Saturday, March 17, 2012

Joseph Kony and Uganda's Wounds Still Seeping

Jason Russell creator of the Kony 2012 video and movement


Undoubtedly you've read about allegations leveled at Jason Russell, creator of the now viral Kony 2012 video and his arrest. I'm cynical and chose not to trust the allegations in toto believing that there is some manipulation going on in media and in Mr. Russell's life somewhere, somehow, someway for some reason. It is just suspicious he has no record of anything like this and as soon as this cause gets some juice he makes the news.
Worst case scenario- all the allegations are true, AND Kony is guilty. Uganda's weak defense that Kony is a good boy now and Uganda has been overtaken by warm fuzzies and that Kony is no longer in Uganda does not detract from the illegal and immoral atrocities he has committed. Uganda should be at the forefront of the movement to bring him to justice instead of promoting roadblocks and taking on a Freddie Prince, "it's not my job man," posture.  Thirty thousand (30,000) children, mostly if not entirely Ugandan, have been affected for the rest of their lives.  Imagine deep depression, hopelessness, unbearable guilt, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at thirteen (13) years of age times 30,000 children dismissed because "Joseph doesn't live hear anymore."

To be sure many decent people in Uganda are incensed at being on the world stage in this light once more and would rather Joseph Kony have no ties to Uganda mentioned.  

Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord's Resistance Army formerly operating in Uganda

The Christian Science Monitor in,

Teacher in Uganda: Why give celebrity status to a killer in Kony 2012,

reports a high school teacher as saying, "The LRA led vicious attacks in northern Uganda for 20 years, killing tens of thousands of people and abducting children as soldiers and slaves. But Kony and his LRA were pushed out of the country by the Ugandan Army, and there have been no LRA attacks here since August 2006. Most of the 1.8 million displaced people have returned and are trying to reconstruct their lives.,"

It is too bad that this refocus on Joseph Kony may show Uganda in bad light once again, but this should not be the main consideration in bringing  crimes against humanity perpetrators to justice, and I dare say this has not been the cry of outrage anywhere else in the world when war criminals are hunted down. 

 It does not matter if Ghandi made the Kony 2012 video or Joseph Stalin did, either way the impetus for his capture and for his being brought to justice needs to be, at the very LEAST maintained.   Mad prayers to Jason and his family believing he will recover quickly and believing what Satan has meant for evil and destruction, God will use for good. Y'all keep up the good fight, let us keep fighting, let us fight more. 

We can't be lead by the perfect person, she or he does not exist unless you look to Jesus, but we can be led by perfect love which casts out fear and overthrows what should not rule this world, what should not rule our lives. Whether evil or good wins you have to choose a trajectory or it will be coercively  chosen for you. Stand up! Stand up! Stand up!  Please do not make the mistake of believing that the spirit of Joseph Kony is not active in your neighborhood.
To bring this closer to home, "we are the richest most prosperous nation in the world and  still we haven't found the political will to end hunger."- James McGovern, US Representative, Massachusetts.  Our style of rape and pillage may be far more insidious than what Joseph Kony exacts.
The  Ugandan Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi asked someone what they thought about Jason Russell's arrest and he named the charges which makes one think there may be a strong connection between Uganda and the event  that the pres knew about it almost immediately. Mr. Prime Minister didn't ask me what I thought about it but here is what I think about it; everybody needs to RE POST and pursue: Right on Jason may God bless to finish the fight: Capture and Arrest Kony Now!







Ugandan Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi