Invisible Children Inc. came to my school yesterday to talk about this and i saw the presentation 4 times along with this video^. Last night tons of kids on Facebook started arguing about the organization, anyway It appears that the motives of Invisible Children may no longer be entirely altruistic. The three founders collectively received over 1/4 million dollars in payment… wages?… in 2011 alone. On top of that, the charity holds significant assets, including: $750,000 in computer equipment, nearly $290,000 in transportation equipment, and over $175,000 in video camera and recording equipment. One estimate puts the percentage of donations to Invisible Children that actually goes to Ugandan efforts at around 32%. Its nice that they are raising awareness about the Issue but The Money Part is messed up.

 

Here's the breakdown of wages:

Top three folks avg. about $87K...which isn't actually that much by non-profit standards. That's actually a low salary by Cali standards because the cost of living is pretty high....and that's pre-tax compensation.

Backed up by the Financials info on the site

Amount of computer equipment seems a little high. Dunno if that's for a full-on production/recording suite. $175K in video/recording equipment sounds pretty low depending on what they're using.

 

not surprised at all by the high overfhead.

altruistic (donation-based) associations such as red cross don't operate efficiently at all. something about operating with "found" money and the lack of checks/balances.

 

If you waste your time watching the Kony 2012 video please watch this

 

Kid has zero clue about real-world compensation.

 

I don't have Any Idea? umm Ill call BS

 

Not you, kid. That other kid.

$85K pre-tax isn't a massive salary by any means, regardless of whether travel expenses are paid by the organization. Don't know where that Thinking for Life kid is based, but he seems to be operating in some kind of 1950s bizarro world.

3.5% for salaries as a part of admin costs is actually a low figure. And he's completely missing the point that an advocacy group's job isn't to provide direct services. It's to advocate for a cause -- i.e. filmmaking, social media campaigns, awareness campaigns, etc. -- and encourage action on behalf of that cause. The armed services would call it a "force multiplier."

Judging by the amount of impact they got, it looks as if they're pretty successful.

 

Not you, kid. That other kid.

$85K pre-tax isn't a massive salary by any means, regardless of whether travel expenses are paid by the organization.

Ding ding ding.

Salary to cost of living ratio.

Here I am looking to move anywhere with a more reasonable cost of living.

Last week I get contacted by a cool name brand electronics company and they offer relocation but in San Jose CA. Even giving me $40k more it would barely break even to cost of living here. Ca is a big turn off in that regard.

Also $85K, remember what matter is take home. $85k becomes what $50k gross. What if you have 3 kids...what if your spouse doesn't work.

My sister does not work and had 5 kids with a husband who makes good money in the low six figures in PA and they are pay check to pay check with tons of debt.

I don't know why people would find an $85k salary something to get up in arms about like it equates to a lavish lifestyle.

Give me $85k, out of college with no debt and living in Michigan and single. Now that's livin'.

 

The part that annoys the living shit out of me is that people will spread this video like wild fire. If 1/1000th of the people that re post it on some social networking site did more than watch it, then I might care. Such is the real world we live in.

Until then stop making it the only effing thing I see on my Facebook feed.

Read this
united we fail, me, my awareness, and my big mouth.

 

someone care to give me the short about all this?
i dont feel like wasting 20min watching a vid when i could be working on my car.

 

Guy named joseph kony back in 2004 was kidnaping kids in uganda and forcing them to serve in his army. a group called Invisible Children Inc. is behind the video and they are trying to "stop" kony even though he's really not doing anything right now and has basically gone into hiding and has stopped kidnaping kids. The footage in this video was filmed back in 2004 but just now Invisible children Inc. is releasing it, why i dont know. I am very against Invisible Children Inc. because they basically lied right to my face telling my whole school that children in uganda fear for their life's at night and they are being captured and all this other bullshit but Kony Hasn't been in uganda in years.

 

Here's a response to the critiques: InvisibleChildren

 

greatly appreciated!!

 

#1.) I'd love to make $85k/year.

B.) This seems to have escaped people's attention from last year:

Obama Sends U.S. Military Advisers to Help Track LRA's Kony - IPS ipsnews.net

WASHINGTON, Oct 15, 2011 (IPS) - In his latest military intervention overseas, U.S. President Barack Obama announced Friday that he is dispatching about 100 "combat-equipped" military personnel to East Africa to help track the fugitive Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and its top commanders.

"These forces will act as advisers to partner forces that have the goal of removing from the battlefield Joseph Kony and other senior leadership of the LRA," he wrote in a letter submitted to the Congressional leadership and released by the White House.

"Subject to approval of each respective host nation, elements of these U.S. forces will deploy into Uganda, South Sudan, the Central African Republic (CAR) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)," according to the letter, which noted that an initial team was deployed to Uganda Wednesday.

