The Rescue

OK, I've known about The Invisible Children for a while, simply because I have a weird attraction for all things African. I've never been there (well, not yet at least!) but I've been wanting to go for as long as I can remember. Tried desperately to convince my Mom to let me join the Peace Corps so I could go, but she was just so worried about my safety that I went to grad school instead. I will get there. Some day.

The Rescue that David has mentioned a few times is a very cool, very interactive grassroots effort to bring attention to the atrocity happening in Uganda. Children are being abducted and forced to become child soldiers for the LRA - you know this right? Do you watch Lost? Remember Mr. Ecko? Yeah, that's what is happening *right now* and has been for so many years that the first children are already grown men. It's surreal, isn't it, to sit there in your cozy house/apartment and realize that somewhere, a boy is being forced to shoot someone in the head. Sorry to get graphic - David won't, so I will.

Today and tonight, in 10 countries, 100 cities and with over 74,000 people, The Rescue begins. I can't go to mine - but I've sent emails to my state reps and made phone calls to let them know about it. The event is radically unique and from what I can tell, both Senators, our Governor, and two State Senators are showing up. Woot! I live in a cool state.

So, it goes like this: participants meet at 3PM at a designated 'abduction site' and drop off a family photo (symbolically leaving them behind) and then march to the "LRA camp" where they will set up "camp" and and wait to be "rescued." A "successful" rescue requires two things: #1) media coverage and #2) the attendance of at least one pre-determined cultural or political leader. This person is referred to as the “mogul” or “rescuer.”

There's an event happening in Edinburgh today/tonight, which is only an hour away from Glasgow. How *cool* would it be for David to do this? Show up, march, camp out for a few hours, meet Ewan McGregor, before he has to leave to do his show? I'm sure that he would love to - he's an activist at heart. That's why I love him so much.