#Kony2012 and the Warping Logic of Atrocity

Joseph Kony Uganda LRA

Joseph Kony (STUART PRICE/AFP/Getty Images)

In the past 48 hours, there has been a flood of criticism of Invisible Children’s #Kony2012 campaign—much of it fair, some of it less so.

My first exposure to IC’s work was some time ago when—with Resolve—they launched the LRA Crisis Tracker. In stark contrast to the criticisms of implicit disempowerment of affected people by the Kony2012 campaign, this tool empowers communities through radio and digital communications to effectively form an overlapping system of neighborhood watch in LRA-affected areas. It is—in short—good work, and represents the promise of access to the benefits of science and technology, whether for underprivileged people in the US, or communities facing security threats in Uganda and elsewhere.

Indeed there has been a lot of criticism about Invisible Children as an organization and their operations, which I’ll leave to others to assess. But as for this highly visible campaign around Kony (and it is about Kony, to be clear—not human rights in Uganda), and for all the pointed criticism, there is a higher-order good to be obtained through the buzz and awareness created by this campaign.

As a trivial example, until this week, I’d never refer to Kony without detailed explanation of his crimes, and his fugitive status from the ICC (saving precious keystrokes for the bigger picture).

Kony is but one fugitive from justice among many, operating in a region faced with systemic human rights challenges requiring effective and transformative policy overhauls. A twitter campaign is fine, and the awareness—if complete and responsible—is a public good.

LRA Affected Areas

More substantively, the public awareness of the campaign opens up opportunity to address the devastating human rights situation in the three countries the LRA has been operating of late. For one, the people of Central African Republic (CAR) have suffered decades of violence and abuse by government forces and armed groups like the LRA, and impunity for murder, rape, and the destruction of whole communities is rife.

In eastern DRC and Orientale province—where armed groups such as the LRA have been plentiful—the fighting has been characterized by the suffering of civilians at the hands of armed groups and security forces alike. For most of these crimes, impunity reigns in the DRC.

And finally in the world’s newest country, the people of South Sudan face constant threats, and a security sector in desperate need of overhaul. In South Sudan, Amnesty has documented serious abuses by the SPLA—which has pursued the LRA at various points.

Importantly, in all of the LRA affected areas, the security apparatuses of the state have been implicated in gross human rights abuses. In Uganda, whether during combat operations or even against protesters, threats have come not simply from Kony, but by some Ugandan forces themselves. Even LRA members themselves have been victims of abuses by the UPDF.

One of the most consistent criticisms of the Kony2012 campaign is that this complexity is lost.  The interplay between security threats in the form of armed groups, security sector actors without proper human rights training or internal vetting, country-specific challenges to rule of law, and the multi-national nature of security threats represented by the LRA’s movements creates policy challenges like no other faced by civil society, governments, and international actors on the continent. I’m sympathetic to those trying—with what I believe to be the best of intentions—to address those policy questions.

One Answer: Deal with my Rage

Josephy Kony, Okot Odhiambo, and Dominic Ongwen (along with the deceased Raska Lukwiya, and presumed deceased Vincent Otti) of the LRA were all indicted by the ICC on July 8, 2005. Among the first indictees of the new “court of last resort,” the failure to arrest and surrender Kony for due process has been a blemish for the promise of the court. Amnesty International and others have long advocated for the arrest of LRA commanders, and have expressed deep disappointment where some have escaped accountability.

What compels me to support efforts to bring Kony to justice—and by “justice,” I do mean facing due process in a competent court—is the same thing that compels me to act on Syria, and work with people of conscience to see an ICC referral for the atrocities there. It something almost primal—and discordant with the principles I rationally know to be of value. In a word, it is anger.

It is not simply anger in response to the crimes that people with whom I share a common humanity will perpetrate on others. It is something more like rage. In the midst of the most atrocious crimes—murder, extermination, forced recruitment of children, sexual violence, and the destruction of whole communities—the outrage of the aware can quickly warp a moral compass. I certainly sense it in myself.

A telling photo, heavily denounced—and properly so—showing IC founders with the SPLA, and carrying weapons has gotten much attention in media. (As an aside, the SPLA has been responsible for child recruitment as well.) But in a way, I understand why a person would hold those arms. Indeed, I understand why someone would take up arms. I say that knowing well that the flood of arms into the region is one reason the LRA and other groups have been able to create so much harm. I understand the outrage…and the desire to do anything to right the most egregious wrongs.

