Picture yourself as a child asleep in your bed. You are making your way through a peaceful dream.
Suddenly, you are awakened by a loud yell as a gun barrel is focused squarely between your eyebrows. A shadowy figure's voice is demanding you come with him or die.
When a child is abducted in the United States, typically law enforcement is notified and an Amber Alert is issued. Many steps are taken to recover the child and arrest the abductor.
This is not the case in Uganda, where a guerrilla army headed by a man named Joseph Kony continually abduct children from their homes to fight in an anti-government militia.
This army is known as the LRA, or Lord's Resistance Army. The child soldiers are known as the "Invisible Children."
Never would such a horrible situation ever be allowed to manifest itself and thrive in our great country.
Such a terrible injustice has been on the U.S. Senate's radar for some time and last May when Senate Bill 1067 was introduced to the floor.
Sen. Russ Feingold proposed legislation that would effectively support stabilization efforts in the country as well as protect its civilians and provide resources to overthrow the LRA.
In December 2009, Sen. Tom Coburn indefinitely put this potentially lifesaving piece of legislation on hold.
This is appalling. Coburn, otherwise known as "Dr. No" for his notorious tendency to block legislation in the past, demands there be "spending cuts" in the budget to afford this bill.
The bill has an estimated cost of $40 million, much less than $1 per American citizen, and certainly less than what the U.S. has provided in aid to the Haitian relief effort.
It is necessary and fair to note Coburn "agrees with the goals of the bill" but feels the money is wasteful spending unless compensated with spending cuts in other areas.
Many Democrats and even several of his fellow Republicans support this bill. But not Coburn. Apparently saving a few bucks is worth human lives to him.
It is time for "Dr. No" to break free from this cycle and say yes for once. Such stalling is costing the lives and freedom of people who are unable to help themselves.
It is logical and wise to be cautious with congressional spending, given the country's current economic situation.
However, the situation in Uganda is dire. The country itself is poor, and the people are incapable of dealing with this crisis themselves.
If Coburn values a miniscule amount of money over thousands of childrens' lives then perhaps he needs to reconsider his career choice of public service.
Serving in the Congress of the United States involves not just providing for the needs of your constituents but to serve the U.S. in its best interests by providing for those who cannot provide for themselves.
The U.S. is known for its heartfelt support in crisis situations and staunch support for human rights, but Coburn's actions threaten to mar this reputation immensely.
Coburn's irrational choice to stall this bill shows a lapse in judgement and a severe character flaw.
It is truly sad that this bill is being blocked due to one man's stubbornness.
These children are known as the "Invisible Children" for a reason because no other nation has stepped up to effectively end this humanitarian crisis.
No major media group has effectively exposed this tragedy to the public.
To most of the human population, these children are invisible.
The children's stories are untold, their cries are unheard, and their wounds are not healed.
There is no James Bond to defeat "Dr. No."
If our great and incredibly resourceful nation cannot help these helpless children, then who will?
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