Rush Limbaugh defends the Lord's Resistance Army
Who's Rush Limbaugh? you might ask.
Apparently he's an American talk show host, renouned for propagating ignorance, and this is what he said about the Lord's Resistance Army
Now, up until today, most Americans have never heard of the combat Lord's Resistance Army. And here we are at war with them. Have you ever heard of Lord's Resistance Army, Dawn? How about you, Brian? Snerdley, have you? You never heard of Lord's Resistance Army? Well, proves my contention, most Americans have never heard of it, and here we are at war with them. Lord's Resistance Army are Christians. It means God.
In case you haven't heard of Rush Limbaugh, he is an American talk-show host, who is, I gather, renouned for his ignorance and promotion of ignorance, and spreading disinformation like the above.
And in case you haven't heard of the Lord's Resistance Army, it is a new religious movement, schismatic sect that broke away from the Roman Catholic Church in Northern Uganda, and has terrorised the countryside for the last 20 years or more, kidnapping children and arming them to assist in its terrorist activities. Here's what I have on it from the Database of African Independent Churches:
Alice Auma, a young woman from Acholiland in northern Uganda, became possessed by the spirit Lakwena shortly after her conversion to Catholicism in the mid-1980s. This gave her power to heal and find witches. The spirit eventually instructed her to lead her followers in a war against the National Resistance Movement shortly after its successful guerrilla struggle ended in 1986. Under the name of the Lord's Resistance Army, remnants of Lakwena's movements have continued to cause security problems in the North (Kassimir in Spear & Kimambo 1999:250). Under the leadership of Joseph Kony, a relative of the founder the movement turned into a militia, and recruited child soldiers,
The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), formed in 1987, is a rebel paramilitary group operating in northern Uganda, and as of February 2005 is engaged in an armed conflict against the Ugandan government. It is led by Joseph Kony, who proclaims himself a spirit medium and apparently wishes to establish a state based on his unique millennial interpretation of Biblical millennarianism. The rebels have been accused of many atrocities in the area. It is estimated that around 20,000 children have been kidnapped by the group since 1987 for use as soldiers and sex slaves. The group abducts new members primarily from the Acholi people, who have been the victims of many of the LRA's Acholi tactics. The insurgency has been mainly contained to the region known as Acholiland, consisting of the districts of Kitgum, Gulu, and Pader, though since 2002 violence has overflowed into other districts (Wikipedia, 13 Apr 2005).
Now I have strong reservations about the sending of US soldiers to fight against the Lord's Resistance Army, and suspect that it may have more to do with the discovery of valuable minerable resources in Uganda and the possible obstruction to the expoloitation of those resources by the LRA than with any humanitarian motives (see Notes from underground: Where child sacrifice is a business). The fact that China is interested in the same mineral resources may also have something to do with it. A hundred soldiers may not look like much, but Vietnam started with less. So this looks suspiciously like another exercise in US imperialism.
But it doesn't help to have ignoramuses like Rush Limbaugh spreading disinformation about it, and supporting terrorism.
newest »
Cameron wrote: "Steve,Another perspective to consider: Here in the States, the sending of 100 U.S. troops into Uganda is seen as an effort to provide logistical support and training, not to engage in direct comb..."
Concerning the "imperialism card", I know one swallow does not make a summer, but the "coincidence" of three apparently unconnected things makes me think that this is somethjing that should be watched. Reports of discoveries of rich mineral depasits, articles in Western media drawing attention to ritual murder in Uganda (something that also happens in other countries) and the announcement of American soldiers going. A hundred soldiers may not sound like much, and yes, they are not going to fight, but nor did the ones that went to Vietnam, to begin with.
Another perspective to consider: Here in the States, the sending of 100 U.S. troops into Uganda is seen as an effort to provide logistical support and training, not to engage in direct combat with the LRA. However, the troops are instructed to defend themselves as needed. So it's not exactly a typical deployment--they're not "going to fight," per say. Also, there is a growing partnership between Uganda and the United States, and some of this is centered on the fight against Al Qaeda, in which the Ugandans have been providing assistance. Some commentators are seeing this logistical/tactical support as a way of rewarding Uganda for their participation in anti-terrorism efforts. I'm not so naive to think that the U.S. doesn't stand to gain something by having a strong partnership with Uganda, but my sense from the limited reading I've done is that the intention is that the relationship would be mutually beneficial. As for Kony and the LRA, it can only be a good thing if they are taken out of the equation, to let Uganda heal and become what it ought. The murders, kidnappings, and sexual exploitation must come to an end. But it's interesting to me that you pulled the "imperialism card," considering that what's going on looks nothing like what western imperialism historically really amounted to. It strikes me as a bit simplistic, and cynical, given the complexity of the circumstances in Uganda, and in the world today.
And, yes, Rush Limbaugh is an idiot. He likes to stir up controversy because it makes him rich to do so.