tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7679827901752686537.post3529189267120334022..comments2023-12-28T11:59:20.134-05:00Comments on Urban Food Guy: Coffee, Uganda, Death to Gay People and Crop to CupUrban Food Guyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14906470923694761218noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7679827901752686537.post-22678004386276890562009-12-15T20:18:51.558-05:002009-12-15T20:18:51.558-05:00Hey just wanted to say thanks for the thoughtful c...Hey just wanted to say thanks for the thoughtful comments, they are very helpful and very heartening. Thanks W.Taylor for not only your words, but your good work.Urban Food Guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14906470923694761218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7679827901752686537.post-25445648023061272052009-12-14T22:48:39.653-05:002009-12-14T22:48:39.653-05:00I've been following your blog on RSS and was s...I've been following your blog on RSS and was surprised by your Uganda post, but was deeply touched. What a thoughtful way to deal with the issue. May those who have stoked fear, nationalism and hatred learn from such examples. Thank you!PaulRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7679827901752686537.post-50982783383065125952009-12-14T10:16:05.442-05:002009-12-14T10:16:05.442-05:00just posted about this on our crop to cup twitter ...just posted about this on our crop to cup twitter and blog and also put up a petition here:<br />http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/ugbAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01088978050676171984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7679827901752686537.post-87437842186793333222009-12-13T19:59:31.227-05:002009-12-13T19:59:31.227-05:00Having made so much progress for its population in...Having made so much progress for its population in recent years, Uganda is usually in the news for its successes. Unfortunately its government is now showing itself to be BACKWARD. I do not use that word lightly; rarely is it applicable in the developing world, where challenges such as education, health and basic poverty are often acceptable as excuses for policies or statements with which I may disagree. But this is truly backward, and the Ugandan government deserves the backlash and condemnations that it is receiving from blogs like yours and the western media. <br /><br />So who is to blame for this? The many Christian missionaries working or living in Uganda? Is it a cultural issue that was present even before the missionaries began? It is difficult to say without a much more complex analysis. But you and Rachel Maddow are correct in pointing to the Christian right as at least partly to blame. Even if folks like Rick Warren don't support this specific bill (and I applaud him for his vocal stance in the Maddow video you posted), they have definitely led Ugandans in this general direction. Much of the money going into poverty reduction in Uganda today is from Christian churches. They have an almost endless supply of money so people listen to them, look up to them and more often than not begin to think like them. First a far right contingent (both political and religious) somehow convinced Uganda to promote abstinence instead of condoms (then AIDS rates shot up - great job!), and now they're there reassuring Ugandans that homosexuality is wrong, against Bible teachings or spewing some other argument that is, whether they meant to or not, leading Uganda to enact laws that violate basic human rights. <br /><br />Don't get me wrong - there are many Christian organizations doing great work in Uganda, enacting positive change without the proviso of religious conversion. I know many of them personally through my work and travels there. I can say without a doubt that Christian organizations in Uganda have played a critical role in helping Uganda reduce poverty. They deserve that credit 100%. <br /><br />But there are also a lot of bible thumpers there, just wasting people's time. When we were in Uganda last month we came across a little wall sign in a craft shop. It said "PUSH - Pray Until Something Happens." C'mon...really?! Rely on prayer instead of real action and effort? You have got to be kidding me. And now they're not just promoting complacency, but leading them a step backwards. <br />As a co-owner of Crop to Cup Coffee Co, I'd like to state that we are appalled by the homophobic hate we have been seeing in Ugandan newspapers and government statements for years now. Unfortunately, this proposed new law is not a surprise. This is one of the reasons why we generally steer clear of political and religious causes and organizations in our efforts to reduce poverty for coffee farming communities in Uganda. <br /><br />Although the decision about whether to buy Ugandan coffee is your own, I hope you weigh heavily your point about Uganda being a broken and poor country. Punishing a poor Ugandan farmer for an idiotic law of its religious-right government is perhaps not the best way to make a difference. Using the same logic, you would probably have to stop buying goods made in China, Pakistan, Vietnam or any other country with a few human rights violations under its belt.<br /><br />And powerless you are not - the best way to make a difference, I think, is to continue doing what you are doing: writing about this and letting people know what it is happening in Uganda. An uproar in the blogosphere and community action in Uganda was what brought down plans to clear one of the country's last remaining forests (Mabira) for a private sugarcane plantation. Hopefully we can achieve similar results with the disturbing issue at hand today.<br /><br />We'll post a petition on our Crop to Cup blog soon, and will send it to the Ugandan embassy in DC when it is full. Thank you for prompting us into action.<br /><br />-Taylor Mork<br />President, Crop to Cup Coffee CoAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01088978050676171984noreply@blogger.com