Posted on 04/11/2002 6:31:29 PM PDT by Member -- VaRiWiCo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pop star and AIDS activist Sir Elton John told a U.S. Senate panel on Thursday that the world's richest nation must do more to stop the world's worst epidemic.
The British singer-songwriter, whose AIDS foundation has funded $35 million of grass-roots treatment and prevention programs in 55 countries in the last decade, had never addressed a political body before and he said in an interview before the hearing that he was quite nervous.
But he testified eloquently about the global scourge, which has already claimed some 25 million lives.
``This is the government of the richest nation in history and I'm here asking you for more money to stop the worst epidemic in history,'' he told the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee.
Lawmakers listened attentively, especially when Sir Elton noted that entertainers and politicians both thrive on applause but what really matters is ``whether what we do makes any difference.''
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan wants $10 billion yearly for the global AIDS fight, up from $2 billion now.
Massachusetts Democrat Sen. Edward Kennedy, the health committee chair, said he is drafting legislation to strengthen global resources. An aide later said Kennedy would like to add about $400 million to $500 million for that initiative next year.
Sandy Thurman, a former White House AIDS adviser who heads the International AIDS Trust, testified that rich countries tend to limit their efforts in poor countries to prevention, not costly treatment, but the two must go hand-in-hand.
People have scant incentive to find out if they are HIV-infected if they are not going to get care. ``Where treatment is offered, counseling and testing centers are swamped,'' she said.
Sir Elton said that some of the programs his foundation has funded have been quite simple. In Kenya, for instance, they gave AIDS workers bicycles to reach more people. In Soweto, South Africa, a hospice reaches out to the dying. But it only has eight beds, he said, in a nation where four million people are infected.
http://dailynews.att.net/cgi-bin/news?e=pri&dt=020411&cat=entertainment&st=entertainmentaidseltondc.html
Say "no" to goverment funded AIDs reserch. Let them start a charity. Those who wish to help their "choice"- can. Those who "choose" not to won't have to. That's a fair and "equal choice."
ROMANS CHAPTER 1 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. 21) For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22) Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23) and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. 24) Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25) They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen. 26) Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27) In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
Well, you obviously can’t put it any better than that.
Here’s an idea Elton, instead of putting the onus on ”the world's richest nation must do more to stop the world's worst epidemic. “ why don’t we concentrate on having the world’s poorest nations do more to stop spreading the world’s worst epidemic?
Oh, but I guess personal responsibility doesn’t sell does it?
Owl _ Eagle
“Guns before butter.”
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Elton, this is bullcrap. If you want the epidemic stopped, the answer is easy. Quit engaging in lunatic sex. When I hear you say that instead of saying money is the problem, you might get some credibility.
Despite all that has been said, AIDS is still an extremely difficult disease to catch. If one abstains from certain types of risk behavior, which are now well known, one's chance of catching this disease is not unadjacent to zero.
The real problem here, however, is that certain types of people love their lifestyle more than they love their life.
Well we know they make a difference. . .and we all have surely paid a high price for the influences of the 'Hollywood elite' . . .and we know the downside of those politicians craving applause; and no one needed it more than Hollywood's favorite Democrat. . .Bill Clinton.
Elton shares the light of both those worlds; and there he is hanging with Hillary; another major self-applauding, political 'contributor' making a painful difference in our lives.
The pathetic irony of it all. . .
These people ARE the problem. . .and as such, the solution totally escapes them. . .
That should eliminate a whole bunch of problems, and it doesn't cost a dime.
TGR
To demand more money for a disease that by now should be nothing more than a bad memory and whose outbreak could stop today if those at risk finally assumed responsibility for its spread, is disgraceful.
That a neurotic British kazillionaire, hack-pianist is telling the United States to further fund his pet project is shameful.
Here's a tip ... and, it's free! ABSTINENCE stops AIDS!
Preliminary 2000 data
Number of Deaths Annually: 2,404,598
Death Rate (age-adjusted): 872.4 deaths per 100,000 population
Ten Leading Causes of Death in the U.S.:
Heart Disease: 709,894
Cancer: 551,833
Stroke: 166,028
Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease: 123,550
Accidents: 93,592
Diabetes: 68,662
Pneumonia/Influenza: 67,024
Alzheimer's Disease: 49,044
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 37,672
Septicemia: 31,613
Source: National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 49, No. 12
Made homosexual behavior illegal. Is that his suggestion? It's the obvious stop-gap solution.
Only problem with this is that greatest number of AIDS cases are in places like Africa where it is spread through HETEROSEXUAL promiscuity...not homosexuals.
Last I heard, there has been more money (in large part tax dollars) spent of AIDS research than on heart disease and the big C. Chaps my butt sort of because it seems my family and circle of acquaintances seem to be mostly stricken by heart disease and the big C (though I do know one individual who used to diddle with the dirty little $.25 junkie hookers over in the brown district and actally did manage to get AIDS - but being a long time heavy smoker, his heart will probably still explode before the AIDS gets him).
I have a great amount of admiration for the unique musical talent of Sir Reginald Dwight. The last big name concert I went to before middle age got me was his show at the Tacoma Dome in, I think, 1994.
Having said that, I have to say that with regard to his chosen lifestyle, I did not consider it a factor that had any effect on my "fanhood", because he stayed out of the politics of sexual orientation and AIDS.
But since the great spectacle that is commonly referred to as the death of the late Princess of Wales, Sir Reginald has thrust himself into that arena, almost as if it were a calling. A lot of us have personally witnessed his calling, and after a generation in the musical field, he ought to have recognized that.
I will pay him to sing and play the piano as long as he doesn't ask me (and especially ask my representatives to compel me) to pay even more for this social disease.
Dave in Eugene
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