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Posted by: Cyrus430 Mar 7 2012, 05:15 AM

So there's a project called "Project Kony 2012" that a group of individuals have created. There's even an "action kit" that's available for purchase for those who want it.

Simple rundown:

-leader of the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army) is Joseph Kony
-Kidnaps children and makes males fight for him
-Has females as sex slaves
-Is on the ICC's most wanted for crimes against humanity.

Here's a video if you'd like to watch it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc

The issue I have with this... is the following:

One person among many who are committing crimes in different regions of the world..

Posted by: Shirogane Mar 7 2012, 09:26 AM

As much as it seems expensive for the kit...

... It's for a good cause. Except that Kony himself could just hop over to a country not enforced by the ICC's policy and boom - he's technically a free man.

Posted by: Steve Mar 7 2012, 11:08 AM

Is this the new hipster trend? I'm glad to see [young] American's directing the spotlight on issues that are inhumane. However, there's isn't necessarily any threat towards our homeland security so the U.S. is likely not going to intervene with the problem. If the movie is a success(and it has gone viral in a short amount of time), Kony will get a bunch of 'Likes' on Facebook, but nobody is going to fly over and join the fight. It's the reality. The video is touching, however.

Posted by: THE_HONDA_CG2 Mar 7 2012, 08:21 PM

I've done a bit of research on the Invisible Children group and it seems like they were started a long time ago, back in 2003. Their movement has lost some steam and this movie is to kick start public interest again. I'm glad to see that it's working, but I'm a bit skeptical about donating to their cause. I'm glad that people are getting together to bring Kony to justice but at the same time; is this the right way to go? There are a lot of debates about it. But I know I'll be going to a Cover the Night event in my local area to do my part.

Posted by: Fast Mar 7 2012, 10:36 PM

I saw that video on Facebook and decided to watch it after the 20th friend shared it. I was aware of Invisible Children well before I watched it but I never paid them any attention. After I watched, I thought it had good intentions but I didn't good vibes from it. The conceit and smug tone of the video and the speaker did not gel with me. I found the creator including his 3-year old son in the video pointless. The movie also makes bringing Kony to justice look like a very black and white affair. The "good guys" will have to kill many of the brainwashed children who are protecting Kony in order to get to him. It's a very delicate situation.

Then I decided to do some research on Invisible Children and found few articles to consider. These more or less confirmed my irrational prejudices about the organization.

http://visiblechildren.tumblr.com/

http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/should-i-donate-money-to-kony-2012-or-not?utm_source=tumblrpage

http://ilto.wordpress.com/2006/11/02/the-visible-problem-with-invisible-children/

In short, I support the capture of Kony but I do not support the Invisible Children organization.

Posted by: Spaz Mar 8 2012, 09:34 AM

IC is a scam.

Also, posting statuses and threads totally brings war crimes to justice.

He's a warlord, people. He does what he wants, when he wants, and how he wants, because he can. Nothing's going to change that. The UN isn't magically going to go in and take this guy down because people copypasta'd a video on facebook for 3 days. It's Africa, this shit is commonplace and acceptable and has been forever.

Posted by: Fast Mar 8 2012, 10:41 AM

YOUTUBE ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvqFi_HRPmk&feature=player_embedded )

http://thatneedstogo.tumblr.com/post/18907388408/kony-2012-causing-more-harm-than-good

http://wordswithmeaning.org/2012/03/leave-kony-alone-why-kony-2012-is-another-excuse-for-conflict/#axzz1oWdXM1Xk

Posted by: Cyrus430 Mar 10 2012, 11:43 PM

Yeah I saw this video and didn't like the fact he's using his son to "convince" people that action should be taken.

I just don't see how this will magically change the world.

Just thought I'd share with you guys.. though of course.. I didn't expect anyone to be new to the subject.

I actually pissed a lot of people off with the rants I had to share.

Posted by: Saint Mar 11 2012, 12:28 AM

YOUTUBE ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdBcypx1DfE&feature=g-hist&context=G27cd746AHT1xawgACAA )

The other side of the story.

I dunno anything about Ugandan politics, nor heard of Kony until recently when everyone on Facebook joined the bandwagon.

But from what I gather, some say that it's just a scam (with that allegation that only <32% of donation actually going to Ugandans), and that LRA hadn't even been active for years. So what I see is just a bunch of wallies joining that bandwagon out of emotion based on Kony 2012. It doesn't look right when that guy used his son (if that's really his son) in the video.

Honestly I'm not sure who to believe. Either one is lying. But if it's true that he's guilty of these charges, he deserves to be killed without trial.

Posted by: APX Mar 11 2012, 04:04 AM

I thought everybody likes doing young girls?

