Uganda Threatens Death to Gays

I was so aghast at the headline I couldn't believe it. Yes, Uganda is working on legislation that will make homosexuality not only illegal (with jail up to 7 years) but may be punishable by death. Are you kidding?
No unfortunately they are not. Uganda where wife inheritance is common as are second wives, mistresses and general scallywag sexual behavior wants to outlaw what they deem deviant sex.

For those who know me, my faith is integral to who I am. I wear the sign of the cross always as a means of identifying and being proud of my faith. However, when sanctimonious Christian groups go over from the U.S to stir up trouble and help enforce laws Christ himself would not approve of, I want to tear my hair out. I totally understand why Christians in this country have such a bad rep.

I am also a shrink as many of you know. It seems (if you read the article) that there is still a group of people who think that counseling will "cure" homosexuality. OMG! That is as backward as leeching people to get out the evil humours.We haven't had that diagnosis since the 80's. That's like calling TB consumption.I know that Ugandans are using the latest Anti-Retrovirals to treat AIDS and that they have a rather good medical school in Kampala.

It seems to me that Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya and the rest of the African nations who want to hang, torture, jail or other punishments too unspeakable to mention here would be better served feeding their starving children and worrying about the widows.

The saddest thing for me is that when I return to Kenya in a couple of months, this subject is just not open for discussion. Worse still is that I will keep quiet about it (unless asked) because it would distract from my mission over there. I am a child of the 60's. I still want to fight back, but I am also older now, and I pick my fights more judiciously. So I put it here, and hope that those of you who read this will at least care and maybe write your congress people or newspapers and not let this story die.
It's going to be a long time before Gay Pride comes to Africa.

KAMPALA, Uganda - Proposed legislation would
impose the death penalty for some gay
Ugandans, and their family and friends could
face up to seven years in jail if they fail to report
them to authorities. Even landlords could be
imprisoned for renting to homosexuals.
Gay-rights activists say the bill, which has
prompted growing international opposition,
promotes hatred and could set back efforts to combat HIV/AIDS. They
believe the bill is part of a continentwide backlash because Africa's gay
community is becoming more vocal.
"It's a question of visibility," said David Cato, who became an activist
after he was beaten up four times, arrested twice, fired from his
teaching job and outed in the press because he is gay. "When we come
out and ask for our rights, they pass laws against us."
Story continues below ↓
advertisement | your ad here
The legislation has drawn global attention from activists across the
spectrum of views on gay issues. The measure was proposed in Uganda
following a visit by leaders of U.S. conservative Christian ministries that
promote therapy for gays to become heterosexual. However, at least
one of those leaders has denounced the bill, as have some other
conservative and liberal Christians in the United States.
The Ugandan legislation in its current form would mandate a death
sentence for active homosexuals living with HIV or in cases of
same-sex rape. "Serial offenders" also could face capital punishment,
but the legislation does not define the term. Anyone convicted of a
homosexual act faces life imprisonment.
Anyone who "aids, abets, counsels or procures another to engage of
acts of homosexuality" faces seven years in prison if convicted.
Landlords who rent rooms or homes to homosexuals also could get
seven years and anyone with "religious, political, economic or social
authority" who fails to report anyone violating the act faces three
years.
The bill is still being debated and could undergo changes before a vote,
which hasn't yet been set. But gay-rights activists abroad are focusing
on the legislation. A protest against the bill is planned for Thursday in
London; protests were held last month in New York and Washington.
Influenced by Western lifestyle?
David Bahati, the legislator sponsoring the bill, said he was encouraging
"constructive criticism" to improve the law but insisted strict measures
were necessary to stop homosexuals from "recruiting" schoolchildren.
"The youths in secondary schools copy everything from the Western
world and America," said high school teacher David Kisambira. "A good
number of students have been converted into gays.
Uganda's ethics minister, James Nsaba Buturo, said the death sentence clause would probably be reviewed but maintained the law was necessary to counter foreign influence. He said homosexuality "is not natural in Uganda," a view echoed by some Ugandans.

"I feel that the bill is good and necessary, but I don't think gays should be killed. They should be imprisoned for about a year and warned never to do it again. The family is in danger in Uganda because the rate at which vice is spreading is appalling," said shopkeeper John Muwanguzi.

Uganda is not the only country considering anti-gay laws. Nigeria, where homosexuality is already punishable by imprisonment or death, is considering strengthening penalties for activities deemed to promote it. Burundi just banned same-sex relationships and Rwanda is considering it.

