World AIDS Day 2007
Before I get to today’s post, if you missed my prior post recognizing Medal of Honor recipient, Mr. Jefferson DeBlanc, please take the time to read that post.
Today is World AIDS Day 2007. If there is a global topic that I am fairly ill-prepared to write about, the global fight against the AIDS/HIV catastrophe could certainly make a short list (I cannot be an expert on everything). Accordingly, my intention with this post is more to share facts than express an opinion, which I’ll still do in my own special way.
As a fiscal conservative, I’m reflexively reluctant to support any new federal government spending program. Yesterday, President Bush re-doubled his previously re-doubled commitment to fund his, President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Specifically, the President is now calling for a total U.S. commitment to combat AIDS/HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean of $60 billion. My reflexive reluctance aside, I express no opinion on this increased spending.
Rather than cutting and pasting the President’s remarks yesterday announcing his increased commitment and an accompanying White House Fact Sheet, I simply post the links below; please review them at your leisure.
I am moved to write about this topic today, if ever so briefly, because my (news)paper, the Boston Globe, had a lead editorial recognizing the catastrophe/day and a guest editorial recognizing the catastrophe/day. Predictably, neither piece mentioned the unprecedented commitment by President Bush and his challenge to a Democratic Congress; this surprises me not, for the obvious reasons: the commitment should be overwhelmingly heralded by two staunchly liberal communities, the gay and lesbian community and the African-American community.
It is an election year, after all.
I leave my observation here.
(And, please no comments suggesting that the President is "pandering". He knows he and his Party will not benefit at the polls with this commitment . . . see the lack of recognition from the liberal media . . . so, there must be some other reason that motivates the President . . . I suggest it is a noble one.)
President Bush’ Statement:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/11/20071130-4.html
White House Fact Sheet:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/11/20071130.html
Before I get to today’s post, if you missed my prior post recognizing Medal of Honor recipient, Mr. Jefferson DeBlanc, please take the time to read that post.
Today is World AIDS Day 2007. If there is a global topic that I am fairly ill-prepared to write about, the global fight against the AIDS/HIV catastrophe could certainly make a short list (I cannot be an expert on everything). Accordingly, my intention with this post is more to share facts than express an opinion, which I’ll still do in my own special way.
As a fiscal conservative, I’m reflexively reluctant to support any new federal government spending program. Yesterday, President Bush re-doubled his previously re-doubled commitment to fund his, President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Specifically, the President is now calling for a total U.S. commitment to combat AIDS/HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean of $60 billion. My reflexive reluctance aside, I express no opinion on this increased spending.
Rather than cutting and pasting the President’s remarks yesterday announcing his increased commitment and an accompanying White House Fact Sheet, I simply post the links below; please review them at your leisure.
I am moved to write about this topic today, if ever so briefly, because my (news)paper, the Boston Globe, had a lead editorial recognizing the catastrophe/day and a guest editorial recognizing the catastrophe/day. Predictably, neither piece mentioned the unprecedented commitment by President Bush and his challenge to a Democratic Congress; this surprises me not, for the obvious reasons: the commitment should be overwhelmingly heralded by two staunchly liberal communities, the gay and lesbian community and the African-American community.
It is an election year, after all.
I leave my observation here.
(And, please no comments suggesting that the President is "pandering". He knows he and his Party will not benefit at the polls with this commitment . . . see the lack of recognition from the liberal media . . . so, there must be some other reason that motivates the President . . . I suggest it is a noble one.)
President Bush’ Statement:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/11/20071130-4.html
White House Fact Sheet:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/11/20071130.html
posted by Zack at 10:07 AM
1 Comments:
In today’s Boston Sunday Globe (Sunday, December 2) there are two “news” stories on World AIDS Day, I just post the link to the Reuters News Service story below for those interested.
The two key paragraphs from the link are:
In mentioning a concert held in Johannesburg, South Africa, hosted by Mr. Nelson Mandela, to raise money for his AIDS charity it was noted, “The concert included performances by Peter Gabriel, Annie Lennox, Corinne Bailey Rae, Ludacris, and Razorlight. Its proceeds will go toward HIV/AIDS programs throughout southern Africa, the epicenter of the worldwide AIDS epidemic.”
Well, knowing what a huge fan of President Bush Ms. Lennox is, I went to her official web site to see her World AIDS Day message. There was none. Only that she was releasing a new single on December 1. Hmmmmm.
Next, “In the United States, health advocates and HIV/AIDS activists held a protest outside the White House on Friday calling for increased funding and an end to abstinence-only sex education requirements for US-funded programs abroad.”
There was no mention that the protesters at the White House applauded President Bush’s commitment of $60 billion to combat AIDS/HIV.
The other article in the Boston Sunday Globe was about the disproportionate AIDS/HIV infection rate among Boston's African-American community relative to the community's composition to the total Boston population. There was no mention of the President’s $60 billion commitment to combat AIDS/HIV in this article either.
Finally, I went to Mr. Mandela’s official web site for his charity and I found no mention of the generous U.S. contribution to the fight against AIDS/HIV or President Bush (well, at least there were no derogatory comments!).
The link to the news story I cite above:
http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2007/12/02/a_call_to_action_on_world_aids_day/
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