Rhetoric That Can Kill

Shootings of politicians are not uncommon in America. The killings usually occur on the heels of contentious environment when the levels of rhetoric become quite abrasive. So, the attempted assassination of Congresswoman Gabriel Gifford over the weekend was not surprising. Some loony was bound to come up and blow somebody’s head sooner than later.

Obama and ObamaCare have some people seeing red. Nobody cried foul when the Clinton-era Budget Surplus was frittered away in the Bush era on some misadventure wars, but some are now frothing in the mouths that supposedly Obama’s socialist agenda is sending America to the poorhouse. And, of course, the “economy, stupid,” with its concomitant unemployment, brings out the worst in people. So, if you ratchet up the tempo of anxiety, some dumbo is going to solve it with the barrel of the gun. That is how maladjusted kids negotiate the world of the playground—the difference: in the dark adult world of some it is lethal weapon of destruction that talks.

In the Uganda milieu Museveni is rightly sensitive to speeches that arouse the masses—hence, the law on sectarianism. Uganda’s history of demonizing one group or the other is a documented shameful fact. But, unfortunately, for Mr. Museveni, the man with a multiple personality disorder, the law is used selectively as a sword than a balm to redress wrongs.

When one witnesses the exchanges among Ugandans on the web, it causes shivers to run down one’s spine. The question is: are all the bile, hates and lack of decorum a reflection of the spirit of the country? Recently one elderly hater spitted out volleys of calumnies hoping to shut out another who did not toe the line of the “tribe.” While some dimwits hailed him, he did not get the chorus of support he expected. While it is anecdotal, the incident may show that Ugandans know an unadulterated hate when they see one. There is still hope for the Pearl of Africa. Hopefully, the disgruntled will not be forced to shoot it out.