DRC - While the World Doesn't Pay Attention

It's a normal day in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  Hundreds of thousands (if not over a million) of civilians are homeless.  Why? Because war rages in villages and cities especially in the eastern part of the Congo. People are starving, a generation has never experienced peace, people die of highly preventable diseases such as cholera and other communicable diseases.  What does the world community do? Is the world community outraged? Is the world community speaking out? Not at all!

Sure, you may hear a voice here, and a voice there, but there is no unified condemnation that these innocent people have the right to live in peace.  The belligerents in the war claim they are fighting FOR these civilians. I have to ask, if you are fighting for someone, why are you taking the battle to them?

Then comes the sexual violence. And let me be clear - all sides of this conflict has guilt.  The "warriors" fighting "for the people" are now "raping" for the people? I don't get it either. It's sick. It's wrong. It's inexcusable. Of course, the world community would condemn this, right? Again, just lone voices speak out. The world still carries on.

So, who are these "warriors?" First of all, in Eastern Tradition, a warrior is a noble person who fights for self defense only. The purpose of fighting is not to destroy the enemy. The purpose is to neutralize attacks from the enemy. There are no warriors in the conflict in the DRC. There are only thugs. There are only greedy, bloodthirsty, murderous, thugs.

These thugs are hard to name. They change daily. Of course, there is the Army of the DRC (the FARDC). This is a highly undisciplined army. They are largely unpaid or highly underpaid for their service. Often soldiers from the army will defect to one of the militia groups.  There is also the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda - in English). The FDLR is made up of those who fled Rwanda, the neighbor of the DRC, after the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. The FDLR contains those who were genocidaires (those who committed genocide) as well as those they have since recruited for

their cause.  Currently, they are allied with the Congolese Army (FARDC). Will this union be permanent? Who can say? If patterns are a sign of the future, nothing in
the DRC is permanent. Also allied with the FARDC is MONUSCO (the United Nations Fighting Force in the Congo). Oh, so we have the UN on the side of the people of the Congo. Things must be getting better, right? Wrong! MONUSCO (a French Acronym) began as a peace keeping force and failed miserably, but now they are a fighting force. This same group is also guilty of having members who have committed sexual violence to innocent civilians.

Who are these thugs fighting? Well, today they are fighting the M23 militia.  So, they must be the "good guys," right? Wrong! They are just like the same groups above. While they claim to have a "noble cause" in their insistence in competent governance in the DRC (something that is completely lacking under the leadership of President Joseph Kabila), M23 still terrorizes the innocent civilians.  Members of M23 also rape innocent civilians.  Members of M23 today may also be members of the Congolese army tomorrow, and vice versa.

What is also disturbing is that the DRC's neighbor, Rwanda, under the leadership of President Paul Kagame, provides support to M23. What support? Arms, ammunition, intelligence, training, etc. The world community knows this. This fact has been reported not once but twice to the United Nations. And again, the world has ignored those reports. Why? Because the world community puts the value of money over the value of humans. The world puts the value of power over the value of life.

That is the same reason Kagame can get away with all of his crimes and walk away politically unscathed. One of Kagame's advisors is Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. If Tony Blair says it's ok, then it must be so...right? Well, he convinced enough people to follow George W. Bush into war in Iraq based on faulty evidence and lies. Why shouldn't he lie now? The West cannot be wrong, can they...or should I say, "we," since I'm an American? We do have more money than the other nations. And money makes you right in this world. The West says Kagame is right, therefore he is. But he's not!

Is Kagame right when he threatens President Kikwete of Tanzania by saying he's going to wait for him and "hit" him? Is Kagame right when a small group of elderly Catholic protestors are arrested for inciting a riot when no riot (nor signs of a riot) occurred? Is Kagame right for keeping someone like his political rival Victore Ingabire imprisoned for "thought crimes?" What is a "though crime?" Is he a mind reader? I'd hate if he were my president and could read my mind! Is Kagame right when he says that all Hutus should apologize to all Tutsis for the 1994 Genocide (which evidence points to the very real possibility that Kagame, a Tutsi, started the Genocide which killed mostly his own tribe so he could come in as "hero")?  To further question, is Kagame right to demand that apology when he, himself, said there are no longer Hutus nor Tutsis, but only Rwandans? How can one non-existent group apologize to another non-existent group? Yeah, I don't get the logic either.

