Reagan's AIDS Legacy Silence equals death

As America remembers the life of Ronald Reagan, it must never forget his shameful abdication of leadership in the fight against AIDS. History may ultimately judge his presidency by the thousands who have and will die of AIDS.

Following discovery of the first cases in 1981, it soon became clear a national health crisis was developing. But President Reagan's response was "halting and ineffective," according to his biographer Lou Cannon. Those infected initially with this mysterious disease -- all gay men -- found themselves targeted with an unprecedented level of mean-spirited hostility.

A significant source of Reagan's support came from the newly identified religious right and the Moral Majority, a political-action group founded by the Rev. Jerry Falwell. AIDS became the tool, and gay men the target, for the politics of fear, hate and discrimination. Falwell said "AIDS is the wrath of God upon homosexuals." Reagan's communications director Pat Buchanan argued that AIDS is "nature's revenge on gay men."

With each passing month, death and suffering increased at a frightening rate. Scientists, researchers and health care professionals at every level expressed the need for funding. The response of the Reagan administration was indifference.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/06/08/EDG777163F1.DTL

:kick:

I'm really starting to not like :tinfoilhat:bama, I've only been against him until now because he's unelectable in the general election but BO is turning into a real ass.

What does Obama automatically share all of reagan's policies because he said something nice about him??? Do you even think about what you are writing?

And we have a MO!

... or maybe they aren't.

has an excellent 2-hour program on the AIDS pandemic, which can be watched in segments at their site.

They include a thorough look at Reagan's stance, as well as other failures, successes, and challenges:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/aids/view/

Reagan.

Why don't you tell about the money Clinton allcated for AIDS.

YOU REALLY FUCKED YOURSELF IN THIS THREAD BABY.

It's disgraceful.

it depicts. The dates, and all that transpired. Even the AABB meeting in Washington about screening for aids....And Reagan sat silent as the band played on......

Karma came around and look what happened to him. A bit of justice, maybe. But it will never make up for all those we lost.

Tha AIDS quilt is so large that it cannot be displayed at one time.

I wonder How many lives would have been saved if this crisis was attacked like it should have been under Reagan?

"Hillary and I will always remember President Ronald Reagan for the way he personified the indomitable optimism of the American people, and for keeping America at the forefront of the fight for freedom for people everywhere."

"Hillary and I will always remember President Ronald Reagan for the way he personified the indomitable optimism of the American people, and for keeping America at the forefront of the fight for freedom for people everywhere."

Too bad the Clinton's don't.

And yes the Clintons picked up the ball that was never touched by Reagan.

Reagan is being brought up because people are trying to claim Obama was praising his legacy and everything he stood for.

Now this. Seems to have formed a MO. As a Gay man living with AIDS, I am going to pay special attention to his MO.

ON EDIT: fool me once it's your fault, fool me twice, it's my fault.

I won't waste any more of my time on anybody who spreads this bullshit.

Just keep digging that hole. You Just might find Obama's legacy in it, REAGAN!

GDP in a nutshell

:kick:

If anyone can get a copy of Surgeon General Koop's autobiography, read it.

You will be appalled.

Pat Buchanan and Phyllis Schlafly were the two people who had Reagan's ear on HIV policy. They wanted gay people dead, and convinced Reagan to do NOTHING for five years to combat the epidemic.

Koop was stymied at every turn.

He tells the story of going on the Today show in 1985 or so, four years into it, and the White House called NBC ahead of time and said a precondition to Koop appearing was that he NOT BE ASKED ANYTHING ABOUT AIDS.

This is what Ronald Reagan and his religious rightwing cohorts did. They killed tens of thousands of innocent Americans with their fucked up hate.

Schlafly and Buchanan and Bauer and others in the Reagan administration should be dragged up in front of a tribunal and forced to undergo a lengthy public trial. And they should rot in jail for the rest of their days.

I lived through that holocaust and buried loved ones and friends.

Both Bill and Hillary haved heaped praise on Ronald Reagan for years.

Does that bother you at all that they did?

See the difference?