The title says it all: Ignorant Rick Warren's Ugandan BFF is Dangerously Crazy

Who is talking to Obama's people about this?

So, who in our community is talking with Obama's people about how hurtful, misguided, and wrong this choice is?  Every time the mainstream media covers it (minus Maddow) they turn it into a simple ideological/religious disagreement.  Who is communicating the real tangible effects of a person like Rick Warren on gay teens who are sent to his Friday night "ex-gay" ministry?  Who is talking about the truth behind his "amazing" AIDS work in Africa?

I would like to know.  

I know HRC wants Obama to endorse their 4 (or 5) point plan for equality but nothing seems to be happening on that and there is no effort so far from the national groups to mobilize us around federal legislation.  (Exception:  NCTE sent a good action alert out the day the Congress was sworn in about a trans-inclusive ENDA.)

The women's community, on the other hand, is already moving towards getting a vote to overturn a bad Supreme Court decision on requirements for bringing an equal pay suit:  http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01...

Where are the articles and mobilization about our legislative agenda?  I know it is early, but if we wait then the Dems will use the mid-term elections as an excuse to delay.

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by: Repeal8 @ Thu Jan 08, 2009 at 11:04:22 AM CST

I would have never heard of Ssempa ...

... had it not been for the blogosphere.  The broadcast news industry is seriously falling flat on their face on this one.

"There are two kinds of people in this world -- the kind who separate the world into two kinds of people, and those who don't."  -- Gloria Steinem

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by: red7eric @ Thu Jan 08, 2009 at 11:21:48 AM CST

God created blogs just for this reason.

Hey, if they can believe in witches meeting under a lake, I can believe that.

Seriously, this is something that all blogs need to be pushing into the spotlight.  Times like these I wonder if there's more evil going on in the world now or if we just knew about it less until a couple of years ago.

For all that it's abused and taken for granted, the Internet is the best thing ever.

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by: diablorobotico @ Thu Jan 08, 2009 at 12:09:40 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Then...

Hey, if they can believe in witches meeting under a lake

then I can believe that the lake itself is infested with sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads.

Sounds like Ssempa is much more deserving of the title 'Dr. Evil.'

>^..^<

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by: KatRose @ Thu Jan 08, 2009 at 12:16:40 PM CST

[ Parent ]

I knew about Warren and Akinola

and his defense of Akinola's murder fo 700 moslems, but didn't know about this fellow.

Support Obama: because genocide is just a different point of view


I tell you Chica that no greater abomination exists than women denying their spirit of sisterhood and instead becoming the oppressor. -Rebeca, Universidad Complutense de Madrid

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by: MauraHennessey @ Thu Jan 08, 2009 at 12:39:39 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Ah but he is award winning crazy!

From New Vision Online, "Uganda's leading website" http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8...
Sunday, 14th September, 2008  
By Joyce Namutebi

DR. Martin Ssempa, a pastor at Makerere Community Church, has received an award for his fight against homosexuality.

Ssempa and his wife Tracey received the plague[(sic), really!] from Apostle Alex Mitala, the overseer of the National Fellowship of Born Again Churches in Uganda.

This was during the "Great Marriage Celebration" organised by the National Association of Marriage Enhancement in conjunction with the National Fellowship of Born Again Pentecostal Churches in Uganda at Nakivubo Stadium over the weekend.

"They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." - Andy Warhol



"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction" - Blaise Pascal

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by: TruthandLove @ Thu Jan 08, 2009 at 11:57:15 AM CST

Puny 2% of the population!

1.3% of Americans are over the age of 85.
1.5% of Americans claim Native American or Alaskan heritage.

Since we don't seem to have a problem abridging the civil rights of any population comprising <=2% of the population, I hereby declare the marriages of any old people or American Indians to be null and void.

"If people let government decide which foods they eat and medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny." -- Thomas Jefferson

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by: RadicalRuss @ Thu Jan 08, 2009 at 12:22:13 PM CST

Seriously

No one wants to think about old people doing it!

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by: Kringas @ Thu Jan 08, 2009 at 12:30:49 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Hey! I am old and I do it.

as frequently as possible....

I tell you Chica that no greater abomination exists than women denying their spirit of sisterhood and instead becoming the oppressor. -Rebeca, Universidad Complutense de Madrid

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by: MauraHennessey @ Thu Jan 08, 2009 at 12:40:28 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Evangelical and fundamentalist missionary work in Africa adds to the misery

Instead of sending legions of "Christian" evangelicals and fundamentalists (not to mention Jehovas Witnesses and Mormons) to Africa to stoke fears of witchcraft and Satan-worship, we should be sending EDUCATORS and INTELLECTUALS and SCIENTISTS to help them build their societies and join the rest of the world in the 21st century.

It makes me sick to think about the misinformation and outright lies that are told to Africans in the name of Jesus.  We should be helping them out of superstition and ignorance, not piling it on.

So, you want to help people in Africa?  Donate money to a non-sectarian and preferably secular non-profit agency like the Red Cross.  Sign up to work with the Peace Corps.  Work with a NGO that is dedicated to building infrastructure and schools in Africa.  But for GOD'S SAKE don't send a single penny to people like Warren who claim to be fighting AIDS in Africa by telling lies about condoms and human sexuality.

