Introducing Albert--Part II

Introducing Albert--Part II.



This is a continuation of my first  article in response to my freind Albert who comments on my blog. Throughout your response, you wish to leave the impression that you love everybody.


Albert wrote: "At the end of the day, we are all human beings, before we are a certain type of human being. And its the humanity aspect here that I am talking about."


Quitstorm: I do not believe that you believe what you just stated. On the other hand, if you are sufficiently apolitical, perhaps you do see the preciousness of all humans, regardless. After all, Idi Amin was a human being and, therefore, you would be more concerned about the humanity of Amin than would be over what he did to others. Right? To me, Amin should have been given the same treatment as was given to Benito Mussolini.


I get the feeling that you are a very comfortable man living in a peaceful nation surrounded by security and mutually respectful people. Here in Uganda, that is not the case. As an active and outspoken proponent of human rights, including the rights of the most detested group of people in Africa--GLBT people—( call them homosexuals), my life is in danger every minute of the day. I can't even invite you to visit Uganda (am not sure about your location) and stay for a year because you'd be out on the streets preaching, "Homosexuality is a sin--just like all the other sins all of us commit." With a pitiful message like that, I certainly wouldn't be walking near you.


Let's test to see how much you care for all of humanity or every member of the human family. You come home from work and your wife is not home like she always is. You go to the kitchen; you see the back door is ajar. You go to the back door; she's not in the back yard. You're suddenly struck with fear. You return to the front room and are about to call the police, when suddenly there's a loud banging on the front door. It's your neighbour.


She tells you that a man entered the back door and beat up your wife and then raped her--she's at Memorial Hospital. You find yourself trembling with rage. You call the police, they confirm what your neighbour just told you. Police also say that they haven't made any arrests--haven't even gotten any leads. The officer tells you that he stopped in Ben's Sports Bar at the corner, but about 20 guys were watching soccer and were totally uncooperative. The officer feels that the sketchy description given by your dazed wife could help give the police an idea. Who knows, your wife by now could be infected by the rapist's HIV.


"Well!" you tell yourself. "So 20 of my neighbours couldn't take their eyes away from that goddam soccer game to help the police!" You go to Ben's Sports Bar to see if you can get any cooperation from the soccer fans--maybe they were intimidated by the idea of talking to the police. However, you, too, were met with disinterest and shrugs of shoulders. After all, it wasn't their wife who was raped.


You go home, suffering even more rage and disillusionment. You THOUGHT your neighbours would at least cooperate a little, would have a little sympathy for your plight. But soccer was more important.


Now Ben's Sports Bar is an old building and had been cited by the city for various structural problems and fire hazards. Sunday evening featured the regional soccer finals--this was the big one to determine who was going to Brazil for the International Match of 2011. Meantime, in the basement, the large propane tank had been leaking gas all afternoon. No one noticed. Then, at 5:18 pm, an automatic electronic switch tripped, generating a spark which blew up Ben's Sports Bar and all 33 customers and the bartender. Everyone killed!


These were the same guys who couldn't be bothered in helping you or the police find leads to the rapist. How would you feel about the 33 guys who were blown up in the bar? I'll tell you, I probably wouldn't feel a thing--certainly not sympathy. I must stop here and please do look for my last part of this edition. Part III