Joseph Kony

[Yankyal]

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

please spread the word.

[EpicPhailure]

Watched it all the way through, reshared on Facebook.

Truth be told, I had no idea who Kony was, or what the situation in Uganda was before this. In fact, I didn't even know that Invisible Children was about Africa, I thought it was about underprivileged children in general. It's amazing how things like this can go completely unnoticed by everybody who takes luxuries of life for granted.

[God-I-Suck]

Watched it all the way through, reshared on Facebook.

Truth be told, I had no idea who Kony was, or what the situation in Uganda was before this. In fact, I didn't even know that Invisible Children was about Africa, I thought it was about underprivileged children in general. It's amazing how things like this can go completely unnoticed by everybody who takes luxuries of life for granted.

Took the words right out of my mouth. :P

[ARTgames]

Lets try this in a better sub reddit...
I've done a fair bit of looking into it, and everything doesn't add up. Heres my findings and I have included sources. Will probably get down voted to hell but I hope to give at least one of you a better understanding of whats going on.
Theres ALWAYS two sides to every story. This viral film has caught the attention of heaps of young folk but you are all far too late. Watching that Kony video is essentially watching old news. They started filming in 2003, and northern Uganda has been free of LRA violence and war for over five years. In fact, the LRA have signed a peace accord! They are rebuilding and are restoring the peace.
Yes the leader is still out there however the recruitment of children has decreased 80%. This isn't due to the Invisible Children organisation, its because Ugandan military and the ICC have intercepted. The Invisible Children group are trying to pass a bill that allows America to militarise the region... They are providing misinformation to woo idealistic followers. The group have combined multiple regional conflicts to make it appear that this is one rapidly increasing issue. When confronted about their dodgy tactics, the head spokesperson stated;
“I agree with you that leading people to believe that the war is still happening in Uganda is not ethically right. It's something we've been addressing internally, focusing on getting all staff and supporters on the same page (of communication)."
If you read the news, or even had an ounce of interest in the on-going unrest in Africa you would already know this and not be fooled. Yes, awful things happen to people in 3rd world countries but this has been occurring for centuries, it isn't a recent occurrence.
I think its only fair if I am to make such comments I provide sources (unlike the people over at Invisible Children...)
SOURCES: Michael Kirkpatrick, a long-time Independent Global Citizen, he has resided in Uganda and other regions of Africa. He has no political, religious or financial agenda. He wrote this article and gave an in-depth insight to whats really going on. He also questioned important members of Invisible Children about their motives. http://www.blackstarnews.com/news/122/ARTICLE/6586/2010-06-02.html
Charity Navigator is a website that breaks down the proceeds and donations given to Invisible Children and subsequently shows what percentile of that is REALLY going towards these impoverished kids. A measly slither of what is going into the founders pockets. http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=12429
I've read an interesting passage from Northern Ugandan man however it is not 100% verified - he has advised the Northern Ugandan parliament have listed IC as their main priority on their "fraudulent activity" list. (See 2nd comment, username Livingstone). http://www.topix.com/forum/city/stuart-fl/TQJSGHMES035Q6OI0
THIS article asking Invisible Children why they were pressuring poor AND illegal piece of legislation has since been removed and deleted. http://blog.invisiblechildren.com/2010/03/oklaholdout-update-letter-from-lisa-dougan/
ADDITIONALLY - There were members of Invisible Children were saying what their "allowance" could purchase them, it was on a forum on the official website, and this has also been REMOVED. http://blog.invisiblechildren.com/?p=5901
Also: http://www.thegauntlet.com/article/1320/18249/Barry-from-Look-What-I-Did-responds-to-Invisible-Children-Organization.html I have a few more sources if anybody is looking for a specific answer, or where I got a certain fact, please just feel free to ask.

idk what to think at this point

[Yankyal]

