Friday, March 30, 2012

Who is Joseph Kony?


http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/k/joseph_kony/index.html

26 comments:

  1. The article and video regarding Joseph Kony proves that perseverance is key. We live in a generation where social media is powerful. We can instantly reach our friends within minutes no matter where they live. Mr. Jason Russell has certainly generated worldwide awareness of who Joseph Kony is by means of social media. His thirty minute documentary entitled, Kony 2012, is intended to bring Joseph Kony to justice. One way of doing this, was to make visible the crimes of Joseph Kony by bringing awareness to citizens of who Joseph Kony is and what he has done.

    Joseph Kony is the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army. He is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC), Uganda Government, Congo Government and Kenyan Government. Joseph Kony terrorises individuals displacing entire populations by kidnapping children and placing them under his control and in his army. Kony’s army engages in acts of murder, rape, sexual enslavement, torture, and mutilation or amputation of others lips, noses, and ears. Kony 2012 revealed Joseph Kony’s crimes and demanded people’s attention by asking them to acknowledge and address these issues together. Enough people campaigned, and finally, Barack Obama authorised the deployment of United State special forces to join in the campaign.

    Despite these efforts, Kony remains at large. Regional armies are trying to hunt Joseph Kony down with the help of the 100 United States soldiers. The soldiers are providing advice, training, and logistical support that will hopefully put these acts to an end. Without Mr. Russell’s perseverance, the United States would have never been involved. Mr. Russell’s goal is for children of Uganda to have an untroubled childhood free from fear. Together we can make a significant difference in ending this war by having Joseph Kony arrested and returning the children back to their homes. Mr. Russell is willing to stop at nothing, are you?

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  2. The general public needs to be informed of the atrocities being committed by Joseph Kony. His actions are deployable and warrant action by the ICC. However, the co-founder of the activist group known as Invisible Children has exploited this issue and is dangerously simplifying a complex problem in order to raise money. The problem is the video being seen on you tube seems to reinforce the fact that the African continent is weak and needs foreign assistance and brings resentment among the community. The African continent resents being stereotype no doubt. Unfortunately, the activist group practiced selective sensationalized media because the documentary played on raw human emotions to get their agenda out. The viewer only gets one side of the conflict. Is Kony criminal organization wrong absolutely and justice needs to be served? However, the world does not need another “We Are the World” campaign. All that campaign did was made rock stars feel good about themselves. Hungry, sickness, drought, and social disorganization still exist in Africa. It just seems that activist groups such as Invisible Children are loose with the facts and not fair and balanced. At the end of the day it is all about money and selling a product to make a profit. Hello!!!!!!! free market capitalism wait a minute Invisible Children is registered as a 501 non profit organization. How can this be? The general public should care and seek out information that allows individuals to understand the whole picture.

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  3. 5. Before reading this story, I thought I had never heard of this man before; but after delving in, I remembered who he was from the documentary “The Invisible Children.” I’ve heard of the things this man has done to the people of Uganda, especially the children, and it just makes me sick to my stomach. I can’t believe it is so easy for a man to do the things that he does in these third world countries. He will never sign a peace treaty with any country, so the first opportunity that the Ugandan government has to bring him down (kill him), they need to do it without hesitation. Who cares if his so called “army” is losing strength in numbers? Although this is not the same terroristic type of person as BinLadin, it still strikes me as very similar. BinLadin’s power was dwindling at the time US found him, but he still deserved death. Joseph Kony’s power and “army” is dwindling, but he still deserves death.