Why does the world ignore all of this? Because the DRC has what we want. The DRC has minerals that make up much of our technology. With war going on in the DRC, we can get our cell phones and computers cheaper than if the people there lived in peace and made a livable wage. To the world, money is more important than life. To people like Kagame, power is more important than people. This is idolatry. Plain and simple, this is idolatry. The value of "things" is more important than the value of people.

So, what should be done? First of all, the news media should report this! To even know this, I've had to "dig deep." The news outlets that do report on this are few and far between. Second of all, if these groups really do care about the people, they will either take their grievances and negotiate as long as it takes - lock themselves in a room and don't come out until an agreement is reached. They would let the people go to their homes and live. They would put their weapons down and talk no matter how much hatred is in their hearts. But, I don't think caring about civilians is their real care. Their care is power and money. Third, the world community needs to hold all of these groups and Kagame accountable. Their assets should be frozen. Kagame should not receive military aid from the world community. He should be named in the condemnation of his activities. Fourth, the United Nations should be a REAL peace keeping force with real rules of engagement. I do not advocate violence. I advocate protection of civilians. In November when M23 took over the Congolese city of Goma, MONUSCO stood by and watched. They gave lame excuses about the safety of the people, but in the end, they didn't do their job.  There are pictures of M23 walking within feet of MONUSCO tanks and armed soldiers.

Finally, what will happen with this article? Well, there are is a possibility of several responses. It may be completely ignored and I will receive no comments. Someone in Paul Kagame's "fan club" will say that I have no business being in their affairs. A Rwandan diplomat will find one tiny point that is either not clear or I may have inaccurate, and in his mind discredits the entire piece and will act like a broken record on that one point. A Rwandan Military Commander will "order" me to stay out of Rwandan issues. I may be called racist. I may be accused of genocide ideology or genocide denial (something I don't understand because I do NOT advocate violence of any kind, nor do I deny the Rwandan genocide). I may be told to take care of American issues, but again, these people don't know what I do outside of my blog posts, nor is it their business. Someone may call me naive (if they are kind). I may be told that I don't know what I'm talking about.

Fear not - I'm used to this. I don't write for my own fame. I do this to bring attention to those who are suffering. Attack my character if you must. But, there is nothing in here that is untrue.

Rachel Weeps: Trayvon, Racism, and Moving Forward

 

Rachel Weeps for her children because they are no more...

On July 13, 2013, my wife and I celebrated our 11^th Anniversary a week late. Grandma came to visit our children and to watch them so that we could have a “date night.” We haven’t had one of those in quite a while! We had a great night. We went out to dinner, went shopping, and hung out at a bookstore. All in all, we had a very enjoyable evening.

George Zimmerman

My enjoyment came to a quick and abrupt halt at about 11PM when we got home. I turned on the TV to see if there were any headlines about the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman Jury Deliberations – I had assumed they would have been on break, but I wanted to make sure. Suddenly I heard the words “Zimmerman found ‘not guilty.’”

Trayvon Martin

It’s hard for me to explain my feelings at that point. Was I angry? Was I sad? Was I surprised? Was I in shock? I don’t know. I literally couldn’t process my own feelings. I began to pray. It was a sorry excuse for prayer. But the following Scripture came to me as clear as day. And God spoke to me that the sermon that I had written and prepared was not the one to preach the next day. I was to preach on this text, and oh yeah, I was to do it “off the cuff.” No preparation – Just relying on the Holy Spirit to lead me.

Jeremiah 31:15-17

New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

15 

Thus says the Lord: A voice is heard in Ramah, 
 lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.

16 

Thus says the Lord: Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for there is a reward for your work, says the Lord: they shall come back from the land of the enemy;

17 

There is hope for your future, says the Lord: your children shall come back to their own country.

Some Notes Before Beginning:

·      I am a white male. I cannot and will not apologize for that. As a human I was created in the image of God just like every other human of every other skin color and every other gender.