And it is that very outrage that makes the effective functioning of a court of last resort like the ICC so very important. We need due process to secure justice for the most egregious crimes against our collective humanity. Without it, we risk our humanity.

From a statement released by Amnesty yesterday, a reminder:

“The death of any of the accused men would deny justice to the victims of LRA abuses.”

Though I couldn’t support the Kony2012 campaign as it stands, the value of it and the widespread, impassioned push-back  is real.  Through domestic laws, international agreements, and the creation of a criminal court of last resort for the worst crimes, we have in place a principled mechanism to secure justice and accountability, and plenty of work to do to support it.

The world should know who Kony is. And Omar al-Bashir. And Ntaganda. And Haroun. Kushayb. Senussi. Hussein.  As well as many others who are fugitives from the ICC, and fugitives from justice in general.  But to effect change, we need to take informed action.

Follow me on twitter @sxedwards

Join our online chat on the Kony campaign on Tuesday, March 13, from 1-2ET.

AIUSA welcomes a lively and courteous discussion that follow our Community Guidelines. Comments are not pre-screened before they post but AIUSA reserves the right to remove any comments violating our guidelines.

41 thoughts on “#Kony2012 and the Warping Logic of Atrocity

  1. This is well-said, Scott, especially your concluding paragraphs. Amid all the backlash and criticism, I couldn't help wondering whether people weren't contenting themselves to throw up their hands, proclaim the situation to be complicated, and — as so many are saying — let Ugandans solve Ugandan problems.

    I wrote a bit more about this a few days ago; here's the upshot of the whole blog post:

    At bottom, this question about Kony and our inability to figure out whether we should get involved or not speaks to one of the central problems that has always faced the creation of a robust international human rights regime, especially for those who really do want to help others but without seeming like thoughtless bullies: Do we want human rights that are actually enforceable, that actually mean something? If so, how do we propose to make them enforceable if not by actually going and arresting human rights abusers?

    The rest can be found here, for anyone who might be interested: http://kohenari.net/post/18908535148/kony-ic

  2. This is well-said, Scott, especially your concluding paragraphs. Amid all the backlash and criticism, I couldn't help wondering whether people weren't contenting themselves to throw up their hands, proclaim the situation to be complicated, and — as so many are saying — let Ugandans solve Ugandan problems.

    I wrote a bit more about this a few days ago; here's the upshot of the whole blog post:

    At bottom, this question about Kony and our inability to figure out whether we should get involved or not speaks to one of the central problems that has always faced the creation of a robust international human rights regime, especially for those who really do want to help others but without seeming like thoughtless bullies: Do we want human rights that are actually enforceable, that actually mean something? If so, how do we propose to make them enforceable if not by actually going and arresting human rights abusers?

    The rest can be found here, for anyone who might be interested: http://kohenari.net/post/18908535148/kony-ic

  3. I'm so glad to find support within Amnesty regarding "Invisible Children". I think it's great that this issue has received so much attention from social media and I don't understand how some people can be so critical of this, mocking people who have joined the campaign. My best answer to them so far has been that if they don't trust "Invisible Children", support Amnesty International as this isn't a one-organization-only concern.

  4. @Ari Kohen:

    It's a mistake to try and frame this as people throwing up their hands and saying it's too complicated. There is still a desire to help; however, we have to realize that Ugandans are not helpless and they have voices. We just need to listen to them instead of acting as their spokespeople. Many Ugandan journalists and activists are none too happy with the neo-"white man's burden" push taking place: http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/03/08/uganda-c

    The framing needs to be different and people need to educate themselves on how to act as good advocates, rather than letting knee-jerk reactions take over.

    The Africa Canada Accountability Coalition has a great presentation and guideline for how to do this: http://www.africacanada.org/so-you-want-to-save-a

  5. @Ari Kohen:

    It's a mistake to try and frame this as people throwing up their hands and saying it's too complicated. There is still a desire to help; however, we have to realize that Ugandans are not helpless and they have voices. We just need to listen to them instead of acting as their spokespeople. Many Ugandan journalists and activists are none too happy with the neo-"white man's burden" push taking place: http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/03/08/uganda-c

    The framing needs to be different and people need to educate themselves on how to act as good advocates, rather than letting knee-jerk reactions take over.

