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Show 4 Tuesday January 21, 2014 OPINION www.dailyutahchronicle.corn Anti-gay groups Students should learn from the '60s influence Africa ROSE JONES l aw Columnist T here is a frightening thing happening in Africa. The 2013 awardwinning documentary film "God Loves Uganda" depicts the return of Christian extremism and how it is taking radical biblical ideology into Uganda as a platform to promote the killing and hate of LGBT people. The U.S. far right, Christian same-sex hate groups have inserted themselves into African policy by writing anti-gay laws for Uganda and Nigeria under the pretension of biblical sin that merits punishment by death. These horrific laws came to fruition last week, ending with an anti-gay bill being signed by Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan. The penalty is 14 years in prison simply for being attracted to someone of the same gender. A watered-down anti-gay bill was passed by the Ugandan parliament, with punishment being prison time, not death. Fortunately, President Yoweri Museveni refused to sign that bill. He admitted being severely pressured by the American evangelicals to pass it, and he chose the rights of his people over the pressure. In the U.S. Constitution, the defining separation of church and state brought religious freedom to this country, and Americans have generally enjoyed the choice of what to believe or not believe. Even so, Christian influence continues to build in hampering the advancement of human rights for LGBT people and the civil right to contractual same-sex marriage. It seems that the more gay rights are recognized in the U.S., the more the anti-gay agenda is pushed in Africa. Over the past few years, groups of Evangelical Americans have been inflicting their biblical prejudice onto countries around the world, particularly in Africa. Their objective is to eradicate homosexuality in these countries — hence, convince the world that being gay is a sickness or a choice. These radical self-proclaimed chosen people seem to think they have a right, even an obligation, to impose their damaging ideology onto others. At the financial core of the militant Christian movement is the secretive group on Capitol Hill known as "The Family." The Kentucky Guardian, an online commonwealth for Kentucky's LGBT community, and Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! interviewed the author of The Family: The Secret Fundamental- NICK KETTERER/ The Daily Utah Chronicle PATRICK BONER Columnist T he '6os and `dos were two of the most fascinating decades in United States history. These two decades saw an escalation of social unrest, the emergence of new forms of art and music and a variety of other factors that have had a long-lasting impact on American culture. That is why I was surprised to learn Salt Lake City was a major hot spot at this time, and the activism of '6os and '705 college students far outdoes the activism of modern students. This is something that isn't talked about much in Utah, but the hippie scene hit conservative Utah hard, primarily the music scene. Salt Lake City has always been a kind of cross- roads for the West. Everything from California and the rest of the West Coast passes through Utah before it gets to the East. During the `6os and '70s, this interchange propelled many musicians to play in Salt Lake. They would travel through Salt Lake and play shows before moving on, allowing the hippie spirit and new ideas to percolate into the valley. Some of the artists who played here were Big Brother and the Holding Company, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Jefferson Airplane, Spirit, Buffalo Springfield, The Byrds, Santana, Creedence Clearwater Revival and many more. During these times, students at the U were a major impetus for cultural change. Many of these bands were covered by The Daily Utah Chronicle. At this time the U was going through a phase of student activism that seems ridiculous by our standards. There were protests going on and other forms of student activism. The U had its own chapter of Students for a Democratic Society, a radical left-wing movement. To us their actions seem almost insane, but they were simply exercising their First Amendment rights. In 1967, someone (presumably the SDS) sent both then-Gov. Calvin Rampton and then-President of the U James Fletcher bags of marijuana as Christmas gifts. And this is a mild example of student activism at the time. We could learn something from these students. As students, we have a tremendous impact on the surrounding society. We are no longer children, but young adults working to receive our education. Students have an integral voice that we no longer use. As students we occupy an interesting place in society. We are not full-fledged adults with secure incomes. That means we stand in a place where we can criticize and look at society critically. A university setting allows students to come together and discuss these ideas. Universities go one step further by providing students with the means to act. Universities allow students the means to act and affect the larger society. Through student activism larger societal changes are able to gain momentum. We modern students have forgotten this, but it is still possible. If we are to begin to remember the power we students have, there is no better place to look than the past. The students of the '6os and '705 will always stand as an example of the power students have. letters@chronicle.utah.edu ism at the Heart of