·      Some will say that as a white male, I have nothing to say on this subject. I believe all voices should be heard if there is to be justice. If you disagree, that is your choice. But again, I refer to my first point – we were all created in God’s image – All of us!

·      Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman put faces to a larger societal issue. While I may address them by name, we cannot forget the systematic pitfalls of our justice system, social system, government, and other systems that keep certain victims of all races and genders nameless and faceless every day. This particular case speaks for the whole of American society’s issues when it deals with race.

·      I acknowledge that there are other cases where white people (and people of other races) have been victims of biased or unfair legal practices. I attended a heart-wrenching interview where a white male was on death row for 17 years for a murder he did not commit. He was finally proven innocent. But, with all writing, it is impossible to address every issue in one article. The injustice upon that man was horrible and sinful and based upon a lie by police. That however is not the purpose of this article.

Main Points: “Principalities and Powers”

The Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman murder trial was deeply flawed from the night the incident occurred until the jury made its final decision. Rather than relying on the rule of law, there were too many incidents of racial profiling, racial stereotyping, and the victimization of a minor who was essentially convicted with his own murder. 

Theologically speaking, there was no attempt to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Faith was put in the “power of the gun” and the “idolatry of power” over the Power of God. Assumptions were made because people from the night of the incident until the night of the jury verdict forgot that all people are created in the image of God.

I will make no attempt to analyze this legally according to the American legal system. The system has spoken. We must remember that this system and all systems of the world are beholden not to God but that they belong to the “principalities…powers,…the rulers of the darkness of this world…spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12 KJV).”

In the words of Jesus Christ in the Gospel of John, Jesus describes in a very familiar passage to most Christians the road to salvation: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him (John 3:16-17).” Many readers of this Scripture stop at this point, but if you continue reading, while this does encompass individual belief, it is not only about individual belief.

This passage follows John’s themes of “light” and “darkness” (good and evil).  We see this in the following verses: And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. “For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God (John 3:20-21).”

What this means is that Jesus is the savior not only of individual believers, but also of sinful institutions, or using the Ephesians language – the Principalities and Powers.

In order to hope for reform of our Justice system (or any other system), we cannot leave Jesus out. We must be careful which Jesus we allow to reform our systems. “Which Jesus?” As any Christian can tell you, Christ is preached differently in many places. We need to return to the Biblical Jesus as known to the Church in tradition for the past 2000+ years. We need to return to the Jesus who preached the “Sermon on the Mount” and meant every word that he spoke. We need to return to the Jesus who lived, taught, was crucified, died, was buried, defeated the ultimate enemy – death, and ascended into heaven.

Only then can we hope for true reform.

Racism – Profiling – And Loving Your Neighbor

The Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman case exposed a pervasive problem that is ongoing in the United States, and I assume that it exists in other nations as well, though maybe delineated by different racial or class barriers.  As much as some want to say that there is no racism, or that it exists only in small pockets in the US, that statement in itself is a racist statement. That statement takes the real feelings and real grievances of a people – our neighbors (our neighbors, no matter what race they are) – and discredits their self-understanding, history, and present realities as figments of their own imagination.  To discredit their belief that they are victims of racism, people will often give the victims an outlier non-racist example or a reverse-racist example. 

Few will disagree that there are people in all race categories who are not racist. Few will disagree that reverse-racism exists (I define reverse-racism as when the minority races, or historically victim of racism races use the same tactics to victimize a non-oppressive victim of another majority race or of a race that is associated with being racist. The victim, however, is by and large innocent of oppression).

The problem with these examples are that a). They are not helpful to the overall dialogue in ending racism, b). They are most often used to defend a position that further dialogue is not needed by implying that while racism may exist in isolated cases, it is not a pervasive problem (a false claim), and c). They are outliers – they are exceptions to the rule – Yes, they exist, but they are not the norm. In cases where they may be the norm, they are often used in ways that fail to take data and statistics and other scientific and psychological standards into account.

