Homosexuality now against the law in Uganda, just as it was for 200 years in the US. It can be done. wnd.com/2012/11/uganda…
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanJFischer) November 25, 2012
A dark day for human rights looks imminent in Uganda, as a bill outlawing homosexuality is expected to be passed by parliament sometime in the near future (the parliament’s speaker said they’d pass it as a “Christmas gift” to their constituents). If this sounds familiar, it’s because the bill sparked international attention the last time it was brought forward by its author, MP David Bahati (featured here debating the legislation with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow). Domestically speaking most, but critically not all, voices have condemned the bill, which once provided for the execution of “serial” homosexuals. It’s reported that the death penalty is now off the table, traded for life imprisonment — a truly cold comfort, unless, like Christian fundamentalist radio host Bryan Fischer, one actually cheers this sort of inhumanity, and seeks it on American soil. source
Should his results come back and he is positive, that causes us a lot of worry. So right now, we have resolved that the remaining prisoners will be cuffed on the beds for fear that they might also escape.Ugandan Ministry of Health commissioner Dr. Jackson Amune • Discussing the escape of a prisoner who may have a case of the Ebola virus — one of 30 being held out of suspicion of having the virus. Despite the earlier WHO reports this morning that the virus was under control, some reporters in the country dispute this. (thanks Patrick deHahn)
Joaquim Saweka, the WHO representative in Uganda, told reporters Friday that everyone known to have had contact with Ebola victims has been isolated — a total of 176 people.
Ebola was confirmed in Uganda on July 28, several days after the deadly disease had started killing villagers in a remote corner of western Uganda.
At least 16 Ugandans have died so far, and officials say the 176 are being closely monitored for signs and symptoms of the disease.
The disease was initially tied to a single family, who contracted the disease at a funeral.
» Emergency health measures in place: One of the most virulent diseases in the world, the Ebola outbreak, centered on the Kibaale district of Uganda, was only confirmed as such recently. This is bad — Ebola has no vaccine and a 90 percent death rate. Most of the deaths are tied to a single family, who contracted the disease at a recent funeral. Seven others have fallen ill due to the disease. (thanks @sorta_like_art)
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“Beyond Famous” wants to clear up misconceptions: In the month since the release of the first “Kony 2012” video, a lot has happened — extreme hype, massive virality, extreme backlash, widespread questioning, congressional action and a very public mental breakdown. But that hasn’t stopped Invisible Children from trying, and now they’ve released a second clip on the phenomenon, partly an attempt to calm concerns and to more sharply focus on what the charity does in Africa, and partly to continue interest in the story of the Lord’s Resistance Army’s Joseph Kony. Of note: The voice on the video is not that of Jason Russell, who directed and narrated the first clip but was the subject of the TMZ-plastered breakdown. What do you guys think? Does this help calm some of your concerns, or are you still skeptical?
Without the Internet and YouTube, [Joseph Kony’s] dastardly deeds would not resonate with politicians. When you get 100 million Americans looking at something, you will get our attention.Sen. Lindsey Graham • On the effect Kony 2012 has had on lawmakers. Yesterday, over a third of the Senate co-sponsored a bill condemning Kony’s actions; now, Graham and other members of Congress are working on a “bounty bill” to help encourage the capture (or “disappearing,” shall we say) of Kony, the now-infamous Ugandan warlord. Graham’s bosom buddy, John McCain, echoed his colleague’s sentiments, saying that “if not ending up dead, [Kony] could end up in the International Criminal Court, and it’d be a wonderful thing.” Now, there’s been a lot of controversy surrounding Kony 2012 and its creators; however, regardless of what you think of the organization behind the effort, it’s inspiring that something as simple as a YouTube video can actually spur Congress into action. It’s also nice to see Democrats and Republicans agree on something for once. source (via • follow)
It’s bad, guys. He even showed up on TMZ. Russell, who has faced a ton of praise and criticism in recent weeks over his group’s successful attempt to make Joseph Kony famous, was detained Thursday for public drunkenness, masturbating in public and vandalizing cars on the streets of San Diego, the group’s American home base. Officials realized that he was having a bit of a breakdown and hospitalized him. “Jason Russell was unfortunately hospitalized yesterday suffering from exhaustion, dehydration, and malnutrition,” the CEO of Invisible Children, Ben Keesey, said in a statement. “He is now receiving medical care and is focused on getting better. The past two weeks have taken a severe emotional toll on all of us, Jason especially, and that toll manifested itself in an unfortunate incident yesterday.” In case anyone’s morbidly curious, we’ll let you head over to TMZ yourselves. No link necessary. source
An organization called African Youth Initiative Network screened the now-infamous KONY 2012 documentary for thousands of Northern Ugandan men, women, and children on Tuesday. While some were confused by the film’s narrative, many were angered by it’s portrayal of their country and near-celebrity status that it bestowed upon Joseph Kony. “If people in those countries care about us, they will not wear t-shirts with pictures of Joseph Kony for any reason,” said one attendee, adding, “that would celebrate our suffering.” source
No one wants a boring documentary on Africa. Maybe we have to make it pop, and we have to make it cool. We view ourself as the Pixar of human rights stories.“Kony 2012” director Jason Russell • Making a telling point in an interview with the New York Times about his video, which has faced popularity and scorn in equal measures. The success of the video — far beyond your average viral video — has pushed its spread far beyond the traditional activism video, but not without criticism. Should Pixar be an example for an activist movement?
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Our programs are Ugandan inspired and Ugandan led. As in they were created by Ugandans for Ugandans. Nobody is more aware of the dangers of the “White Man’s Burder” [sic] messiah complex than Invisible Children. Our programs actively seek to empower Ugandans to help themselves. Every. Single. Program.Invisible Children’s John Rudolph Beaton has written a response to criticisms the group’s Kony 2012 campaign has faced, specifically from Visible Children. He’s clear though, that he’s not speaking for his group: “This is my own personal, response and does not reflect the views of any person or any organization besides myself.”
We generally don’t bother to delve into provocative statements made by conservative radio demigod demagogue Rush Limbaugh, because it seems rather obvious that such is his intent. That said, we can’t bring ourselves to let his comments on the Lord’s Resistance Army of Uganda (which was at best utterly lazy and misinformed and at worst shameful — we’ll hold out hope for misinformed) go uncommented on. For those unaware, he criticized President Obama for sending soldiers to Uganda to help defense training against the LRA, because as Limbaugh reasoned, the LRA are Christians fighting Muslims. The reality of what the Lord’s Resistance Army is, and does, is not in dispute. And honestly, we can’t express this sentiment better than the brave woman above. If Limbaugh can’t even apologize for this, he really is a lost cause.
Uganda’s anti-gay bill still exists, everyone: The legislation, authored by MP David Bahati, originally imposed the death penalty for people found guilty of “serial” homosexuality (it’s been reported that this penalty has now been removed from the bill), as well as prison sentences for first-time offenders, and heterosexuals who know of a gay person but don’t report it (presumably still in full swing). It’s self-evidently vile, evil, and has no place whatsoever in a civil society. There were reports last night that officials would vote on the bill today, but it’s not on the docket; the AP is reporting that the bill may come up for debate on Friday. source
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