The current mood of bluelucy at www.imood.com

Listening to: "I'm Like A Lawyer With The Way I'm Always Trying To Get You Off (Me & You)" (from-who else?-Fall

Thinking: People need to know what's going on.

Feeling: Determined.

29/11/2007 - 4:39 a.m. to 5:30 a.m

Invisible Children


Thursday

I thought the draft was fucked up.

I recently learned, thanks to Fall Out Boy (whom I've always respected, but who now I not only respect enough to put on my GoE list (the only band on there), but enough to place them at Level Two), about the forced soldier crisis in Northern Uganda. Well, that's not quite true. I did know about it before, but I didn't really know about it. I didn't truly understand the depth of situation, the horror of it, and now, thanks to Fall Out Boy, I have a new cause.

Here is the deal: Boys in Northern Uganda are being forced to fight in a war they didn't want, that has been going on far too long, and is basically pointless. Sound familiar? Oh, it gets "better". When I say "boys", I literally mean as in children, some as young as eleven or twelve years old! As well, these kids are not drafted into combat the same way our young men of the 60s were, where it was actually at least possible to get out of it, however slim the chance, no, they are literally made to fight, spirited away in the night, their loved ones unable to do anything to stop this nightmare. For those who are taken, though, the nightmare is only beginning. War is hard enough on an adult. Imagine how it must be for a child. These boys have to battle for everything, constantly in fear, the only possible glimmer of hope they have is that they might manage to escape the hell-hole they've been shoved into, one way or another.

Yeah, people being made to go to war against their will is naturally something of a thing with me. Add to that fact how these are just kids, with absolutely no choice in the matter, and no wonder it hits a chord.

Enter Invisible Children. This is a site created by a few caring individuals to promote a video concerning the crisis previously mentioned. By having people watch this video, they hope to open their eyes to what's happening in Northern Uganda, and that the more individuals there are who learn about this atrocity, the more there will be who are willing to help to save these children from it, and perhaps even one day bring an end to it altogether.

To that end, there are several items for sale on the site, the sales of which, of course, go to helping these youngsters. There's mostly some apparel. I'd love to buy a few shirts. They also have these bracelets, though, and I'd especially love to get one of those, at least. The story behind them is quite compelling and inspiring. You can read about it on the site.

So, yeah, every once in a while, I learn about something affecting our world that I desperately need to talk about on here, and this is one of those things, obviously. In fact, it's the main thing as far as activism goes.


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