Zimbabwe To USA: Send Us That Dentist

Reuters reports:

The American dentist who killed Cecil the lion was a "foreign poacher" who paid for an illegal hunt and he should be extradited to Zimbabwe to face justice, environment minister Oppah Muchinguri said on Friday. In Harare's first official comments since Cecil's killing grabbed world headlines this week, Muchinguri said the Prosecutor General had already started the process to have 55-year-old Walter Palmer extradited from the United States. Muchinguri, a 91-year-old veteran from President Robert Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party, described Cecil - a black-maned lion well-known to foreign tourists in the Hwange National Park - as an "iconic attraction". "The illegal killing was deliberate," she told a news conference. "We are appealing to the responsible authorities for his extradition to Zimbabwe so that he can be held accountable for his illegal actions."

Late yesterday the White House announced that it will respond to the petition created by JMG participant Scott Wooledge.

Feds Investigate Lion-Killing Dentist

But does Zimbabwe even want him? Via Reuters:

"What lion?" acting information minister Prisca Mupfumira asked in response to a request for comment about Cecil, who was at that moment topping global news bulletins and generating reams of abuse for his killer on websites in the United States and Europe. The government has still given no formal response, and on Thursday the papers that chose to run the latest twist in the Cecil saga tucked it away on inside pages. One title had to rely on foreign news agency copy because it failed to send a reporter to the court appearance of two locals involved. For most people in the southern African nation, where unemployment tops 80 percent and the economy continues to feel the after-effects of billion percent hyperinflation a decade ago, the uproar had all the hallmarks of a 'First World Problem'.

Perhaps the feds are acting because the petition launched by JMG participant Scott Wooledge has now exceeded the threshold that results in an official White House response.

Lion-Killer Apologizes To His Patients

Lion-killing Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer, whose whereabouts are still unknown, has issued an apology to his patients. An excerpt:

To my valued patients: As you may have already heard, I have been in the news over the last few days for reasons that have nothing to do with my profession or the care I provide for you. I want you to know of this situation and my involvement In addition to spending time with my family, one of my passions outside dentistry is hunting. I’ve been a life-long hunter since I was a child growing up in North Dakota. I don’t often talk about hunting with my patients because it can be a divisive and emotionally charged topic. I understand and respect that not everyone shares the same views on hunting. [snip] Again, I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion. That was never my intention. The media interest in this matter – along with a substantial number of comments and calls from people who are angered by this situation and by the practice of hunting in general – has disrupted our business and our ability to see our patients. For that disruption, I apologize profoundly for this inconvenience and promise you that we will do our best to resume normal operations as soon as possible. We are working to have patients with immediate needs referred to other dentists and will keep you informed of any additional developments. On behalf of all of us at River Bluff Dental, thank you for your support.  Sincerely, Walter J. Palmer, DDS River Bluff Dental

RELATED: Local police have barricaded the street around Palmer's office in advance of a protest planned for this evening. A parody Twitter account pretending to belong to his dental practice is posting photos.

Jimmy Kimmel Goes Off On Lion-Killer

"Is it that difficult for you to get an erection that you have to kill things?" Kimmel goes on to get choked up while suggesting that embarrassed Americans donate to the Zimbabwe wildlife researchers entrusted with Cecil's care. Kimmel's plea has crashed the group's site at this writing.

MINNESOTA: Dentist Goes From "Suburban Obscurity To Global Infamy"

PETA: Hang The Lion-Killing Dentist

Lion-Killing Dentist Goes On The Lam

Walter Palmer, the American dentist charged in the killing of Africa's "most famous lion" has reportedly gone into hiding.

