Kony Propaganda being used in Schools

The Ugandan LRA leader Joseph Kony is the latest African tyrant to make headlines. Apparently he's doing some awful things in Africa including using children as soldiers and sex slaves, none of which is a new phenomenon. Of course that doesn't make it good, or even ok, but these types of crimes have been going on all over Africa throughout history, Kony is only the latest tyrant to use his power and influence over the people.

Now let me be on the record as saying that I do not support Kony in any way, I'm simply asking whether or not we should be involved.

It has come to my attention that a movement has started, a movement to find and eliminate Joseph Kony. If this movement was made up of freedom fighters, mercenaries and guerrillas volunteering to go help find this man to bring him to justice, I would have no problem with it. My issue is that this movement is designed to use the Children of America and the world to force military intervention in a foreign country.

This movement has urged the use of propaganda in order to expand the message. As a political activist, I must agree that this tactic makes sense. What troubles me is that it's being used in our public schools, without any consideration to the causes and effects that have come in the past and will likely come in the future if we continue on this path of military interventionism. When in our recent history has it been acceptable to use students to advocate war? The video which has been shown in our schools says "we will fight war". Now, I'm sure this can be dissected many different ways, but the context in this video is to get U.S. Involvement, so what do you think that means? Really, what does “military advisers” mean?

I'm also deeply troubled that this video and movement is exaggerating the current impact of Kony, since his forces have been greatly reduced in recent time.Are the children being told that the United States has been giving the poor people of Africa hundreds of billions of dollars a year and much of this money often goes to people like Kony. Are the children being taught that the U.S. has often been involved in situations around the world helping people, only to have those we helped turn into the likes of Saddam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden and Joseph Kony. Today, they ask for Military Advisers, but we all know it turns into weapons and troops in no time, once we find a political excuse to be involved and this movement is doing exactly that, urging involvement in yet another foreign conflict.

Just a few short years ago young people in this country took to the streets to fight against the war in Iraq. Now our young people are being used to urge the deployment of military assets in a foreign land. Is this still America? I feel like I've woken up in an alternate universe where now U.S. Military involvement has become the norm instead of the exception.

In closing I want to say that I would be thrilled to have more young people involved in the political process. I would be thrilled to have young people really care about what's going on in the world and especially in our own country. But it troubles me when I see children being used as pawns for political gain. Stopping one man will never end the atrocities, only freedom and individual liberty can do that.

If you're a parent of a child in school, I would urge you to investigate the use of this video and to discover the intent and to get an explanation as to it’s use as curriculum. Especially since one of the primary functions of this movement is to raise addition funds for "Tri" with the sale of bracelets being targeted at the kids, which we all know are particularly susceptible to peer pressure marketing.

Cheers,

Mike