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    1. wealeyan2012 “so the first opportunity that the Ugandan government has to bring him down (kill him), they need to do it without hesitation. Who cares if his so called “army” is losing strength in numbers? Although this is not the same terroristic type of person as BinLadin, it still strikes me as very similar. BinLadin’s power was dwindling at the time US found him, but he still deserved death. Joseph Kony’s power and “army” is dwindling, but he still deserves death.”
      Who give you the right to say a person needs to die, that’s for the UN and the people in that country to decide, you are setting on the side lines reading reports or news articles that some mass media issued. So were the actually truth coming from? If you going to go after Knoy then you need to hit home first the big corporations are doing the same horrible things to the people in the US. It may not be physical but it’s emotional and finical pain. You have US soldier putting their lives on the alone every day and back home their families are homeless due to job loss or that the government only paying them half a pay check. No matter where you look social disorganization exist even in the Good on USA. Sure I believe something should be done about Knoy but it up to Uganda people to take action you can’t force your will upon another country. You see wealeyan2012 you will never get the full story cause its two side to EVERY story.

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  4. Joseph Koney is in my opinion one of the most dangerous gangster that we have studied so far this semester. He has brainwashed his followers into thinking that he is a prophet. He has terrorized the people of Uganda for many years by kidnapping the children and turning them into child soldiers and the girls have been turned into sex slaves. He has given himself pride in the fact that people are dying out of starvation because they fear that they will be captured by the Lord Resistance Army. He has not only stolen the children of Uganda but also there hope of a better place. Joseph Koney is known for his vision ways of cutting off peoples ears, mouth, and fingers because they do not do what he wants them to do. It is no surprise that they are afraid of him. Their own government cannot protect them from Koney. It is time to stop Joseph Koney this has been going on for far too long. This article just reemphasis what was talked about in class and it is no surprise to me that this problem has been going on for years. When you have a weak and corrupt government there is not much that the people can expect to be done for them.

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  5. I find the actions of this man repulsive; I do not understand why the Uganda government has not taken action. Since he uses children in ways that in Americans would find horrible. Those actions alone should raise a sense of importance. The articles also say that the American army was getting involved. Like have stated in previous responses to other topics. That the United States should not be getting involved in other countries affairs. However in this case since the United States seems to be associated with the international crime court. By this, the America has to get involved since its affects our country as well. I do believe that the Uganda government should take a more active role in dealing with this situation. In addition, Joseph Kony so called lord resistance army does not portray the true message and mission that the Christian faith stands for.

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  6. Joseph Koney is just a monster who shouldnt even be sent to jail he she just be put to death. Thing that he has done to the kids in Africa kidnapping countless children in northern Uganda and neighboring countries, turning the girls into sex slaves and the boys into prepubescent killers. Joseph Koney is a man with to much power His so-called Christian movement, the Lord’s Resistance Army, has terrorized villagers in at least four countries in central Africa for nearly 20 years, killing tens of thousands of people, burning down huts and hacking off lips. Mr. Kony has been wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court since 2005. Who ever is helping him and keeping him alive is just as guilt as him. children in northern Uganda need to feel safe and they need Mr. Kony to pay for things he did to them

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    1. I agree 100%...Koney is a monster. I honestly don't see why someone in all these years hasn't ganged up and taken him out. There needs to be something done ASAP. I also feel that those helping him are just as guilty and should pay for their crimes in the same way. I have noticed some other comments in regards to all the problems we have here at home and that just goes to show there are monsters no matter what country you're in. I feel so badly for those poor children and their families and I feel we, as a country should help more, but also at the same time we do have alot of our own monsters here that need to be stopped. In a perfect world, all countries would be at peace and could work together to stop people like Kony, end hunger, end abuse, house the homeless, etc. but its not a perfect world so maybe something can be done to fix one problem at a time until we all are safe and taken care of. I don't see how a man can have so much power when a country has so little. I just love how so many will use the Lord's name as a smoke screen for their true identity and their true crimes.

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  7. I think Joseph Knoy is one of the lowest people that i have learned about. Someone who targets children and turn them into soldiers at the age of 10 and 8 is just wrong. It takes away their child hood and leads them down a road that will land them in jail or dead... All the destruction he has caused he has done indirectly.. I mean if you are going to destroy someone's home then at least have the guts to show up yourself and not hide behind the little kids that you have brain washed... Do to Kenya having a non stable government and what government they have being corrupt the LRA gets away with all the destruction.. The little girls that he mutilates and turns into slaves are robbed of ever having a normal life and feel as if they are dirty and worthless and no girl should feel this way..Here in America women have the right to say no and are told that their body is theirs to do what they want with..well Kony takes that from these girls which is disgusting..first off you are a grown man why are you attracted to little children? I think that Joseph Kony would be a fabulous candidate for the death penalty..

