Cheek is still a champion ... for Darfur
Greensboro's Joey Cheek is fearless on the ice and off. Last week he entererd the Chinese embassy in Washington with petitions urging Beijing to pressure Sudan on the Darfur issue.
Cheek is an effective crusader for the people of Darfur, a region in Sudan beseiged by government-backed guerrillas. China supports the Khartoum regime, and has been holding back efforts to push for U.N. intervention.
The U.N. Security Council last week finally voted to commit a "hybrid" U.N.-African Union military force to Darfur, but apparently with so many limitations that its ability to accomplish much is questionable.
We like Joey Cheek and applaud his activism. The United Nations ought to care as much. Although we don't write about international issues that often, Cheek's role in events related to Darfur gives us an entree into this subject.
Also this week, we'll begin a series of editorials about Greensboro's mayoral race. We'll start with vision statements by Yvonne Johnson and Milton Kern. Offering a compelling vision is the first step in leadership. We'll follow up with a new topic each week or so throughout the campaign.
Comments (2)
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I've enjoyed and appreciated reading what you all have posted on this blog so far.
It almost provides the false sensation of being able to read your minds.
After reading what you mention here, I look forward to discovering where your editorials go with the subjects.
I'm definitely looking forward to your editorials about Joey Cheek's efforts and about the mayoral visions.
One suggestion might be to subscribe this blog to we101.com.
Unless I'm missing it, posts from this blog are not showing up there, where others might be drawn in.
Also, have you all discussed the Chauncey Bailey murder?
In light of the recently alleged threats against John Hammer and/or Jerry Bledsoe, the story about Chauncey Bailey hit me pretty strongly as a reminder that it can be a dangerous thing to express one's views publicly.
It sounds like he was a good person and a good journalist.
From what I've read, the Muslim organization that he was investigating and whose members may have been responsible for his murder started out with a noble purpose but has apparently lost its way, to say the least.
I haven't posted any thoughts on the subject myself (until now, here), but it's been on my mind.
Posted on August 6, 2007 3:13 PM
Thanks for your feedback, Hardy.
I have just registered us at we101.com - I hope successfully.
We have not discussed the Chauncey Bailey murder, although there might be a better opportunity to do so now that an arrest has been made and police are closer to developing an idea of the motive.
An apparent assassination of a journalist because of a story he's working on is frightening, all the more so if anything like that has been threatened around here.
Posted on August 7, 2007 11:18 AM