Posted by: Cyrus430 Mar 12 2012, 07:59 AM

QUOTE (Saint @ Yesterday, 12:28 AM)

I dunno anything about Ugandan politics, nor heard of Kony until recently when everyone on Facebook joined the bandwagon.

I actually learned more about him and the LRA while I was in Afghanistan all last year. I then started seeing the videos and thought "WOW people are REALLY spoon-fed this stuff". Then of course they turn around and buy things to show they "support".

I'm all for everyone doing what they want.. as long as you don't hurt anyone or bother anyone.

But many people began bothering me about how "I need to help against the LRA" or stuff and such. Of course once I argued my personal opinion.. they didn't like it very much.

Sure seems odd though, the LRA has been around for a while and the people are just BARELY catching on?

I hate that guy and using his "son" as a pawn... but you gotta give it to him he caters to people's weak points.

Posted by: Shintaro Mar 12 2012, 12:32 PM

Didn't know about Kony or the video till it was mentioned on the news.

Posted by: JKaiba Mar 12 2012, 01:41 PM

QUOTE (Saint @ Yesterday, 12:28 AM)

...if it's true that he's guilty of these charges, he deserves to be killed without trial.

... and create a power vacuum that will be instantly filled by another tyrannical dictator who I'm sure will be just as bad.

What has to be understood is there are more complicated reasons the region is being driven to conflict. It's times like this I really wish I could hear from Tessou. He was great at helping put these conflicts into a digestible perspective. I was always more of an Asia Pacific region geopolitical specialist but even then, it only takes a quick peek at the Wikipedia article to notice that the Ugandan Army has used child soldiers in the past and we would be naive to think it and other African armies don't do so in some form now. These are the same armies that Invisible Children wants to work with to take down a guy does the same thing!

Now I'm pretty bad in the moral compass department. My sense of ethics isn't very compatible with most contemporary Western norms. But I can't help but feel that the Kony 2012 idea is at its root, 2 wrongs trying to make a right. It usually doesn't work for the best.

Posted by: W.A.R Mar 15 2012, 05:55 PM

Why does it take a white man to bring awareness in africa?

Posted by: Saint Mar 16 2012, 12:10 AM

QUOTE (JKaiba @ Mar 12 2012, 09:41 PM)

... and create a power vacuum that will be instantly filled by another tyrannical dictator who I'm sure will be just as bad.

Just kill the new dictator then.

Some say it's because of the oil found in Uganda; sounds legit.

Posted by: kyonpalm Mar 16 2012, 05:47 AM

I dunno about you guys, but what made me suspicious of this organization more than anything was their use of dubstep.
Really though, it's baloney. I don't know what their angle is, but I'm sure it's not on the up-and-up. If you want to make a difference, surely there are other ways to do that. This is just some Facebook-age "look at me I'm part of a big social movement" thing where people just want to say they were part of something. I swear, people have become so naïve...

Posted by: JKaiba Mar 16 2012, 08:46 AM

QUOTE (kyonpalm @ 2 hours, 59 minutes ago)

People have always been naive; the means to exploit them has simply changed.

Posted by: crazym4n Mar 21 2012, 01:43 PM

Armchair activism!! rofl

kony 2012 is a fraud i stopped watching the original video after they mentioned "africa" anyone with half a brain knows how fucked up Africa is...they still enslave their own people.

Posted by: Tessou Mar 29 2012, 04:09 AM

QUOTE (crazym4n @ Mar 21 2012, 04:43 PM)

This is the last stupid hypocritical post of yours that I will tolerate.

Enjoy your ban.

Posted by: Wanderer Mar 29 2012, 05:39 AM

See this is interesting with society. A couple people find an obscure problem, and blow it out of proportions, while the media takes impending wars (Israel v. Iran, Israel v. Egypt, Syria v. Syria, the list is endless), and downplays it. I heard and know about Kony, who is no longer in Uganda (hasn't been for a couple years), and has a small army of less than 400. I think Syria and the economic state of the EU is more worrying than that.

Posted by: Jardim Apr 3 2012, 10:29 AM

QUOTE (Tessou @ Mar 29 2012, 07:09 AM)

This is the last stupid hypocritical post of yours that I will tolerate.

Enjoy your ban.

Y U BAN CRAZYM4N????

God we hated him but he was OUR crazym4n =(

Posted by: Tessou Apr 3 2012, 10:43 AM

I outlined crazym4n's departure in a separate thread.

Is anybody else fascinated by how KONY2012 was quickly replaced with Trayvon? I personally think these cases are being heavily overblown. Sensationalist media needs to be looking at the bigger issues such as the economy and the massing tensions in the Middle East, rather than (and I'm serious here) writing up http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/27/living/history-hoodie-trayvon-martin/index.html?iref=allsearch.

