I just watched an eye opening movie on a man named Joseph Kony. I have to admit that before today, I did not know the name. Unfortunately, many in Uganda know his name. He is considered a rebel leader but I don't see him as that.
In a part of the world where gangs become armies, Joseph Kony is a gang leader. He abducts children, forces them to kill their parents, and makes them into child "soldiers." The girls are made into sex slaves. If this happened in the United States to this level, Joseph Kony would have his picture on just about every news broadcast. Instead, I just heard about him today, 20+ years after he started his terror and slaughter.
What can we do about that? What interest is it of us in the United States?
My answer is slightly different than, I think, of those who made this movie. Without a doubt, we should go after this poor excuse of a human being. But Joseph Kony hasn't been the first bad guy and, unfortunately, he probably won't be the last. The 20th century is filled with these types of characters. Our response has been anything but consistent.
Hitler, of course, comes to mind first. He slaughtered millions. Why? Because Hitler was a bad guy. Pol Pot slaughtered million in Cambodia and Laos. Why? Because he was a bad guy. Milosovec slaughtered millions in his "ethnic cleansing" campaigns. Why? Because he was a bad guy. Millions have been slaughtered in Kosovo, Uganda, Darfur, Tibet, Iraq, Somalia, Central and South America among so many other places. Sometimes we get involved. Sometimes we don't. Well, the time for complacency has ended. It is time for the United States, with or without our allies, to stop this madness no matter where we find it. Justice, human justice, not just American justice, must be administered and the time is now.
Let us start with Joseph Kony. The United States has no political or economic interest in helping to catch him. But it is the right thing to do.
Here is the video I watched. Please watch and share. Get the word out. KONY 2012
Joseph Kony Video
Of course the comment will always come up: Are we to be the policemen of the world? The answer is actually quite simple. YES. We are already the policemen of the world. Who else can be?
ReplyDeleteWhen a natural disaster occurs, it is the US that usually responds first and the most. That is the duty of a super power, especially the largest super power the world has ever known. Even our enemies acknowledge this.
But being a super power that we are also means that our allies expect us to come to their aid militarily as well when needed. And we have done that. It was the US who ended WWI after only months in the war. It was the US who ended WWII with the destruction of Germany and Japan. Of course, it was the US who rebuilt those countries as well, not to make them part of our own country, but eventually to become participating members of the international community. Since WWII, we have been involved in administering justice against war lords, drug kingpins and dictators around the world. What I propose is that we use this power to enforce international law against those who would violate it and commit these crimes against humanity. Why us? I fervently believe that the US, at least as far as our military is concerned, is the most moral county in history. Our soldiers don't invade areas to rape and pillage. We use our military to fight those who do this type of behavior. That is the job of the policemen and I, for one, am proud that our country can be relied upon to perform such a task at the risk of the lives of our soldiers.