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Wednesday September 7, 2005

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Ugandan Anti-AIDS Activist Demands UN Fire Lewis For Pushing Condoms

Previous Uganda UNAIDS official promoted homosexuality and lesbianism

KAMPALA, Uganda, September 7, 2005, (LifeSiteNews.com) -  The ongoing campaign by condom advocate Stephen Lewis, the U.N. secretary general's special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, has resulted in an open letter to Kofi Annan demanding that Lewis be immediately fired and removed from UNAIDS.

The letter, written by Pastor Martin Ssempa, Director of The Global Center for Uganda's ABC Strategy, is very direct. “Mr. Lewis”, Ssempa writes, “is using the entire body of the UN for his personal agenda of condomizing the developing nations. Why he has the audacity to fight the only nation which has demonstrated success in reducing HIV/AIDS is utterly beyond me. … Steve seems to have a problem with Bush administration and is fabricating lies to further attack Uganda's ABC strategy.”

Ssempa demands that “Mr. Koffi Annan should ask for the resignation of Steven Lewis who is further sinking the credibility of UN in the Great Lakes region. Mr. Lewis is the type that reminds us of the UN staff who did nothing to stop the genocide in Rwanda where close to a million Africans were butchered under the close supervision of the UN.”

In comments he made in a teleconference last month from Johannesburg Lewis complained about the lack of condoms stating, "There is no question in my mind that the condom crisis in Uganda is being driven and exacerbated by PEPFAR (the U.S. Administration's AIDS assistance program) and by the extreme policies that the administration in the U.S. is now pursuing in the emphasis on abstinence, … That distortion of the preventive apparatus ... is resulting in great damage and undoubtedly will cause significant numbers of infections which should never have occurred." Lewis made his remarks in spite of the fact that the U.N. itself has warned about the inadequacy of condoms to prevent the spread of the disease.

In response to Lewis’s charges Ssempa writes, “Lewis is asking for the government to immediately release on the market the defective "Ngabo" condoms which were filled with so many holes that Ugandans called the police inspector general to report this crime. Does Lewis want more Ugandans to die from HIV? Mr. Lewis doesn’t seem to base his comments on facts rather bias. He should resign to restore credibility to the UN efforts.”

The problem with UNAIDS seems to be systemic and goes beyond Mr. Lewis. Pr. Ssempa comments that “Uganda's experience with UNAIDS country representative Mr. Reuben Del Prado was also very troubling. Until he was removed from Uganda recently, he used every opportunity to denigrate the AB in our ABC strategy. Instead, he used the office of UNAIDS to promote homosexuality and lesbianism the kind of lifestyle that is utterly opposed to our African culture, our faith and laws. Thankfully he was removed from Uganda. Still UNAIDS in Uganda suffers great credibility issues.”

Pr. Ssempa demands to know “why isn’t Lewis talking about Botswana, South Africa and other nations which have taken UNAIDS advise of more condoms but now have the highest rates of HIV in the world? Why is he picking on Uganda which has been a shining example of behaviour change since 1988?” Uganda has the most successful program in Africa in the fight against AIDS since it promotes abstinence first. The BBC reports that Uganda “is often held up as a model of how to fight HIV/Aids, with infection rates falling from 15 to 5%.”

Ssempa points out one of the main problems associated with U.N. bureaucratic interference. “We are tired” writes Ssempa, “of these western officials who fly in a few hours and become experts in our campaign. Steve Lewis should come to Uganda and spend a few months at the feet of activists who are on the frontline of ABC. He is spending far too much time doing teleconferences, flying from conference to conference and listening to his stooges who keep telling him what he wants to hear..."there is not enough condoms. Send us more so we can condomise the world".

Ssempa ends his open letter with a direct plea that leaves no doubt about his frustration: “Koffi Annan, do us a favor. Fire this Steve Lewis and restore credibility to the institution of United Nations.”
The Global Center is a division of Campus Alliance to Wipeout AIDS.

