Day 12- Passing the Fast

Dear Friends,

Today marks the end of my fast, but by no means the end of the protest. I made my decision to begin eating again after hearing word from a man named Jay McGinley, who informed me on Saturday that he had decided to join the fast, and thus relieve me of my duties. He began yesterday morning at his home, and joined me today in Washington. I was very honored, excited, and grateful to be able to end the fast with the strength to continue the fight. There is obviously very much more fighting to be done. Jay is in Washington right now, and he needs support. When I arrived in DC I had the benefit of many friends in the area upon whom I could rely. Jay is not from DC (remarkably, he is from the same township outside of Philly as myself, though we had never met before today), and I told him that he shouldn't bother bringing his car (the parking in DC is terrible, and hunger strikers shouldn't be driving around anyway). He has been offered comfortable lodgings at a Quaker run hostel on Capital Hill, but could use rides to and from the White House in the morning and evening, because the walk will become too straining as he grows weaker. If any kind souls in DC are able to oblige, please contact me by email, and I get you in touch with Jay. This blog will now be dedicated to what has become Jay's strike, and we both hope that many others will decide to join the fast as well, in DC and in towns and cities around the world. We can think of no better way to express either the depth of our commitment, or the urgency of the problem.

I came to Washington with next to no plan, only the decision to starve myself, the support of my family and friends, and a simple message: If this genocide is ever going to end, it will end because ordinary people around the world stand up and demand it. We all need to realize that living up to the words of that immortal phrase, "Never Again," is not just the responsibility of our leaders, and leaders of other countries, but it is the responsibility of each and every human being on this planet. Every man and woman should feel the solemn obligation to act. "Never Again" means personal commitment. It means NEVER AGAIN will I shirk my responsibility to humanity. It means NEVER AGAIN will I sit idly by while evil is allowed to reign. It means NEVER AGAIN will I continue to lead my normal, workaday, comfortable life, until genocide becomes an artifact of history, instead of a current event.

There are many ways to act against this genocide. I chose to starve myself. In the face of such an ugly genocide, replete with torture, castration, immolation, rape, murder, and forced starvation, I came to the conclusion that I had no other choice but to starve myself. I would never say that every American should stop everything, rush to Washington, and stop eating, but I'm absolutely certain that if everyone were to do just that today, America would surely stop this genocide by tomorrow.

Sincerely,
Nathan Isaac Kleinman

[In case anyone is wondering, my health after almost 12 days without food is good. In all, I lost exactly an eighth of my body weight, or 12.5%. It will take some time before I can eat anything but small quantities of raw, organic fruit, and overcooked not-too-startchy vegetables. I have found reserves of strength I didn't know I had. I couldn't have lasted so long without the vitally important help of my family, especially my father and mother, Jonathan and Barbara, and my sister and brother, Molly and Max. My father came from Ohio after slightly less than a week to make sure I was okay and keep me healthy and organized for the rest of the fast. My mother (who kept most of her agita to herself) was supportive throughout, used her medical expertise to advise me and keep me safe, and helped spread word of my action throughout the blogosphere and beyond. My sister created and maintained this wonderful blog, which was the most useful tool I've had to spread this message, and she and my brother brought Jay to DC and me back to Philly to recuperate. My brother also drove me down to DC originally, helping me to get situated and make my signs, in addition to spreading the word later and helping me with whatever else I've asked of him. The support and encouragement from my grandparents, Gert and Milt, also helped me enormously, and my commitment to social justice can be traced to their example. My aunts, uncles, and cousins, especially certain individuals whom I have already thanked privately, were all very instrumental as well. Having a loving family is truly a wonderful thing. If I were not so blessed, I might not see so clearly the stark injustice of a place like Darfur. Thank you all, and keep working. As my new friend Jay is fond of saying, "full effort is full success."]