Posts by Rabbit

KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda's parliament adjourned Friday without acting on a criticized anti-gay bill that would mandate the death sentence in some cases, drawing praise from an advocacy group that said parliament's failure to act was a "victory for all Ugandans."

Speaker of Parliament Edward Ssekandi Kiwanuk said there is no time to take up the bill this session, which ends Wednesday, leaving the bill's future uncertain. Kiwanuk adjourned the parliament Friday and set no date for the body to return.

The bill has drawn criticism from U.S. leaders and human rights groups. The U.S. State Department spokesman on Wednesday called the bill "odious" and said no changes to the bill's wording would justify its passage.

Avaaz, an Internet group that champions action on issues like poverty and climate change, called it a "victory for all Ugandans and people across the world who value human rights" that parliament did not take action Friday.

"This vile bill is a matter of life and death for gay Ugandans, and would have seen the execution, imprisonment and persecution of friends of Avaaz, and thousands of others who have committed no crime at all. We must now ensure this heinous bill can never return to Parliament again," said Alice Jay, the group's campaign director.

David Bahati, who authored the bill, has said that if the anti-gay bill was not voted on this session, he would try to move the legislation forward next session.

Helen Kawesa, spokeswoman for parliament, said the anti-gay bill could come back up for debate in the next parliament but that it would likely take time to get back to the floor.

Story continues below Advertisement

Kakoba Onyango, a member of parliament, said the anti-gay bill has taken so long to be acted on because President Yoweri Museveni did not back it and because of the criticism of human rights groups.

Gay rights groups say that the harassment of gays has increased in Uganda since the introduction of the bill in October 2009.

Last year a tabloid newspaper in Uganda published the names and photos of men it alleged were gay. One cover included the words "Hang Them." Shortly afterward, a prominent gay rights activist whose picture was published was bludgeoned to death, though authorities contend David Kato's sexual orientation had nothing to do with the killing.

Bahati's original bill would mandate a death sentence for active homosexuals living with HIV or in cases of same-sex rape. "Serial offenders" also would face capital punishment. Anyone convicted of a homosexual act would face life imprisonment.

Anyone who "aids, abets, counsels or procures another to engage of acts of homosexuality" would face seven years in prison. Landlords who rent rooms or homes to homosexuals also could get seven years.

Homosexuality is highly unpopular in Uganda, and pastors in this Christian country speak out loudly against it. Bahati has said he thinks the bill would become law if voted on.

___

Associated Press reporter Godfrey Olukya contributed to this report.

116

I've Decided That It'll Be Best For Me To Return To The Kingdom Hall.

by Philadelphia Ponos in

jw
friends

after carefully evaluating the my current life situation, i've come to the conclusion that returning to the hall will be best for me.

i simply just don't fit in with the rest of the world.

i don't drink, smoke, have sex, go to clubs, listen to worldly music, watch movies, or gamble.

Rabbit

As someone else mentioned -- talk to management or Human Relations. The problem really seems, to me anyway, is that you are being bullied. There are laws about that.

But...going back to the KH will simply 'cement' your differences and intolerance (they notice...!) . And, going back...will undo all the good progress you've made walking away.

Please don't walk bacward. I'm sure you remember the 'why's' of leaving...

Good Luck

30

Uganda "Kill the Gays" bill could be passed in 72 hours...Sign the Petition

by unshackled in

this is barbaric.

we can help stop it by signing this petition.

here is the link to the site: http://www.allout.org/en/petition/uganda.

Rabbit

Done !

128

OK, WHO HERE IS GOING TO WATCH THE ROYAL WEDDING???

by Mary in

i admit it----i plan on getting up at 4:00 freaking am to watch it.

i remember getting up around that time 30 years ago .

anyone else plan on watching it?.

Rabbit

*sorry* I just cannot watch a country full of pretty decent people, 'living' in the dream of royalty. It kinda like "heir-loomed welfare..."

But... *I* won't judge, some people like that sorta thing.

