Friday, December 08, 2006
Rich Liberals can now feel better with their diamonds
Now you can get conflict-free diamonds from jewelers. Just how do they tell the difference? You got me. But now filthy rich liberals can feel better about their expensive diamonds.
"Blood Diamond," a thriller set in Sierra Leone during the African country's brutal 12-year civil war, opens today in theaters. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a mercenary who trades diamonds for arms, Djimon Hounsou as a fisherman forced to work in the diamond fields, and Jennifer Connelly as an American reporter investigating the diamond industry.
"Obviously this movie is talking about things that we would never encourage and as an industry don't want to happen," said George Evans, co-owner of Chandlers Forever Yours Jewelers in Ashwaubenon.
The war, which the rebellious Revolutionary United Front funded by seizing some of Sierra Leone's diamond fields, killed an estimated 75,000 and left thousands more maimed. The rebels' preferred method for negotiating resistance was amputation.
"People back home wouldn't buy a diamond if they knew it cost someone a hand," Connelly's character, Maddie Brown says.
Since 2003, the year after the war ended, the diamond industry has had an elaborate process in place to screen out "blood diamonds" — also known as "conflict" and "war" diamonds.
However, an industry report published in November warned that the movie's backlash could "pose a long-term threat to the industry" and the World Diamond Council, a trade association, has spent a reported $15 million on "Blood Diamond" damage control.
This movie is bound to spur some discussion, said Tracy Alpert, owner of Rummele's Jewelers in Green Bay.
"We've already been educating people for a couple of years now. We don't sell 'conflict' diamonds. And if people ask, we have the certificates to show these are 'non-conflict' diamonds," she said.
Labels: Liberal Hypocracy