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  8. Joseph Kony would be remembered in history as one of the most notorious vile individual that has walked on this planet. He would be known as a murder an individual that has caused harm to many individuals from years to come. I am glad that the activist group Individual Children has gotten the attention of the general public on who this individual is and has made public the crimes that this individual has committed. However I do believe that in couple of months people will forget about the viral video, since us as Americans do not hold any interest in this part of the world. I do believe that military intervention would be ideal in this part of the world, not just In Uganda but in many of these countries in Africa. I do believe that by removing Kony would not solve the problem that the Uganda people and government are facing. I believe that when Joseph Kony is caught and prosecuted, the Government of Uganda would have to work on its own problems that they do have. In the meantime, I do believe that the Invisible children organization has to keep up the activism for this issue and not let the viral video to become just another viral video on YouTube. I also am glad that President Obama dispatched 100 Special Forces advisors to this area, I do believe that president Obama knows the severity of the issues that the African nation is facing; or it could just because the president has a close attachment to this continent.

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  9. Just what is Mr. Kony's motivation behind killing tens of thousands of people and cutting off their lips, other than channeling failed rebel leader Alice Lakwena from the great beyond? How does all this killing benefit him in a country so poor that the bullet is probably more costly than what a person owns? The Lord's Resistence Army? Resistence to what? Resistence to allowing innocent hut people to live? Is this just madness? Bush and Obama sent armed advisors and millions of dollars to Uganda to combat Kony's group, but they just scattered and reorganized in the Congo. It's like killing fire ants--poison a mound and they just move over to another spot. What do we do in a poor country that is of very little strategic and economic importance to us? In the U.S., we are already deep in debt and see our service people dying, oftentimes, for questionable causes. Reading on down the article, it states that Jason Russell of the group Invisible Children has posted a video on Kony's atrocities and has had 50 million viewers to the astonishment of those who have worked for many years trying to bring attention to the issue. What have they been doing? Though Russell obviously leans his message toward his point of view a little more than he should and the millions of dollars the group receives and distributes may be an issue, it is good that this attention has resulted in the African Union sending troops to look for Kony and that millions of people are taking notice of another horrible situation in Africa. Maybe together these efforts will eventually make a difference.

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  10. The Joseph Kony story and the Somalia pirates have two aspects in common. 1; they produce frustration and 2; we all know that more could be done to stop them. Joseph Kony’s atrocities are well known. The international community must keep the pressure on and stay united. The U N needs to step up and take further action. Jason Russell and the activist group Invisible Children have done some good. Any issues concerning the group should be addressed, but they should not overshadow the cause. They have done a wonderful job spreading awareness. We have momentum and together we can bring Kony to justice with the help of our elected officials.

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  11. What a piece of work this guy is. It is hard to say if it’s resilience that’s keeping him from being apprehended. In my opinion, what is keeping him out of custody of the law is the support system he has. Kony would have been cornered by now had he not received the aid he did from neighboring countries. Hopefully the Uganda government does not see our reluctance to participate in combat as an insult. I like the idea of using advisors to command small country armies. Not that I don’t think we should use our power to scoop him up, it just may be only a matter of time until they catch him at this rate. A true monster like Kony could not survive if there was a revolt in the masses. If I witnessed anything even remotely close to the nature of Kony I would stand up against whatever the case.

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  12. Joseph Kony in my opinion is one of the most dangerous gangsters today. I’ve read several articles, and I have also seen videos about how violent this man is. I’m hoping that with the help of the United States, that the African government is successful in capturing this man. Instead of just incarcerating him, they need to cut off his lips, ears, fingers, arms, etc... So, that he can feel the same pain that he has inflicted on the children of Uganda. I agree with CJ Meeke, when he stated that “the world does not need another “We are the World Campaign”. Due to the fact that we sometimes lose focus on what the real issue is. I also agree that when we are supporting these nonprofit organizations, we need to do our research, and make sure that, they indeed want to help.