For example: Let me elaborate on point c). When a Black person is accused of a crime, before his/her trial, some in the public often cite statistical facts that urban Blacks are more likely to commit crimes than urban Whites.  This fails to take into consideration several factors: First – the demographics of urban areas, Second – the lack of meaningful job opportunities for Blacks in urban contexts, and Third – the systematic housing system that puts people of poverty in “out of the way” and sub-standard housing, thus creating a generational disease of poverty not only in money but also in mind and spirit and hope.

Interpreting the Scripture from Jeremiah 31 cited above, racism in the United States (and for the remainder of this article, I will focus solely on the United States) is the root cause that causes mothers (and fathers) to weep because their “children are no more.”  Racism kills. Racism denies. Racism stops certain people created in the image of God from reaching their fullest potential.

While Trayvon Martin was killed literally by the gun of George Zimmerman, it was racism that was the initial cause of his death. Racism causes people to profile. Profiling is assuming that because someone looks different, he/she is more likely to commit a crime. Profiling is sinful because to our Creator we all have the same image – the Creators image. Christians are called to love our neighbor as ourselves (I will repeat these two Biblical statements frequently because they are fundamental to this issue). Simply put, while we do all look different, that is to be seen as part of the diversity of Creation, not as a curse – it is a blessing.  In Genesis 1, after each day of Creation, God said either “It is good,” or “It is very good.”

We do, however live in a fallen world. We cannot deny that. Sin surrounds us. Even the most devout Christian is a sinner. That however does not negate that God’s Creation is still good. What we have done to God’s Creation is NOT good, but Creation itself is good. Humans are sinners, but the Created Human (the material Human) is good.

When we profile and assume the worst in someone before we see them do anything wrong, we are sinning. When we judge someone based on their race, their clothing, their hair, their looks, and such, we are profiling. It is completely impossible to know the content of one’s character without knowing the person!

That means that we must accept people of different races and people with other differences as equals.  How many times did Jesus (a Jew) go into the land of Samaria (enemies of the Jews in Judea, but yet worshippers of the same God – Yes, this is a very simplistic explanation of a Samaritan). Of course, Jesus was profiled, but he did not profile. In fact, Jesus made a Samaritan the hero of his “Parable of the Good Samaritan.” The very parable of being a neighbor uses the enemy of the person asking, “Who is my neighbor?” to be the neighbor.  That is radical acceptance!

The Martin/Zimmerman Trial put faces to a pervasive problem of NOT being neighbors. Though Martin and Zimmerman are not unique examples, they were thrust into the public eye and demonstrated it for us. This behavior happens every day. People are profiled because of race, social class, appearance, and so forth. Negative assumptions are made because of these factors before a person is even known. Christians must call this what it is – Sin.

Rachel’s Children

Returning to the Jeremiah Scripture with which I began, Rachel is weeping because her children are no more. They are gone. They are dead. Ironically, this passage comes in the midst of a chapter of celebration as Israel’s exiles in Babylon celebrate that they will return home after 70 years of being hostages.

Rachel is the “Mother of the Jews” and by virtue, the “Grandmother of Christians” (if we metaphorically understand Mary, the mother of Jesus to be the “Mother of Christians”).  Rachel weeps because of what has happened to her children. Mothers and Grandmothers and Fathers and Grandfathers and all Family weep because death takes away their children. Death takes many forms. Death can be actual death – heart stopping, lung stopping death. Death can also be found on either end of hatred. One cannot be fully alive if one hates or is the victim of oppressive hatred.  Sin is death. If one sins, one cannot fully live. Rachel is weeping and she refuses to be comforted. There is no comfort when injustice, death, and sin prevail and remain strong.

God, through Jeremiah says that the enemy does not have the last word! There is hope! With God there is always hope! Maybe I should rephrase that and say there is promise of redemption! With God there is promise! There is reward for our work – the work is tough, but there is a reward, and our children will come back! God has promised!

So, do not stand idly by and say that racism and profiling are too tough to combat! When naysayers attack, it is but a bump in the road. When people say that the job is too hard and can’t be won, remember we do not fight alone! We are merely the instruments – God is the one who does the work!  The road to peace and love across the racial divide will be difficult, but there are bridges being made. There have been bridges built already. Those bridges will turn into roads, and those roads will turn into permanent land.