"(A)lthough the U.S. forces are combat equipped," it stressed, "they will only be providing information, advice, and assistance to partner nation forces, and they will not themselves engage LRA forces unless necessary for their self-defense."

The announcement was hailed by some human rights groups that have lobbied for a greater U.S. role against the LRA, whose leader, Kony, and four other commanders were indicted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in 2005.

The group, which first emerged in northern Uganda in the late 1980's, is held responsible for at least 30,000 deaths and the displacement of some two million people in the region and in the border areas of its neighbours. It is also notorious for abducting and forcibly recruiting children into its ranks, hacking limbs off its victims, and mass rape.

"By deploying these advisers today, President Obama is showing decisive leadership to help regional governments finally bring an end to the LRA's mass atrocities," said Paul Ronan, director of advocacy at Resolve, a conflict resolution organisation. "These advisers can make a positive difference on the ground by keeping civilians safe and improving military operations to apprehend the LRA's top commanders."

The move appears to mark another victory for "humanitarian intervention" advocates within the administration, notably Samantha Power in the National Security Council and Washington's chief envoy at the United Nations, Susan Rice. Their last victory, which has not yet concluded, was the U.S. and NATO intervention in Libya last March.

In that case, the U.N. Security Council authorised the enforcement of a "no-fly" zone over the country in order to protect civilians from the military and security forces of Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi. Washington and its NATO allies, however, interpreted that mandate broadly, as their forces effectively became - and remain today - the air wing of rebel forces that have taken over almost all of the country.

The deployment of U.S. military advisers, who will consist mostly of Special Operations Forces (SOF), is considerably more modest in scale. Unlike in the Libya case, Congress has expressed support for U.S. efforts to "protect civilians from the (LRA), to apprehend or remove Joseph Kony and his top commanders from the battlefield in the continued absence of a negotiated solution and to disarm and demobilise the remaining LRA fighters, " in the words of the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009. This legislation was approved with overwhelming support from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers in Congress and signed into law in May 2010.

"I applaud our nation's military for making this a priority and taking the steps outlined in our legislation that will eventually protect the children and people from Joseph Kony's reign of terror," one of the Act's main sponsors Republican Sen. James Inhofe said Friday. "I have witnessed firsthand the devastation caused by the LRA, and this will help end Kony's heinous acts that have created a human rights crisis in Africa."

Under both Obama and his predecessor, George W. Bush, Washington has provided "non-lethal" and logistical support to the Ugandan army in its efforts to subdue the LRA. The aid increased when Kony failed twice to sign a peace accord in 2008. Since 2008, Washington has provided over 40 million dollars in military assistance to regional armies fighting the LRA.

In December 2008, the Ugandan, DRC and southern Sudanese armies launched "Operation Lightning Thunder", a joint effort backed by U.S. intelligence and logistical support provided by Washington's newly created Africa Command (AfriCom) to track down Kony and his armed followers.

Kony and much of his army escaped, however, and responded later that month by carrying out their own attacks against defenceless villages and civilians in the DRC and southern Sudan, killing nearly 1,000 people and forcing as many as 1.8 million others to flee their homes, according to human rights monitors.

Under the Act, Washington has also provided a significant amount of humanitarian assistance to the LRA-affected region - more than 18 million dollars in 2011 alone, according to the State Department.

In his letter to Congress, Obama noted that efforts to subdue the LRA, which is currently believed to have dwindled to between 300 and 400 fighters, have not succeeded. Analysts blame, among other things, poor intelligence and a lack of co-ordination between national armies, and the withdrawal of significant numbers of Ugandan troops, who are considered the most effective in the region, from the hunt.

"If part of a larger multi-national strategy, the deployment of U.S. advisers can help play a catalytic role," said John Prendergast, co-founder of the Enough Project, an anti-genocide group focused on East Africa and the Horn. "Missing elements include more capable forces dedicated to the apprehension of Joseph Kony and protection of civilians, and an intelligence and logistics surge from the U.S. to help those forces succeed."

"It's also critical that the deployment of U.S. advisers be matched by intensified U.S. diplomatic efforts to get regional governments, especially Congo and Uganda, to quit squabbling and start co-operating," noted Ronan.

In some respects, the current deployment resembles the mission undertaken against the guerrilla group Abu Sayyaf by U.S. SOF advisers in the southern Philippines shortly after the 9/11 attacks in 2001. According to the Bush administration, Abu Sayyaf was affiliated with Al Qaeda.

That mission, the first U.S. military deployment in the Philippines since Clark Air Base was closed in 1991, continues to this day but is nonetheless considered a success by Washington, which has since significantly expanded military ties with Manila over the past decade.

