Maddow on Uganda and the Family

By Julie Bolcer

MaddowUgandax390 (Screen grab) | Advocate.com

MSNBC host Rachel Maddow and journalist Jeff Sharlet on Monday discussed the proposed bill in Uganda that would impose penalties including death on gay people in the African country, an American ally.

Sharlet, author of The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power, detailed the connections between high-powered American conservatives known as the Family and antigay Ugandan leaders such as President Yoweri Museveni; pastor Martin Ssempa, an associate of Saddleback Church leader Rick Warren; and David Bahati, the Uganda lawmaker who sponsored the draconian bill.

Maddow asked Sharlet whether a statement of opposition from an influential figure like Warren would be enough to stop the bill.

“We don’t know because they’re not trying,” said Sharlet.

Watch the segment below.

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Reader Comments

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Name: elsie
Date posted: 12/9/2009 3:38:05 PM
Hometown: nowheresville

Comment:
Is the death penalty to be imposed on people for being gay, or for committing gay rape, or what?
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Name: Aaron Caper
Date posted: 12/2/2009 2:45:51 PM
Hometown: Bloomington, IN

Comment:
Exactly, the language is always softer or more hell-fire brimstone depending on the audience. If you are on the receiving end of the spectrum, (such as Gays... excuse me, "people struggling with same-sex attraction" to Exodus International) the voice is soft and coaxing and feigning of tolerance and acceptance when really they expect full prostration from you to their impossible dogma. In America, it is expected that you respect another human to a greater degree than, well, for example, Uganda- which they feel is an inferior and Third World country (older and more advanced *truly* than our young nation). Sure, if they kill themselves before we do... no problem.
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Name: Aaron Caper
Date posted: 12/2/2009 2:35:11 PM
Hometown: Bloomington, IN

Comment:
I dare bring up organizations like Exodus International who's leaders and organizers have made confirmed visits to Uganda and other African Nations for summits on this particular issue of where a Gay person's place is in the Heart of God. The image is innumerably repeated of people who claim to be sharing the merciful message of SAVIOR actually playing with cultural taboos, reinforcing oppositional policies and behavior, and essentially working for political factions that wouldn't mind a few less perceived "inferior" human beings on this planet. We see that little responsibility is being taken for the consequences of imposing "Christian Values" out of context and with a clear subversive agenda. Sadly, many Christians do not realize the terrifying way their religion is being misused. People will look on our behavior in this era as they do now of The Crusades. People will, one day, call us Barbarians. And laugh at photos of us in our stupid outfits.
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Name: stephen kay
Date posted: 12/2/2009 8:40:51 AM
Hometown: Basingstoke UK

Comment:
The domonization of a minority is phase one of a crime against humanity. He should be tried for his role in utterly destroying the lives of 500000 LGBT people in Uganda. His sermons he gave were nothing short of hate speech. he said stuff in Uganda I doubt he would have said in the US. The people he has trained and influenced are all responsible and he has a case to answer to.
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Name: Vickie Davie
Date posted: 12/1/2009 4:53:53 PM
Hometown: Starke, FL

Comment:
FTR, Rick Warren and Saddleback Church severed ties with Ssempa when they learned just how far his beliefs on this issue go. I'm not particularly a fan of theirs, but I did want to make that known.
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Name: John Mahr
Date posted: 12/1/2009 3:46:27 PM
Hometown: Palm SPrings

Comment:
It would seem to me that the New Christian Right is really much newer than the figure they calim to represent. In fact, Jesus, of 2000 years ago did not espouse recriminations against homosexuals. These new Christians seem to follow Allah's will as expressed by a possible latter day prophet, Mohammed. Their lives and every activity should be scrutinized carefully to see if Allah had a special penalty in mind for any of these people who seem so quick to judge. Remembering earlier advice - Judge not, lest ye be judged...
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Name: Praise the Baby Jesus!
Date posted: 12/1/2009 11:46:08 AM
Hometown: Santa Ana CA.

Comment:
Just reading a story in todays "Orange County Register" local section titled Saddleback Church marks AIDS Day with free testing. Warren and his "Christian " followers could be gathering information so that those with HIV can be found and EXECUTED when the Evangelical Agenda is fully implemented here in the USA.
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Name: newz4i
Date posted: 12/1/2009 10:57:49 AM
Hometown: Phoenix

Comment:
I'm sorry, what's this term "Pro Life" from Conservatives? Guess it means this: Pro Straight Life, right?

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