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| Son of Africa or ugly American? (328254) | |||
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Son of Africa or ugly American? |
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Posted by Orange Blossom Special on Wed Jun 18 07:09:43 2008 Consider a recent column out of Uganda, where, as in most of Africa, abortion is prohibited by law. "The Democrats whom Obama wants to take to the White House are known for killing unborn babies," columnist Owen Kibenge declared. Even worse, Kibenge continued, Obama supports civil unions and adoption rights for homosexual couples. "I am certain that the majority of Ugandans would not subscribe to this, even if it meant not voting for a black man," Kibenge added. He might be right. And as Obama well knows, it's not just Africans who are conservative on these issues; African Americans are, too. That's why 30 percent of black voters in the so-called Bible Belt of northern Florida voted for George W. Bush in the 2004 elections, giving Bush a clear margin of victory in the state that nearly cost him the presidency four years earlier. And that's why black pro-lifers recently staged a protest outside of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Washington, where they condemned Obama's stand on abortion.But that won't be enough to satisfy some conservatives in the African-American community, where, as Obama has admitted, "homophobic attitudes" run deep. And it certainly won't win Obama much favor here in Africa, once more people find out about his position on gay rights. Remember, in most African countries, all homosexual activity is illegal. In Kenya, the birthplace of Obama's father, gay sex is punishable by five to 14 years in jail. It carries a penalty of up to 10 years' imprisonment in Zimbabwe, where President Robert Mugabe has charged that "gay gangsters" from the West are conspiring against his regime. For the record, Mugabe says that homosexuality is a "white disease." That's also what you hear in Ghana, which banned a proposed conference of gays and lesbians in 2006. As one government spokesman explained, homosexuality "violently offends the culture, morality, and heritage of the entire people of Ghana." Never mind that same-sex love has a long history throughout Africa, or that Ghana has a small but brave gay-rights movement. Ghanaians insist that homosexuality is a depraved import from the West, especially from America. "America is a sick society today because of overindulgence in freedom and liberty," a local columnist wrote last year, denouncing the gay-rights campaign. "Perhaps this is one cultural change that Africa is refusing to accept." Soon, perhaps, more Africans might also refuse to accept Barack Obama ... there's a whole story in the link. Expect his position to completely reverse or become ambiguous by the end of the week. |
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