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  13. Like AMAYES stated above it is almost difficult to participate in charity now a days because behind the scenes the money we give actually funds some of these non-profit organizations. The money we give may not even reach the intended destination. It's a shame because so many people would like to help but because people like to dip their fingers in the jar, it completely turns people away from the giving process. The whole invisible children situation sucks. JOSEPH KONY MUST BE STOPPED! "The Land of the Free and Home of the Brave" for whatever reason turns the other cheek while a generation of children is being wiped out from the face of the earth. Perhaps the reason why is biblical. Could the explanation be before we try to fix another problem we must fix our own? You know, pull the log out of our own eye before we try to pull the log out of our brothers. Before we can help others we have to help ourselves, which shows how pertinent it is for us as a Country to get our problems and issues together.

    Matthew 7:5
    You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

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  14. I think our military needs to get involved. This Kony guy is a punk! He deserves to be repremanded. I like what Invisible Children has done about getting the word out but lets be real, they do not have the firepower to bring down Kony and his army. There needs to be more done. By the US or some other nation. Kony continues to hurt innocent families. Takes kids, makes them kill their parents, and if they talk back, they get their face slashed apart. I dont know the way of life over there. But I am guessing the educational system is non existent. In order for this madness to stop, Kony, I believe the first thing we need to do is educate the people on the matter and let them know they have protection. Yes it will cost us more money, money that we dont have, but if we want to care about whats going on in other countries, we have to help in some way.

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  15. Joseph Kony is one of the most notorious gangster in the world. The fact that he commands an army made up of children and makes them commit atrocious acts is disturbing. For more than twenty years Joseph Kony has been kidnapping children, making little boys join his Lord’s Resistance Army and making the little girl sex slaves. These little boys have not only been ordered to murder their parents, but to kill those who oppose them as well. If the children don’t obey, Joseph Kony punishes them by cutting off their lips, their fingers, or he kills them. Even though awareness about Joseph Kony has been raised, Kony is able to get away with these crimes because he stays in hiding. Kony turf a vast expanse the size of California in the middle of Africa that is so rugged it renders much of the American gadgetry they carry useless. When he does come out of hiding he surrounds himself with men who look just like him so it makes it difficult to identify him. I don’t know if Joseph Kony will ever be captured, but hopefully when he is it will put an the Lord resistance Army and maybe hopefully the children involved can receive the help they need to reintegrate them back into society.

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  16. I first heard about Joseph Kony while I was in my student council class and a video was presented to us about the organization of "Invisible Children". I was absolutely disgusted and outraged that nothing had been done sooner to draw more attention to these crimes being committed agaisnt innocent people and especially children in Africa.I think American troops need to be sent in there by the thousands to hunt down and kill Joseph Kony. His support system is what is protecting him deep in the jungle,we need to go in there and educate the people and let them know we are trying to help and will protect them from another Joseph Kony ever coming into power and kidnapping their innocent children again.

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  17. I have seen posters, Facebook posts, and online information about Joseph Kony, and I will never be an expert about the situation. However, I can voice my opinion on the matter from the information I do know. The first time I ever heard of Joseph Kony was in high school when my history teacher showed us the video of “The Invisible Children.” Everyone who watched the video, including me, felt disgusted and upset after watching the video. I believe this man needs to stop, and I feel the United States need to send troops to bring him in. I understand that many people might have a counter agreement stating that we do not need our resources over in Africa fighting a war that is not our own. However, there were troops in Iran and surrounding areas doing work there. Also, I feel we should lend a helping hand. I understand that I probably do not understand the concepts of the government completely, and the government is probably doing the best they can. I just believe what Joseph Kony is doing is horrid and disgusting. He has young girls as sex slaves, and young boys as warriors. He is ruining childhoods, and little girls’ sexual lives. I believe there needs to be more education on the matter. However, I have not watched the Youtube video, so maybe there is enough information in the video itself. However, I do know enough details to know what Joseph Kony is doing. He wouldn’t last a day in the United States with what he is doing. I believe is a very disturbed person who needs to be stopped.

