During Invisible Children's presentation last year, I felt sad, but when the organization spoke at my school again this year, I was just plain angry. Not at the Invisible Children, of course, but at Joseph Kony. All I could think about when I learned of the numerous disgusting acts this man has committed were a string of profanities and, "He needs to die. The world would be a much better place without him."
Now, on the off chance that someone who does not go to my school is reading this, you might be thinking, "Melanie, what on earth are you talking about? Who are these Invisible Children?" Great question. The answer is completely sickening, but I feel the need to inform you of exactly what is going on, as the news really isn't doing so. We all need to become more educated on these horrors in order to stop them.
Basically, in northern Uganda, a war between the Government of Uganda (GoU) and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has been taking place for over two decades. The LRA began to rebel against the GoU in the 1980's when a woman named Alice Lawkena believed that the Holy Spirit told her to overthrow her nation's government and started the Holy Spirit Movement. After Lawkena's exile, Joseph Kony took her place, and he and the remaining followers of the Holy Spirit Movement formed the LRA. But not many people supported this group, making Kony and his men feel the need to abduct children and force them to join Kony's forces. The GoU attempted to protect the Ugandan people by relocating them to camps, but poverty, disease, and a lack of food have made many occupants of these camps die, while others just barely stay alive.
Attempts have been made to stop the LRA. In 2001, the US Patriot Act officially declared the LRA to be a terrorist organization, and in 2005, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Joseph Kony and four of his top commanders. The GoU and LRA have tried negotiating multiple times, but they have failed to achieve peace.
Invisible Children is an organization started by three young men, Jason Russell, Laren Poole, and Ben Keesey, who made the documentary "Invisible Children: Rough Cut" after a 2003 trip to Africa. Seeing firsthand what was happening in Uganda made them realize the need to spread the word in an effort to end the atrocities of the war, and several revealing films have been made since then for this purpose. The group has made a big difference in the lives of many of Kony's victims. They have managed to provide basic needs for several Ugandan communities and give young people an opportunity for an education through scholarships. Possibly the greatest accomplishment these people have made is convincing President Obama to sign the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act in 2010.
Efforts to end the crisis in Uganda have certainly come a long way in the past few years, and it's totally inspirational, but Kony is completely inflexible. After multiple peace talks, Joseph Kony has rejected the Final Peace Agreement four times and just stayed in hiding like the cowardly piece of garbage that he is. It's obvious that he has no intentions of stopping his sadistic habits.
All I can say is, seriously, Joseph Kony? Kidnapping, killing, and torturing innocent people, mainly children, because you believe it is God's will? You make me sick. We keep trying to end this conflict peacefully, but that hasn't worked yet, and it's not going to work in the future. See, signing a peace treaty is something that reasonable people do, and Joseph "I Love Seeing People in Pain" Kony is no more of a reasonable person than Adolf Hitler. Normally, I don't approve of capital punishment, but there are some times when it is necessary to get a person off of this planet in order to stop him from causing more trouble. Not assassinating Kony is ultimately no different from killing all of these undeserving Ugandans ourselves. If it's a choice between Kony's life and the lives of millions of people who have done nothing wrong (which it is), it's clear who has to die. We know from experience that there is no peaceful resolution to this problem. It is imperative that we purge the world of this evil man.
Now you might be thinking, what can I possibly do that will change anything? It's simple -- speak up. A big part of the reason so little has been done for Uganda until recently is that the general population of the western world has no idea about what is happening. Now, if you're reading this, you must have internet access. You can help educate those around you. It might not seem like you're doing a lot, but if enough people do this, it will add up.
And one more thing. Just remember that your life isn't that hard. Boo hoo, you don't have the latest iPhone and your boyfriend dumped you. Big deal. It's okay to be sad sometimes, but don't feel too sorry for yourself over things like this when people in other parts of the world are having their lips cut off. No matter how difficult your life is, I can pretty much guarantee it's not that bad. Appreciate how fortunate you are, please.
Image courtesy of Invisible Children.
Visit the official Invisible Children website at:
http://invisiblechildren.com
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