. We are going to win because we DON'T play their dirty games. We are going to win because the tears that come from our eyes actually come from our hearts. We are going to win because we have dreams, and we're willing to stand up for those dreams.We are going to win because the power of the people is so much greater than the people in power."

         It struck me, once I heard these words, how extremely true this is. Although the government led by Bashar al-Assad is getting all these weapons from Russia and foreign aid from various countries, do they really believe in what they are fighting for?

         True spirit and grit will always prevail. The rebels may not have much, but at least most of them are fighting for a cause. They are fighting to keep their families safe. They are fighting for religious freedom, social structure, the right to a voice in their government. They are more powerful in their unity than the government is with all the weapons in the world.

Please continue to support their cause, and aid the families of the rebels who seek refuge in neighboring countries through unicef.org. Thank you, and have a great day.

Foreign Intervention in Syria

The conflict in Syria has been going on for more than two years now. It has become not only a political conflict, but a humanitarian one. Syrians have been forced to flee their homes to neighboring countries in search of safety.

Now the main issue in the US is, should we intervene?

Foreign intervention could prove to be detrimental, and increase conflict instead of establishing peace. Bashar Al-Assad, the leader of the government, has a lot of allies. For example, Russia regularly provides the government with weapons and arms to fight the rebels with. If the US were to intervene and help the rebels, that could cause the allies to not only increase their aid to the government, but become enemies of the United States.

Also, there are many rebel groups linked with Al-Qaeda, and in aiding the rebel groups with supplies it would be almost impossible to avoid helping these groups. The US could then be helping their enemies.

On the other hand, the conflict is pretty much going nowhere, and peace must be established as quickly as possible. People are dying. There is evidence of chemical weapons being used against the rebels, and that in itself is a huge crime against humanity.

Civilians want to go back home. Conditions in camps are far from being good-- there are not enough basic resources for everyone, such as food, water, and clothing. They just want to go home and lead normal lives.

Do we have the moral obligation to intervene?

We are a very influential and powerful country with the means of helping Syria. We have the "white man's burden" to help less powerful countries in their time of need. The people of Syria have often asked, in their cries for help, "Where is Obama?"

And the answer to that question is, behind a podium, talking to the American people about intervening, and doing little else.

Although we should NOT be intervening militarily, we need to aid them with resources that will help them survive, such as food and water. We need to be doing more of that, giving them hope for a better future, and hope for survival.

Thank you and have a great day.

Syrian Crisis

So maybe you're just sitting at home, snuggled comfortably under your blankets, and you fall fast asleep, dreaming about that guy who sits next to you in physics, or getting an F on the test you know you didn't study for.

Meanwhile, a little girl in a refugee camp who has fled Syria for her life hides under a thin covering. She goes to sleep to the sound of bombs and dreams about death.

What started out as a conflict in March 2011 has turned into a widespread crisis. And Syria isn't the only battlefield. In these refugee camps, there is a battle against death for the civilians who fled their country.

The Syrian Crisis may be OLD news, but the fact that it is STILL news after two years is devastating. Why are we still fighting this battle?

Refugees need your help. Sixty percent of the population in these camps are children. These children are growing up in an unstable environment, not knowing if they will wake up to see the next day.

Put yourself in the position of that little girl. Sometimes we don't realize how lucky we are to be safe, educated, and healthy. 

The UNICEF fund is currently supplying refugee camps with medical supplies, food, clothing, and other necessities. They are short on funding, however, and will have to cut crucial supply lines soon if proper funding is not received. 

Please help donate: https://secure.unicefusa.org/site/Donation2?df_id=12460&12460.donation=form1&JServSessionIdr004=0hc5qtt4a2.app240a

Save the children! 

Thank you.