Comments on: Uganda's religious and civil leaders continue calls for debate on Anti-Homosexuality Bill https://wthrockmorton.com/2011/04/07/ugandas-religious-and-civil-leaders-continue-calls-for-debate-on-anti-homosexuality-bill/ A [retired] college psychology professor's observations about public policy, mental health, sexual identity, and religious issues Wed, 30 May 2018 21:01:02 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 By: Richard Willmer https://wthrockmorton.com/2011/04/07/ugandas-religious-and-civil-leaders-continue-calls-for-debate-on-anti-homosexuality-bill/#comment-93825 Wed, 30 May 2018 21:01:02 +0000 http://wthrockmorton.com/?p=8944#comment-93825 P.S. Martin Ssempa must, like anyone else, understand that, in adopting the position he has chosen to take, he is making himself ‘fair game’ for such scrutiny as his opponents deem appropriate. Of course, I wish him no substantive harm; quite the contrary: I have tried to communicate directly with him the past (with limited success), but this, and the entreaties of others, have not seemed to cause his to review his aggression, so maybe ‘sterner measures’ are now needed.

]]> By: Maazi NCO https://wthrockmorton.com/2011/04/07/ugandas-religious-and-civil-leaders-continue-calls-for-debate-on-anti-homosexuality-bill/#comment-93820 Wed, 30 May 2018 21:01:02 +0000 http://wthrockmorton.com/?p=8944#comment-93820

@ Maazi : I find truth interesting, as it happens!…. – it confirms that there may be something to look at here!

Whatever rocks your boat. Good luck.

]]> By: Richard Willmer https://wthrockmorton.com/2011/04/07/ugandas-religious-and-civil-leaders-continue-calls-for-debate-on-anti-homosexuality-bill/#comment-93821 Wed, 30 May 2018 21:01:02 +0000 http://wthrockmorton.com/?p=8944#comment-93821 To ‘open up’ with on a little reflection on the life and times of Martin Ssempa …
Like others, I’ve heard ‘rumours’ from both Ugandan and other sources, but I’m not going to go into those, because I have seen (as yet) no clear evidence of their veracity.
Let’s look very briefly at some items that are (already) in the public domain:-
1. The infamous PPPorn show
When I watched Ssempa’s presentation, I was left with an abiding sense of a man who was finding what he was talking about deeply exciting and satisfying. Others, including in UG, felt the same way as I did.
2. The Kagaba-Oundo follies
This whole business is really quite extraordinary, and, I submit, very complex. Kagaba is clearly deeply attached to the Ssempa agenda, but, it is rumoured, is not averse to having nights out in gay hotspots. Kagaba also spent many years in David Kato’s close company, before ‘defecting’ to Ssempa. Oundo fronted up the March 2009 ‘recruitment’ presentation, having himself been ‘recruited’ by Ssempa, before going on record as having lied about the ‘recruitment’ stuff and ending up on Muhame’s ‘Hang Them’ list (hell hath no fury as that of a pastor scorned?). He has now reappeared at Ssempa’s side, although he is giving out very ‘mixed messages’, according to the New York Times. (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/14/world/africa/14uganda.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1)
The sense I get is that Ssempa has a very ‘personal attachment’ to these two troubled men, and feels a deep need for their visible support, even though both of them may be something of a ‘liability’ when it comes to advancing his (Ssempa’s) cause. (In a way, I view this apparent ‘attachment’ as oddly ‘honourable’ – although I think that it is almost certainly harmful to both Kagaba and Oundo.)
3. Ssempa’s own past
By his own admission, Martin Ssempa was once very promiscuous. He has not, as far as I am aware, specified the precise nature of his many sexual encounters, and it might be reasonable to conclude that, in the eyes of people like ‘Maazi’, some of his activities might have constituted a criminal offence under current ‘discriminatory’ UG laws, although I hasten to add that I have absolutely no ‘proof’ of this.
4. The Canyon Ridge connection
Readers of this blog are familiar with the story. What is clear is that pastors at Canyon Ridge went to great efforts to get Ssempa to ‘calm down’, and effectively drop his support for Bahati, before reluctantly dropping him; what is perhaps less well-known is that Ssempa has family connections with that church, as well as the former financial ones. I spoke with some folk at CR, and it was very clear to me that they did (and, I assume, do) have a ‘pastoral’ concern for Ssempa; it may be that they are aware of things that might justify such concern.
Another matter of interest is of course the Kayanja libel case (I won’t comment on this, as it is sub judice at the moment).
Just some thoughts … no firm conclusions, of course – that would not be appropriate.