Administration officials assured reporters here Friday that the new mission in East Africa is unlikely to last more than a few months. (END)

 

#1.) I'd love to make $85k/year.

It's all about cost of living, not about the dolla-dolla bills, y'all...

B.) This seems to have escaped people's attention from last year:

Obama Sends U.S. Military Advisers to Help Track LRA's Kony - IPS ipsnews.net

True. It's mentioned in the Wash Post piece above, and it's been in the news sparingly over the past year, but attention is focused elsewhere....

 

Yes, the cost of living here is pretty decent. And it's sunny and 72 degrees right now. I haven't seen snow all year. (but my car has rust spreading through it... damn you New England!)

Also, from FB: "Peter Pan can build an all-child army, but when a black man does it..."

 

Yes, the cost of living here is pretty decent. And it's sunny and 72 degrees right now. I haven't seen snow all year. (but my car has rust spreading through it... damn you New England!)

Also, from FB: "Peter Pan can build an all-child army, but when a black man does it..."

Pretty decent? That's an understatement!

My mortgage would go down about 75% for a similar house. My friends in NC pay 20% in property taxes that I do.

It's so drastic.

My wife could work on her salary(she can work anywhere via remote and keep her salary) and we could be better off than BOTH our salaries living out here.

It's depressing.

 

"I find it ironic that the same people who wanted troops out of Iraq because "it wasn't our war" are supporting us invading Uganda. I also envision that the same people who are supporting invading Uganda will support us leaving after they find out how expensive war is, with both lives and capital. If you wanted troops out of Iraq but now want troops in Uganda, you are a hypocrite. People seem to forget how much of a tyrant Saddam Hussein was, he put his citizens in life sized meat grinders. Don't blindly follow, use the lump between your shoulders and think."

Straight from my Facebook status. I'm "friends" with so many ignorant people that I remember bitching and moaning about the same old shit. I don't know about guys, but I see videos of starving kids in Africa on Comedy Central every fucking night (including sick dogs, which does pull at my heart strings), and practically no one sheds a tear. Now that the social medias go crazy everyone is all about invading Uganda.

Knowledge is power, and everyone should know about what is happening However, lets all be objective when watching biased media.

Fuck.

 

"I find it ironic that the same people who wanted troops out of Iraq because "it wasn't our war" are supporting us invading Uganda. I also envision that the same people who are supporting invading Uganda will support us leaving after they find out how expensive war is, with both lives and capital. If you wanted troops out of Iraq but now want troops in Uganda, you are a hypocrite. People seem to forget how much of a tyrant Saddam Hussein was, he put his citizens in life sized meat grinders. Don't blindly follow, use the lump between your shoulders and think."

Straight from my Facebook status.

No one I've seen, even the Invisible Children people, are calling for massive US military presence in Uganda. If you see people advocating that, they're nuts. It's not gonna happen.

I'm "friends" with so many ignorant people that I remember bitching and moaning about the same old shit. I don't know about guys, but I see videos of starving kids in Africa on Comedy Central every fucking night (including sick dogs, which does pull at my heart strings), and practically no one sheds a tear. Now that the social medias go crazy everyone is all about invading Uganda.

I'm actually surprised there has been this uproar because the same reaction isn't happening about Darfur or the Nubia region of Sudan -- shit that's still going on -- and there was barely a murmur about Rwanda until long after the killing was done.

Then again, it's happening in Africa.

Knowledge is power, and everyone should know about what is happening However, lets all be objective when watching biased media.

Fuck.

Agreed.

I have little faith in the ability of people to avoid tripping and falling into a puddle of stupidity, especially where biased media is concerned. This is an oldie (a year old) but a goodie, an actual quote from a well-known media person:

Lord's Resistance Army are Christians. It means God. I was only kidding. Lord's Resistance Army are Christians. They are fighting the Muslims in Sudan. And Obama has sent troops, United States troops to remove them from the battlefield, which means kill them. That's what the lingo means, "to help regional forces remove from the battlefield," meaning capture or kill.
So that's a new war, a hundred troops to wipe out Christians in Sudan, Uganda, and -- (interruption) no, I'm not kidding. Jacob Tapper just reported it. Now, are we gonna help the Egyptians wipe out the Christians? Wouldn't you say that we are? I mean the Coptic Christians are being wiped out, but it wasn't just Obama that supported that. The conservative intelligentsia thought it was an outbreak of democracy. Now they've done a 180 on that, but they forgot that they supported it in the first place. Now they're criticizing it.