    The Africa Canada Accountability Coalition has a great presentation and guideline for how to do this: http://www.africacanada.org/so-you-want-to-save-a

  6. I agree with a lot of what you said. However, I am not sure that the I.C.C. is the answer to the problem. Kony has come to the table before but walked away when there was a demand for him to surrender himself under arrest. The idea of the "bad guys" getting their due is something that I think all people want. However, I tend to agree with Bishop Jean Baptiste Odama, who values peace over revenge (he's been outspoken on this as far back as 2005). I also think that the issue is especially complex because Kony first approached the Ugandan government in 1996 about peace talks, but it was the Ugandan government that backed out.

    Definitely a military option is not truly viable. Operation Lightning Thunder proved that. Unfortunately, bringing Kony to justice won't do as much as many people believe. Even Kony has reportedly admitted that he doesn't have the same control over the LRA that he once had. Now that they have split into a cell organization (similar to Al Qaeda) they will be much more difficult to stop.

    One can't help but wonder what would have happened if the Europeans had never gotten as heavily involved in the first place. Really what help set this in place (in my opinion) was the British government putting the Buganda in charge of the area and not providing equal rights to the Acholi people. This happened all the way back in 1900. Unfortunately, there are some frightening similarities to the Rwandan conflicts between Hutus and Tutsis (also due to western colonial involvement). I think that simply removing Kony will not prevent another monster from rising to take his place. The beginnings of what happened must be examined to prevent this from ever happening again. Providing western solutions won't be a permanent answer.

  7. This is well-said, Scott, especially your concluding paragraphs. Amid all the backlash and criticism, I couldn’t help wondering whether people weren’t contenting themselves to throw up their hands, proclaim the situation to be complicated, and — as so many are saying — let Ugandans solve Ugandan problems.

    I wrote a bit more about this a few days ago; here’s the upshot of the whole blog post:

    At bottom, this question about Kony and our inability to figure out whether we should get involved or not speaks to one of the central problems that has always faced the creation of a robust international human rights regime, especially for those who really do want to help others but without seeming like thoughtless bullies: Do we want human rights that are actually enforceable, that actually mean something? If so, how do we propose to make them enforceable if not by actually going and arresting human rights abusers?

    The rest can be found here, for anyone who might be interested: http://kohenari.net/post/18908535148/kony-ic

  8. A world without Kony would be a better place, but the Kony2012 campaign is unbelievably misguided. Its two basic aims, whipping up youthful enthusiasm amongst western teenagers and western (US) military action, will not succeed in getting rid of Kony, nor in making the lives of those affected any better – indeed past history would suggest that increased military action will only make matters worse when they seem finally to be ending.

    Kony and the LRA do horrible things, yes, but the actors that Kony2012 would have you support, the UPDF, SPLA, etc are also guilty of committing rape, murder and of using child soldiers.

    Yes, you're right, we should all know who Kony is, but the fact is that all those actually involved in the UN, international politics, central african politics, charities, human rights organisations, journalism, academia and those who take an interest in international affairs all know who Kony is already and are working to try and end the conflict – with recently not inconsiderable success over the past 5 years. Getting teenagers hooked on a bandwagon isn't going to make a difference to that.

    My guess is that the three things that come of the Kony2012 campaign are:

    1. Kony will still be at large in 2013
    2. Invisible Children and its leadership will be considerably richer
    3. That these teenagers who so eagerly jump on the Kony2012 bandwagon will donate their time, effort, money and spirits into the campaign, see no direct result and as a consequence be at risk of being put off from becoming involved in serious viable charity campaigns in later life.

  9. I’m so glad to find support within Amnesty regarding “Invisible Children”. I think it’s great that this issue has received so much attention from social media and I don’t understand how some people can be so critical of this, mocking people who have joined the campaign. My best answer to them so far has been that if they don’t trust “Invisible Children”, support Amnesty International as this isn’t a one-organization-only concern.

