Kony 2012

[Cody]

Okay, so, I hate to be that guy, and I'm sure some of you have already seen this hit the internet like wildfire, but for those who haven't, here's a video. It's around 30 minutes long, but it's definitely worth watching.


For those that just can't be bothered (but it's really good. Watch it):
Joseph Kony is the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army.
He's currently among the world's worst war criminals.
He's been officially charged with 12 crimes against humanity and 21 war crimes by the International Criminal Court.
Among his crimes is the abduction of children and subsequently forcing them to fight in his army.
The basic idea behind this "new" movement is to get Kony out of power by the end of 2012 by spreading the interest and getting governments to get involved.


Personally, I'm not too sure how successful I think this'll be. I'd hate to see it fade in to obscurity, and, hopefully, it won't, because stopping crimes against humanity isn't inherently conservative or liberal.

I haven't seen any specific instances of it yet, but I could easily see some people seeing this as nothing more than a fad, and refusing to get involved because of that, or else refusing to support it. I really hope, though, that this evolves past hitting the share button on Youtube and letting others take care of it.

In my little part of the country, at least, a pretty decent number of my friends have already pledged to take action, and a couple of us are working on organizing a Cover the Night event for our city.

While it might seem a little...I don't know, hypocritical might be the right word? It might seem a little hypocritical to go from not knowing who the guy is a week ago to wanting him arrested so quickly, but I don't see that as an issue. We live in a world where information is constantly thrown at our faces, and a lot of the important stuff gets lost in the mix. Yes, there are other major issues going on. There are massacres and genocide all over the planet. But if we have to tackle global issues one at a time, so be it. I'm not saying this is a perfect cause, but it's definitely a step in the right direction of people -- not politicians or governments, but PEOPLE -- holding the world accountable for itself, and that's what we've needed for a long, long time.


Anyway, everyone -- thoughts?

 

[Brendan Savem]

Joseph Kony is no different from a thousand other religiously radical people out there, Christian or any other religion. He just happens to have the time, the place, and the power to challenge his ideals against the world. To be honest, it's amazing how it took seven years for people to wake up about this guy, thanks to Osama and other nuts running around.

While it's gruesome that this guy would force children into his army and offer captive girls as "rewards" for his commanders. There are people out there that would agree with him. Not because he is a criminal and a warlord, but because he's Christian, and it's been accepted that he is a radical, yet devoted, Christian. Sweep the war crimes under the rug, and we would be much more inclined to support him in his revolutionary quest.

That's why I'm glad that this video is going around, to make sure the crimes aren't swept under the rug. To remind people that he is a terrorist, and no better than folks Osama or Saddam. I don't care whether he gets what he deserves or not, as long as his abductions and murders are stopped, and that's what makes a difference for all those children that died under his banner and all the families that died to enlist those children.