American Power, Jeff Sharlet. The Family is, "one of the most powerful, well-connected Christian fundamentalist movements in the United States. The Family's membership includes congressmen, corporate leaders, generals and foreign heads of state," Sharlet said. Sharlet quoted he heard directly from some of The Family members that "former Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) and Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Pa.), redirected millions in U.S. aid to Uganda from sex education programs to abstinence programs," pulling funds from AIDS victims. Reporters working undercover filmed the abuses perpetrated by American Christian extremists in "God Loves Uganda," and it is heart-wrenching. Because of funding by high-powered American evangelicals, misery keeps besieging these people. It is clear that the purpose is an attempt to convert the African people into forced evangelical Bible believers with a built-in hate for gay people. Stories from Ugandans told first-hand about the atrocities are horrifying. The crusaders know their agenda and have the finances to back it. President Barack Obama has clearly expressed his opposition to any antigay legislation in Africa or anywhere. Reuter's noted Secretary of State John Kerry's statement regarding the antigay bill in Nigeria as "inconsistent with Nigeria's international legal obligations and undermines democratic reforms and human rights protections." Ugandan rights activists believe the heart of Africa is strong enough to repel the hate, but the fear of homosexuality is planted in the governments to go against the will of their people. The strategy is based on repeatedly implying that homosexuals are going to infect the kids and demoralize the country — which is absolute rubbish. letters@chronicle.utah.edu LINDSAY SCHURING/ The Daily Utah Chronicle Addiction treatment could fix U.S. prisons Columnist R arely do I have something kind to say about Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), so don't take this brief moment of clemency I give the tea party favorite lightly. Lee's proposed legislation seeks to extend more equitable sentences to inmates not grandfathered in the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010. The act decreased the gap in prison sentences between crack cocaine offenders and those incarcerated for the powdered form. While this is a commendable step in undoing the damage caused by the "war on drugs," this is a far cry from addressing the United States' underlying issues regarding prisons and drug users. Lee's proposed legislation is based on the grounds of fiscal responsibility and giving credence to the very real problem of overcrowding. According to a report released by the Urban Institute, federal prisons on average maintain a 136 percent capacity — that is to say, they are holding far more prisoners than their resources should allow them to. Of these prisoners, over one million have a history of substance abuse and are often incarcerated for either drug-related offenses. In order to stem this tide of overpopulation, a societal shift in views regarding drugs needs to take place. The lifestyle of an addict is difficult. The addiction will oftentimes override their decision-making in pursuit of the next fix. Because of the societal stigmas and legal standing of addictive drugs, in order to fulfill their all-consuming cravings, a criminal lifestyle is not far from view. However, these are people that should not be incarcerated. Instead, they should be assisted to lead a lifestyle that does not revolve around their addiction. Luckily, a solution may be available. Several large-scale studies conducted in Europe of what is known as "heroin assisted treatment" have proved beneficial in providing a second chance for addicts at becoming fully functioning members of society. Of the studies conducted in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and many more countries, each concluded that heroin assisted treatment allowed addicts to maintain jobs, start families and in some cases wean themselves off the drug entirely. This further allowed them to establish a sense of stability, which included having a permanent residence without threat of homelessness. Of course, convincing certain people to trust drug assisted therapies does not prove so simple. According to a statement released by proponents of drug prohibition at a conference in Brussels, such therapies would "promote the false notion that there are safe or responsible ways to use drugs." This would be a rational conclusion were the matter investigated only superficially. Member of the University of Ziirich's Clinic for General and Social Psychiatry Rudolf Stohler countered by saying that institutionalizing the treatment of addiction "seems to have contributed to the image of heroin as unattractive for young people." Addiction is a real problem in America, as is prison overcrowding, and the two are certainly linked. I applaud Lee for addressing the issue, even if peripherally. However, we must not condemn those who find themselves in the unfortunate circumstance of an addictive lifestyle. By making treatment readily available and socially acceptable, perhaps we can curtail prison overcrowding by realistically addressing an addict's issues. We live in the 21st century, but as a country we still seem to be stuck using a previous century's approach to ridding the world of anything viewed as "bad." We must take the pragmatic, not the idealistic, route to bettering society. letters@chronicle.utah.edu |