  10. I`m glad someone is finally stepping in. And stop writing such negative things. Be positive and have hope. These poor kids are stolen and forced to kill. Instead of focusing on the negatives and saying, "It`s not going to work," say "How can we make it work?" If you don`t agree then don`t do anything but people who really believe in this cause–we can do so much if we just try. Don`t give up!
    KONY 2012

    ~Allie~

  11. @Ari Kohen:

    It’s a mistake to try and frame this as people throwing up their hands and saying it’s too complicated. There is still a desire to help; however, we have to realize that Ugandans are not helpless and they have voices. We just need to listen to them instead of acting as their spokespeople. Many Ugandan journalists and activists are none too happy with the neo-“white man’s burden” push taking place: http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/03/08/uganda-can-a-viral-video-really-stopkony/

    The framing needs to be different and people need to educate themselves on how to act as good advocates, rather than letting knee-jerk reactions take over.

    The Africa Canada Accountability Coalition has a great presentation and guideline for how to do this: http://www.africacanada.org/so-you-want-to-save-africa

  12. Here we are 2012; at a time when we all should be on the same page… traveling the same path towards salvation. "But what can I say… how do I explain my thoughts…. my desires… my hope?" We are in a world of confusion not resolution… we are in a world of forgetfulness not fruitfulness. We are all in a world of domination… not appreciation… so how do I explain… what can I do…. to make it better for all mankind? I can only state my case as one but with my arms extended to reach out to those that stand beside me that believes as I believe; can make a difference. So let's join hands to build a bridge so that those that continue to suffer will be able to cross over to a better life… a better future… for they suffer for us all!”

  13. I agree with a lot of what you said. However, I am not sure that the I.C.C. is the answer to the problem. Kony has come to the table before but walked away when there was a demand for him to surrender himself under arrest. The idea of the “bad guys” getting their due is something that I think all people want. However, I tend to agree with Bishop Jean Baptiste Odama, who values peace over revenge (he’s been outspoken on this as far back as 2005). I also think that the issue is especially complex because Kony first approached the Ugandan government in 1996 about peace talks, but it was the Ugandan government that backed out.

    Definitely a military option is not truly viable. Operation Lightning Thunder proved that. Unfortunately, bringing Kony to justice won’t do as much as many people believe. Even Kony has reportedly admitted that he doesn’t have the same control over the LRA that he once had. Now that they have split into a cell organization (similar to Al Qaeda) they will be much more difficult to stop.

    One can’t help but wonder what would have happened if the Europeans had never gotten as heavily involved in the first place. Really what help set this in place (in my opinion) was the British government putting the Buganda in charge of the area and not providing equal rights to the Acholi people. This happened all the way back in 1900. Unfortunately, there are some frightening similarities to the Rwandan conflicts between Hutus and Tutsis (also due to western colonial involvement). I think that simply removing Kony will not prevent another monster from rising to take his place. The beginnings of what happened must be examined to prevent this from ever happening again. Providing western solutions won’t be a permanent answer.

  14. In order to avoid beating a dead horse, yes, the Koney2012 campaign is fails to address the root causes of problems facing East Africa, like the Coltan and other conflict minerals that help fund guerilla groups . It oversimplifies, misses important information and frames the issuewith the West as the hope for Africa. But, what I find most disturbing about the Koney2012 campaign has nothing to do with Koney at all but rather the failures of the American education and media system . I would bet that most people jumping on the Koney bandwagon do not know how to find Uganda on a map, let alone knew Uganda even existed before this week. Our students are not taught to think critically about complex situations and instead look for a way to “fill in the bubble”. Americans have little knowledge of the world that surrounds us and expect that as soon as we “pay attention” the world will answer our beck and call. While it is refreshing to see something other than the Jersey Shore trending on social networks, it is frustrating because I fear that this too will be just a passing fad. After it is all said and done, collectively “we” will go back to being more concerned about the World Series than the LRA.

  15. A world without Kony would be a better place, but the Kony2012 campaign is unbelievably misguided. Its two basic aims, whipping up youthful enthusiasm amongst western teenagers and western (US) military action, will not succeed in getting rid of Kony, nor in making the lives of those affected any better – indeed past history would suggest that increased military action will only make matters worse when they seem finally to be ending.

    Kony and the LRA do horrible things, yes, but the actors that Kony2012 would have you support, the UPDF, SPLA, etc are also guilty of committing rape, murder and of using child soldiers.

    Yes, you’re right, we should all know who Kony is, but the fact is that all those actually involved in the UN, international politics, central african politics, charities, human rights organisations, journalism, academia and those who take an interest in international affairs all know who Kony is already and are working to try and end the conflict – with recently not inconsiderable success over the past 5 years. Getting teenagers hooked on a bandwagon isn’t going to make a difference to that.

    My guess is that the three things that come of the Kony2012 campaign are:

    1. Kony will still be at large in 2013
    2. Invisible Children and its leadership will be considerably richer
    3. That these teenagers who so eagerly jump on the Kony2012 bandwagon will donate their time, effort, money and spirits into the campaign, see no direct result and as a consequence be at risk of being put off from becoming involved in serious viable charity campaigns in later life.

  16. I`m glad someone is finally stepping in. And stop writing such negative things. Be positive and have hope. These poor kids are stolen and forced to kill. Instead of focusing on the negatives and saying, “It`s not going to work,” say “How can we make it work?” If you don`t agree then don`t do anything but people who really believe in this cause–we can do so much if we just try. Don`t give up!
    KONY 2012

    ~Allie~

  17. Here we are 2012; at a time when we all should be on the same page… traveling the same path towards salvation. “But what can I say… how do I explain my thoughts…. my desires… my hope?” We are in a world of confusion not resolution… we are in a world of forgetfulness not fruitfulness. We are all in a world of domination… not appreciation… so how do I explain… what can I do…. to make it better for all mankind? I can only state my case as one but with my arms extended to reach out to those that stand beside me that believes as I believe; can make a difference. So let’s join hands to build a bridge so that those that continue to suffer will be able to cross over to a better life… a better future… for they suffer for us all!”

  18. In order to avoid beating a dead horse, yes, the Koney2012 campaign is fails to address the root causes of problems facing East Africa, like the Coltan and other conflict minerals that help fund guerilla groups . It oversimplifies, misses important information and frames the issuewith the West as the hope for Africa. But, what I find most disturbing about the Koney2012 campaign has nothing to do with Koney at all but rather the failures of the American education and media system . I would bet that most people jumping on the Koney bandwagon do not know how to find Uganda on a map, let alone knew Uganda even existed before this week. Our students are not taught to think critically about complex situations and instead look for a way to “fill in the bubble”. Americans have little knowledge of the world that surrounds us and expect that as soon as we “pay attention” the world will answer our beck and call. While it is refreshing to see something other than the Jersey Shore trending on social networks, it is frustrating because I fear that this too will be just a passing fad. After it is all said and done, collectively “we” will go back to being more concerned about the World Series than the LRA.

  19. My 15 year old son sent me the link to the video. He read a book 2 years ago written by a former child soldier from the Sudan and so he was definitely not unaware of the issue of child solders.
    Regardless of both the positive and negative aspects of the current video, it has achieved a couple of notable achievements.
    1 – My child is asking for more details and he is now looking at other sources of information to validate what he saw on the video. He already had a head start on information that he obtained from the book he previously read, but now he is concerned about all the negative comments in regards to IC not getting the money through to where it is needed.
    2 – If the current campaign can eventually get turned into a more general campaign to bring a wider public awareness to the I.C.C, it proceedings and our global responsibility to ensuring that these people are given their day in court, then it has been worthwhile.
    We do not need a single country to be our global police, but we do need an international police force. Not how sure of the practicalities of that, but our world leaders do need to have a public discussion about how to enforce this court and ensure that it is not just filled with people that surrender.

  20. Kony and many, many others have been known by governments and humanitarian organisations for years concerning their human rights abuses. If people felt it in their hearts to contribute towards helping tose in need and bringing justice to those guilty of organising, overseeing and practising harmful atrocities to fellow humans, there are established groups already doing this. The awareness is great P.R and thanks to Facebook, millions of people can now put a face to the name of one person accused of shocking crimes. I feel that rather than prop up yet another campaign which needs financing for it's administration alone, put it towards groups that you have researched and have the mileage of time and experience behind them. Support the awareness, give voice to the unheard and support what you can when you can. Joseph Kony will, I pray, be caught one day. A lynch mob desire has some effect but addressing the issues that allow people to commit human rights abuses goes a lot further.

