Uganda is expected to soon legislate the death penalty for gays...and even if you are not gay, just saying "gay marriage is okay," can get you life in prison. Know a gay person and fail to turn him in? 3 years prison (see the bill here).
"Crazy Moslems!" you are thinking? Nope. Christians are implicated--specifically, an AMERICAN cult called The Family, whose members include "pro-family" adulterers Sen. John Ensign, Gov. Mark Sanford, and former Rep. Chip Pickering.
UPDATE X1: See related diary, US "Christians" exporting rabid homophobia to Africa.
UPDATE X2: Some comments have taken a anti-religion, anti-Christian tone. I think I should point out an aspect I found in this diary - how mainline U.S. churches are also victims here. Specifically, the right is using African Episcopalians, Methodists, and Presbetyrians to fight those same mainline American churches. And "buried in the lead"--it appears U.S. taxpayer money is being used in this fight against U.S. mainline churches (e.g. see page 19 of this report, about USAID dollars going to a right-wing Ugandan Christian college). I would not lump all Christians together.
Some other members (from a 2003 Harpers article): Don Nickles (R., Okla.), Charles Grassley (R., Iowa), Pete Domenici (R., N.Mex.), James Inhofe (R., Okla.), Bill Nelson (D., Fla.), and Conrad Burns (R., Mont.). And Representatives Jim DeMint (R., S.C.), Frank Wolf (R., Va.), Joseph Pitts (R., Pa.), Zach Wamp (R., Tenn.), and Bart Stupak (D., Mich.). Also Sam Brownback, R-Kan.
(Yes some Democrats here, but they are "moderate" dems.)
You may have seen The Family at work as sponsor of the National Prayer Breakfast every February in Washington D.C., regularly attended by 3,000. They also hold prayer events at the Pentagon and Department of Defense, and around the world.
A 2003 article in Harpers states: At the 1990 National Prayer Breakfast, George H.W. Bush praised (family leader) Doug Coe for what he described as "quiet diplomacy, I wouldn't say secret diplomacy," as an "ambassador of faith."
In Uganda, their prayer breakfasts are organized by David Bahati, who has introduced the bill to execute gays.
"The Family" links to Bahati were uncovered by journalist Jeff Sharlet, author of the book
The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power
He revealed the links on nationally syndicated NPR program, Fresh Air, with Terry Gross. Here is the transcript. (And here is a link to an earlier diary on the subject.)
An excerpt:
GROSS: So how did you find out that Bahati is directly connected to The Family? You've described him as a core member of The Family. And this is the person who introduced the anti-gay legislation in Uganda that calls for the death penalty for some gay people.
Mr. SHARLET: Looking at the, The Family's 990s, where they're moving their money to - into this African leadership academy called Cornerstone, which runs two programs: Youth Corps, which has described its in the past as an international quote, invisible family binding together world leaders,? and also, an alumni organization designed to place Cornerstone grads - graduates of this sort of very elite educational program and politics and NGO's through something called the African Youth Leadership Forum, which is run by...according to Ugandan media...which is run by David Bahati, this same legislator who introduced the Anti-Homosexuality Act.
GROSS: Now what about the president of Uganda, President Museveni? Does he have any connections to The Family?
Mr. SHARLET: Well, first, I want to say it's important that you said it, yeah, it hasn't gone into law. It hasn't gone in to effect yet. So there is time to push back on this. But it's very likely to go into law. It has support of some of the most powerful men in Uganda, including the dictator of Uganda, a guy named Museveni, whom The Family identified back in 1986 as a key man for Africa.
They wanted to steer him away from neutrality or leftist sympathies and bring him into conservative American alliances, and they were able to do so. They've since promoted Uganda as this bright spot - as I say, as this bright spot for African democracy, despite the fact that under their tutelage, Museveni has slowly shifted away from any even veneer of democracy: imprisoning journalists, tampering with elections, supporting - strongly supporting this Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2009.
He's come out just this - just last week and said that this bill is necessary because Europeans are recruiting homosexuals in Uganda, that Europeans are coming in and trying to make Ugandans gay. And he's been rewarded for this because this is sort of where these sort of social issues and foreign affairs issues and free market fundamentalist issues all come together.
(Is it hyperbole to paint the entire GOP with the "The Family" brush? Maybe. But I have not heard the GOP denounce "The Family" or it's policies. Is it wrong to blame U.S. "The Family" members for Ugandan excesses? I have not heard any U.S. member object. NOTE TO MAIN STREAM MEAT PUPPETS: Would one of you please ask any of the politicians above whether they support the gay "final solution" in Uganda, and whether they would go back to their "The Family" meetings and denounce it, or do they support the same in the U.S.?)