56

VIDEO. Violent bloody protest at the Memorial in Burgas, Bulgaria. 2011

by 3Mozzies in

jw
friends

you will need to be signed in to youtube to see it, or go to the bulgarian website (link below).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mupvrlg-i8g&.

beat the pastors of jehovah's witnesses and wrecked their prayer house.. story from a bulgarian website - google translated.. .

Rabbit

Very disgusting. Like others...I could just picture that happening to my family back then. I think my exit would have been delayed, but, that kind of senseless violence would have cemented the Watchtower mind-set , that they were being persecuted -- in a LOT of JW's I knew.

And, yeah...the GB is always above and beyond any fray in their Ivory Tower, hiding behind their lawyers.

37

Ok, I smashed a spider yesterday, but released a ladybug out the window. Hypocrisy?

by miseryloveselders in

jw
friends

the weather over here is nice, and i'm ready to cash my chips in and say that spring is officially here.

yesterday, i saw a spider, and i don't mind spiders, but he was a little healthier than typical, and i stepped on him, wiped the mess with a paper towel, and threw it in the rubbish.

this morning i got up and saw a ladybug on the wall.

Rabbit

1st...it's a Scorpion Fly. Doesn't bite or sting ya'...his 'stinger' is his genitals! Cool, huh? He's a lover...not a fighter So, no, I wouldn't squash it nor any other bug til I knew better.

Fear of the unknown...gods, spirits, demons and yes, bugs, snakes & sharks is ignorance (albeit unavoidable at times) but, it does color our reactions and behavior.

For instance: If you knew their were only 2 poisonous spiders in N. America (out of hundreds)...and they are very distinctive, look them up, educate yourself. I remove Black Widows & Brown Recluse spiders to the woods and only smash them as a last resort. Leave the Huntsman, Hopping/Jumping and Crab spiders alone! Your life will be much more peaceful if you are aware and don't fear your surroundings.

27

A Religious Sub-Culture That Many Americans Have Never Heard Of, Yet Which Has Thousands Of Churches Across The Country, Churches That Critics Claim Can Foster Physical And Sexual Abuse, On ABC NEWS' "20/20"

by whereami in

jw
friends

sounds like it's worth watching.. .

elizabeth vargas' yearlong investigation into the independent fundamental baptist church airs friday, april 8. .

try to imagine the pain and humiliation of a teenage girl, just 15 years old, who says she was forced to stand in front of a new hampshire church congregation and confess her "sin" of being pregnant.

Rabbit

Maybe JW's will get an "honorable mention"...?

8

God - is in Critical Condition, on Life Support: says doctors...

by Rabbit in

Rabbit

What does it take to be a 'god'?

Apparently...a) Gotta have followers b) Somebody has to say you performed a miracle (educated drs. need not apply) c) Gotta have an out-going personality or at least a strong one.

Indian 'Living God' on Life Support

April 5, 2011 6:06 PM
By Katherine Rausch Click to Enlarge

Satya Sai Baba, believed to be an Indian living god, is on life support in a hospital, doctors reported today. The man, known for his miracles and followers in more than 100 countries, is a spiritual leader in India.

The 85-year-old was admitted to a hospital funded by his organization March 28 for lung and chest congestion.

Doctors said today he is in critical condition living on a ventilator and receiving kidney dialysis.

Thousands of followers have poured into Puttaparthi, home to Sai Baba’s ashram.

“I am confident that all this will be over and Baba will give darshan (appear to his followers) soon,” Sanjeev Singh, a devote from Uttar Pradesh, told the Press Trust of India.

Followers believe Sai Baba is a living god and the reincarnation of a great holy man, Sai Baba of Shirdi, who died in 1918.

10

How would the mind handle eternal torture in Hell?

by sabastious in

from what we know of the human brain how would it react to the stimuli of, say, 1000 years of burning alive?

what does a a mind that is used to burning as an existence act like?

would they eventually be able to stop screaming in pain on their own.

Rabbit

That Heat alone...? Should be done in about an hour, medium rare - 45 min.