Extraordinary Story of the Ugandan War Orphan Who Hugged the Queen
That people are still capable of love, hope, compassion, and kindness after suffering the brutally dehumanizing atrocities of war—abduction & rape, mutilation, torture, genocide, ethnic cleansing, etc.—is a testament to the human spirit. This beautiful, talented, loving little girl was a victim of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Yes, that LRA, the same one Rush Limbaugh rushed to defend in his desire to try to make President Obama look bad when he sent 100 elite US troops to help stop them (see “Related Links” at the bottom of this page for more info).
Decent people everywhere should recognize that the haters among us—those who employ the subterfuge of things like religious righteousness and jingoistic nationalism to propagate vicious untruths for the sake of political expediency or financial gain—are humanity’s mortal enemies in both a spiritual and temporal sense. With conscious ill intent they encourage the fear, bigotry, racism, ignorance, rapacity, and misunderstandings that divide us and have resulted in unspeakable horrors throughout history. They are a scourge, a malignancy, as is anyone who continues to associate with or assist them once they realize who & what they’re dealing with.
NOTE: I had to use a bit of a hack/workaround to get the video to display in the page, so if you have trouble viewing it, just go directly to the source article at The Telegraph and watch it there.
She was the war orphan who brought a smile to the Queen’s face with a simple but heartfelt gesture of affection.
As she was introduced to Her Majesty at a Windsor Castle reception, 10 year-old Lydia Amito broke with protocol and gave her a hug, saying later: “I was so excited about meeting the Queen.”
Four thousand miles away, in her village home in northern Uganda, the excitement felt by Lydia, a member of the Watoto children’s choir which is touring Britain, is still palpable.
Her foster mother, Mamma Santa, looks at a photograph of Lydia reaching out to the Queen in front of dozens of assembled dignitaries and says: “I was so happy when I heard about Lydia hugging the Queen.
“She is a very affectionate child and I have always taught my children to love people and to express their love by giving them hugs.”
That Lydia is hugging anyone, never mind the Queen is a small miracle: during her short years she has witnessed an unbearable amount of suffering and misery.
But it is a miracle which came about thanks to the rehabilitation projects run by Uganda’s Watoto Church for the victims of the war waged by the Lord’s Resistance Army and its notorious leader Joseph Kony for 20 years from 1987.
There’s more about Lydia and her spontaneous hug in this article, also at The Telegraph: Child’s innocent hug brings smile to the face of the Queen
Related Links:
President Obama, Sandra Fluke, Rush Limbaugh, and the Lord’s Resistance Army - Little Green Footballs
Rush Limbaugh, Defender of the Lord’s Resistance Army - Little Green Footballs
Why did Rush Limbaugh defend Joseph Kony and Lord’s Resistance Army (+video)? - Christian Science Monitor
Limbaugh Defends Lord’s Resistance Army - The New York Times
Endign [sic] The Threat Of The Lord’s Resistance Army - Voice of America
Lord’s Resistance Army - Wikipedia