What do Gadhafi, Joseph Kony, and the US military have in common?

It seems like the beginning to a bad joke, with a rotten punch line line but there is some humor in the latest and greatest uproar that seems to have the so called “activist” of today up in arms.

If you are unaware of this political and social upset of which I speak of, let me do a little summarizing. A viral video by the group, Invisible Children Inc, about the militant leader in Uganda Joseph Kony, expresses all the horrendous acts of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Children are targeted and forced into the army, leaving behind family, which most likely are dead. Jason Russell, director of the 29 minute film on Kony has drastically over simplified the conflict in Uganda, and has created a “fad” out of this so called “peace effort.”

The film has been viewed nearly 47 million times and celebrities such as, J.K Rowling, Will Smith, and P. Diddy, have all tweeted, pushing for their fans to take action; which seems like a noble cause to fight for.

Or is it time wasted on wishful thinking?

If I’m sounding cynical it’s because I am. Let’s look at the short, to the point facts. We have a military leader, a dictator, reigning terror on an entire African nation.

 Does this sound familiar to anyone?

It should. Not too long ago there was a guy named Gadhafi reigning terror in a country in northern Africa. When the civil war occurred, NATO and the US “supported” the Libyan rebels against the Gadhafi Regime. By support I mean military support as well as medical aid that might be needed. And needless to say Gadhafi was overthrown when he took 6 bullets to the head and upper body.

So why has Uganda been under the military dictatorship of the LRA since 1987?

Well, for starters, Libya has the 8^th largest oil field in the world, and has an estimated 46 billion barrels of oil yet to be extracted. It is estimated that the price per barrel of oil in some parts can be as low as $1 to produce.

If we do the math, Libya has oil that America really needs. Libya has a military dictator who is threatening to cut supplies. So the likely thing to do is let the “people” overthrow him and put NATO in charge. And let’s not kid ourselves; NATO is really controlled by the US.

Harshly put, the US is more concerned about the 46 billion Barrels of oil than LRA and Joseph Kony.

What about the US military?

I feel that if we are going to change the world we need to change how we are at home. We as a nation should have more fear in looking like a hypocrite as well as a jackass. Who are we to say to other nations, “You can’t have nuclear bombs” when we as a nation have over 9000. Why do we feel that it’s our job to post on facebook and youtube all the wrongs of a Dictator who lives 6000 miles away when our very government is just as corrupt?

In 2011 the US spent 698 billion dollars on defense alone; not including military related spending. If we took the figures of the next 14 countries that had the highest spending and added them all together we would have a grand total of 645 billion dollars. The US spends 6 times more on military spending than the second largest spender.

And how does America justify its actions and outlandish spending?

It can’t, at least not without sounding like a jackass.

The US has more money dedicated to the act of and the research into killing more and more people yet we have people getting upset over Kony.

Yes, Kony is and evil man, however, to bring justice upon Kony, we must first reflect on the actions our country has taken. Nearly a million people have since the war in Iraq and Afghanistan has started. 500 thousand since the LRA took control of Uganda.

I am in no way justifying the actions of Kony and the LRA. My hope is that this protest and anger can be driven to change the country we live in.

We live in a country whose ideals and moral values seem to shape the way we feel about where we live. We seem to be content with the way our nation is run and turn a blind eye to Military Industrial Complex which runs the machine which we call America. It is time we take actions to change our country before we can change the world. 

Self-esteem

Self-esteem is the term given to the value and self-worth one has for his or herself. Self –esteem can include individual beliefs one has, such as, “I am happy,” and emotional feelings such as pride and victory.
Many times as a teenager, the question of ones self-value causes unnecessary anxiety. Just as a runner needs to train for a marathon, human emotions need to be built up as well. Everyone needs self-esteem; however, work is required to build up emotional strength.
Low self-esteem comes in a variety of ways. Fighting at home between parents and children can cause a lack in self worth, as do teachers who make a student feel ignorant, or a bully that constantly picks on the same person. Low self-esteem can happen to anyone of any social status.
All it takes to make a person feel worthless is one careless remark. This is why it becomes important to think before anything is said or posted about someone.
One extreme incident is in the case of Megan Meier, a thirteen-year-old girl who thought she was making a new friend on the social network Myspace. Eventually the presumed boy she was talking to ended the friendship saying the “world would be a better place” without Megan. She committed suicide the next day.
As it turned out in the tragic case, it was a mother, “pretending” to be a teenage boy to seek revenge on a Megan, who had made her daughter upset.
Although Megan’s case is an extreme, constantly being affected by negative forces causes extreme stress on a person. They begin to see themselves as worthless individuals because they are constantly told of being this “worthless person”. Negative comments and remarks still inflict a person to have self-esteem issues.
Building confidence is one way to reduce the effects of loss in self-esteem. A person needs encouragement in rebuilding mental strength. This mental strength the can be used to attain self-actualization and to maintain a belief in one’s worth.
It sometimes comes down to perspective; how will one view his or herself? Being positive and seeing the glass of one’s own self-worth as half full can be a simple step to regaining confidence.
Everyone has value and contributes to the world. It is the privilege that we, as friends and family have, to share what they bring to the world; it is an honor to share everyone’s inner being.