Posted on 06/09/2004 8:45:30 AM PDT by J. Semper Paratus
Edited on 06/09/2004 8:47:29 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
SAN FRANCISCO — As one of the first physicians to confront AIDS when it began its rampage through the gay community, Dr. Marcus Conant lobbied the Reagan administration in 1982 to launch an emergency campaign to educate Americans about the disease.
It took the president five more years to publicly mention the crisis. By then, almost 21,000 Americans had died and thousands more had been diagnosed.
Conant, who lost scores of friends and patients to the disease, is still deeply angry — one of many Americans who view Reagan's legacy in a harsh light.
"Ronald Reagan and his administration could have made a substantial difference, but for ideological reasons, political reasons, moral reasons, they didn't do it," said the San Francisco dermatologist, who now deals with a new generation of AIDS patients. "President Reagan and his administration committed a crime, not just a sin."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Since government was not "Big Mother" under Reagan, they blame him.
FReepers, fire off with your comments on vomitous mass of drivel.
'Course, the gay community fighting against closing the bathhouses and anonymous sex with multiple partners even though they'd been shown it was tied to their activity had nothing to do with it.
Many don't think fondly of the US, either:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=1752739&mesg_id=1752739
This article is gay.
Yes, Communists. It's rather like Nazis not remembering Winston fondly either.
President Reagan has the love of those who count, and an enduring legacy - not the kind of papier mache legacy of sex scandals and sleaze that Clinton has - rather, he brought liberty to millions, and bolstered liberty at home. The gaggle of fools who wish to criticise the man will not detract from this, rather, this legacy will glow more brightly as time goes on.
Regards, Ivan
ROFL!
I was on Yahoo IM one day, chatting with a friend. I received a message from someone wanting to know if I was Arabian because I belonged to that group.
I replied that the group was under science, biology, mammals, horses and breeds so it was about horses.
Nasty piece of crud said I must be a hateful murdering American. I got REALLY pi$$ed and made a comment about being extremely lucky to be a Proud American and a rude remark about murdering muslim terrorists and then blocked him.
Guess hatred of the US is all over.
The moral reasons Reagan sought were to describe the behaviour as what it is...abhorant. It is through that education that AIDS can be fought best.
But they want government largess and monies to be spent trying to cure the results of their behavior.
Funding for AIDS is way out of proportion to its impact IMHO, particularly since it is so very avoidable (in the vast majority of cases).
One of the many brilliant things that Reagan did consistantly, which the left cannot understand, is that he did not promote pandering of the Federal government to the 'I want' crowd. With all the cries this week of 'Reagan hurt the poor' or 'he didn't act on the AIDS epidemic', etc, it is because the President and Federal government are not babysitters.
The poor are poor not because the government made them poor, but that they are generally under educated and born in the circumstance. Nothing in Washington DC is going to change that. It is a community and family issue. Same with AIDS, it is primarily a consequence of some behavior. I am not sure what Reagan could have done about it. It's not like the average San Francisco resident was going to change their behavior because Ronald Reagan spoke on the subject. They detested the man in the first place.
Just Say No To Butt Pirating!
Well, it's true. Reagan is solely at fault for the spread of ADIS. In fact, when the gays were in the bath houses in San Francisco, Reagan was there cheering them on. He would yell, "Git along little dogies, show 'em how the West was won." And do you know he faked his illness? Yes, when no one was looking, he would jump out of bed and get online. When gays were looking for other gays to have group sex with Reagan would tell the the latest hot spots where they could meet other gays, and he knew that some of them were already infected with HIV. He would say, "Come on guys, it can't be a crisis unless you do your part." It's all Reagan's fault.
What total crap.
~~This article is gay.~~
That would explain the groping feeeling I got while reading it.
Well, the gays obviously don't care about dying AIDS patients anymore either. They continue to flout the disease, some to the point of having more "exciting" sex with a person KNOWN to have AIDS.
San Francisco. The slow leak of liberal drivel continues, building in its momentum. It should really blow after the funeral.
Anyone who wants to relive the events leading up to this epidemic is encouraged to read And The Band Played On by the late Randy Shilts. Shilts was certainly no friend of the Reagan administration (he was gay himself and finally died of AIDS) but he was also an eyewitness to the absurdly self-destructive politics that so hindered San Francisco's, and the country's, response to the burgeoning plague. The truth is that gay politics is far more responsible for AIDS deaths than conservative politics, and transferring blame to Reagan is simply a way to avoid taking the responsibility themselves.
Well, maybe a sarcasm tag may have been needed, but I agree. The idea that the spread of AIDS is somehow President Reagan's fault is total nonsense.
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