See related stories:
United Nations Official Slams US for Abstinence Approach to AIDS in Uganda http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/aug/05083101.html

Ugandans urged to release condoms
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4208972.stm

Population Control Pedlars Spreading AIDS In Africa?
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/1999/apr/990415a.html

U.N.'s Top AIDS Envoy Forgets Diplomacy in Demonizing U.S. Abstinence First Strategy
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/jul/04071602.html

RUBBERIZING AFRICA AND THE FINANCING OF GENOCIDE
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2000/jul/00071802.html

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UN Scandal and Corruption Threaten Organization’s Prospects says New Report

Henry Hyde calls scandal “criminal”

UNITED NATIONS, September 7, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A highly critical report, released today, reaffirms UN culpability in the Oil-For-Food scandal. The Volcker independent inquiry concluded that reports of UN “waste, inefficiency and corruption” have raised serious concerns “about the United Nations’ ability to live up to its ideals.”

The report, headed by former US Federal Reserve chairman, Paul Volcker, gives evidence of “serious instances of illicit, unethical, and corrupt behavior within the United Nations.”

The US House International Relations Committee released a statement in light of the report. “The Volcker report details a pattern and practice of deceit and corruption that has infected senior levels of the UN's administration,” said US Rep. Henry J. Hyde (R- Ill.), chairman of the House International Relations Committee. “This corruption flourished because of an abject lack of management controls within the UN Secretariat, a disturbing lack of internal and external oversight by its auditors and member states, and an appalling lack of transparency and accountability to the global taxpayers who finance the UN's operations.”

Describing the scandal as “criminal,” Hyde added, “The Oil-for-Food program provided Saddam and his apologists at the UN a license to steal billions of dollars otherwise intended to aid the Iraqi people. If the UN Secretariat and its member states ignore the profound lessons detailed in this report, the institution itself will be imperiled by the morass of corruption that increasingly undermines its already tattered legitimacy,” he emphasized.

The Oil-For-Food program, which was in operation from December 1996 until November 2003, allowed Iraq to sell oil to pay for food and humanitarian supplies.

Pro-life groups have repeatedly criticized the UN for its population control programs which include support for forced abortion in China and the involuntary sterilization of women in developing countries.

See related LifeSiteNews.com Special Reports:
Forcing Abortion on the World #1 Issue At UN
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/1999/jul/990702a.html
The UN Quietly Wages War on Religion
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2001/aug/010820a.html

See the UN report:
http://www.iic-offp.org/Mgmt_Report.htm

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Bork: Abortion Roe v Wade Decision Won't be Overturned by Supreme Court

WASHINGTON, DC, September 7, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Speaking at the National Press Club Tuesday, former Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork said that the likelihood that the Roe v Wade Supreme Court decision permitting abortion would be overturned within the next ten years is "virtually nil." 

Speaking of Bush Supreme Court nominee John Roberts Bork said, "I simply do not know if he would vote to overturn constitutional mistakes of the past."  Nonetheless Bork contends that Roberts is the best conservatives could hope for.  "They're not going to get any better nominees through," he said.

Bork also expressed criticism of the courts, particularly regarding their politicization.  The Supreme Court "has made itself the most important branch of government," he said.  "Today's hearings are political circuses and there may be no going back,"

See related coverage:
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=Politicsarchive...

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Schwarzenegger Asked to Terminate California Gay 'Marriage' Law

SACRAMENTO, September 7, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - As recently as August 2004, the California Supreme Court was nullifying homosexual partnerings that had been recognized illegally in San Francisco. The Court's argument was that state law defined marriage as the exclusive union of a man and a woman. As of this week, however, that statute will no longer stand in the way of homosexual activists working to abolish traditional marriage.

California lawmakers became the first to pass a full-fledged homosexual "marriage" law yesterday, after the Assembly confirmed 41-35 the bill passed in the Senate last Thursday. Gov. Schwarzenegger now has 30 days to veto the bill, which redefines marriage as "between two people" rather than "one man and one woman." If he does nothing, it will automatically become law.

In June, the California Assembly had narrowly rejected the bill in a 21-15 vote. The only other state that recognizes homosexual unions is Massachusetts and that move was made by court order overturning the existing law.

Now pro-family groups are looking to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to veto the bill since he has seen the majority opposition to the proposal and has himself voiced objection to homosexual 'marriage'.  In 2000 61% of Californians voted to support Proposition 22 - the Defense of Marriage Act.   While supporting gay domestic partnerings, Schwarzenegger said in a 2003 interview, "I think ... marriage is something that should be between a man and a woman."