Lets try this in a better sub reddit...
I've done a fair bit of looking into it, and everything doesn't add up. Heres my findings and I have included sources. Will probably get down voted to hell but I hope to give at least one of you a better understanding of whats going on.
Theres ALWAYS two sides to every story. This viral film has caught the attention of heaps of young folk but you are all far too late. Watching that Kony video is essentially watching old news. They started filming in 2003, and northern Uganda has been free of LRA violence and war for over five years. In fact, the LRA have signed a peace accord! They are rebuilding and are restoring the peace.
Yes the leader is still out there however the recruitment of children has decreased 80%. This isn't due to the Invisible Children organisation, its because Ugandan military and the ICC have intercepted. The Invisible Children group are trying to pass a bill that allows America to militarise the region... They are providing misinformation to woo idealistic followers. The group have combined multiple regional conflicts to make it appear that this is one rapidly increasing issue. When confronted about their dodgy tactics, the head spokesperson stated;
?I agree with you that leading people to believe that the war is still happening in Uganda is not ethically right. It's something we've been addressing internally, focusing on getting all staff and supporters on the same page (of communication)."
If you read the news, or even had an ounce of interest in the on-going unrest in Africa you would already know this and not be fooled. Yes, awful things happen to people in 3rd world countries but this has been occurring for centuries, it isn't a recent occurrence.
I think its only fair if I am to make such comments I provide sources (unlike the people over at Invisible Children...)
SOURCES: Michael Kirkpatrick, a long-time Independent Global Citizen, he has resided in Uganda and other regions of Africa. He has no political, religious or financial agenda. He wrote this article and gave an in-depth insight to whats really going on. He also questioned important members of Invisible Children about their motives. http://www.blackstarnews.com/news/122/ARTICLE/6586/2010-06-02.html
Charity Navigator is a website that breaks down the proceeds and donations given to Invisible Children and subsequently shows what percentile of that is REALLY going towards these impoverished kids. A measly slither of what is going into the founders pockets. http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=12429
I've read an interesting passage from Northern Ugandan man however it is not 100% verified - he has advised the Northern Ugandan parliament have listed IC as their main priority on their "fraudulent activity" list. (See 2nd comment, username Livingstone). http://www.topix.com/forum/city/stuart-fl/TQJSGHMES035Q6OI0
THIS article asking Invisible Children why they were pressuring poor AND illegal piece of legislation has since been removed and deleted. http://blog.invisiblechildren.com/2010/03/oklaholdout-update-letter-from-lisa-dougan/
ADDITIONALLY - There were members of Invisible Children were saying what their "allowance" could purchase them, it was on a forum on the official website, and this has also been REMOVED. http://blog.invisiblechildren.com/?p=5901
Also: http://www.thegauntlet.com/article/1320/18249/Barry-from-Look-What-I-Did-responds-to-Invisible-Children-Organization.html I have a few more sources if anybody is looking for a specific answer, or where I got a certain fact, please just feel free to ask.

idk what to think at this point

Yeah I read this after I made the thread...I think it's still a good idea to know about who this guy is. If you don't donate to the charity then it's fine.

Also in the link that poster provided, you can see only 3% of total expenses are paying the owners. AND a 3/4 stars on Charity Navigator is a pretty good score.

[Hikarikuen]

Something to consider before you start telling people to sell their homes to buy Kony 2012 merchandise

[Meiun]

Something to consider before you start telling people to sell their homes to buy Kony 2012 merchandise

I just heard about the whole thing shortly before seeing this topic, but one way or another, that article against the whole campaign didn't seem to make any strong or significant point. It was my understanding that the whole purpose of this campaign was to raise awareness of the problem, which will hopefully ultimately spark a resolution, not to directly support invisible children and let them be the ones to actually do the fixing themselves. Basically, I don't think it matters if the organization that came up with the idea for the "Kony 2012" program is totally perfect or not, as long as the ultimate result and cause is good.

[Cactuscat222]

Something to consider before you start telling people to sell their homes to buy Kony 2012 merchandise

I just heard about the whole thing shortly before seeing this topic, but one way or another, that article against the whole campaign didn't seem to make any strong or significant point. It was my understanding that the whole purpose of this campaign was to raise awareness of the problem, which will hopefully ultimately spark a resolution, not to directly support invisible children and let them be the ones to actually do the fixing themselves. Basically, I don't think it matters if the organization that came up with the idea for the "Kony 2012" program is totally perfect or not, as long as the ultimate result and cause is good.

Invisible Children wants to raise awareness AND donations to their cause. The awareness is fine, and even if a bit misguided, I hope it ends up getting people who want to be involved into other problems and situations. Stopping Kony is a good start, so I hope it just doesn't end there (because stopping Kony isn't going to stop everything, contrary to popular belief).