You can read the whole article on MSNBC/Africa

The Tree That Ate MotherMadrigal

Tree Owning Car

Christmastime is upon me, and concurrently on some of my friends and the cats. Last night was the tree trimming party, an annual occasion of mirth, ornaments and a bit of alcohol.
This year, as each guest entered they remarked on the size of the tree sitting on my car. One person actually asked if the tree was going to keep the car. Yes, it was huge, it was beyond any adjective one could think of for it's girth, it's breathtaking limbs, or the size of the double trunk. Since I am the weasel that gets other people to put the tree up, I failed to notice that the trunk of the tree might present some engineering difficulties. Oh, well, there were several engineers coming, they could surely handle it.

Tree Owning People

With much grunting, pulling, swearing, wetness and scraped open skin, the tree was launched into the main parlor. The smell of fresh pine was delicious, the cocktails made everyone's spirit bright, and we were into it. The struggle was only beginning. I had gotten the Green Giant of tree holders online. I knew that I had to have something to hold a 12' tree and this promised to be tip proof. They struggled, they cajoled, they used any available tool and finally the tree stood. Frankly it was so unbelievably large I feared that it could swallow a small child. It spread itself out into the room such that it felt like it had gone from owning a car to actually owning its own home.

It's Alive!!!

Hundreds of lights were strung, ornaments galore were placed on the outreached boughs, gold ribbon twirled around the tree and glass icicles gave the treat the verisimilitude of an outdoor tree. It was beyond a creation as we stood back to admire it. And then came Boomer; one lap around the tree for good measure and all of a sudden this behemoth came crashing towards the floor. Richard, who perhaps had more good spirit than most of us, made an amazing catch as the sound of glass reverberated in the air.

 And So This is Christmas

This was the time when most of the guests had either left or were leaving. Only Richard, Megan and myself remained amid the shambles. But Richard and Megan have such phenomenal spirit that they would not let this Goliath go. At 8P, while the flakes were falling Richard went to Home Depot to get a saw (Mother just doesn't have those things, they were taken away from me long ago). I ordered pizza for all of us and wondered if the tree could be salvaged. Undaunted Richard returns with a small saw and begins the task of trying to saw off some of the gynormous trunk so it could stand again. We were all stone cold sober by now. Richard sweating away with the saw, my wondering if this was a good idea and Megan throwing in ideas for how to wrestle the puppy into order.

And Just What Did I Do You Fools!!

By 9:30P the tree, now 5 feet shorter, stood with its outstretched arms once again enticing us to decorate it again. And so we did..but for good measure the tree is also bolted into the walls in case Boomer wants to make a return lap.

Ahhhh Jello

I wish I had some small marshmallows, and maraschino cherries. They would have been perfect for the jello I just made. Jello; the mere word makes most young people including my children shiver in disgust and hit the highway as soon as possible. It quivers, it is clear and I have missed it. I have not made jello in 30 years, but one of the boxes for the Thanksgiving baskets got left on the counter and I couldn't resist.

I started the kettle to boil the water, got out the right princess bowl (from the 40's of course) and cleaned the little aluminum molds that helped entice an entire generation to eat something even my late basset hound wouldn't touch. (Trust me I tried. She didn't like marshmallows either)

Jello was fun! It was what was for desert most nights. And oh the combinations of things one could put into the shimmering dish. Chopped celery, raisins, mandarin oranges, minced pineapple, shredded carrots, the list is almost infinite.It could be used for a salad with the peas and carrots floating in a sea of green goo, for a fun side dish with olives and pimentos carousing with red jello. or jumpin and jivin with the myriad of fruits, nuts and sweet nothings that one could mix into it before putting it into the refrigerator to let it cool and get that gelatinous touch needed to make it wiggle.

There was, however, one dish of jello I refused to eat. It was called tomato aspic. My grandmother, a lovely gentlewoman from the South, had very fixed ideas about what was acceptable or not acceptable to eat at lunch. Chicken salad, egg salad, tuna, or a delicate sandwich with the crusts trimmed off were a yes, hamburgers or spaghetti were for truck drivers and definitely no. What was considered the queen of luncheon fare was her favorite... crab meat in tomato aspic. There was a special aluminum mold for this frightening dish. It was circular so that the tomato jello made a circle around the unsuspecting crab meat ("always leave a little shell in it dear, then they know it's fresh"). Mayonnaise was placed in the well first and then the crab meat. It was a horror to me and a disagreement my grandmother and I never resolved although I still have the aspic mold. Hmmm...I wonder what I'm doing with that.

So tonight I shall have a small cup of orange jello. No fruit cocktail handy I had to chop up some lychees to put in, I couldn't let the little fellow go naked. And I will remember a time when we had everything with butter, we dressed for dinner, and there was never enough whipped cream on top of the JELLO.

P.S So I go on the web to find a good photo of jello and I get this one. I hope you can read the writing. This confection is made with jello, yogurt and gummy bears. OMG!