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  18. I am continually appalled that countries do not step in and conquer the Lord’s Resistance Army. Countries need to understand the atrocities that continually happen at the hands of Kony and help the Ugandan army bring peace back to their country. The United States continually sticks its nose in other countries busy so why not stick their hands in this situation and stop the killing of innocent people. President Obama’s sending of 100 military advisors is laughable and ridiculous; I hardly doubt these 100 men will be able to advise enough to catch Kony. The United Nations needs to step in and bring this gangster’s reign of terror to an end and help the Ugandan people gain their country back. I also feel the countries that continually aid Kony need to face strict punishments as well because without their funding it would be harder for Kony to continue his “Christian movement”.

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  19. I agree with many of the people above that say that Kony is a monster. He is one of the most notorious and dangerous gangsters know. His army is made up of children that he has kidnapped. He brainwashes all of these people to think that he is soem type of "Freedom-Fighter" and to think that the things that he is doing are the right things to do. If these children do not do what Joseph Kony wants them to do, they are mutilated. He cuts of their lips, legs, and does other things to make it known that that is what will happen if yo do not follow Kony. He also kidnaps women to put them into a sex trade. The government of Uganda has yet to take action against the LRA. Joseph Kony needs to be taken care of for the sake of these poor innocent lives. Everyone that willingly helps him is just as guilty.

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  20. I remember when I first heard about Joseph Kony. I saw the viral video they posted on the internet. I did not really understand it at first but after we went over it in class it was clear. Joseph Kony is one of the most dangerous men in the world and is on the top 20 most wanted men in the world. I am glad that Obama finally stepped in and sent some help to find him. I know that it is not our country and we have a lot of other bigger problems but they really need some help over there finding Kony. With Joseph Kony on the run, it is kind of shocking we have not yet found him. You would think with his child army with him, it would not be as hard to find him.

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  21. What Joseph Kony is doing is wrong because he is taking away the childhood of the kids that he is abducting and at the same time he is traumatizing them for life especially if he is brainwashing them. I think it’s disappointing that this activist group had to push the government to act because if the United States government sees something like that, how come they don’t help out? I know that it is because there is no benefit that United States will receive by getting involved in an issue like that. What also makes me skeptical is that the activist group is using the money that they receive for their own personal expenses as well.

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  23. Who is Joseph Kony?
    It’s a total shame that it took a YouTube video to get this issue out on a global level. However, this may be a sign of things to come. Maybe in the future, this kind of social media will be used to promote movements and awareness. For all intensive purposes, it already has begun. In Egypt they used Facebook and other social media sources to, not only plan their revolution, but it also brought their revolution to the global stage. People worldwide instantly became aware of the conflicts going on in Egypt. It sounds a lot like those dreaded 4G commercials where everything is “so 14 seconds ago.” Unfortunately, on that same note, I think that the speed at which things go viral tends to relate to how quickly they become forgotten. One YouTube video of Kony2012, and all of a sudden that’s yesterday’s news. How long will we remember Kony 2012? How long before we forget to care about hunting him down, or protecting the children of the communities he’s threatened? It is great that technology has progressed so much that information can be shared globally in a matter of seconds. Especially in cases like these, where a group of peoples are being oppressed and tortured without a voice of their own to cry for help. I wish more could be done for not only the children in these war torn countries in Africa, and around the world, but even for our own people here in the United States.

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  24. Kony is a terrible person, and need to be stop. but There are some organization that is getting money to help give our support for anti kony , and they are keeping most of it. I do know that if people stand up, and say something the governmental will do something. That is why we have some adviser there now. I think that it is not just him out there that there is other people like him.so we should not just be looking for just this one man,but more like him just think of darfur and what have happen there. there alot of stuff wrong over there and somebody need to do something.

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