Appalled By “60 Minutes” Show on Blood Diamonds?
Express your outrage by co-sponsoring the Clean Diamonds Act
Dear Colleague:
On February 18, the CBS news magazine, 60 Minutes, aired a program exposing the link between De Beers’ glittering diamonds and bloody African wars.
Footage of the thousands of civilian victims of one of these wars, in Sierra Leone, rekindled our determination to do something to end these atrocities. When Congress returns, we plan to introduce the Clean Diamonds Act, which aims to sever the funding of those who continue to fight for control of diamond mines in four African nations. This bill will ensure American consumers that the money they spend on tokens of love and commitment does not go for campaigns of forced amputations, or for press-ganging children into military service, or for the enslavement of girls and women that forces them into sexual servitude and – because of high rates of HIV / AIDS – sentences many to death.
Our bill has the support of The Campaign to eliminate Conflict Diamonds, whose members include more than 70 respected religious, humanitarian, development, human rights, medical, missionary, and relief organizations whose endorsement is available at http://www.phrusa.org/campaigns/sirera_leone/vday_jewelerlet_021401.html. We hope to win your support and those of our colleagues, and use I to send a strong message to De Beers, to the diamond industry, and to the victims of these wars – -to tell them that American consumers and American taxpayers will no longer participate in these heinous war crimes.
Please join us in co-sponsoring The Clean Diamonds Act. For more information, please see the section-by-section summary and a statement on the bill at http://www.house.gov/tonyhall/pr202.html or contact Bert (Rep. Hall – 202-225-6465, Chris (Rep. Wolf – 202-225-5136) or Jeff (Rep. McKinney – 202-225-1605. To sponsor the bill, please mail to: hlalberola@mail.house.gov
Thank you for your consideration.
Very truly yours,
Tony P. Hall, Frank R. Wolf, Cynthia A. McKinney