At 100 hours, momentum continues to build

Hour 100 came and went today with dozens of activists braving sub-freezing temperatures to sustain their 24/7 stand outside Senator Tom Coburn's office in Oklahoma City, caling on the Senator to release his block on the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act. Inspired individuals are arriving from all corners of the United States to join the Oklahoma Hold Out with impressive effect.

Earlier today, at hour 91, Hold Out participants held a press conference to advertise that it had been 39 days since a request was first submitted by constituents to speak with Senator Coburn in person about his opposition to the bill, without a response from the Senator or his office.

Oklahoman Mark Nehrenz and Resolve Uganda Legislative Fellow Kenneth Transier led the proceedings, with three local news agencies on the scene to cover:

Oklahoma News9 aired this piece featuring interviews with Mark and Kenneth after the press conference on the evening news:

To clarify their purpose and ensure that the positive and respectful tone of the campaign is communicated clearly, Hold Out participants are now handing out the following letter to locals, who have been incredibly supportive:

Dear Oklahomans,

Staying outside Senator Coburn’s office for 24 hours a day – especially when overnight temperatures dip below freezing – no doubt sounds a bit extreme, because it is! But please allow us to explain why we have chosen to be here instead of at our jobs or in school. It is for a worthy cause. 

Right now, in central Africa, a terror group called the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) is stealing children from their homes and families and forcing them to become child soldiers. They are attacking vulnerable communities, burning down churches, and maiming their victims. In the last year, this group has abducted and killed thousands of innocent people.

With leadership from our government, this violence is preventable. There is currently a bill in Congress – called the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act (S.1067) – that seeks to spur such leadership. It has more bipartisan support than any legislation focused on Africa in America’s history (62 Senate cosponsors!), and Senator Inhofe of Oklahoma is one of its biggest champions.

But Senator Coburn is blocking the passage of this bill because it authorizes funding to help the victims of this violence without an “offset” that clarifies where the funds will come from. Let us be clear: this bill does not directly expand our budget or deficit, and Senator Coburn knows that. He also knows that attaching an offset to it would result in the bill's likely death. So he has decided to block the passage of this bill - supported by 99 other Senators - to make a purely symbolic point, even as the LRA continues its campaign of violence and terror.

All we want is to see Senator Coburn engage personally in finding a compromise that upholds his own principles and still addresses this urgent crisis. Because we feel so strongly about stopping this senseless violence, we are not going home until such a compromise is reached.

You can help us by writing or calling Senator Coburn to request that he allow this bill to pass, and by visiting www.coburnsayyes.com where you can find more information or make a tax-deductible donation to support this cause.

Thank you!

Go, you brave souls in Oklahoma. You are inspiring us all and underscoring the stakes of this work.