I can speak from personal experience. I have personal friends across the racial divide. We have had much different experiences and continue to have them, but when we are together, it is not white and black together, it is friends (who happen to be white and black). Friendship defines us.

We can all make small steps, and those small steps are important, but we must all work to make the large steps in making our communities and nation abhor racism. We must all work together, not out of fear or guilt, but out of love of neighbor, to make us all one.  We are all one in God’s eyes – Let it be so in our own eyes!

The Rwandan Patriotic Front - Raising the Dead!

Apparently, aside from being the savior of Rwanda, Africa's greatest leader, the only world leader who gets a day in his nation's honor held in a foreign nation each year, Rwanda's President Paul Kagame is also a miracle worker.  He and his Rwandan Patriotic Front have conquered the powers of death itself to resurrect Richard G. Johnson, a former Eastern European Specialist within the United States Foreign Service to author a 55 page report entitled The Travesty of Human Rights Watch on Rwanda. This "report" was written two years AFTER Richard G. Johnson's death.

For the full story see this link: http://www.theproxylake.com/2013/06/rwanda-attack-on-human-right-watch-dirty-tactics/

I firmly believe that we can take this "resurrection" as foul play on the part of the RPF. There was no miracle. This is more of the same from Dictator and Regional Bully Paul Kagame; the same leader who openly threatened the President of Tanzania President Kikwete that he [Kagame] would wait for him [Kikwete] and at the right place, hit him. What was President Kikwete's crime? He was suggesting the very thing that Kagame was suggesting.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kagame is suggesting that the DRC Government negotiate with Rwandan Government backed illegal militia M23. This militia has been condemned by the United Nations. President Kikwete suggested that Kagame negotiate with another rebel militia operating mainly within the DRC, the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda), a militia made up of some of the former genocidaires (those who took part in committing genocide in Rwanda in 1994) and those they have recruited in the past 20 years. Kikwete was suggesting that negotiation happen so that true reconciliation and peace in the Great Lakes Region can happen. Instead of doing what he himself is dictating to others, Kagame openly threatened Kikwete.

It is not surprising that Kagame is not facing any international consequences for sponsoring M23 or for threatening President Kikwete. He is, after all "Africa's Golden Child" of the West. Kagame was trained by the United States when he was a member of the Ugandan forces, and he is staunchly backed by former US President Bill Clinton and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. He is, in all essence, a creation of the West to do the dirty work that the West does not want to do themselves. Therefore, his threats and bullying tactics are overlooked by the international community because the international powerhouses, namely the United States and the United Kingdom will not tarnish their own names by soiling Kagame's name.

Kagame's backers openly threaten and bully those who expose the truth. Activists are constantly harassed and intimidated. Members of Kagame's Government are active on social media sites and openly harass and insult those who disagree and expose Kagames crimes. Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations from Rwanda Oliver Nduhungirehe doesn't just engage in debates on Twitter, but he bullies and harasses, and comes dangerously close to threatening others in these debates. Rwandan Minister of Defense James Kabarebe has done the same. He has "ordered" me to "stop any further discussion on Rwanda!" (direct quote from a Tweet on June 6, 2013) as if he holds any authority over me. There are also lesser known Kagame supporters who engage in the same behaviors.

All of this would be of little consequence if there weren't already at least 6 million dead because of Kagame. His actions sparked the First and Second Congo Wars. His actions still create displaced persons within the DRC. His actions still cause unnecessary death due to starvation, exposure, disease, and war.

While Kagame may be able to "resurrect the dead" to write a slanderous report to accuse the humanitarian organization Human Rights Watch of bias against him and his government the RPF, Kagame cannot bring back to life those whose deaths he has caused and is causing. All signs point to the fact that Kagame is not going to stop his reign of terror. The United Nations will do nothing. They will do nothing until the citizens of the world do something. The citizens of the world must demand that their governments stand up to this bully. The citizens of the world must demand that Kagame be contained and held accountable for his crimes. His crimes are not all in the past - He continues to carry out those crimes both within and outside of his nation's borders each and every day.