"We are now calling on Governor Schwarzenegger to do what he said he'd do and represent the people of California," said Karen England of Capitol Resource Institute.  "The governor is the last hope of the people because the legislature has completely disregarded their votes.'  Bill May, Chairman of Catholics for the Common Good said his organization "strongly urges Governor Schwarzenegger, as a father and husband, to veto AB 849 and protect marriage and the family for this generations and those to come."

Concerned Women for America commented, "Arnold, it's time to show some muscle."

To contact Governor Schwarzenegger visit:
http://www.govmail.ca.gov

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Man who Fought Forced Abortion Law Arrested in China

BEIJING, September 7, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Chinese authorities arrested yesterday an activist who campaigned against the country’s forced abortion policy – a measure aimed at preventing the man from meeting with sympathizers in the ruling Communist regime.

Chen Guangcheng, 34, a blind farmer from the rural region near the city of Linyi, initiated a class-action suit against the government after a concentrated effort to implement the country’s forced-abortion policy began in the region in March.

The policy requires that parents with two children be sterilized, and that women pregnant with a third be forcibly aborted. Family members of pregnant women who hid from authorities were arrested and tortured to persuade the women to turn themselves in to so-called family-planning authorities for the abortions.

Chen has been collecting and recording stories all summer, in order to present his case to sympathetic senior-level family planning authorities in Beijing. “What these officials are doing is completely illegal,” Chen said, according to a Washington Post report from before his arrest, August 26. “They've committed widespread violations of citizens’ basic rights, and they should be held responsible.”

The Post recounted the experiences of one woman from Maxiagou village, in another rural part of Linyi, Feng Zhongxia, 36. She described how, seven months pregnant, authorities detained 12 members of her family, denying their freedom until she submitted to an abortion.

“My aunts, uncles, cousins, my pregnant younger sister, my in-laws, they were all taken to the family planning office,” Feng said. “Many of them didn’t get food or water, and all of them were severely beaten.”

Family planning officials “told me they would peel the skin off my relatives and I would only see their corpses if I didn't come back,” Feng said. After turning herself in, a doctor inserted a needle into her uterus. The next day she delivered the dead baby. “It was a small life,” she said.

After the abortion, she was forcibly sterilized as well. “I’m a human being,” she said. How can they treat me like that?”

A senior family planning official in Beijing, Yu Xuejin, said he had asked the Linyi provincial authorities to investigate reports of abuse. He maintained the forcible practices utilized by the family planning officials against the farmers in Yinli province were “definitely illegal.”

See Washington Post coverage:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08...

See LifeSiteNews.com SPECIAL REPORT
China Labels Stanford Researcher "International spy" For Exposing Forced Abortion Policy
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/aug/050826a.html

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Protect Right to Life for Unborn Even if Threatened with Death says Cardinal

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, September 7,(LifeSiteNews.com) – Many people in different countries work tirelessly and ceaselessly to protect the unborn, and the question is often asked “at what cost”. Apparently no price is too high for Archbishop Cardinal Jorge Beroglio of Buenos Aires.

While encouraging Catholics to defend the unborn against abortion the Cardinal made it clear that they should strive for justice even if “they persecute or kill you.”

As in many other predominantly Catholic South American countries, Argentina is engaged in a debate over the legalization of abortion that is being sought by NGO’s (non-governmental organizations) and various government officials, usually in collusion with U.S., U.N. and other international population control organizations who are quietly financing the local activist groups.

Reminding the faithful that they have the duty to defend life “from the beginning until the end,” the Cardinal encouraged them to persevere even “if they persecute you, calumniate you, set traps for you, take you to court or kill you.”

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Court Reduces Penalty in Anti-Abortion Web Site Case

SAN FRANCISCO, September 7, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A California appeals court reduced the punitive damages a confrontational anti-abortion group must pay to a coalition of abortionists and their Planned Parenthood affiliates to $4.73 million, down from the original $108 million originally awarded after a jury in the 1999 case found the American Coalition of Life Activists guilty of inciting violence.