Emmanuel Fundira, the president of the Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe, confirmed at a news conference on Tuesday that Dr. Walter Palmer is wanted for the death of Cecil the lion but that his whereabouts were unknown. Police spokeswoman Charity Charamba said 'we are looking for Palmer' who allegedly paid $55,000 (£35,000) for a big game permit and traveled from his home town of Minneapolis to Africa to kill the lion. Dr. Palmer's hunting colleagues, Zimbabwean hunter Theo Bronkhorst and local landowner Honest Ndlovu are due to appear in court this week on poaching charges for allegedly killing Cecil. "We arrested two people and now we are looking for Palmer in connection with the same case," said Charamba. The much loved big cat was wounded by an arrow after he was allegedly lured out of the national park by the hunter's bait. After spending two days tracking the injured beast, Cecil was eventually found and shot dead. The corpse was then skinned and the head hacked off as a trophy.

While Palmer's current location is unknown, this afternoon the Minneapolis Star-Tribune published his statement.

"In early July, I was in Zimbabwe on a bow hunting trip for big game. I hired several professional guides and they secured all proper permits. To my knowledge, everything about this trip was legal and properly handled and conducted. I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favorite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt. I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt. I have not been contacted by authorities in Zimbabwe or in the U.S. about this situation, but will assist them in any inquiries they may have. Again, I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion."

Palmer's accomplices face up to either ten or fifteen years in a Zimbabwean prison, according to conflicting reports. It's not clear what punishment Palmer would face should he be extradited back to Africa. An extradition treaty between the United States and Zimbabwe was signed in 1997 and went into effect in 2000.

ZIMBABWE: American Dentist Exposed As Killer Of Beloved Cecil The Lion

Via the Telegraph:

Cecil the lion – the most famous creature in one of Zimbabwe's national parks – was killed by an American hunter who has boasted about shooting a menagerie of animals with his bow and arrow, The Telegraph can reveal. Walter Palmer (above left), a dentist from Minnesota, is believed to have paid £35,000 to shoot and kill the much-loved lion with a bow and arrow. The animal was shot on July 1 in Hwange National Park. Two independent sources have confirmed the hunter's identity to the paper, which has also seen a copy of the relevant hunting permit. Conservation groups in Zimbabwe reacted angrily to the news that the 13-year-old animal had been killed: partly because the lion was known to visitors and seemingly enjoyed human contact, and partly because of the way in which he was killed. He was lured out of the national park and shot.

Palmer and the man who assisted him have been charged with poaching. At the link you'll find photos of Palmer posing with other killed animals including a leopard and a white rhino. He has previously been convicted of illegally killing a black bear in Wisconsin.

Obama: I'd Win A Third Term

Politico reports:

President Barack Obama said Tuesday that he’s confident he could win a third term, if only the Constitution would let him run. “I actually think I’m a pretty good president. I think if I ran, I would win. But I can’t,” he said. Obama said that though he’s looking forward to being out of office for the freedom outside of the security bubble it’ll give him and for being able to make more visits to Africa, there is more work he’d like to do in office. But, he said, “the law’s the law.” Obama made the remarks in a speech here to the African Union headquarters, contrasting the American system to the many African leaders who hold onto power for decades, usually only leaving because of coups or dying of old age.

I think he'd win too.

Franklin Graham Has The Kenya Sadz

"While visiting Kenya Barack Obama publicly lectured Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta about gay rights yesterday. I didn’t know that we were sending our president halfway around the world to promote the gay & lesbian agenda! Samaritan's Purse has an office in Kenya and has worked there many years, and I can tell you that the churches in Kenya know what the Bible says about homosexuality—it is a sin. Sin should not be embraced, but recognized truthfully for what it is and for its serious consequences. God’s Word says, 'the wages of sin is death.' Thankfully though, sin does have a remedy—forgiveness is available through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. As a world leader, the United States of America is now exporting the acceptance of immorality via our president. What will the cost of that be?" - Franklin Graham, posting to Facebook. Kinda sounds like a call for the gay death penalty, doesn't it?

