Today is World AIDS Day.
8,000 people die of AIDS each day. That's 5 per minute. Over 3 million people acquired AIDS in 2005, bringing the total number of humans living with AIDS to over 40 million.
We know exactly how to stop the spread of AIDS. We know exactly how to prevent 99.99% of new AIDS cases. We know that access to reproductive health care and education could stop this pandemic in its tracks. And we know for goddam sure that some of the most powerful organizations in the world are deliberately working to ensure that AIDS will continue to spread.
If you are citizen of the United States of America, be aware that our government is deliberately blocking efforts to fight AIDS. If you are a Catholic, be aware that your Church is repeating lies that they know will lead to the spread of AIDS. If you support global anti-choice gag laws, be aware that you are supporting the spread of AIDS.
Be aware, and be involved in making change. Let the right-wing lobby know that it is not American to fund extremist agendas that cost human lives. Let your religious leaders know that it is not Christian to lie and to murder the poor. Let your ideological communities know that it is not "pro-life" to block access to health care and AIDS prevention resources.
Any epidemic is frightening, but there's a whole new level of horror when you realize that there are world leaders who are consciously helping to ensure that more people suffer and die from a preventable plague. That kind of crap is simply unacceptable. If you want to know more about what you can do about it, don't hesitate to leave a comment...even if it takes me a little while to personally get back to you, there are also plenty of intelligent and well-informed folks lurking around my comments section who are bound to be able to point you in the right directions.
8 Comments:
Just wait till a cervical cancer vaccine comes out.
How long has it ever taken a cow to forgive and forget your not remembering her birthday? Let's not jump to any hasty conclusions here.
Ignoring for a moment the absurdity of Bush's spokesman saying something like "We need to know what the facts are", do you think Bush has more or less "concern" than before his administration got caught pulling the same thing with American journalists before the election? Ethics aside, I doubt this would ever have worked as well as a foreign policy as it did domestically. Whatever else the Iraqis may be the I wouldn't bet on the odds of them being "sheep" to the degree of a certain pompous and willfully ignorant "ilk" over here.
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Bush concern at Iraq 'propaganda'
Iraqis will wonder whether they should trust what papers say
The White House has expressed concern over reports that the US military is planting favourable stories about Iraq in the Baghdad press.
"We are seeking more information from the Pentagon," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.
The reports, originally carried by the Los Angeles Times, said the Pentagon was secretly paying Iraqi papers to run articles praising US and Iraqi troops.
Many stories are being presented as independent accounts, the paper said.
"We're very concerned about the reports," Mr McClellan said on Thursday.
We've made our views very clear when it comes to freedom of press
Scott McClellan
White House spokesman
"We need to know what the facts are," he told reporters.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4490324.stm
According to that article, the US is leading the world in giving money to fight AIDS. The country that is sighted in the article in support of the US policy, Uganda, is one of the few coutries that is having success fighting the epidemic. What leads anyone hear to believe the US policies are unsuccessful?
CF
I'm sure you'll remember why it needs asking, who is that directed to?
Aleks,
It is directed to anyone who believes the US policies are unsuccessful. To say it a different way, if Uganda is having success fighting AIDS, and Uganda supports the efforts the US government is employing, why would it be fair to say that "our government is deliberately blocking efforts to fight AIDS"?
CF
In that case I don't have a dog in this fight, but if "Uganda, is one of the few coutries that is having success fighting the epidemic" then it stands to reason that there are more countries that not having success.
True, but those countries may not be embrassing our policies as much as Uganda. *Fact: According to what has been presented, Uganda is embrassing our policies and they are having success. If the country having the most success is embrassing our policies, is it fair to say that "our government is deliberately blocking efforts to fight AIDS"? I think that's a question that warrants response.
CF
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