Invisible Children

Jszar · Post by **Jszar** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 11:09 am

http://www.invisiblechildren.com

This is a foundation started by a few young men that took a trip to Uganda in Africa. There is a 20 year long civil war going on over there where children are kidnapped and forced to fight or die. I have watched the film, and I have bought a bracelet (pretty cool bracelet btw). It's quite moving and compelling, and it would be great if any of you have a few extra dollars with your tax refund to support the cause.

By buying a bracelet you are supporting jobs created in a "safe house" in Northern Uganda where children and families can be protected from these war lords. Here they are able to go to school and feed their families.

There are several short films on their site, they just take a minute or two to stream. Simply watching those is pretty gut clinching. Watching the whole 1.5 hour film will make you want to leave Iraq and head over to Uganda. This is a great foundation, check out all of the large corporations that are backing them up! I believe Target will be selling these bracelets in stores soon.

I have a DVD that I would be happy to mail to anyone that wants to watch it. After you watch it you can show your family or friends, and then send it to the next CAC member that wants to see it...etc, etc. So all you pay is shipping which is 3 bucks via USPS. OR you can order a DVD off of the website. In the package they send you TWO dvd's, one to keep and one to give to a friend.

CHECK IT OUT!!! :RE

sticky??

High Society · Post by **High Society** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 10:54 pm

I'll bump for sticky, I always hear about things like this, wish the world wasn't so greedy and ran by money

Ryan from Ohio · Post by **Ryan from Ohio** » Wed Feb 15, 2006 4:31 am

I heard about this just a few weeks back... Believe it was on TV.

There have been many masacre's and bad things happen in the world and we just turn a blind eye to it.

Look down in South America... They hae had a civil war down there for well over 20 years. Actualy the US was "buying" people from their Armies and Merc's to send to the Middle East to fight on our behalf...

Good cause though. It will take more however. It feels good to know you can help make a difference but it would make you feel stellar if you can make a bigger impact.

Post by **GlassWolf** » Wed Feb 15, 2006 6:08 am

and all of that strife in Africa is thanks to Western cultures redividing the land and moving borders making for shifts in power balances, and then pulling out and leaving the two tribes to slaughter each other.

I personally think we should concentrate our money within our own borders though. We have plenty of starving and homeless here in the US.

Bwcad1 · Post by **Bwcad1** » Wed Feb 15, 2006 7:27 am

bump for sticky! i want a bracelet!

High Society · Post by **High Society** » Wed Feb 15, 2006 8:35 am

personally think we should concentrate our money within our own borders though. We have plenty of starving and homeless here in the US.

That is true, but atleast they are not getting masacred. Has any country even tried to help?

Jszar · Post by **Jszar** » Wed Feb 15, 2006 10:08 am

I see myself as a human in times like this, at least when I realize what is going on, rather than an American. At least the people here in America have a chance to survive, there are plenty of programs that are more than generous to help the homeless and provide ways to come out of poverty. In countries like Uganda, or other African countries, they are born into wars in countries without food or any means of helping themselves.

Is it important to help ourselves? Yes. But I think we do a decent job at that already, though it could be better I agree. The question is do we help ourselves live better, or help others live at all? Remember, we are humans, not just Americans.

High Society · Post by **High Society** » Wed Feb 15, 2006 10:13 am

Salute to you brother

Ryan from Ohio · Post by **Ryan from Ohio** » Wed Feb 15, 2006 10:23 am

Well stated as usual.

Post by **GlassWolf** » Wed Feb 15, 2006 2:04 pm

I think the common phrase I was getting at was, "Think globally, act locally."

I'm not saying I'm without pity or empathy for what's going on between the tutu and the tutsi tribes. I just wanted people to understand that until the Whites (and by that I mean all of the invading nations over the decades from the Fench to the British to the US etc) there was a balance between the two groups. After (we) tried to redivide their borders for ourselves, we shifted that balance and the problems began. There really is little to be done at this point to stop all of the 'ethnic cleansing' and brutality taking place in Africa and while I understand that it's tragic to see what's happening, we also need to realize who can and can't be saved with what resources we have. We can do so much more for the children within our own borders right now, with what we have, but many just don't see where the help is needed because it's not sensationalized in the media the way other areas are.

In regards to why the US doesn't "do something about all of this," I can actually try to explain that in a rather simplistic overview of events that tally in our unwillingness to get involved at the governmant level. Essentially after the debacle in Somolia combined with a number of other similar events where the UN got the US to lend assistance, then turned around and accused the US of sticking it's nose where we don't belong, and subsequently losing a lot of lives in the process in terms of US casualties the US was and still is reluctant to once again act as the "world police" we're so often accused of trying to be. In short, when the US tries to help, the entire world views us as the aggressor, accusing us of trying to force our ways on everybody else. When we switch and stay the hell out of a situation to make everyone happy, then the rest of the world calls us selfish and claims we do nothing to help anyone but ourselves.

anyway I'm not out to start a political debate here. I'm just hoping that if you have money to give, give that money where it will do the most good or be used in the wisest ways possible.

It's a shame that anyone ever has to suffer, but feeling bad about that, and knowing logistically what can be done to help.. are often hard to separate.