Foreign Policy: Uganda

[xmaine]

Youtube -> Kony 2012 by invisiblechildreninc

This video went viral and a lot of kids seem to be pretty hyped and fueled on this.

The 100 US Troops in Uganda are something the people endorse. The people have demanded congress to take action, and therefore congress voted on sending aid to Uganda.

Please watch the video before you comment. I'm wondering what Ron Paul would say about this. I understand he wants to cut foreign aid from all over the world, but if the people demand to send foreign aid to a country, then that is in the interests of the United States, correct?

 

[Feeding the Abscess]

If it's in the interests of the United States, those people can voluntarily send their money, children, and selves to Uganda and deal with it. There is no justification for stealing the wealth of productive individuals, and it's certainly not justifiable to steal wealth to kill people on the other side of the planet.

 

[Yowan]

We do have a possible constitutional option to solve this issue. It's called "Letter of Marque and Reprisal "
Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 of the United States Constitution
[Congress shall have Power...] To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water.

A "letter of marque and reprisal" would involve permission to cross an international border to effect a reprisal (take some action against an attack or injury) authorized by an issuing jurisdiction to conduct reprisal operations outside its borders.

The U.S. has used this before to capture pirates and Ron Paul suggested this for Bin Laden after September 11th and again in July of 2007.
He also suggested it for use on pirates in 2009.
However, the bills he introduced were not enacted into law and we decided to go to "war".

A War is not needed, but we can resolve this issue and help.

 

[xkrazy201x]

This smells extremely fishy.

 

[bluesc]

It's propaganda. It has been debunked all over the internet but unfortunately concerned soccer moms and liberal college kids are spreading it like wildfire.

 

[bolil]

So because 51% of the people want to send money to uganda they somehow have a right to send the remaining 49%'s money aswell?

 

[Yowan]

I think these people should use their profits (millions of dollars) to offer a reward for the killing of Kony. It would see results, especially if the children that Kony armed with guns knew about the large reward.

 

[eduardo89]

Who gives a sh*t, there are enough problems at home that need to be sorted.

 

[cstarace]

It's propaganda. It has been debunked all over the internet but unfortunately concerned soccer moms and liberal college kids are spreading it like wildfire.

Links?

 

[bluesc]

Links?

Uhhh dude, one thing you'll learn about me is that I'm extremely lazy.

Off the top of my head:

These people cut themselves nice fat paychecks
Kony is starving hiding in a forest or possibly already dead, and the documentary was filmed long ago. He is definitely not in Uganda anymore and is not really active at all.
These people side with the Ugandan government in the conflict, the same Ugandan government that is more abusive than Kony ever was.

 

[cstarace]

Uhhh dude, one thing you'll learn about me is that I'm extremely lazy.

Off the top of my head:

These people cut themselves nice fat paychecks
Kony is starving hiding in a forest or possibly already dead, and the documentary was filmed long ago. He is definitely not in Uganda anymore and is not really active at all.
These people side with the Ugandan government in the conflict, the same Ugandan government that is more abusive than Kony ever was.

But I'm lazy tooooo

 

[dannno]

http://visiblechildren.tumblr.com/

 

[Feeding the Abscess]

We do have a possible constitutional option to solve this issue. It's called "Letter of Marque and Reprisal "
Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 of the United States Constitution
[Congress shall have Power...] To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water.

A "letter of marque and reprisal" would involve permission to cross an international border to effect a reprisal (take some action against an attack or injury) authorized by an issuing jurisdiction to conduct reprisal operations outside its borders.

The U.S. has used this before to capture pirates and Ron Paul suggested this for Bin Laden after September 11th and again in July of 2007.
He also suggested it for use on pirates in 2009.
However, the bills he introduced were not enacted into law and we decided to go to "war".

A War is not needed, but we can resolve this issue and help.

No no no no no no NO

This is absolutely disastrous, not in step with Just War Theory, and an extreme act of aggression.

This is why I always object to people categorizing Ron's foreign policy as Constitutional, and that he'd go to Congress to declare war so he can win it. Taken alone and out of context, this stance leads to dreadful applications like the one you've advocated.

 

[RPWontBackDown]

If Angelina Jolie and the young liberal activists care so much about this issue, why don't they enlist in the military and go serve in Uganda? I'm always amused how both Democrats and Republicans who have never served, and don't have children serving in the military, are always so eager to intervene in every conflict around the world. If they personally would be effected by a deployment to Uganda, they suddenly would be seeking other measures to solve this problem.

The Kony problem certainly needs to be addressed, but it is arrogant of the US government to believe that our miltary can magically solve the problem without bloodshed and other unintended consequences. My question is, what are the other countries in the region, as well as the rest of the international community doing about this?

 

[RJo]

eduardo89 got this one right back in post#8.

 

[eduardo89]

eduardo89 got this one right back in post#8.

Thanks