The war in central Africa has been going on for 25 years now, and has effected Uganda, DR Congo, Central African Republic, and the southern Sudan. The Lord's Resistance Army has murdered an estimated 102,291 people in these countries in the last 25 years. Not to mention the approximately 99,116 children they've abducted and forced to become soldiers. This is an atrocity! Mass murder and abduction should not be allowed to continue for 25 years! And yet most people, especially Americans, don't even know about this war. Why should death be more poignant when it happens on our soil?
As Jason Russell said in one of Invisible Children's videos, "We believe that where you live should not determine whether you live." No life is more or less valuable than another. Just because we haven't seen the faces of these children doesn't mean that they aren't God's beloved children! Here's one of their faces. Does that make you uncomfortable? Good! The children and people of central Africa have been suffering in silence for over twice as long as we have fought the war on terror. It has taken this long to get our government to even take notice of the war and finally pass a bill in the interest of apprehending Joseph Kony.
America is an incredibly prosperous nation. We have everything, and yet we only reach out to help others when forced, or if it directly benefits us. If we took the dedication that Obama praised last night and decided to take action in the interest of people other than ourselves, can you even imagine the impact we would have on the world? We have been so blessed! Why do we insist on holding this gift so tightly in our fists? I especially appeal to those of you who are Christians. James 1:27a says, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction...." We are called to selflessness, to help our brothers and sisters in Chr*st.
I'm not being unpatriotic, I'm just letting my heart speak.
Those are definitely valid thoughts, but the fact of the matter is that the American Government doesn't want our country to become the "world police". The reason we've been going after Bin Laden is because he attacked us. The wars in Africa have never directly affected the U.S., therefore, no matter how horrible they are, the U.S. will most likely not do anything about them. Remember when we invaded Iraq, how the entire world was in an uproar over it, saying that the U.S. had no right to do that—even though Hussein had been murdering his own citizens for years.
ReplyDeleteThe fact is that unless the entire world becomes fed up with it, or something happens that is so bad that the world decides that something must be done, then the U.S. most likely won't take any drastic measures to bring this to a stop.
I'm not saying I don't agree with you—because if I'm honest with myself, I wholeheartedly do—I'm just stating the cold, unfeeling facts.
Yeah I totally agree with you, I'm appealing more to the American people than to the government.
ReplyDelete