Thursday, October 6, 2011

Joan Baez, And Amnesty

Joan Baez, And Amnesty: The following is a special message for a long time supporter of Amnesty Joan Baez during our annual membership drive in September: Support Amnesty Dear, All my life I felt humbled by the suffering of others. It's just that I have by accident of birth, was born at the right place at the right time and another Huddle, not me, in a prison cell, tortured and face the unbearable consequences of being born in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or, as the legendary Phil Ochs song says, there but for fortune, go you or I. Happily for me, I discovered early on that, in the words of Swedish Ambassador Harold Edelstam, “I cannot tolerate injustice.” This inability to tolerate injustice brought me to the roots of human misery; he called to join the fight for rights, freedoms and dignity of others. And in so doing, helped me maintain my own dignity, In 1972, he was inspired to dedicate a year of my life to helping Amnesty launched its first U.S. office in the West Coast and around the world years later, when the organization had reached epidemic proportions to carry out both a conspiracy of the Human Rights of Hope and now! Visits, Today I stand with Amnesty and their Death Penalty Abolition Campaign to fight for the life of Troy Davis, who within weeks could be executed for a crime he may not have committed. There remain serious doubts of his guilt. His death sentence defies all logic and morality. In matters of life and death, there is no room for doubt. With their death penalty campaign work, Amnesty has long been a leader in the struggle to abolish the death penalty in every corner of the world. In honor of Amnesty’s 50th birthday, please join me in this life-saving work. Become a member during Amnesty’s September membership drive and a generous donor will match your gift dollar-for-dollar. It used to be that human rights abuses weren’t on anyone’s agenda. Today, when human rights prevail, it happens thanks to organizations like Amnesty. Amnesty has grown into the most powerful human rights movement in history, winning freedom for tens of thousands of individuals jailed for expressing their beliefs, shutting down torture chambers and halting executions. At the heart of these victories for human rights Amnesty members are dedicated feed envelopes, signs, petitions, is visible in marches and rallies, recruit friends, tweets, and Amnesty support with financial contributions. I have a special place in my heart for Amnesty. I hope you will too. We need an amnesty, Amnesty and need us. Please join me as a member today.

No comments:

Post a Comment