Today is the National Prayer Breakfast, an annual event attended by President Obama and organized by “The Family,” a Washington-based fellowship of Christian politicians. “The Family” is also known for its close affiliation with the Ugandan politicians who proposed making homosexuality a capital offense. A coalition of religious leaders are now calling on President Obama to recite a prayer for David Kato, a prominent, Ugandan gay rights activist who was bludgeoned to death in January, at the National Prayer Breakfast today.
The link between Kato’s sexuality and the murder is unclear — the man who confessed to the murder claims he attacked Kato because of a "personal disagreement" — but Kato was known for his strong opposition to Uganda's anti-homosexuality bill.
Bishop Gene Robinson, the ninth bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire in the Episcopal Church in the United States, and the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church, talks about his "Prayer for David Kato" campaign. Pepe Julian Onziema, a gay rights activist and close friend of David Kato’s joins us from Uganda.
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Worldwide Vigils Continue to Honor Slain Gay Rights Activist
David Kato was murdered late last month. In the weeks since his death, he has become the new face of the international gay rights campaign. In Uganda and around the world, vigils and mourning continue: a photo essay.
My post above contains two typos in the first line.
The first line should read: "This is an editorial QUESTION, and not an idEological one..."
This is an editorial, and not necessarily an idological one...
John Hockenberry introduced Bishop Gene Robinson as a "longtrime friend of the program." What does that mean? Does it mean "fequent guest"? Does it signal, "This is a guy whom we are interviewing, and we want you to know, before we start, that he is somebody we want you to pay attention to and to believe."
I was also struck by how Bishop Robinson, a clergyman, was immediately asked to comment on social and political ties between a Washington-based political group, and politicians in Uganda.
Last I heard, Gene Robinson was the Episcopal Bishop for New Hampshire. I suppose that John Hockenberry might regard Bishop Robinson as an all-purpose activist/expert on the politics of gay rights. And that his role as a Bishop of a mainstream Protestant denomination is useful in adding to his credibility. I'd certainly regard Gene Robinson as an expert on matters of gay politics within the church; but how does he get to be an expert on The Family?
Moreover; I'd urge critical-thinking listeners to compare this warm-hearted interview (with Bishop Robinson) to the cross-examination-style interview (completer with leading questions) in which Celeste and John attacked the Egyptian who held the simple belief that what would be best for his country (last I checked, neither Celeste nor John were Egyptian) would be for President Mubarak to complete his term in office, and to proceed with regularly-scheduled elections this fall, at which time Mubarak had indicated that he would not be a candidate. That suggestion seemed to astonish Celeste and John, but for reasons that went unstated.
No fair-minded listener can possibly think that these two interviews were anything other than The Takeaway's determined political bias.
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