The case involved a campaign initiated by several anti-abortion individuals that sought information on abortionists who were suspected of injuring patients. Posters drawn up for the information gathering campaign looked like "wanted" posters and gave rise to the lawsuit by Planned Parenthood and other abortionists. While the former ruling suggested the posters incited violence against the abortionists, the case did not involve any stated threats.

The group’s Thomas More Law Center attorney, Ed White, argued, “They were exercising their First Amendment rights.”

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the punitive damages were far in excess of the Supreme Court precedent that limited damages to no more than nine times the monetary losses, originally awarded at $526,334.

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Canadian Province to Spend $200,000 to Beef Up “Hate” Crimes Investigations

Homosexual activists celebrate the announcement

OTTAWA, Ontario, September 7, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Ontario ruling Liberal Party announced today a $200,000 increase in funding intended to help police investigate hate crimes in the province.

Correctional Services Minister Monte Kwinter said the money would be used to double the number of police regions that now host Joint Forces Hate Crimes/Extremism Investigative Teams (HCEIT) from five to ten. Currently, Waterloo, Guelph, Ottawa, Hamilton and London have hate crimes units; Toronto, Durham, York Region, Halton and Oxford will be added to the roster.

An important part of the hate crimes investigative unit is a database that, besides containing data and profiles of extremists, also includes photos of events. The slated funding also includes $93,000 for a hate-crimes analyst who will monitor activity on the internet.

Homosexual activists celebrated the announcement in Hamilton, where MPP Judy Marsales made the funding announcement to a group gathered at a café.

Homosexual hate crimes legislation, Bill C-250, which became law earlier this year, has pro-family factions rankled, especially since hate crimes investigations have increasingly targeted clergy and other traditional family values defenders who criticize the homosexual lifestyle. Bill C-250, ostensibly a measure to increase the protection of homosexuals from violence, in fact criminalizes statements noting the negative effects of  homosexual activity and limits the ability of religious leaders and institutions to communicate essential matters of faith.

Canada has seen a number of cases where members of the public have been prosecuted for calmly and intellectually defending their positions regarding the immorality of homosexuality. One bishop from Western Canada faced a human rights tribunal to answer for his defense of basic Christian teachings, although the gay activist who brought a complaint ultimately dropped it, admitting that he had charged the bishop for sake of the publicity. A second similar complaint against Calgary’s Bishop Fred Henry is still pending.

See related LifeSiteNews.com reports:
Same-Sex “Marriage,” “Hate Crimes,” and the New Totalitarianism
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/feb/050228a.html
Student Pro-Life Group Investigated For 'Hate Crime'
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2001/mar/01030201.html
Homosexual Activist Group Behind Hate Crimes Legislation Admits Position
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2002/oct/02102304.html

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LifeSIteNews.com NewsBytes

Silver Lining to Hurricane tragedy
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=WU05I04&f=PG03I03

PR Compassion - Hurricane Katrina Relief
http://www.prccompassion.org/

Operation Share Your Home Helping Hurricane Victims
http://www.shareyourhome.org/

Louisiana Officials Could Lose the Katrina Blame Game
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=Nationarchive2005...

Louisiana Officials in Flood-Money Scam
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/9/6/222032.shtml

Harper dares Liberals to test poll popularity with election call
http://news.yahoo.com/s/cpress/20050906/ca_pr_on_na/harper_s...

Latest FEMA outrage has 1,400 firefighters in sex-harassment training
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=461...

Sacrificing Humans to the Condom Gods - UN's Stephen Lewis - "in Africa, marriage can be dangerous to women's health"
http://www.thefactis.org/default.aspx?control=ArticleMaster&...

Corrupt and blundering: Saddam oil inquiry savages UN
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/09...

How God is a Dilemma for CNN and a Consolation for Almost Everyone Else
http://www.thefactis.org/default.aspx?control=ArticleMaster&...

A Homily on the federal legislation on so-called same-sex “marriage”
http://www.catholicinsight.com/online/index.shtml

Catholic rebellion: politicians & Communion
http://catholicinsight.com/online/church/interreligious/rcco...

Levee board under federal investigation before Katrina hit
http://www.canadafreepress.com/2005/cover090605.htm

Bureaucratic obstacles in working with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Red Cross
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=WU05I03

Bush Bashing Equal to Political Looting
http://www.nationalledger.com/artman/publish/article_2726588...

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