I Care

I will have to admit to not knowing who Joseph Kony was until this morning.
I will also admit that after watching the YouTube sensation "KONY 2012" I want to know more.
You see, Frack, my boy, will be travelling over to Uganda with World Challenge in June on an educational expedition for a month. While there, he will meet and work with Ugandan people recovering from Joseph Kony's wake and he will help them to build schools and meet challenges. He will learn, first hand, about the struggles and triumphs these people face daily and he will be part of the re-building process, albeit a small one.

The good news is that Kony is no longer in Ugnda. Kony and his LRA have not been in Uganda for years and they are now at peace in most areas. Another parent of one of the kids going to Uganda with Frack sent me this link, and I ask you to watch it, when you have some time. While this movie is inspirational, it is not without controversy. There are those who don't agree with the message behind KONY 2012. Shelly Wright is one of them. In her blog Wright's Room, she wrote a piece about the film and what she calls "Slacktivisim". Read it for yourself after you watch the mini movie.

Each one of these devoted and determined people have a valid point and each one of these devoted and determined people are fighting for children. The maker of this movie and Shelly Wright, both motivated by their desire to make a difference.

All I know is that I am soon sending my baby over there to see for himself.
And I care.

Unrest In Peace

A quick peek at all the news that's out there today reveals s a lot of unrest. It's everywhere you look. There's the unrest in Egypt. There's unrest in Lybia and in Mexico City the drug cartels are bonding together to resist capture. Here in the US, Charlie Sheen is babbling and manic-ly proclaiming his rock star status while Lindsay Lohan has commenced on her own "Unrest-full" press tour.

I read yesterday that although there is unrest in the world we live in, Americans are more interested in who won an Oscar and whatever words last came out of Charlie Sheen's mouth.

Why? Because we can. Because our forefather's fought many a famous battle of unrest to ensure that we had certain freedoms from political dictators and oppressive governments. So we can indulge in frivolity, in the privacy of our own computers, if we so choose.

In Beijing, the Chineese people are uprising against authoritarian rule, only to be met with police force and imprisonment. In Yemen, thousands of protesters took to the streets to protest against their president, possibly hoping for the same kind of outcome as Egypt. Yet, in LA, they are calling a press conference to announce the new cast of Dancing With the Stars.

And somehow, it's OK because that's just how we, as Americans, roll. Detroit Free Press journalist Mitch Albom wrote about how the Kardashian's made $65 million dollars last year without doing anything of particular importance. Not one of them found a cure for cancer, wrote a Pulitzer Prize winning essay, solved an economic crisis or contributed anything of civic value to this country. They simply perfected the art of having an audience and we bought it, all $65 million hooks, lines and sinkers.

There is a battle going on in this country too, over public vs private workers and the unions that represent them. The battle hymn of the so called "working man" can be heard throughout the land.

I just hope it's not loud enough to drown out tonite's 20/20 episode with Charlie Sheen.