The Hold Out is over!  After spending 262 hours in front of Senator Coburn’s office, we have received word that Senator Coburn has released his hold on the bill.

The long nights in freezing weather, the excess of pizza, and the shortage of showers have paid off.

This means the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act is going to the Senate Floor where it already has 62 co-sponsors. We don’t foresee any more obstacles to its passing.

We could not be more ecstatic. Thank you to our friends at Resolve Uganda who made this happen. And thank you to everyone who has supported the demonstration in person, in spirit, or in $$.

We did it!!!!

From Resolve Uganda: IN THEIR WORDS....

Invisible Children was profiled on a special segment of BBC World News yesterday, and if you missed it, here is a link to the web version of  the piece. Watch it and tell the world to watch it....youtube it, blog it, re-blog it, facebook it and "like it".

It briefly covers the history of IC as well as provides information for a lobbying event we held on Capitol Hill this past June. We are so grateful and excited about the potential this story has!

We are all extremely excited to announce that Invisible Children will be jumping on Brand New's headlining tour with Thrice at the end of October for a month. Both bands have recently released acclaimed albums, and these tours will be the first to promote them. So not only are big things happening for these artists, but we get to pair the energy with our own initiatives by setting out on our most ambitious quest yet - calling on Obama to address the war in northern Uganda and put the United States' name behind international efforts to arrest Joseph Kony. Try saying that three times....and fast. 

Something happened the other day. Something ironic.

There are days when the only thing that will suffice a serious appetite is a 2 AM 7-11 run. Who's with me? But on this particular night, I witnessed something not unfamiliar to the 7-11 franchise.  Theft. But not any kind of theft.

This 15 year old still pre-pubescent punk walks into the store.... goes to the "beer cave".... and walks right out the front door while maintaining eye-contact with the man behind the register - as if to say, "just try to stop me." I'm there at the counter, paying for my moon pies, as any good participating citizen would. The man at the register just shook his head, defeated. I looked at him - then to the kid - back to the man, and thought "I need to run after him and stop him." I walked out. The acne laced thief just kept walking. And nothing. What was I going to do? The 7-11 dude told me not to go after him - that the last gentleman that did was, and I quote, "knifed". 

Invisible Children never started as a political movement. It started as a simple story - told by the characters themselves and amplified by a few young boys from Southern California with a couple cameras bought on eBay.  And 6 years later, we are on the verge of something truly historical, especially  from a political perspective.

So if you've ever needed to know anything about this movement, know this:

A brand new BILL has been introduced on behalf of the abducted children in northern Uganda called the LRA DISARMAMENT AND NORTHERN UGANDA RECOVERY ACT, or Senate Bill 1067. Here are the main highlights of the bill:

•First, to stop Joseph Kony: Develop a comprehensive strategy for working with international partners to ensure LRA captives are rescued and rebel leaders are prevented from committing further atrocities.
•Help the people he’s terrorized: Increase financial assistance to address the urgent needs of families forced to flee their homes by LRA attacks.
•Commit to lasting peace: Make long-term recovery for communities affected by the violence a priority in the region.

Make sure you set your TiVo to Larry King LIVE tonight for an exclusive interview with my homeboys - the founders of Invisible Children and Pete Wentz!!!

http://tinyurl.com/o5l899

This is preceding a major push we are organizaing on the steps of Capitol Hill.

How it Ends is organized by a broad coalition of organizations, including Resolve Uganda and Enough Project, dedicated to promoting the international leadership needed to end LRA atrocities and advance justice for victims of violence in this troubled region. The event will bring together experts, celebrities, musicians and activists from across the country to learn about the crisis and meet with elected leaders to promote policy measures to end it, making it one of the largest lobbying initiatives in our country’s history.