Warren "fighting" AIDS with ignorance is about the same as "fighting" a house fire by pouring gasoline on it.  How many lives will be cut short because of Warren's ignorance and lies?

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by: jpopphan @ Thu Jan 08, 2009 at 12:52:44 PM CST

Don't give the Catholics a pass

Catholic influence in Africa is large and growing (unfortunately), most notably in Nigeria but throughout the continent.  The Catholic Church's steadfast insistence on abstinence (a losing cause if there ever was one) and dogged opposition to condom use and distribution have contributed immeasurably to the spread of AIDS in Africa.  John Paul II and Benedict XVI have blood on their hands.  As do all the other villains doing what is smilingly referred to as "God's work."

I am not interested in picking up crumbs of compassion thrown from the table of someone who considers himself my master. I want the full menu of rights.  -Archbishop Desmond Tutu

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by: QScribe @ Thu Jan 08, 2009 at 14:12:36 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Love someone. Go to jail.

Meanwhile there's news out today about 8 gay men being jailed in Senegel for sexual misconduct.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/afr...

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by: Karen in Kalifornia @ Thu Jan 08, 2009 at 12:59:07 PM CST

Silly Pam!

Are we not human?

Of course you're not human.  That's the whole point.

I've always wanted to see the anti-gay asked two questions.

1.  Yes or no, do you think homosexuals are human beings?

2.  If yes, then why do you want to deny them their human rights?

OR

2.  If no, then why don't you just say so?  


"Tonight...L Word marathon."

"You watch The L Word?"

"On mute."

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by: BenVarkentine @ Thu Jan 08, 2009 at 15:37:03 PM CST

Preaching to the choir here.

I want to see what Rachel M. will or will not say.

It's the Hammer of JUSTICE,
It's the Bell of FREEDOM,
It's the Song about LOVE between,
my Brothers and my Sisters
...All over this Land.

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by: Orion45 @ Thu Jan 08, 2009 at 15:55:32 PM CST

I wonder how Sseempa and CBN would feel about his statements…

...from a Charlie Rose interview he did a couple of years ago (August 17, 2006):

This part was just interesting, @ 26:00:

Rick Warren: There are three things that changed my life, Charlie, four years ago. All I wanted to do was pastor one church for life and train other pastors and I had determined that I was never going to go on television or the radio, put our services on, because I didn't want to be a televangelist. I think always being in the spotlight blinds you.

This is the relevant part, @ 30:00:

Rick Warren: Here's an interesting thing, when I go out and I start telling people, 'do you want to work with us on poverty, disease, AIDS, illiteracy, injustice?' I often find people are more unwilling to work with us, than we are willing to work with them.

In other words, we're saying, 'You don't have to change your beliefs for us to work with you.' If you can only work with people that you agree with, then most of the world you're ruling out, okay? I don't insist that a Muslim change his belief for me to work on poverty. I don't even insist that a gay person has to change their beliefs, they're not going to accept my belief, or I'm not going to accept theirs.

But I just met with the president--the co-founder of ACT-UP. Eric Sawyer. And I said, Eric, how can I help you get your message--I know you care about people who are dying, how can I help you get your message out? He said, 'Use your moral authority.' I'm working with these guys.

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by: Emproph @ Thu Jan 08, 2009 at 15:56:58 PM CST

Rick Warren thinks that he's Oprah

Check this out......

www.purposedriven.com

Rick Warren has his own mag and it can be yours for just $29.99.  What a joke.............

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by: exfundie @ Thu Jan 08, 2009 at 18:55:57 PM CST

Wait...

"There are about 2% of Americans who are homosexual or gay and lesbian people. We should not let 2% of the population change the definition of marriage."

Ok. What if we convince 49% of the population to join us? What then? You all seem to love your mob rule. What would you say then?

"This is not even just a Christian issue. It's a humanitarian and human issue."

Then why does the term values voter exist?

You liar.

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by: Bachalon @ Thu Jan 08, 2009 at 20:17:15 PM CST

2%? OK...

We know the percentage of gays and lesbians is higher but going by their numbers (2%), that makes roughly 4 million adults second class citizens.

Fucking wonderful.

Dena

Cisgender. Because "Genetic" is so 2006.

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by: Denabeth @ Fri Jan 09, 2009 at 01:32:10 AM CST

2%

sounds like they got their info from the people who said gays live in only certain areas of this country

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by: jacjr56 @ Fri Jan 09, 2009 at 09:06:02 AM CST

2%?

No way is that right. Why do we let them frame the argument, and spread misinformation?

Come, come, my conservative friend, wipe the dew off your spectacles, and see that the world is moving."
-Elizabeth Cady Stanton

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by: T2inDC @ Fri Jan 09, 2009 at 17:50:25 PM CST

The meetings under Lake Victoria...

...aren't hosted by Satanists -- they're hosted by Amway (I know it's a fine distinction). I was hornswoggled into attending one of their meetings while visiting Kisumu in Kenya. Never again!

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by: TikiHead @ Fri Jan 09, 2009 at 20:54:27 PM CST