Kony2012, Invisible Children, and the Religious Right

[Alecto]

I am sure everyone has seen the Kony2012 and the Invisible Children videos come up on their facebook or even in Chatter. However, I ran across some interesting information that ties this Kony movement to the Religious Right.

Talk to Action has brought up tons of ties to religious right groups, including leaders who heavily supported Uganda's anti-homosexuality bill.

http://www.talk2action.org/story/2012/3/11/145213/275

(Not breaking the link, I think they will enjoy knowing we are reading.)

[fundifugee]

It is such a freaky, mixed-up heap of issues.

It is seems so incongruous to me that the religious right has been a huge force behind the Southern Sudan campaigns, and now this too.

In my mind, Kony has always seemed to me to be Christian/Old Testament fundamentalism taken to an extreme. He looks to me like what Gabe Anast, Mike Pearl, Doug Philips and the like would be given a more anarchic setting and more widespread poverty. Kony aims to live Old Testament literalism. Someone should take some of Kony's sermons and publish them next to those of the rabid religious rightists in the US; the similarities are striking.

Museveni (current president of Uganda) is a turd blossom. The article sites many sources showing evidence of his genocidal campaign against the Acholi and other Northern Ugandans, as well as gay Ugandans. However, Kony's victims and all of the children of Invisible Children are also Acholi. I lived in a community of exiled Northern Ugandans, the Rwot Paira (hereditary chief) of the Acholi is a dear friend, and they are no supporters of Kony or Museveni, that is for certain. Kony is about as representative of Northern Ugandans as Botkin is of Kiwis.

I have to give credit to the guy behind Invisible Children for caring and for at least trying to do something about a disgusting war that has been going on for decades and has claimed more lives than will ever be documented, has resulted in entire generations born, raised, and killed in hell and misery. As Bono said when he was criticized for hanging out with GW Bush to get money for HIV treatment in Africa, 'I'd have lunch with Satan if it would get me a million bucks to fight HIV in Africa.' I have my doubts that his video will do any good, as Kony is not one of those wealthy genocidaires who hob-nob around Europe and the US, spending time in their chateaux on the French Riviera. Folks who live where Kony lives have no internet. But still, I am glad that light is being shed on this war; maybe with the world paying attention those assholes will have to stop their horrors.

[2xx1xy1JD]

Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

To what extent can any charity pick and choose its donors? If you are raising money for a cause and truly believe that lives hang in the balance, do you review the religious and political background of the people who are giving you money, and possibly turn down life-saving donations if you find out that they have wonky believes or were on the wrong side of Prop 8?

If the message of this story is "think twice about supporting anything that will strengthen the government of Uganda, because they don't just go after Kony - they do all sorts of atrocities of their own", then that's a valid and important discussion. This article just wasn't very clear about its point.

[fundifugee]

Philips, Duggar, Botkin, Gothard, Pearl: Women must submit. Children and women must do all the work in the home and whatever men say they should do. Women are inferior and made to be used for sex and domestic slavery. I am right, you are wrong. The Bible is the literal truth and must be followed to the letter, especially KJV, and whatever I tell you the Bible says. We need to take over government and make sure everyone lives like us.

Joseph Kony: Women must submit. Children and women must do all the work in the home and whatever men say they should do. Women are inferior and made to be used for sex and domestic slavery. I am right, you are wrong. The Bible is the literal truth and must be followed to the letter, especially KJV, and whatever I tell you the Bible says. We need to take over government and make sure everyone lives like us. Plus, I am willing to kill people to take power, because that is the way it has always been done in the history of this country.