Thursday, February 17, 2011

Censored words and Wikileaks.

Actually, was turning in.

Then I realised that tomorrow is election day and I may not be able to post... hey! Just thinking.

You think I am lying? Well, here are some of the preparations for elections in Uganda tomorrow. And, Reuters says that this is bloody serious.

Uganda has ordered phone companies to intercept text messages with words or phrases including "Egypt", "bullet," and "people power" ahead of Friday's elections that some fear may turn violent.
An internal email from the state-run Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) with the order was leaked to the opposition coalition Inter-Party Cooperation (IPC) on Thursday.
Patrick Mwesigwa, head of UCC, confirmed to Reuters that it was genuine.
"We had a meeting with content providers on Tuesday and we decided that a list of key words should not be transmitted," he said.
"Messages containing such words, when encountered by the network or facility owner or operator, should be scrutinised and, if deemed to be controversial or advanced to incite the public, should be stopped or blocked," he said.
The other English words or phrases on the list are: "Tunisia", "Mubarak", "dictator", "teargas", "army", "police", "gun", "Ben Ali" and "UPDF".
Then, Wikileaks did the needful, leaking some things about David Kato. And David Bahati, from the ever giving US Embassy cables.... Now, you should read the whole article in the Guardian. For me, I pick and choose some choice things....
Murdered gay rights activist David Kato was mocked at a UN-backed debate on Uganda's anti-homosexuality bill, according to a US diplomat in Kampala in a leaked American embassy cable.
The diplomat said Kato, who was bludgeoned to death near his home in the capital, Kampala, last month, delivered a well-written speech against the bill, but his words were almost inaudible due to "his evident nervousness". Throughout his talk a member of the Ugandan Human Rights Commission "openly joked and snickered" with supporters of the bill, the diplomat claimed in the cable. 
and, this
In the cable, dated 24 December 2009, the diplomat claimed Ugandan politicians, including the author of the anti-homosexuality bill, David Bahati, had channelled anger at the country's socio-political failings into "violent hatred" of gay people. 
hey, also this....
Other confidential memos sent between Kampala and Washington in 2009-2010 and sent to WikiLeaks paint a picture of a worsening human rights climate in the runup to Ugandan elections on Friday . They chart Uganda's "chilling" descent from tolerance to violent homophobia and a deepening fear among gay activists, who claim they are being increasingly monitored and harassed.
The memos, classified as confidential, also reveal US diplomatic attempts to combat the draconian bill – which is at the parliamentary committee stage.
Under the heading Comment: Homophobic Demagogues, the diplomat reports in the Christmas Eve cable that Bahati, a born-again Christian MP from the ruling party, had become "further isolated" following "recent condemnations" by high-profile Pastor Rick Warren and other US-based individuals who are against the bill. However, it was clear he would not yield to international pressure.
Referring to Bahati, the diplomat said: "His homophobia … is blinding and incurable."
The diplomat refers also to James Nsaba Buturo, Uganda's minister for ethics and integrity, a strong supporter of the bill, and Pastor Martin Ssempa, who organises anti-gay rallies in Uganda, as key players ushering in a new era of intolerance.
"Bahati, Buturo, and particularly Ssempa's ability to channel popular anger over Uganda's socio-political failings into violent hatred of a previously unpopular but tolerated minority is chilling," the diplomat said.
 
You will have to read the rest from the Guardian....

Now. I am very sure my post contains some of the condemned, seditious, censored words above. And, tomorrow is election day......!

So, till we blog again, ok?!!!!

Hey, we can laugh at certain inadequacies in people's blinding logic. It keeps us very sane....!

be well, and I hope by this time tomorrow we shall not have an Iran, or Libya thing.... see, those words are not to be censored!

gug

1 comment:

Leonard said...

I keep blogging about how nutso David Bahati is--it´s reassuring, yet scary, to note what a complete wacko and lost Soul he has become--hate to say it but I think the dude is very sick and you must take better cover if he gains on credibility. Good luck with the election, perhaps President Museveni will put a lid on all the anti-LGBTI crapola after he gets his ¨win.¨

Post a Comment