Bryan Fischer Has The Kenya Sadz

Brian Brown On The Equality Act

"Sponsored by the grossly-misnamed Human Rights Campaign special interest group, HR 3185 is breathtaking in its scope. It would allow gay and lesbian activists to persecute Americans in virtually every area of society — in employment, public accommodations, housing, credit, and a dozen other areas of civil life. Wherever federal law prohibits racial discrimination, it would also prohibit 'discrimination' based on 'sexual orientation and gender identity.' The legislation puts in the crosshairs anyone who believes God created people male and female. It would declare that a traditional view of human sexuality is hateful and bigoted and treat Christians, Jews and other people of faith just as the law treats racists. HR 3185 specifically denies someone who has been targeted the ability to rely on the provisions of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act as a defense against the complaint of discrimination.

"Please act today to help us defeat HR 3185. Click here to send a message to your federal representatives asking them to vote against this dangerous proposal that will result in rampant persecution of Americans in virtually every area of civil life. It is imperative that members of Congress hear immediately that the American people will not tolerate the creation of powerful special rights for one segment of society, and allow them to use the power of the federal government to persecute anyone who disagrees with them." - Hate group leader Brian Brown, who is very upset at the prospect of LGBT Americans being granted the same protections that Christians have enjoyed for over half a century. And note that he evades calling the bill by its name.

KENYA: President Obama Defies Critics, Speaks Out Forcefully On LGBT Rights

ABC News reports:

President Obama publicly disagreed with his Kenyan counterpart over gay rights today as he urged African nations not to discriminate against individuals based on sexual orientation. The president made the remarks at a news conference he held with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, who called gay rights in his country a "non-issue." Obama discussed the subject on his first full day in Kenya while drawing on his own background as an African-American in the U.S.

"If somebody is a law-abiding citizen who is going about their business and working in a job and obeying the traffic signs and doing all the other things that good citizens are supposed to do and not harming anybody, the idea that they are going to be treated differently or abused because of who they love is wrong," Obama said.

Shortly after, Kenyatta said while the U.S. and Kenya share many values, gay rights is an issue on which the two countries disagree. "There are some things that we must agree we don't share," he said. "Our culture, our societies don't accept [homosexuality]." Kenyatta added it was difficult to impose beliefs on the Kenyan people that they "do not accept." "This issue is not really an issue that is on the foremost mind of Kenyans and that is a fact," he said.

WATCH this clip. At the end the president of Kenya dismissed everything Obama said: "For Kenyans today the issue of gay rights is really a non-issue."

British Documentary: World Congress Of Families And NOM Are Fomenting Anti-Gay Violence Across Africa

Last night Britain's Channel 4 aired Hunted: Gay And Afraid, which points to US-based Christian groups such as the World Congress Of Families and NOM as fomenting anti-LGBT violence across Africa. The Independent reviews:

MacKean's film focused not on the victims but on the "villains", specifically the World Congress of Families, an organisation which, though based in the US, has tentacles stretching into Europe, Africa and beyond. View footage of any high-level meeting to draft draconian, homophobic legislation, anywhere in the world, and it seems you'll find a WCF member or affiliate lurking in the corner of the frame. Figures such as the WCF managing director, Pastor Larry Jacobs, and Brian Brown, president of the National Organisation for Marriage, were tracked down by MacKean and confronted with the accusation that the effect of their lobbying can be to legitimise violence. This isn't news to viewers of the above-mentioned documentaries. It was striking to note how the same lobbying tactics have been replicated from country to country: First, select a biddable local politician as a frontman, then falsely conflate homosexuality with child abuse, spuriously blame gay people for public health issues and repeat as necessary.