]]> By: Richard Willmer https://wthrockmorton.com/2011/04/07/ugandas-religious-and-civil-leaders-continue-calls-for-debate-on-anti-homosexuality-bill/#comment-49346 Thu, 14 Apr 2011 13:17:28 +0000 http://wthrockmorton.com/?p=8944#comment-49346 P.S. Martin Ssempa must, like anyone else, understand that, in adopting the position he has chosen to take, he is making himself ‘fair game’ for such scrutiny as his opponents deem appropriate. Of course, I wish him no substantive harm; quite the contrary: I have tried to communicate directly with him the past (with limited success), but this, and the entreaties of others, have not seemed to cause his to review his aggression, so maybe ‘sterner measures’ are now needed.

]]> By: Richard Willmer https://wthrockmorton.com/2011/04/07/ugandas-religious-and-civil-leaders-continue-calls-for-debate-on-anti-homosexuality-bill/#comment-49345 Thu, 14 Apr 2011 13:10:19 +0000 http://wthrockmorton.com/?p=8944#comment-49345 To ‘open up’ with on a little reflection on the life and times of Martin Ssempa …
Like others, I’ve heard ‘rumours’ from both Ugandan and other sources, but I’m not going to go into those, because I have seen (as yet) no clear evidence of their veracity.
Let’s look very briefly at some items that are (already) in the public domain:-
1. The infamous PPPorn show
When I watched Ssempa’s presentation, I was left with an abiding sense of a man who was finding what he was talking about deeply exciting and satisfying. Others, including in UG, felt the same way as I did.
2. The Kagaba-Oundo follies
This whole business is really quite extraordinary, and, I submit, very complex. Kagaba is clearly deeply attached to the Ssempa agenda, but, it is rumoured, is not averse to having nights out in gay hotspots. Kagaba also spent many years in David Kato’s close company, before ‘defecting’ to Ssempa. Oundo fronted up the March 2009 ‘recruitment’ presentation, having himself been ‘recruited’ by Ssempa, before going on record as having lied about the ‘recruitment’ stuff and ending up on Muhame’s ‘Hang Them’ list (hell hath no fury as that of a pastor scorned?). He has now reappeared at Ssempa’s side, although he is giving out very ‘mixed messages’, according to the New York Times. (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/14/world/africa/14uganda.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1)
The sense I get is that Ssempa has a very ‘personal attachment’ to these two troubled men, and feels a deep need for their visible support, even though both of them may be something of a ‘liability’ when it comes to advancing his (Ssempa’s) cause. (In a way, I view this apparent ‘attachment’ as oddly ‘honourable’ – although I think that it is almost certainly harmful to both Kagaba and Oundo.)
3. Ssempa’s own past
By his own admission, Martin Ssempa was once very promiscuous. He has not, as far as I am aware, specified the precise nature of his many sexual encounters, and it might be reasonable to conclude that, in the eyes of people like ‘Maazi’, some of his activities might have constituted a criminal offence under current ‘discriminatory’ UG laws, although I hasten to add that I have absolutely no ‘proof’ of this.
4. The Canyon Ridge connection
Readers of this blog are familiar with the story. What is clear is that pastors at Canyon Ridge went to great efforts to get Ssempa to ‘calm down’, and effectively drop his support for Bahati, before reluctantly dropping him; what is perhaps less well-known is that Ssempa has family connections with that church, as well as the former financial ones. I spoke with some folk at CR, and it was very clear to me that they did (and, I assume, do) have a ‘pastoral’ concern for Ssempa; it may be that they are aware of things that might justify such concern.
Another matter of interest is of course the Kayanja libel case (I won’t comment on this, as it is sub judice at the moment).
Just some thoughts … no firm conclusions, of course – that would not be appropriate.

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