How about more focus on Al-Assad fucking up his promise to pull back oppressive troops in Syria (again)? How about looking at the repercussions of the most recent round of sanctions against Iran? Where are the intense stories about the continuing situation in Libya?

Posted by: kyonpalm Apr 3 2012, 01:26 PM

QUOTE (Tessou @ 2 hours, 43 minutes ago)

How about more focus on Al-Assad fucking up his promise to pull back oppressive troops in Syria (again)? How about looking at the repercussions of the most recent round of sanctions against Iran? Where are the intense stories about the continuing situation in Libya?

Why would we do that when one person was killed in America?! NO JUSTICE NO PEACE!! TRAYVON 2012!!

Posted by: Jardim Apr 3 2012, 05:21 PM

Trayvon is another whole thing in our homeland.

Uganda is Uganda, Syria is Syria, Egypt is Egypt, and Iran is Iran

Fearing Iran is stupid, they don't have that much money to build multiple nukes to destroy everyone, the worst that could happen is them bombing Israel, their primary target. After that they will officially be nuclear dust.

Kony spoke on a interview and from the looks of it Uganda's govt does the same thing he does, wait the whole fucking continent does the same thing he does.

Egypt, the muslimhood brothers are trying to take over the country and all the coptic christians are freaking out, big deal.

But trayvon was unarmed, with a hoodie on and a darker skin, and he died for literally NO reason whatsoever, but the difference now is that this happened in the country that is quick to talk bad about those who kill innocent people. I understand it wasnt the gov'ts fault he got shot but the gov't doesn't seem to be making a big deal about a innocent kid dying.

Another thing, all those people protesting in other countries die and get shut down for their actions and we sit here and say "THEY SHOULD HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND THE RIGHT TO PROTEST!!!" Well when Occupy WS was around the same people who were defending overseas protesters, were telling the kids in tents to STFU and GTFO.

My point, leave Kony alone, he hasn't attacked in years, let the world play out its card and focus on making your home a better place.

Posted by: Tessou Apr 3 2012, 05:57 PM

QUOTE (Jardim @ 35 minutes, 52 seconds ago)

Fearing Iran is stupid, they don't have that much money to build multiple nukes to destroy everyone, the worst that could happen is them bombing Israel, their primary target. After that they will officially be nuclear dust.

But trayvon was unarmed, with a hoodie on and a darker skin, and he died for literally NO reason whatsoever, but the difference now is that this happened in the country that is quick to talk bad about those who kill innocent people. I understand it wasnt the gov'ts fault he got shot but the gov't doesn't seem to be making a big deal about a innocent kid dying.

Iran has plenty of money. That's never been an issue. The monetary problem you're referring to is due to sanctions that make the Rial practically worthless outside of Iran. In response, they've switched to gold as currency for import/export. Iran is critically short on food supplies, not money.

As for Trayvon, the details of what exactly happened are still incredibly vague since the police are not releasing anything until their investigation closes. My problem with the protests is because they're going on despite this amazing lack of information. The "fact" that Trayvon was innocent has been cried out by Trayvon's parents, even though there is evidence pointing both ways. The same can be said of those saying Trayvon attacked Zimmerman, thus validating his self-defense claim. It's all pure speculation until the police release their report, and yet rallies continue, spearheaded by the ignorant public that apparently wants this to be a hate crime.

Obama has already made a public statement regarding the case, and his response is pretty much exactly what a federal officer should have said: this is a tragedy, but the appropriate office should handle it. Meaning not the federal government, and he's right.

Posted by: Mazda ina Ford guy Apr 3 2012, 06:37 PM

OMG ^^^ this! Only 2 people know what happened, and one is dead.

WITHHOLDING JUDGEMENT FOR SOMETHING RESEMBLEING FACTS TO EMERGE.

Posted by: Wanderer Apr 3 2012, 06:50 PM

I still believe Iran is a valid point to worry about considering Israel is indeed backed by the US as an older brother of sorts, which could cause WWIII.

Posted by: Tessou Apr 4 2012, 06:54 AM

Iran's intensive sanctions leave it relatively weak militarily, since their supply lines are restricted.

If Iran tried to raise a shitstorm and attack Israel, the Iranian government would dissolve very quickly. That wouldn't be a concern, really. The big problem is the massive amount of loyal extremists that would retaliate. They're a lot harder to detect.

Posted by: Jardim Apr 4 2012, 09:51 AM

I feel like i'll be sporting a WWIII vet hat.