  21. My 15 year old son sent me the link to the video. He read a book 2 years ago written by a former child soldier from the Sudan and so he was definitely not unaware of the issue of child solders.
    Regardless of both the positive and negative aspects of the current video, it has achieved a couple of notable achievements.
    1 – My child is asking for more details and he is now looking at other sources of information to validate what he saw on the video. He already had a head start on information that he obtained from the book he previously read, but now he is concerned about all the negative comments in regards to IC not getting the money through to where it is needed.
    2 – If the current campaign can eventually get turned into a more general campaign to bring a wider public awareness to the I.C.C, it proceedings and our global responsibility to ensuring that these people are given their day in court, then it has been worthwhile.
    We do not need a single country to be our global police, but we do need an international police force. Not how sure of the practicalities of that, but our world leaders do need to have a public discussion about how to enforce this court and ensure that it is not just filled with people that surrender.

  22. KONY 2102

    If Kony is surrendered to The Hague and tried for crimes against humanity, it will bring healing and social justice to thousands of children he kidnapped and enslaved.

    I wonder, are some human rights organizations envious of the success of the Invisible Children campaign? What can you learn from them?

    After reading Somaly Mam's autobiography "The Road to Lost Innocence," and after seeing the film "The Whistleblower" why are some male members of international Aid organizations, Dyncorp, and UN peacekeepers frequenting brothels where young girls are trafficked? These men need to be brought to justice as well.

    At the heart of the matter, supporters need to be able to trust the organizations whose mission is to foster peace, justice, and education.

  23. Kony and many, many others have been known by governments and humanitarian organisations for years concerning their human rights abuses. If people felt it in their hearts to contribute towards helping tose in need and bringing justice to those guilty of organising, overseeing and practising harmful atrocities to fellow humans, there are established groups already doing this. The awareness is great P.R and thanks to Facebook, millions of people can now put a face to the name of one person accused of shocking crimes. I feel that rather than prop up yet another campaign which needs financing for it’s administration alone, put it towards groups that you have researched and have the mileage of time and experience behind them. Support the awareness, give voice to the unheard and support what you can when you can. Joseph Kony will, I pray, be caught one day. A lynch mob desire has some effect but addressing the issues that allow people to commit human rights abuses goes a lot further.

  24. Catch, what's his name?, and another toad will jump onto his sunny rock. The underlying problem is the masses are brain washed into believing democracy will, somehow, someday, fix the World. Democracy, =[Kleptocracy with a mask], especially american Democracy is a pathetic, inane, poorly designed model for Ruler-ship. It's no better, and in some ways worse, than Monarchies. [At least Kings and Queens were openly crooked. They didn't hide behind useless elections and Corporations.]
    The root cause of this, one, mobster is too many americans have jobs making weapons, plus, as above, we have faith in kleptocracy.
    Josephocracy is Brand New political architecture that ensures Leadership is Stable, Fair. The Dual Sovereignty Formula ENSURES our Representatives can only remember the Process is for the People. There would be NO President, [how well has that been working? lol] NO political parties NO campaign spending [0], NO political Corruption.
    =================== In this Story, about Kony, and MOST news stories, I always see JAW [jobs – america – war] OUTLAW weapons!

  25. KONY 2102

    If Kony is surrendered to The Hague and tried for crimes against humanity, it will bring healing and social justice to thousands of children he kidnapped and enslaved.

    I wonder, are some human rights organizations envious of the success of the Invisible Children campaign? What can you learn from them?

    After reading Somaly Mam’s autobiography “The Road to Lost Innocence,” and after seeing the film “The Whistleblower” why are some male members of international Aid organizations, Dyncorp, and UN peacekeepers frequenting brothels where young girls are trafficked? These men need to be brought to justice as well.

    At the heart of the matter, supporters need to be able to trust the organizations whose mission is to foster peace, justice, and education.