Earlier this week the World Congress of Families issued a press release denouncing the show:

The documentary-produced by the British TV current affairs documentary series, "Dispatches" -claims to "expose the backlash against gay rights and to shed light on WCF." From its early promotional material, it appears that the documentary is filled with misinformation, intentional or otherwise, thus failing to acknowledge that WCF is not a lobbying group and has never advocated for laws that would harm, harass, or disparage those choosing an LGBT lifestyle. WCF does, however, support policies and legislation that strengthen the welfare of the natural family and protects human rights for all consistent with The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  "Reputable journalists and documentarians strive to present the truth. We ask that the producers of this documentary get correct information and not tarnish their reputation by airing falsehoods about our organization for the sole purpose of promoting a particular agenda," said Janice Shaw Crouse, a member of the Board of Directors of WCF and Executive Director of the World Congress on Families IX. "At the very least, they should seek comment or reaction from official representatives of WCF about the information they have collected."

The press release goes on to blame the SPLC and the HRC for promulgating "negative and unwarranted attacks" against them. The WCF has also issued a lengthy "Call For Civil Dialogue" which purports to contradict the charges against them. See that message, but read it carefully and you'll see that the WCF basically admits most of the claims made by the SPLC and HRC.

VIDEO: The full Channel 4 documentary has been posted online, but I'm unable to make to video player work at this writing.

RELATED: Last September Brian Brown and representatives from the World Congress of Families attended a Kremlin summit which concluded with a formal written call for more nations to enact brutal anti-LGBT laws.

Obama Backs LGBT Rights In Africa

Via the Associated Press:

President Barack Obama voiced strong support for gay rights in Africa on Thursday as he began a trip to the continent, bucking calls from some African leaders to keep his views on such controversial issues to himself. Obama, who departed Washington late Thursday for a trip to Kenya and Ethiopia, had faced criticism from rights groups and growing calls to press the issue aggressively while in a region known for a bleak record on human rights. In an interview with the BBC, Obama said he had been "blunt" with African leaders about gay rights in the past and planned to make it part of his agenda for this trip, too. Asked about Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto, a critic of gay rights in the U.S., Obama said: "Yeah, well, I disagree with him on that, don't I?" "Everybody deserves fair treatment — equal treatment — in the eyes of the law and the state," Obama said. "And that includes gays, lesbians, transgender persons." A number of Kenyan politicians and religious leaders have warned Obama in outspoken terms that any overtures on gay rights would not be welcomed in Kenya, where gay sex is punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

Yesterday Obama told the BBC, "I am not a fan of discrimination and bullying of anybody on the basis of race, on the basis of religion, on the basis of sexual orientation or gender."

Robertson: Obama Should Listen To His "Fellow Africans" And Ban Homosexuality

KENYA: Anti-Gay Group Calls For Thousands To Protest Naked Against Obama Because Homosexuality

African Spotlight reports:

Kenya’s Republican Liberty Party has notified the authorities of its intention to mobilise 5,000 men and women to protest naked against President Barack Obama’s “aggressive support for homosexuality”. The party said it has already notified the authorities for protest scheduled to hold on July 22 and 23, coinciding with the U.S. president’s visit to Kenya. Vincent Kidala, the party’s leader, wrote to the Police on Monday to notify the authorities of the planned protest march from Nairobi’s Freedom Corner to the streets of the capital. He said the protest would involve “totally naked men and women” to “demonstrate the difference between men and women. “The procession shall be carried out by approximately 5,000 totally naked men and women to protest the President Barack Obama’s open and aggressive support for Homosexuality. “The party’s main objective is for him to understand the difference between a man and a woman,” he said in the letter to the Police.

Local activists are calling bullshit:

Denis Nzioka, a LGBTI rights activist in Kenya, has described the protest as the ‘height of stupidity’. ‘This is a kneejerk reaction after only 25 showed up at their last homophobic rally,’ he told Gay Star News. ‘I’m trying to figure out how exactly they figure 5,000 people will show up with no clothes on to protest Obama and gay rights. ‘This time, not even 25 people will show up.’ He added: ‘They want to show to the people and to Obama the “differences” between men and women, that a penis enters a vagina. That’s how they think, and that’s how stupid and ridiculous and ignorant this is. The Republican Liberty Party just trying to stay relevant.’ Kenyan lawmakers have attempted to put a gag order on Obama in order to stop him from mentioning LGBTI rights while he is in the country later this month. However State House has ignored this call, allowing the US president to speak freely.

