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I don't know if the minerals in my cell phone are conflict minerals, but it's a refurbished phone, so at least my money didn't go to the people who profit from those abuses. The phone is from Credo, formerly Working Assets. Their refurbished phones (not always available) are marked "eco-friendly," & that's why I bought it, but now I know there's another reason to keep in mind when making these kinds of purchases. (You can see the phones at credomobile.com; click on "Phones.")

plp [5]--they aren't all the same people, & like the Nazis' attitude toward Jews & Roma, the people doing these horrible things don't think of the people they're doing them to as "their own people," or possibly as people at all.

7] the truth
what about the free market and my RIGHT to profit

Alvin
sell the SUV

the report on child labor for digging gold in Congo was on this past weeks 60 Minutes, BTW.

saw the report on child labor in the Congo, digging for gold, and how this is being laundered to sold through Uganda to the rest of the world.
this past week rachel maddow's show had a report on The Family, the Washington DC group associated with Sam Brownback among others in the republican party, and how they are working to outlaw homosexuality in Uganda by working with a brutal leader getting into power there.
--Is there any connection between this Ugandan leader, The Family, and any of the coltan and/or gold trade going on?

That colonialism was bad, but the 5 decades of native dictatorships since has been far worse. Perhaps we should use that fake global warming to create a one world government to systematically loot the third world without all that nasty rape and murder. Perhaps Al Gore can lead that effort.

Dont buy Blood Diamonds!

Mr. Sullivan should be aware that the vast majority of the world's tantalum comes from very peaceful Austrailia.

Why are these people so utterly and ruthlessly savage? They could easily be equated with the Nazis since they summarily attack their own people with brutal rape, mutilation and heinous murder.

Mr. Sullivan should be aware that the worlds largest (and almost exclusive) supplier of Tantallum is Austrailia (inc several mines such as Sons of Gwalia in Eastern Austrailia.)

Oil, too, is a mineral. How can we avoid purchasing oil from regimes in Africa, the Middle East, or Venezuela, that are either oppressive or support terrorism? What is your The Enough Project doing about that?

Sullivan mentioned the minerals being taken to East Asia. Is China involved in the DRC? They have been vying for influence throughout the continent.

Coltan and the Congo Civil war