Lord's Resistance Army objectives. I have them here. "To remove dictatorship and stop the oppression of our people." Now, again Lord's Resistance Army is who Obama sent troops to help nations wipe out. The objectives of the Lord's Resistance Army, what they're trying to accomplish with their military action in these countries is the following: "To remove dictatorship and stop the oppression of our people; to fight for the immediate restoration of the competitive multiparty democracy in Uganda; to see an end to gross violation of human rights and dignity of Ugandans; to ensure the restoration of peace and security in Uganda, to ensure unity, sovereignty, and economic prosperity beneficial to all Ugandans, and to bring to an end the repressive policy of deliberate marginalization of groups of people who may not agree with the LRA ideology." Those are the objectives of the group that we are fighting, or who are being fought and we are joining in the effort to remove them from the battlefield.

The speaker is Rush Limbaugh.

 

But the troops want to go to Uganda... you can drink on the bases there!

/kiddingalthoughtrue*

 

'Blood Diamond' and 'Lord of War' was the first I had heard about the LRA and Africa's use of children for killing. Terrible stuff that makes me absolutely sick thinking about. I'm glad so many people are standing up to bring Kony to justice... Criticize Invisible Children Inc. and believe what you want about it's legitimacy, but Kony is a real problem that does need to be stopped, regardless of how it happens. I have felt this way for many years, before this viral video was made. I'm just happy to see so many people are clued in on what goes on now. Had they really wanted to make it hit deep in people's souls, they would have shown actual footage of the shit that goes on. So disturbing it brings tears to my eyes.

The world is full of sick, twisted, and power hungry people who will do anything at all costs to retain that power. It won't stop until he is found, arrested, or killed. Personally, I wouldn't even give him a fair trial, I'd put a bullet in his forehead. I am actually surprised one of the abducted hasn't done just that, they seem to fear life and not death, why not pop a bullet in his head? You'll likely be shot and killed, but at least the death wouldn't be in vain.

On an unrelated note, that Gavin kid is adorable. Hopefully I'll have kids that cute and full of enthusiasm when the time comes. Reminds me of myself in old family videos.

My suggestion, save yourself the 30 minutes and watch this... it will show you that there is a real problem that needs to be fixed.

 

I am done with this thread also
Like i said, the LRA should be stopped, I just Don't Like Invisible Children Inc.

Why is it such a big deal that I don't support this organization?

I bet many of you guys would want to stop the killing of 250,000 harp seals in canada but you wouldn't like the organization I support that tries to stop it, and i wouldn't give a fuck. everyone can have their own opinion.

 

I am done with this thread also
Like i said, the LRA should be stopped, I just Don't Like Invisible Children Inc.

Why is it such a big deal that I don't support this organization?

It's not a big deal. Everyone has their own opinion, and in fact, I think it'sa good thing that you were skeptical and didn't immediately swallow what you were told....

...except when you immediately swallowed the other side without looking at the criticism with the same skepticism. (If you check back, the Visible Children guy has walked back his look at the numbers, and I have no fucking clue about the anti-abortion kid you posted. He's on another planet.)

Honestly, it's a complicated issue, and people need to have these sorts of discussions about it...and about how information is spread.

I bet many of you guys would want to stop the killing of 250,000 harp seals in canada but you wouldn't like the organization I support that tries to stop it, and i wouldn't give a fuck. everyone can have their own opinion.

Seals =/= people.

 

...and the respect is mutual because you didn't run with the sheep, and you challenged what you were told!

No shit; when I taught a journalism class, that was one of the things I said on Day 1. The old saying goes, "If your mother tells you she loves you, check it out."

 

Hahaha!

Also, that's "respekt" to you Saunders.

 

Wow, Now that mainsteam TV doesn't work on the Kiddies anymore, The Pre Packaged WAR Propaganda has moved to social networking. I see this one aimed at the Revving up the LibTards this time instead or the ignorant Racist Bible thumpers who never even read the damn thing, let alone imagine them reading that Tricky Quran. Was Saddam worth a Million Dead Babylonians? I see a pattern forming, First it was Kill Brownie, Next its Kill Blacky, If you believe in Karma, The inevitable always comes next. Just wait your turn, A few people around the world might think its Kill ****** time!

 

Kony: He makes some pretty good suspension components, especially the adjustable struts.

 

:th_SmlyROFL: :th_SmlyROFL: :th_SmlyROFL: :th_SmlyROFL: :th_SmlyROFL:

 

This is the Guy behind "Knoy 2012"
Pretty Fuckin Funny

 

Yeah...I saw that...

Dude snapped like a dry twig....

 

PCP is a hell of a drug. Love the video, notice he says something about Siri and the iPhone. He's got great hand gestures too.

Jason Russell, another closeted evangelical, hopefully he'll now be able to come out and live a healthy and happy life and accept who he really is.