Posted by: Wanderer Apr 4 2012, 10:27 AM

The main issue isn't whether Iran attacks Israel, but if Israel attacks Iran. The move seems senseless considering various intelligence agencies (including Israel's) that have confirmed Israel isn't looking into nukes. Things would be great if Israel got rid of their nukes.

Posted by: Jardim Apr 6 2012, 10:57 AM

Im not worried about Iran having nukes, The chance of their Nuclear bomb reaching US soil is very slim. What grinds my gears is that at the first hint of trouble with middle eastern folks, israel comes running into us asking for help -__- Those jews in the holy land are all loaded with money, and they could care less about our economy, they just want our military boots up iran's ass so they can keep slaughtering palestinians.

Posted by: Tessou Apr 6 2012, 11:16 AM

Actually, their relations with a fair amount of European countries would kick in before the US. Russia, for one. Germany, for two.

Of course they don't care about our economy. Nobody does except us.

Posted by: Wanderer Apr 6 2012, 06:38 PM

If you look back through history, the US usually thrives economically when in a proper war. In a better world, everybody would be denuclarized. But for now, declawing Israel would be the start at a stabilized middle-east.

And can we make a new thread specifically for these kind of talks? I really enjoy having discussions like this with civilized and studied people.

Posted by: Tessou Apr 7 2012, 04:53 AM

QUOTE (ATRUM_Neto @ Yesterday, 10:38 PM)

If you look back through history, the US usually thrives economically when in a proper war.

The economy was strengthened after WWI and WWII, not during. Remember that the massive war expenditures is going to take a huge toll on the country, completely demolishing the value of domestic currency.

The groups of protesters and anti-war folks will hit the economy hard, regardless of the war being "proper" or not. Because they hate what the US is doing, they lose confidence in domestic production, and sink money elsewhere, further damaging the economy.

Posted by: RalliKai Apr 7 2012, 06:10 AM

Iran only concerns me if it actually tries something bold and stupid like try to blockade the Straight of Hormuz which would just be inviting military action. I'm not as concerned about Iran's nuclear capability. I can understand Israels concern due to the ties between the Iranian regime and Hamas. Doesn't mean I think they should launch a conventional strike against them.

I also question Israel's ability to carry out successful strikes on Iran if they go the air route, just due in large part to the distance. Iran's air defenses aren't great but still pretty dangerous. Plus you have to factor in the distance and that their best aircraft for the job is the F-15. Alot of aerial refueling inbetween.

Posted by: Tessou Apr 7 2012, 09:54 AM

The problem doesn't come from Iran directly. It's the goddamn borders with Syria and Lebanon that have been problematic for decades. Suicide squads roll in from the north, from a myriad of enemy countries, and blow shit up.

Aircraft would be a stupid option because of the distance, yes. Currently the main offensive capabilities would lie in ICBMs.

Posted by: Jardim Apr 8 2012, 05:36 PM

QUOTE (Tessou @ Apr 6 2012, 02:16 PM)

The economy has nothing to do with the US helping, either. As allied members of NATO, the US is required to provide defense assistance in case of an attack.

It doesn't tess, but it does at the same time when we deploy so many people over there, keeping everyone of them fed, healthy and ammo'd. It's really money we shouldn't be spending, why don't other NATO countries besides the US go in?

Posted by: Wanderer Apr 8 2012, 06:02 PM

Because they see the backlash would be too much for them to justify offering a joint-strike with Israel-US. Simply put, war with Iran is pointless, Israel simply doesn't see that.

Posted by: Tessou Apr 9 2012, 08:44 AM

QUOTE (Jardim @ Yesterday, 9:36 PM)

Because NATO only provides a charter for collective defense, not aid. There is absolutely nothing that says NATO countries must provide aid to non-member countries, nor do they have to help NATO countries that are voluntarily doing so.

Israel is not a NATO country, which means that no country is obligated to help them if Iran decides to go full out and declare war. However, NATO has been interested in Israel for decades, and has stated many times that they want to maintain the "not membership, but partnership of sorts" that they have going for them. While the state does not fall under Chapter 5 of the NATO charter, which would require member countries to help them, it would certainly be in NATO's best interests to keep them around.

Posted by: Jardim Apr 9 2012, 09:33 AM

QUOTE (ATRUM_Neto @ Yesterday, 9:02 PM)

Because they see the backlash would be too much for them to justify offering a joint-strike with Israel-US. Simply put, war with Iran is pointless, Israel simply doesn't see that.

This. I say leave them alone and buy their oil..in like 50 or so years they are going to need ours anyway...

Posted by: Wanderer Apr 9 2012, 04:07 PM

In 50 years, they won't need our oil, but our clean energy plasma fusion technology.