Meet "Kami" the muppet, a fluffy five-year-old orphan living with HIV

AP-via Yahoo ^ | 07.17.02 | Yahoo

[Registered]

South Africa's Sesame Street community on September 17, 2002 welcomed Kami, a fluffy five-year-old orphan living with HIV, in the government's latest effort to stem the AIDS pandemic ravaging the country and the continent. Education Minister Kader Asmal was the first outsider to hug Kami, a lively bear-like Muppet with a passion for nature, after her public debut at Cape Town's Groote Schuur Hospital, the only one in the country offering drug therapy for children with AIDS. Kami is seen in this undated photo. (John Barrett/Reuters)

Now for the "bad" news...

[eshu]

There are about 14 million AIDs orphans in AFrica. It is pretty much destroying the tradional family structure. The parents die and then the grandparents raise the kids. Then the gradparents die and the kids raise themselves, more or less on the street. So, if they don't starve, they probably wind up getting AIDs themselves. It isn't a pretty picture.

The really ironic thing is, many of these people are Christians! And their fellow Christians here in the US "yuk it up" as they say - har-dehar. Yes, I suppose it good for a laugh and some gratuitous finger wagging.

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Scripture: Matthew 25:31-46 31 "When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. 34 Then the King will say to those at his right hand, `Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' 37 Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? 38 And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? 39 And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?' 40 And the King will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.' 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, `Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 44 Then they also will answer, `Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?' 45 Then he will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.' 46 And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

[Faith]

Well yesterday we had SS on at our house and one of the guests was Kofi Anan. The muppets were all encouraged to work together the UN way. Ugh. Such indoctrination of our little ones. I'm going to think twice about turning it on again.

[dead]

Get off your high horse, you pompous blowhard.

We're laughing at the gay muppet. You are aware that muppets aren't real, aren't you? Or do you really think he's dying?

[ErnBatavia]

Hey, you're back!!!

Shhh! Keep it real, real quiet! :)

[Gabz]

I bet all daycare centers and preschools have Sesame Street on all day while stay at home moms provide educational alternatives to SS.

I know for a fact that my 4 year old has never seen even one episode of Sesame Street.

[dfwgator]

And don't think for one second that Al-Qaeda won't find a furtile breeding ground there for recruits. I don't get the fuss about it, it's just a freaking muppet in South Africa. It is not a gay thing over there. While I question whether or not it will do any good, I don't see how it could hurt, and frankly it makes Conservatives look like idiots to oppose it.

[Bigg Red]

His mommy or daddy did something very bad...

Oh, no, SGW, you'l hurt everyone's self esteem!

From the caption: ...the government's latest effort to stem the AIDS pandemic ravaging the country and the continent. Education Minister Kader Asmal was the first

Let's see...learning that a cute puppet can get AIDS will keep the kiddies from becoming promiscuous in a few years. O-kayyy, am I missing something?

Instead, how about having real people ravaged from AIDS visit high schools and warn kids to keep it zipped until they're married? No, that would be to logical. Oh, that's right, I forgot that it's poverty that causes AIDS not lack of sexual self-control.

[weegee]

Since when was it possible for a Muppet to get AIDS!

The puppet operator must not have been wearing a glove!

[weegee]

The initial articles said that the puppet would be female (I guess to defuse the claims that it got AIDS from gay sex).

Of course, it could be a transexual/transvestite muppet.

[My2Cents]

That's how Jim Henson died...All those years with his hand up Kermit's rear end.

[Stone Mountain]

How sickening. They would never have a "Herpes Muppet".

They might if a huge percentage of the children watching had Herpes... Why is this sickening?

[CougarGA7]

The puppet operator must not have been wearing a glove!

LOL! Here's the lesson to be learned kids! Stay Away From The Dirty Puppetmaster.

[ErnBatavia]

Great to see you back, Registered!

It sure is....but give it just a few minutes until the er...um......."others" get back from break.

[Young Rhino]

Gay puppets of color? Does RuPaul have a hand/fist in this?

[Pearls Before Swine]

That's how Jim Henson died...All those years with his hand up Kermit's rear end.

Plausible, but inaccurate. I heard it was walking pneumonia, or some form of bad strep he ignored until it was way too late. Of course, I don't know how he caught it...

[weegee]

How does a puppet get sick?

Do the poor have access to television in South Africa? There are adults having sex with minors (infecting them) under the belief that doing this "cures" AIDS.

The initial articles on the puppet also mentioned that this character would be taken on a worldwide tour (even if an AIDS stricken muppet was not added to the Sesame Street show in all countries).

Have they delt with other fatally diseased muppets? Cancer striken muppets? Muppets or kids with diabetes (who must receive injections every day)?

There are many things that may seem odd or scary to kids but aren't addressed. Why this (a politically guarded disease in America) and why now?

[weegee]

...muppets were all encouraged to work together the UN way.

Nothing like the way the UN was working together to proclaim the US and Israel racists in the week leading up to 9.11.2001.

[eshu]

If you think it is hilarious that the South African government is trying use puppets on education television to stop the AIDs epidemic, check this out:

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http://www.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/AIDS/07/13/aids.orphans/

There are now 16 million African children who have lost at least one parent to AIDS, the [U.S. Agency for International Development] says in its report, "Children on the Brink 2000." In the next 10 years, that number is expected to reach 28 million.

Some 90 percent of those children live in sub-Saharan Africa, but a generation of orphans is growing throughout the developing world.

By 2010, authorities estimate that one in three children in Namibia, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and South Africa will have lost a parent to AIDS. And most of those born with AIDS will die before they are 5 years old.

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That's why they're using a puppet aimed at kids - many of the victims are kids.

[snippy_about_it]

You've been missed.

[weegee]

The "dirty puppetmaster" must live a life in exile. The only job path he can enter is one where he spends his days living underneath a countertop.