The Common Ills: Stop donations to Save The Children to speak out against War Crimes

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Stop donations to Save The Children to speak out against War Crimes

War Criminal Tony Blair is back in the news yet again.

He's actually been in the news for the same topic since November 21st.

He and an organization are being slammed.

Save The Children stupidly decided to hand an award to the man whose crimes have inspired movements like Arrest Blair For Crimes Against Peace.

Blair was one third of The Trinity of Terror. Along with the United States' Bully Boy Bush and Australia's John Howard, Blair helped start and lead an illegal war on Iraq -- a war that has left millions dead, a war that has turned millions into refugees, a war that may have forced Christians out of the region for good, a war that has destroyed the rights of women, a war that continues to this day, over 11 years later.

Blair's image is so awful that Labour can no longer merely ignore their former leader, the party has to publicly rebuke him -- repeatedly -- in order to stand a chance of regaining power in the next elections.

ITV reports today:

A petition calling for an anti-poverty award given to former prime minister Tony Blair to be revoked has gained more than 90,000 signatures.

Blair was handed the Global Legacy Award by Save the Children at an event in New York last week.

The public criticism started from outside the organization and is now emerging from inside. Harriet Sherwood (Guardian) reported yesterday:

The charity Save the Children faces a backlash from staff after it presented Tony Blair with a “global legacy award” in New York last week – despite privately acknowledging that he is a controversial and divisive figure.
Amid widespread criticism on social media, many of the charity’s staff have complained that the presentation of the award has discredited Save the Children (STC). An internal letter, which gathered almost 200 signatures – including senior regional staff – in the first six hours of dissemination, said the award was not only “morally reprehensible, but also endangers our credibility globally”, and called for it to be withdrawn.

The Daily Mail notes that even David Cameron is publicly mocking the award.

All of that is well and good, but if you want to make a difference, stop giving to Save The Children.

I'm not joking.

Barack Obama wrongly received the Nobel Peace Prize.

These suck up awards take place because groups think they can get away with them.

With the Nobels, they're not counting on donations.

If Save The Children takes a hit this season -- when they need donations -- it will send a message -- to the charity and to others.

B-b-b-ut it's Save The Children!

So what?

Look at who they chose to honor.

Look at what he's caused. At Global Research, Intervention Watch notes:

In March 2013, the charity War Child released a report entitled ‘Mission Unaccomplished’. This report documented how:

’51% of 12-17 year olds do not attend secondary school’

‘One in four children has stunted physical and intellectual development due to under-nutrition’.

‘In 2011 a survey found up to 1 million children have lost one or both parents in the conflict’.

‘In 2010, 7 years after the conflict began, it was estimated that over a quarter of Iraqi children, or 3 million, suffered varying degrees of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder’.

‘Between December 2012 and April 2013, ‘An estimated 692 children and young people have been killed’ in conflict related violence, and more ‘than 1,976 children and young people have been injured’. These figures are almost certainly underestimates’.

http://cdn.warchild.org.uk/sites/default/files/Mission_Unaccomplished_%20Iraq_1_May_2013.pdf

The report also points out that the numbers presented above ‘come to life when you realise the pain, trauma and suffering behind them. Every number in the statistics above has a story to tell and a life attached to it’.

Send a message.

Keep your money in your pocket or donate it to a worthy cause -- The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies could use some support, IAVA, Disabled American Veterans, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, UNICEF, amfAR, and many more.

If you want to send a message to Save The Children, that's how you do it. If you don't want to, that's fine too.

But there was distress and dismay over Barack's Nobel -- which has only grown in the years since -- and a feeling of 'If only I could do something . . .'

With Blair's award, you can do something to send a message.

The following community sites -- plus KPFK -- updated: