H.Res.583 - Kony 2012
My favorite excerpts:
Whereas LRA leader Joseph Kony was designated a `Specially Designated Global Terrorist’ by President George W. Bush pursuant to Executive Order 13224, and found by the Secretary of State to pose `a significant risk of committing acts of terrorism that threaten the security of United States nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States’;
I really like the part where Kony is a risk to US national Security. I do hear those Ugandans are strong swimmers.
Whereas the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (Public Law 112-81) authorized the Secretary of Defense, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, to provide logistic support, supplies, and services for foreign forces participating in operations to mitigate and eliminate the threat of the LRA;
At least they are not using it to detain American citizens…who am I kidding.
Whereas the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012 (Public Law 112-74) directed the Administration to support increased peace and security efforts in areas affected by the LRA, including programs to improve physical access, telecommunications infrastructure, and early warning mechanisms and to support the disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration of former LRA combatants, especially child soldiers;
Phew, good thing we passed a law three months ago specifically allocation resources to be used to defeat the LRA (Public Law 112-74 Sec. 7043.) Although I suppose we did back in 2010 as well. $10,000,000 each year to be exact. (Public Law 111-172 Sec. 9.)
Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
(2) commends American citizens for their concern and creative efforts to help the communities affected by the LRA;
Thanks for giving us the excuse we were looking for to start another war.
(5) calls on the Administration to keep Congress fully informed of its efforts and to work closely with Congress in 2012 to address critical gaps and enhance United States support for the regional effort to counter the LRA;
Okay. Does it disturb any one else that they need to explicitly state this? Boy I hope the impeachment bill goes through.
(7) calls on the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, and the heads of other government agencies to utilize existing funds to address shortcomings in current efforts, especially by—
It’s the existing funds part that get me. I forget sometimes that politicians don’t quite grasp the correlation between spending and debt.
(8) calls for the United States to place restrictions on any individuals or governments, including the Republic of Sudan, found to be providing training, supplies, financing, or support of any kind to Joseph Kony or the LRA;
The NDAA give us the power to tell other governments what they can and can not do as well! Or did we just get wrapped up in our egotistical selves again.
(9) stresses the importance that civilian protection be prioritized and that steps be taken to keep communities vulnerable to LRA attacks informed about known LRA movements and threats;
Right. We are good at not killing civilians.
On the bright side, at least this is going through congress instead of Obama deciding it on a whim.
Government Explained
The impeachment process has begun
H.CON.RES.107 - Bill Text
Expressing the sense of Congress that the use of offensive military force by a President without prior and clear authorization of an Act of Congress constitutes an impeachable high crime and misdemeanor under article II, section 4 of the Constitution.
Whereas the cornerstone of the Republic is honoring Congress’s exclusive power to declare war under article I, section 8, clause 11 of the Constitution: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
- That it is the sense of Congress that, except in response to an actual or imminent attack against the territory of the United States, the use of offensive military force by a President without prior and clear authorization of an Act of Congress violates Congress’s exclusive power to declare war under article I, section 8, clause 11 of the Constitution and therefore constitutes an impeachable high crime and misdemeanor under article II, section 4 of the Constitution.
How Government Hurts The Poor
Just a few quick examples, as to elaborate on this question:
- Minimum wage laws ostensibly exist to offer poorer workers better pay, but tend to leave the lower-skilled workers unemployed instead. 1
- Tariffs and tough anti-immigration laws purportedly protect American citizens - poor, lower-skilled individuals in particular - from the “unfair” competition of cheap foreigners. Instead, it drives businesses to other countries or raises prices on products, burdens which weigh much more heavily on the poor. 2, 3
- Drug prohibition is intended to help rid the streets of dangers, particularly in lower-income neighborhoods; instead, outrageous numbers of poor people are incarcerated (or worse) for non-violent activity. 4, 5
- The Welfare State, which supposedly functions as a “safety net” for individuals in unfortunate circumstances by providing them assistance (mostly financial), is not only wasteful and corrupt when run through the bureaucratic, palm-greasing sausage-factory that is the state - it also has been shown to function as an impediment in allowing the downtrodden to escape from the cycle of poverty and dependence. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
- And then there is war itself, that definitionally destructive and deadly effort, which recruits heavily in poorer communities (the military billboards and recruiting offices in the neighborhoods near me are innumerable) as a way to give poor kids an alternative to gangs and a means to pay for higher education. Yet, in too many cases, it simply offers them death. There are conflicting reports as to whether the composition of military personnel is dominated by recruits from lower-income homes, but it seems at least anecdotally evident that there is a concerted effort to “help” the poor by offering them this “opportunity.” 13, 14
Put frankly: government is no friend of the poor.
KONY 2012: Causing more harm than good.
Dear Jason Russell,
After being bombarded with your KONY 2012 crusade, I have no choice but to respond to your highly inaccurate, offensive, and harmful propaganda. I realized I had to respond in hopes of stopping you before you cause more violence and deaths to the Acholi people (Northern Ugandans), the very people you are claiming to protect.
Firstly, I would like to question your timing of this KONY 2012 crusade in Uganda when most of the violence from Joseph Kony and the LRA (The Lord’s Resistance Army) has subsided in Uganda in the past 5 years. The LRA has moved onto neighboring countries like the DRC and Sudan. Why are you not urging action in the countries he is currently in? Why are you worried about Kony all of a sudden when Ugandans are not at this present moment?
This grossly illogical timing and statements on your website such as “Click here to buy your KONY 2012 products” makes me believe that the timing has more to do with your commercial interests than humanitarian interests. With the upcoming U.S. presidential elections and the waning interest in Invisible Children, it seems to be perfect timing to start a crusade. I also must add at this point how much it personally disgusts me the way in which you have commercialized a conflict in which thousands of people have died.
Secondly, I would like to address the highly inaccurate content of your video. Your video did not leave the viewer any more knowledgeable about the conflict in Uganda, but only emotionally assaulted. I could not help but notice how conveniently one-sided the “explanation” in your video was. There was absolutely no mention of the role of the Ugandan government and military in the conflict. Let alone the role of the U.S. government and military. The only information given is “KONY MUST BE STOPPED.”
I would like to inform you that stopping Kony would not end the conflict. (It is correctly pronounced “Kohn” by the way). This conflict is deeply embedded in Uganda’s history that neither starts nor ends with Kony. Therefore, your solution to the problem is flawed. There is no way to know the solution, without full knowledge of the problem itself. We must act on knowledge, not emotions.
Joseph Kony formed the LRA in retaliation to the brutality of President Museveni (from the south) committing mass atrocities on the Acholi people (from the north) when President Museveni came to power in 1986. This follows a long history of Ugandan politics that can be traced back to pre-colonial times. The conflict must be contextualized within this history. (If you want to have this proper knowledge, I suggest you start by working with scholars, not celebrities). President Museveni is still in power and in his reign of 26 years he has arguably killed as many, if not more Acholi people, than Joseph Kony. Why is President Museveni not demonized, let alone mentioned? I would like to give you more credit than just ignorance. I have three guesses. One is that Invisible Children has close ties with the Ugandan government and military, which it has been accused of many times. Second, is that you are willing to fight Kony, but not the U.S. Government, which openly supports President Museveni. Third, is that Invisible Children feels the need to reduce the conflict to better commercialize it.
This brings me to my third issue, the highly offensive nature of your video. Firstly, it is offensive to your viewer. The scene with your “explanation” of the conflict to your toddler son suggests that the viewers have the mental capacity of a toddler and can only handle information given in such a reductionist manner. I would like to think American teenagers and young adults (which is clearly your target audience) are smarter than your toddler son. I would hope that we are able to realize that it is not a “Star Wars” game with aliens and robots in some far off galaxy as your son suggests, but a real world conflict with real world people in Uganda. This is a real life conflict with real life consequences.
Secondly, and more importantly, it is offensive to Ugandans. The very name “Invisible Children” is offensive. You claim you make the invisible, visible. The statements, “We have seen these kids.” and “No one knew about these kids.” are part of your slogan. You seem to be strongly hinting that you somehow have validated and found these kids and their struggles.
Whether you see them or not, they were always there. Your having seen the kids does not validate their existence in any shape or form or bring it any more significance. You say “no one” knew about the kids. What about the kids themselves? What about the families of the kids who were killed and abducted? Are they “no one?” Are they not human?
These children are not invisible, you are making them invisible by silencing, dehumanizing, marketing, and invalidating them.
Last year I went to Gulu, Uganda, where Invisible Children is based, and interviewed over 50 locals. Every single person questioned Invisible Children’s legitimacy and intention. Every single person. If anything, it seemed the people saw Invisible Children as a bigger threat than Joseph Kony at the time. Why is it the very people you are trying to “help” feel more offense than relief with your aid?
“They come here to make money and use us.”
“It makes us feel terrible to be presented as being so stupid and helpless.”
These are direct quotes. This was the sentiment of the majority of the people that I interviewed in varying degrees. I definitely didn’t see or hear these voices or opinions in your video. If you are to be “saving” the Acholi people, the very least you can be doing is holding yourself accountable to them and actually listening to what they have to say.
This offensive, inaccurate misconstruction of Ugandans and its conflict makes me wonder what and whom this is really about. It seems that you feel very good about yourself being a savior, a Luke Skywalker of sorts, and same with the girl in your video who passionately states, “This is what defines us”. Therefore, I can’t help but wonder if Invisible Children is more about defining the American do-gooders (and making them feel good), rather than the Ugandans; profiteering the American military and corporations (which Invisible Children is officially and legally) than the conflict.
Lastly, I would like to address the harmful nature of your propaganda. I believe your actions will actually bring back the fighting in Northern Uganda. You are not asking for peace, but violence. The fighting has stopped in the past 5 years and the Acholi are finally enjoying some peace. You will be inviting the LRA and the fighting back into Uganda and disturbing this peace. The last time Invisible Children got politically involved and began lobbying it actually caused more violence and deaths. I beg you not to do it again.
f you open your eyes and see the actions of the Ugandan government and the U.S. government, you will see why. Why is it that suddenly in October of 2011 when there has been relative peace in Uganda for 4 years, President Obama decided to send troops into Uganda? Why is it that the U.S. military is so involved with AFRICOM, which has been pervading African countries, including Uganda? Why is it that U.S. has been traced to creating the very weapons that has been used in the violence? The U.S. is entering Uganda and other countries in Africa not to stop violence, but to create a new battlefield.
In your video you urge that the first course of action is that the Ugandan military needs American military and weapons. You are giving weapons to the very people who were killing the Acholi people in the first place. You are helping to open the grounds for America to make Uganda into a battlefield in which it can profit and gain power. Please recognize this is all part of a bigger military movement, not a humanitarian movement. This will cause deaths, not save lives. This will be doing more harm, than good.
You end your video with saying, “You will stop at nothing”. If nothing else, will you not stop for the lives of the Acholi people? Haven’t enough Acholi people suffered in the violence between the LRA and the Ugandan government? Our alliance should not be with the U.S. government or the Ugandan military or the LRA, but the Acholi people. There is a Ugandan saying that goes, “The grass will always suffer when two elephants fight.” Isn’t it time we let the grass grow?
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Amber Ha
I’m sorry, but I have to say this. This isn’t going to make me very popular among many of my readers, but I’m not here to be popular. In fact, I’m sure my business partners won’t particularly like what I’m about to say either.
If you are looking for pure and unadulterated evil, Joseph Kony is nothing more than a misplaced feeling. Kony is simply the focus of people who want to do something good and spread awareness of a cause. For their ingenuity, I’ll give the organizers of Kony 2012 a pat on the back - congratulations to you entitled recent college grads living in a bubble. You’ve engaged one of the most clever and compelling internet branding ploys I have ever seen. I’m sure many of you will soon have jobs with Coca Cola and Verizon, moving into the private sector to find more lucrative branding opportunities that will afford you many Ferrari’s, eight balls and hookers. I only wish I could be in your shoes, condoms and hundred dollar bills.
For the rest of us, there’s a real enemy that is much harder to accept. The enemy is a little something called “complacency”. It happens every time you fail to call your government into account for the actions they make on your behalf. It happens when you’re not thinking about it. The reason you don’t think about it is because “it” is normal. “IT” is war. Our nation is seemingly always embroiled in a conflict, yet we barely even understand what it means.
Four decades ago, our government discovered its citizens don’t like seeing what war really is. When the Vietnam War happened, it was beamed into American televisions, and shortly thereafter, the citizens wanted the war to stop. Since Vietnam, American citizens have failed to see the pain that war causes.
You don’t see what “war” is, because it’s cleverly hidden in your paychecks under a line called “taxes”. If they started printing a body count on your paychecks, you might pay attention. “This week, you contributed to 2,700 deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sleep well.” But it doesn’t say that. Just “taxes”. But you’re complacent. You know you want lower taxes, but instead of cutting things like “tanks and guns”, your politicians are cutting things like “healthcare for the poor”, “education” and “birth control”.
Joseph Kony is an evil man because he’s probably killed more than 50,000 people. He certainly needs to be brought to justice. However, while we’re in the business of bringing to justice the people responsible for killing tens of thousands of innocent people, let’s be honest with ourselves.
50,000 people is small when compared to our scale of destruction. Dividing the 11 years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan by the current bodycount produces roughly 3,500 bodies per week. That’s 500 per day. 1 person dead in Iraq or Afghanistan every three minutes.
If you really feel the need to be an activist, hold yourself accountable first.
Let’s review this Kony deal
I’ve been thinking and reading a lot about this whole Kony business and I have quite a split interpretation of it all.
My first reaction was to go along with it, but I OPENLY admit that I know I can’t do much. Reblogging a video is about as far as I’ve gone, and it wasn’t to make me feel good. It really was the fact that I don’t know what else I can do right now besides raise awareness, just as others have done to make me aware, and pray. Man, I’ve been praying a lot. And I really want to see those kids in Uganda have a better childhood, free from the terror of being kidnapped and forced to murder people by some guy who has been hiding under the radar for, what, twenty six years or so? I figured I’d put up the signs, if I could get some, on the night that’s been designated.
But my thoughts are heading to one end: If I’m raising awareness because I realize I can’t do much, but am hoping someone who sees the video will be able to do something—just who am I hoping will see it? Who will be able to do something? It’s not as if some guy is going to become aware and fly out to Uganda and capture Kony. So what am I expecting? I think ultimately it would come to the point, as it’s been clearly stated, that the US government would get involved because enough college students are crying out about it.
Don’t get me wrong, I think people should care and raise their voice over the injustice. However, if it’s going to get the Us government involved and likely start a war once it is, then why the heck would I be raising my voice over this? Would I not be raising my voice against violence—only to spread more violence? And Obama already has sent 100 troops over to Uganda—which IC praised as a sign that things are moving forward. If the organization is for Kony’s arrest, cool. But if it means yet another place the US government gets to stick their nosey self into, then screw that.
Helping stop Kony is good, but I’m pretty sure since IC blatantly stated in their video they’re hoping to raise enough awareness to pressure the US government to provide military aid, it’s not a movement I want to be a part of. Why would I be raising my voice—as I sit here in a comfortable chair at the school library—to have some twenty-one year old shipped off to Uganda to aid them, in hopes of Kony being stopped? It just doesn’t seem to sit well with me.
Thoughts?
I am with Ricardo and enemyofthestate on this one. It is funny timing for Kony to be popping up now, right after huge oil reserves were found, when he has been around for years. I agree that Kony is a scumbag, and deserves to die in the most gruesome painful way for his atrocities, but another war involving the US is not the answer.