Scott Lively's Crimes Against Humanity Trial Begins, Liberty Counsel Demands More Information From Ugandan Plaintiffs

The crimes against humanity lawsuit against Scott Lively began today with his Liberty Counsel lawyers demanding more information from the plaintiffs, Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG). Via MassLive:

Lively is being represented by the Liberty Counsel, based in Orlando, Florida, which bills itself on its website as "an international nonprofit litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family." It has provided pro bono legal assistance on these and related topics since 1989. Attorney Roger Gannam on Tuesday argued that lawyers for the plaintiffs were being so surreptitious in turning over documents - already subject to an "attorney's eyes only" restriction - that it was hindering Lively's ability to wage an effective defense.

"Scott Lively has no desire for the information except for this lawsuit," Gannam argued to U.S. Magistrate Judge Katherine Robertson. "SMUG has not proved that it's reliable in deciding what Scott Lively should see and shouldn't see." In particular, the lawyer cited an email relating to a SMUG fund-raiser geared toward paying fees in the Lively case, which he said was so heavily redacted even the subject line was blacked out. Gannam also referred to images the plaintiffs have withheld of participants at the 2009 workshop in Uganda, which he argued Lively couldn't confirm were there if he can't see their faces. Gannam also suggested the plaintiffs' representation of the significance of the 2009 workshop in Uganda was overstated.

Lively did not attend today's hearing. According to the above-linked report, he is planning to move his ministry from Springfield to Riverside, California in order to "expand the brand."

RELATED:  On May 11th SMUG issued a subpoena which demands that notoriously anti-gay Ugandan Pastor Martin "Eat Da Poo Poo" Ssempa appear to testify at the trial. The subpoena included a $1900 check to cover Ssempa's travel costs from Uganda. Normally a prolific many-times-per-day Twitter user, Ssempa has not tweeted since the subpoena was issued.

Seychelles To See First Gay Wedding

The former British colony of Seychelles will see it first same-sex wedding tomorrow when two men marry at the British consulate. The local clergy is very unhappy. Pink News reports:

Same-sex marriage is not possible in the island nation, and the two men will be wed in technically British territory, by the British High Commissioner, Lindsay Skoll. Anglican Bishop James Wong, however said according to Today in Seychelles: “I believe Mrs Skoll is conducting this ceremony at the end of her mandate to do something that is illegal in Seychelles. The wedding of two men in Seychelles is illegal and shameful”. He also described it as “disrespectful to Seychelles”. However, the High Commission released a statement to say: “The High Commissioner is emphatic that this is in no way intended to show any sign of disrespect to the laws, values and beliefs of the people of Seychelles, but is hopeful that, as well as being a joyful occasion, it will also contribute to a healthy dialogue on the rights of non-heterosexual people in Seychelles.”

Seychelles comprises 115 islands off the eastern coast of central Africa. About 75% of its 92,000 residents identify as Roman Catholic. Tomorrow's ceremony is believed to be the first legal same-sex wedding in the 54-member African Union other than those conducted in South Africa. Homosexual acts between males in Seychelles are punishable by up to 14 years in prison, but the law is not known to be enforced. (Tipped by JMG reader Murray)

Mozambique Legalizes Homosexuality

Homosexual acts will be legal in Mozambique on Monday as the law signed by the president in December goes into effect. The new criminal code no longer contains a murky clause which provided that "measures" could be taken against those who "habitually engage in vices against nature." That clause was written in 1887 when Mozambique was still a Portuguese colony. The country has a population of 23 million, 56% of whom identify as Christians. While the legalization of homosexual acts reduces the number of countries which criminalize homosexuality to 78, there are no other legal protections for LGBT citizens of Mozambique. (Via Pink News)