I have no problems with the ultimate message of Kony 2012 - I have problems with Kony 2012 as sponsored by Invisible Children. If you are going to support anyone, support charities that put most of their money forth to the cause, and don't want to escalate armed conflicts by providing weaponry.

[Scotty]

(because stopping Kony isn't going to stop everything, contrary to popular belief).

Anyone who thinks we can topple a terrorist army by killing the leader is clearly stuck in the WWII mentality.  The International Crimes Court has all 5 of the LRA's top leaders on their list, and it ain't Santa's list.  I guarantee that if they just take out Kony, another is going to step up.  I guaran-damn-tee it.  I've seen it first hand in the Middle east many, many times over with many less organized and smaller terrorist cells.  Amplify it up to the magnitude of an Army and I can guarantee they've got a line of people waiting for the person ahead of them in line to get whacked.

The LRA spans 4 countries, one of which is suspected to be harboring Kony, maybe other key figures as well.  The only way you can put an end to the LRA and discontinue their efforts are to militarize in all four countries, and be prepared to make the hard choice when it's children on the other side.  Something we as a country cannot financially sustain, and we as humans may not be able to do mentally (seeing a full grown adult that wants you dead is one travesty, a child is something entirely different).  Not to mention what happens when Sudan decides to side with the LRA, now we've got a full blown conflict against a country all over again.

I think something needs to be done, but at this point, unless the United Nations is willing to address the issue as a whole and take action, this is going to be less productive than both OIF and OEF combined.  What starts out as good intentions is going to quickly turn to discontent among the collective US and world population.

EDIT: To tie this into the whole Kony 2012 movement, my opinions are that I support the goal, but not the effort, much like the previous blog.  The long dick of the ICC needs to come down on Kony (and all of his fellow leaders), but I don't know that Kony 2012 is the way to do it.  I don't really now how to do it, or what to think of most of this to be honest.  One thing I know though is that removing Kony from power isn't going to solve the problem.  Unless the majority of the estimated "500-3,000" members are stopped, the LRA is going to continue to operate.

[stick d00d]

Found another article: http://thedailywh.at/2012/03/07/on-kony-2012-2/

One of the quotes from the article that summed it up for me was 'emotional blackmail'. The article is a bit biased but it definitely makes you think about it.

Honestly I won't buy any of the shirts/bracelets etc., because now that I have read these articles about their spending and what the money goes toward, I don't want to be a part of it. It's great that they are raising awareness about it but it just seems like they are after money to me.

[DarkTrinity]

I give IC props for creating so much awareness on the subject. I agree Kony is bad, he should be stopped, and as many articles and people have stated, I don't think military intervention is the way to go about it.. Because you'd have to kill a crap ton of kids to get to him. Plus the accusation that the Ugandan military is not a whole lot better than the LRA...
I think the IC has their heart in the right place, but at the same time they're filled with anger for what was done to these children and aren't really thinking about the little war that they're trying to start; just thinking about the end goal of no future kids abducted.

[TANK]

 have you guys ever gotten that feeling when you feel like someones trying to do something good, but at the same time there also a douche. Thats what i got watching it but im a meanie towards everything so i dont know.

[DarkTrinity]

So, I thought that there was no oil in Uganda and that's why everyone jokes that we haven't gone there sooner...
Well my friend just said that US found oil there a few years ago, sent troops in, and now "that's why US wants to stop Kony"
I personally don't think that's correct information, but does anyone know?

[sayers6]

So, I thought that there was no oil in Uganda and that's why everyone jokes that we haven't gone there sooner...
Well my friend just said that US found oil there a few years ago, sent troops in, and now "that's why US wants to stop Kony"
I personally don't think that's correct information, but does anyone know?

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=uganda+oil

[DarkTrinity]

So, I thought that there was no oil in Uganda and that's why everyone jokes that we haven't gone there sooner...
Well my friend just said that US found oil there a few years ago, sent troops in, and now "that's why US wants to stop Kony"
I personally don't think that's correct information, but does anyone know?

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=uganda+oil

The point was for you to do that for me, duuuuuuuuh.