Posted on 12/08/2011 12:33:51 PM PST by presidio9
On Jan. 26, a man broke into the home of David Kato and proceeded to bash him to death with a hammer. Kato was a gay activist in Uganda, where the parliament has for the past two years been debating a bill that would not only impose the death penalty for homosexuality, but punish anyone who merely knows the existence of homosexuals yet doesn’t report them to the police. While the law has not passed, the environment in Uganda is such that many people believe they can attack and even kill gay people with impunity.
Indeed, in the months leading up to Kato’s murder, an atmosphere of hysterical hatred — given sanction by the country’s elected leaders — consumed Uganda. Three months before Kato was killed, a Ugandan newspaper published pictures of 100 “Top Homos” next to the banner “HANG THEM.” The bludgeoned corpse of David Kato is but one of the many consequences of state-sanctioned homophobia.
Although she did not mention Kato on Tuesday, Secretary of State Clinton must have had him in mind this week when she addressed delegates to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. It was there that she delivered what historians will one day look back upon as a monumental speech, in which she declared that the continuing oppression of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people is “one of the remaining human rights challenges of our time.”
Sexual minorities, Clinton said, “are treated with contempt and violence by their fellow citizens while authorities empowered to protect them look the other way or, too often, even join in the abuse.” She addressed the pernicious argument — common in Uganda and many other places — that homosexuality is “a Western invention,” plainly calling it a “human reality.” And she issued a challenge to a world in which more than 70 countries criminalize homosexuality: “It should never be a crime to be gay.” On the same day as Clinton’s speech, President Obama issued a directive instructing federal agencies to “ensure that U.S. diplomacy and foreign assistance promote and protect the human rights of LGBT persons.”
One would think that this long-overdue expression of support for a baseline principle of human rights — that people should not be imprisoned, never mind killed, because of their sexual orientation — would garner support from the broad American political spectrum. Nowhere in her speech did Clinton endorse marriage rights for gay people, nor their ability to adopt children, both of which remain contentious issues in the U.S. She merely put the full moral force of American diplomacy on the right side of a basic idea: that when it comes to the conflict between governments that harass and murder gay people and the targets of such harassment, America will stand with the victims.
But this was too much for some of the Republican presidential contenders, most notably Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Condemning the abuse of gay people overseas, he said, constitutes “a war with people of faith in this country,” a “war on traditional American values,” he specified, that “must stop.” He added that, “Promoting special rights for gays in foreign countries is not in America’s interests and not worth a dime of taxpayers’ money.” Those who have followed the debate over homosexuality in America have become used to the rhetorical trick that identifies equal rights in marriage, military service and employment as “special rights.” Now, apparently, not being killed can be added to the list.
Obama “has again mistaken America’s tolerance for different lifestyles with an endorsement of those lifestyles,” Perry concluded. “I will not make that mistake.”
That last sentence is chilling. Does it mean that, if elected President, Perry would reverse the American government’s opposition to the murder of homosexuals overseas?
Perry was joined in his denunciation by former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who said that “the administration is promoting their particular agenda in this country, and now they feel it’s their obligation to promote those values not just in the military, not just in our society, but now around the world with taxpayer dollars.”
Unfortunately, the ostensible adults in the race,
Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, have as yet had nothing to say.
Of course, protecting the rights of gay people will rarely, if ever, be the sole consideration in American foreign policy. This conundrum is apparent in the U.S. government’s alleged
recent denial of asylum
to a Saudi diplomat who told American officials he is gay and would be persecuted were he to return to his country.
But it is never wrong to come out, so to speak, on the side of individual rights and dignity and against the forces of bigotry and fanaticism. How sad and pathetic that, at least for some, scoring cheap political points has warped their basic humanity.
***Kirchick is a fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a contributing editor to The New Republic.***
The author is an outspoken critic of union thug violence, right? /sarc
How do most folks with HUSSEIN in their names view gay people?
I guess there aren’t enough “gay hate crimes” committed by “conservatives” in the USA, so the media have to import some stories from distant Uganda to try and prove their point.
Who didn’t see this coming. More people to put on the public dole. Perhaps they can go to Europe instead.
Yet, the same liberals are the first ones to say, “Well that’s their laws, we have to respect them.” when some Muslim country executes a Christian for “blasphemy” or having a bible.
The stupidity seems to be boundless with some people. I used to be amazed when I saw garbage like this in print.. Seeing it is the chilling thing. That someone can so strangely link such things together and that sane people can read it without puking.
“That last sentence is chilling. Does it mean that, if elected President, Perry would reverse the American government’s opposition to the murder of homosexuals overseas? “
How about the wholesale persecution and murder of Christians abroad? Oh, I’m sorry, we’re talking about the left here. Their “charity” only goes so far.
So a homosexual get murdered in Uganda therefore the blame clearly falls on the US if we dare to cut foreign aid? Wow, why couldn't I see that?!!!!
