Explanation of "THERE IS NO EXCUSE!" Campaign
The event was held on two dates: September 28th and 29th of 2003. The first day is planned to be a day of celebration, music, art, sharing of love, and togetherness. The second day will be the day of protesting and marching. There are various locations which we have dubbed as the "big" rallies: The United Nation's building in NYC, the White House in D.C., the Torch of Friendship in Miami, and undecided locations in Chicago and San Franciso. Really, the idea behind it is to have as many demonstrations on the same day around the world as possible. So, if you would like to organize a rally in your hometown, GO FOR IT!
The reasons why I consider this event to be special and important are many, but I will share just a few that stand out as the most important.
I feed children in third world countries and impoverished areas of the United States. I know that I do not personally have the physical or monetary abilities to feed every starving child on this earth. But, I also know that if I fight effectively to dissolve the root of the problem, my children will be fed and will grow to learn how to live in harmony with all of the world's creatures. The same goes for the environment, equality, and every other important issue the people of the world fight for; you have to get to the root. The problem is that they have us so divided, each fighting for a different cause, that rarely do we unite to make our voices stronger. We need to take a couple of days a year, especially after working on the "front lines," to come together and emit love. We will also use that time to show our pickets, use our voices, and protest. We will be effective. I got an email apologizing for not being able to participate because they were too busy. I respect that. I too am very busy, but that, exactly, is the reason why this is so important. We have to STOP our fieldwork for a couple of days and take time to spread love, give words of wisdom, and share experiences. The fight is a hard one that would be made easier if every group united to share ideas and most importantly friendship. I want the list of supporting orgs to be great in numbers; it does not matter where it began...only that it does not end. I do not care about accepting credit for starting a worldwide day of togetherness; I want everyone to accept credit for it. I would like to see it turn into an annual event where we all just TAKE A BREAK for two days and come together to help each other make our individual fights stronger. I am aware that our fight is one of epic proportions. If we unite, we will be truly effective.
NAAIA's Reason
In light of the estimate that 30,000 children die everyday of disease stemming from starvation, we decided to form a group to eliminate the root of the problem, third world debt. Many, if not all, third world countries owe America huge amounts of money. The money they owe accrues interest. These impoverished nations spend more on paying back interest than they do on health care and education, combined. The interest not only continues to grow, it also kills 7 million children every year. Therefore, our mission is to eliminate all third world nations' debts, not just those who allow us to use their airbases.
We spend much of our time educating, lobbying, and advocating, but we also believe that some of the most important work is done in the field. We arrange 3-4 trips per year to bring aid to suffocating nations. This helps us better understand what we are fighting for and also shows the good people of the land that there are people who care about them. We bring them hope; for, once a person looses hope, they loose their will to live. Back at the home front, we use the experiences we gather to better educate the general public and the youth.
One of our major focuses is to unite other human right's organizations. It is imperative for all of us who are fighting for equality and freedom to come together for the purpose of strengthening our voices, instead of making minuet changes individually. Don't get us wrong, we believe that any one person can make a difference; every idea starts with one person. But, if we all were to unite, we would be unstoppable.
In a nutshell (that is for my squirrel friends in D.C.), we want what is right and we will never stop fighting until things are right.