Free Republic

A mercenary air force that became a symbol of the U.S. occupation of Iraq is back in action—this time in Central Africa, supporting a shadowy American U.S. Special Forces commando operation targeting the Lord’s Resistance Army. In late January, a source on the ground in Central African Republic spotted a Sikorsky S-61 helicopter with the registry number N408RC carrying American Special Forces troops. The LRA, a cultish band of thieves and rapists led by warlord Joseph Kony, is most active in the forested region where Central African Republic, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo meet. In 2010, President...

PITTSBURGH -- Kony 2012 has become the most viral video in history, topping 100 million views in six days, but the video about Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony has also led to a backlash against the organization behind the 30-minute documentary. There's no doubt Kony is a bad man, killing tens of thousands of people, and using a child army to displace more than a million others. Critics are now focusing on the nonprofit organization Invisible Children, which produced the documentary. The charity is also being scrutinized for what they do with the money they raise. NBC is reporting that...

Matt Tarka speaks with the confidence of the faithful. Discussing a trip he will soon be taking to Northern Uganda to spread the word of Christianity, the details roll off his tongue like he’s describing an upcoming camping trip, with enthusiasm and confidence. He and four other missionaries—representing three Fort Collins churches—have flights booked, itineraries mostly finalized and contacts in Uganda awaiting their arrival. They’re working out their ground transportation, gathering aid supplies like clothing and toys, and hosting fund raisers to pay for the mission’s considerable expense. But most importantly, they have their goals firmly in mind. “We want...

People talk a lot about Islamic extremism and ISIS/ISIL (the guys who behead Christians, among others), but what about Joseph Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army? "I don't remember people talking about that as much anymore, but that's a Christian militant group," State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Wednesday. She was making the point that terrorism "is not just a threat in one place" -- and it's not just Islamic: "If you look at the Lord's Resistance Army and Kony, Joseph Kony -- I don't remember people talking about that as much anymore, but that's a...

Joseph Kony 2012: filmmaker Jason Russell arrested on suspicion of masturbating in public One of the creators of the “Kony 2012” film about Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony has been arrested for allegedly being drunk and masturbating in public. Jason Russell, 33, was also accused of stripping off his clothes and vandalising cars before he was detained in San Diego. Russell, an evangelical Christian, is a co-founder of the American advocacy group Invisible Children. Their 29-minute film has been watched by more than 100 million people and become the fastest spreading video ever.

One of the co-founders of Invisible Children, the San Diego-based charity which is campaigning for the arrest of Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony, has been hospitalised after police said he was detained for being naked and masturbating in public. Jason Russell, 33, was picked up by police in San Diego at around 11.30am on Thursday after receiving numerous calls from the public about a man vandalising cars, being apparently under the influence of a substance and making sexual gestures while wearing only his underwear. According to local TV station NBC, San Diego police spokeswoman Lieutenant Andra Brown told a press conference...

SAN DIEGO -- The director of the massively popular "Kony 2012" video about a fugitive Ugandan rebel leader was detained by police after he was found allegedly masturbating in public and vandalizing cars in San Diego, KNSD-TV reported Friday. Jason Russell, co-founder of the humanitarian group Invisible Children, was also apparently intoxicated or under the influence of a controlled substance when cops confronted him on a street corner in San Diego Thursday, police said. Police said Russell was "acting very strange." TMZ reported that Russell was dancing in the street wearing "speedo-like underwear," and then stripped and began making sexual...

SDPD said he was found masturbating in public, vandalizing cars and possibly under the influence of something A co-founder for Invisible Children was detained in Pacific Beach on Thursday for being drunk in public and masturbating, according to the San Diego Police Department. Jason Russell, 33, was allegedly found masturbating in public, vandalizing cars and possibly under the influence of something, according to the SDPD. He was detained at the intersection of Ingraham Street and Riviera Road. An SDPD spokesperson said the man detained was acting very strange, some may say bizarre. Video: SDPD statement "Due to the nature of...

The chief executive of a group that produced a wildly popular video about African warlord Joseph Kony answered critics Monday, defending its tactics and spending practices. "I understand why a lot of people are wondering, 'Is this just some slick, kind of fly-by-night, slacktivist thing?' when actually it's not at all," said Ben Keesey of Invisible Children. "It's connected to a really deep, thoughtful, very intentional and strategic campaign." In an online video that runs more than eight minutes, Keesey acknowledges the sting of criticism since Invisible Children released the video "Kony 2012" last week, becoming an Internet sensation with...

LIRA, Uganda (Reuters) - Sophia Apio dared not utter a sound as Ugandan rebels sliced off her lips and ears with a razor blade. They had threatened to hack her to death with machetes if she cried. Apio, her husband Ojede and six others were captured by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) while scavenging for food in northern Uganda, where a 17-year-old war has forced about 1.5 million people to flee their homes. Shadowy LRA rebels led by Joseph Kony, a former altar boy turned self-proclaimed mystic, typically target civilians in their brutal war against the government. snip "Then he...

Imagine you come upon a child under 10 years old who, along with his friends, is in obvious distress. Now imagine, when you ask that child what you can do to help him, he turns to you and says, with all seriousness, “It is better if you can kill us…” What in the name of all that is holy could cause a child that young so much stress and fear in his life, that given a choice, he would have you kill him as an act of kindness? Meet Jacob, the unsuspecting star of Youtube’s most viral video to date...

An American who recently lived in Raleigh for a year was the lone American killed when explosions tore through crowds watching the World Cup final Sunday at a rugby club and an Ethiopian restaurant in Kampala, Uganda, killing at least 64 people. Nathan Henn, 25, who worked with Invisible Children, a San Diego-based aid group that helps child soldiers in Africa, was killed on the rugby field. Henn was a native of Wilmington, Del., but his family moved to Raleigh in 2007, and he lived here for about a year, his sister, Brynne Henn, said this morning in a telephone...

There are moments in life when you truly feel alive. Today, May 1st 2009, I feel alive. After days, thousands of miles, countless phone calls...e-mails, outbursts of anger and excitement....blood, sweat, and tears...the seemingly impossible has happened. The last city to be "RESCUED" was Chicago. The figures we had called out to lend a voice to the senseless war in Northern Uganda were: President Obama or his wife Michelle, Vice President Biden, Bono, and Oprah. The woman has spoken, and Oprah is now filming the founders of Invisible Children to be aired on her show today... My friend Jay said...

Warming fear will hurt Africa By: BOB KOWELL - Commentary Seldom, if ever, has a former or present ambassador of the United States come to our area, the Temecula Valley. Ambassador Pierre-Richard Prosper will be the keynote speaker at an upcoming Republican event at Pat & Oscar's in Temecula. The event is meant to shed light on genocide in Africa as well as other places in the world. Prosper was U.S. ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues under President George W. Bush and served as a war crimes prosecutor for the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. He successfully prosecuted...