In the last nearly 14 years here, I have come across one person that thought homosexuals should be incarcerated, and have never seen someone suggest they should be killed or physically harmed.
I have some homosexual friends. On homosexual issues, I am honest with them. They obviously disagree with me, but we are respectful of each other.
If someone were to advocate violence against them, I would come to their defense in a heartbeat.
It is shocking to see someone on the Left be so incredibly stupid on this matter. I’m sure that even he if exposed to this sort of article written by someone else, would know down deep inside that it was a pack of lies.
Reading public, this is the type of person you support, when you’re a card carrying Democrat. Haven’t you had enough of it?
I was always told that we as Americans had to respect, admire, even emulate, the admirable African cultures.
I mean, who are WE to denigrate their stern and admirable laws, or dare to impose our decadent Western thought upon these noble people?
She Who Must Not Be Named should be ashamed of Herself, trying to impose Western culture over African cultures.
Truly laughable article. I actually chuckled at the way the author took Perry’s words “not endorsing the gay lifestyle” and turned them into “death to the queers!”. Even a log cabin republican would be embarrassed to have written such a screed.
I’m just wondering if in Uganda , where the HIV/AIDS rate is astronomical ,, if the proposed law wouldn’t save millions of lives.
Murder is murder. It is not a matter of what the motive was. For the victim, the seriousness of the offense is the same, whether is was because of prejudice, jealousy, envy, or theft.
The only thing we must assess is whether the act was non justifiable (as self-defense), and was purposeful.
If we do not stick to simple rules of justice, we are in big trouble. A society without justice falls back on the remedy of revenge, and history shows that this easily becomes endless vendetta.
What a tortured path of reasoning - Perry’s “I won’t make the same mistake as Obama” is the same as wanting to bludgeon homosexuals to death in Uganda - I worked with severe psychotics in a psychiatric hospital who showed better contact with reality......
Murder is murder. It is not a matter of what the motive was. For the victim, the seriousness of the offense is the same, whether is was because of prejudice, jealousy, envy, or theft.
The only thing we must assess is whether the act was non justifiable (as self-defense), and was purposeful.
If we do not stick to simple rules of justice, we are in big trouble. A society without justice falls back on the remedy of revenge, and history shows that this easily becomes endless vendetta.
The left will continue abusing the term "minorities" for political purposes until it has no sympathetic meaning. Is not everyone a "minority" of one sort to another, from people of Chinese descent to the hated "One Percent?"
“The GOP cozies up to gay haters” is a complete lie on the part of the author/propagandist.
I’m really surprised that they would bring David Kato into this. Last I heard he was murdered by a homosexual whom he refused to pay off....
“....But a police source, who preferred anonymity because he is not authorised to talk to the press, said the suspect confessed to killing Kato because he was reportedly tired of engaging in homosexual practices.
“We have taken him to Mukono Magistrate’s Court to record an extrajudicial statement,” the source said. “He told us that he killed Kato after he failed to give him a car, a house and money he promised as rewards for having sex with him,” the source said.
Kato is alleged to have bailed the suspect out of Kawuga Prison on January 24, where he been remanded on charges of theft of a mobile phone. The suspect told police that he stayed with Kato for two days. He accused the deceased of having sex with him and promising to pay him during the period.”
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1100686/-/c5a2fcz/-/
Let's look at what this writer SAYS Rick Perry said, for example:Condemning the abuse of gay people overseas, he said, constitutes “a war with people of faith in this country,” a “war on traditional American values,” he specified, that “must stop.”
Notice how and WHERE the quotes start and stop? It's because the lying writer couldn't make the same point with a truthful, full quote. Here is the written statement at issue:
Statement by Gov. Rick Perry on Obama Administration’s Use of Gay Rights to Make Foreign Aid DecisionsIt's obvious that Perry is talking about gay marriage and similar issues, not gay bashing/ killing/ persecution.
Posted on December 6th, 2011
AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry today issued the following statement:
“Just when you thought Barack Obama couldn’t get any more out of touch with America’s values, AP reports his administration wants to make foreign aid decisions based on gay rights.
“This administration’s war on traditional American values must stop.
“I have proposed a foreign aid budget that starts at zero. From that zero baseline, we will consider aid requests based solely on America’s national security interests. Promoting special rights for gays in foreign countries is not in America’s interests and not worth a dime of taxpayers’ money.
“But there is a troubling trend here beyond the national security nonsense inherent in this silly idea. This is just the most recent example of an administration at war with people of faith in this country. Investing tax dollars promoting a lifestyle many Americas of faith find so deeply objectionable is wrong.
“President Obama has again mistaken America’s tolerance for different lifestyles with an endorsement of those lifestyles. I will not make that mistake.”
Effing columnist is just a flat out liar.
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