I have always maintained that celebrities have the same right to express themselves that I do. Few of them rise above rote liberalism and the trite slogans that go with it. Angelina Jolie does rise above that.
The rumor is her husband is a big fan of President Obama and she is not. Us Weekly pushes that rumor.
I don’t care.
I did like her op-ed in Newsweek, particularly this passage: “There will be pressure on the United States and its partners to bring stability to Sudan, even at the expense of criminal accountability. Regardless of the rationale, the end would be the same: victims left without justice while perpetrators walk away. Even if justice is delayed, it must never be denied. The Declaration of Human Rights did not promise freedom or justice or peace.”
And there was this: “I believe President Obama and his special envoy Scott Gration will do their best to bring peace to the region. Their policy, though, raises a number of questions. How is the Obama administration’s approach to Sudan an evolution of justice? In addition, when the administration says it intends to work to ‘improve the lives of the people of Darfur,’ I would like to know what that means, besides the obvious point that their lives could hardly get worse.”
This is neither a personal dig or an ideological one. She is asking a legitimate question as someone truly committed to the area.
“On this Human Rights Day — the same day President Obama receives his Nobel Peace Prize — we must also remember those who have been deprived of their rights. Holding perpetrators of mass atrocities accountable is the best way to ensure justice today and peace in the future. Sudan is the place to start,” she wrote.
I agree.
That surprises me.