Interesting; I was told this by a local in Kampala, but it’s always possible that he was repeating some urban legend. A cursory search of the web doesn’t bring up any hoax material or even any similar stories that I can find. I should have qualified the story with a “So I was told” disclaimer.
I’m awfully sorry to hear of Mr Amin’s coma and impending death. How will the Commonwealth survive without its rightful emperor?
I also sincerely hope that, if there is an afterlife, Mr Amin isn’t tortured night and day for eternity by the souls of the people he had murdered. Or the ones he ate (so it is rumoured).
I particularly hope that Yama doesn’t toast his balls on a pitchfork forever to punish him for the ethnic cleansing of Uganda’s entire Indian population.
Wonder who’s paying his medical bills?
This is an utter tragedy! Why by golly, we need to get the world’s finest medical team in there right now. That way, we can keep him alive long enough to inflict the kind of pain on him he deserves. I’m tired of these bastards getting away light. At least Mussolini got dragged through the streets.
And a cool sneaker at that!
But I do agree with you that today’s murderous tyrants need to work on the whole name thing. Mugabe’s got a cool last name, but the “Robert” thing is way too whitebread. He needs a scary nickname or something. Where are the great names of the past, like “Papa Doc” and “Baby Doc” Duvaliar, Ngo Dinh Diem, or Mobutu Sese Seko. One of my favorites has always been Nicolae Ceausescu, which just screams “Bond villan.” We still got Castro, though, who has become a mononym like Cher or Sting.
Saudi Arabia, I should think. He has apparently been living on what must have been quite a generous allowance.
Oh, and Zenster, I missed your comment the first time through, but from what I’m reading, Uganda is quite willing to let him back in. Of course, if he is still alive, he would be arrested immediately. His brother and at least some of his children do live in Uganda now.
Hmm, how long till we get the first:
ESTEEMED SIR,
I am the son of the late Idi Amin, who brought with him a very large sum of money when he was expelled from Uganda. I urgently need to retrieve this money from Saudi Arabia, but we require a bank account in the west…
I guess Cowgirl’s sleeping because she didn’t call you a racist.
It’s a fine place, big continent and all. Of course noe would think it was an little island from the commentary. Never has gotten up to the frightening levels of murderous dictator efficiency the Europeans got up to, give them time.
All well and fine, however I agree with Cowgirl.
First, Africa is a big place, children, and just because you never hear about the sleepy parts muddling along doesn’t mean that rampant stereotypes are all correct.
The distance from sleepy and very pleasant Dakar, Senegal to Kampala is roughly as travelling from London to Moscow. A lot of difference. For example, Senegal has a mere 2% HIV infection rate. Mali something similar, indeed most of West Africa has, to date, comparatively low infection rates. Knock on wood.
All in all, while Africa is not a happy continent, sweeping generalizations based on the 50% that is truly down the crapper is not particularly fair and does bring with it a hint of that old racism, for the 50% that are not doing … well terribly.
All in all, I find the over-generalizations as if the continent was a small country, ignorant and irritating.
However, hopefully Idi will soon be pushing up the daisies.
I don’t think we have to worry about that, gato. Amin isn’t that kind of hole.
I think the rule applies to wishing death on a “person,” Otto, not that pustule on the ass of a syphilitic hippopotamus. Besides, most were not wishing death on Amin. They merely noted that the poor man’s death was impending and suggested means by which they hoped the blessed event might occur. Just trying to help, you know.
Oh, by the way, Otto, here are your words in answer to the very “wishing death on someone” thread you mentioned:
Guess a fate worse than death is okay by you, eh? 
In Amin’s case I must say I concur.
Idi Amin will experience what we all will experience as he is enveloped in the love & fairness of God through our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ…
man, is he gonna freakin hurt!!! G
I mean every word of this, too.
Coll, cowgirl: Would it be just as racist if someone was to say that in the Americas, people are killed because of their sexual orientation and that AIDS is still spreading despite governmental education campaigns? Would it be racist to consider the image of the Americas tarnished because of the Amadou Diallo case and the lynchings in the southern part of the US?
It would be stupid to say such things, but would it be racist?
Well, no, but then America is not, unlike sub Saharan Africa, largely seen as a mono-racial entity.
Structuraly different.
For all that, I am not sure the person in question was indeed racist, but the over generalizations certainly came close to the typical ones done by racists about Africa. AGain, that does not make it racist per se given how ignorant most people are of the Continent.
Coll, I think most people see America, the country, as a strongly white-majority nation. The Americas probably aren’t seen as so monotone, but I’d be willing to wager that most people globally don’t see North and South America as being largely populated by blacks.
So, is slurring America as injurious to whites as slurring Africa is to blacks?
(I’m coming down on this because it seemed that you and cowgirl (well, especially cowgirl) were quick to come up with a racial explanation for a regional misunderstanding. I’m just curious if you’d consider someone who sees, say, Minnesota, as a hateful place as being racist against whites.)
Actually, I was thinking more of an Amazing Two-Headed Man thing. But no reason Hell can’t have two amazing Two Headed Men. :eek:
Hey, there’s still time to buy his album!
Idi, Idi, Idi Amin, most amazin’ man we ebber seen…
That was great Coll! You deserve a medal for the ‘sweeping generalization’ remark.
For those who don’t know about Amin’s most famous speech, here is a link- warning: You will crap in your pants with laughter.
http://www.fortunecity.com/campus/books/845/idiamin.htm
Oddly this (local) story is getting little local coverage.