Elora Stack
REST 392L Civil Rights through Documentary
Dr. Mar Peter-Raoul
11/17/09
Letter to Public Official
The Honorable Senator Thomas R. Carper
United States Senate
13 Hart Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator:
I am a volunteer for a non-profit organization Invisible Children, and a Delaware
constituent. I am writing you today to ask for your support for the Northern Uganda
Recovery Act (S.1067), a bill aiming to help children who are being abducted and
held captive by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and to promote rehabilitation
for communities affected by the violence. This is a vital issue, that I feel needs
your attention.
I would like to fill you in on a brief history, which you may already know,
as well as update you on the current situation. The war in Uganda has raged on for
twenty-three years, and has claimed millions of innocent lives. The Lord’s
Resistance Army, led by a man named Joseph Kony, has been abducting children,
and forcing them to be soldiers in his war. About ninety-percent of the current
LRA were abducted as children. This abduction of children has torn apart
villages, and displaced thousands. Invisible Children has tried to negotiate a peace
agreement with Kony four times now, the most recent being in 2006. Since then
Kony has become a threat to not just Uganda, but the whole northeastern border
region of the DR Congo.
The governments of Uganda, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo,
and the Central African Republic came together in 2008 to resist Kony in a
military action called “Operation Lightening Thunder.” This only increased
Kony’s rage. On December 24th, 2008, just one month after “Operation
Lightening Thunder,” Kony attacked the DR Congo, killing more than six hundred
people, and abducting one hundred and sixty children.
Invisible Children maintains its commitment for peace, and is currently
running several programs to rehabilitate the region. However, since all peace talks
have failed, and the government has not acted on its own accord to help this
desperate situation, Invisible Children, along with Senators Brownback and
Feingold have written a bi-partisan bill, calling for President Barack Obama to
send troops in to rescue the children.
However, before it can reach the president, as you know, it must pass
through the Senate. This is where we need your help. I am aware that foreign
affairs is not your jurisdiction, and that you have many things on your plate, such
as health care, but I am asking you to back this bill when it comes to the Senate.
Think of any child you have ever known, and know that this bill will be
saving those beautiful, innocent children, and ending a war that has waged for far
too long. Thank you for your time and support. I truly appreciate it.
Sincerely,
Elora Stack