  26. Catch, what’s his name?, and another toad will jump onto his sunny rock. The underlying problem is the masses are brain washed into believing democracy will, somehow, someday, fix the World. Democracy, =[Kleptocracy with a mask], especially american Democracy is a pathetic, inane, poorly designed model for Ruler-ship. It’s no better, and in some ways worse, than Monarchies. [At least Kings and Queens were openly crooked. They didn’t hide behind useless elections and Corporations.]
    The root cause of this, one, mobster is too many americans have jobs making weapons, plus, as above, we have faith in kleptocracy.
    Josephocracy is Brand New political architecture that ensures Leadership is Stable, Fair. The Dual Sovereignty Formula ENSURES our Representatives can only remember the Process is for the People. There would be NO President, [how well has that been working? lol] NO political parties NO campaign spending [0], NO political Corruption.
    =================== In this Story, about Kony, and MOST news stories, I always see JAW [jobs – america – war] OUTLAW weapons!

  27. While I wholeheartedly agree awareness of this cause is very important, ICs connection to the the National Christian Foundation (among other anti-gay rights groups) makes me feel extremely torn. Ultimately, I can't support their efforts to empower some if it comes at the cost of others.

  28. While I wholeheartedly agree awareness of this cause is very important, ICs connection to the the National Christian Foundation (among other anti-gay rights groups) makes me feel extremely torn. Ultimately, I can’t support their efforts to empower some if it comes at the cost of others.

  29. Ugandan soldiers have half heartedly hunted this group for years. Now some white guy comes out of the bush with a plan to get our kids to send him 13 million dollars of which less than 4 million hits Africa and all the "save the worlders" smell new money and everybody jumps in! Shades of Haiti, once removed.

  30. Ugandan soldiers have half heartedly hunted this group for years. Now some white guy comes out of the bush with a plan to get our kids to send him 13 million dollars of which less than 4 million hits Africa and all the “save the worlders” smell new money and everybody jumps in! Shades of Haiti, once removed.

  31. What about just doing a bunch of internet posts while watching 'The Three Stooges meet Tarzan'? It was filmed in Uganda!

  32. What about just doing a bunch of internet posts while watching ‘The Three Stooges meet Tarzan’? It was filmed in Uganda!

  33. Gary Joseph Chandler! Thankyou so much! You are the only one here who hits the nail right on the head, spells out the problem and clarifies the situation. You are a voice of reason so rarely heard. I am giving up on Amnesty International because they are a part of the American Imperialist "Demoncracy" machine. They would love to see continuation of the status quo which today happens to be the impending NATO attack upon Syria & the Syrian government. Another misguided attempt to impose American style democracy upon a sovereign nation which will end in the enslavement, impovershment and exploitation of their resources all to enrich war profiteers and the global elite.

  34. Gary Joseph Chandler! Thankyou so much! You are the only one here who hits the nail right on the head, spells out the problem and clarifies the situation. You are a voice of reason so rarely heard. I am giving up on Amnesty International because they are a part of the American Imperialist “Demoncracy” machine. They would love to see continuation of the status quo which today happens to be the impending NATO attack upon Syria & the Syrian government. Another misguided attempt to impose American style democracy upon a sovereign nation which will end in the enslavement, impovershment and exploitation of their resources all to enrich war profiteers and the global elite.

  35. Thank you so much for your post!

    I really wish I would have found this earlier as it has been very difficult to find posts relating to this Kony campaign, which don’t just concentrate on the critique, but actually tries to give more information. Obviously I understand that being critical is necessary and I don’t think this campaign has been perfect, but I do think that some of criticism has been unfair and some of it even untrue (I have seen some many comments that e.g. Kony was made up by Invisible Children to raise money, there are no evidence that any children was ever abducted by the LRA, I.C.C. has dropped charges on Kony, because he dead, etc). I think that many people saw the video, tried to find more information and were faced with all the criticism, felt they were scammed and wanted just to forget the whole thing.

  36. Thank you so much for your post!

    I really wish I would have found this earlier as it has been very difficult to find posts relating to this Kony campaign, which don’t just concentrate on the critique, but actually tries to give more information. Obviously I understand that being critical is necessary and I don’t think this campaign has been perfect, but I do think that some of criticism has been unfair and some of it even untrue (I have seen some many comments that e.g. Kony was made up by Invisible Children to raise money, there are no evidence that any children was ever abducted by the LRA, I.C.C. has dropped charges on Kony, because he dead, etc). I think that many people saw the video, tried to find more information and were faced with all the criticism, felt they were scammed and wanted just to forget the whole thing.

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