Letters to the Editor

• AIDS WARS

  [Read the article: The difference between Jeremiah Wright and radical, white evangelical ministers]
  [Read more letters about this article: Here]

  http://letters.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/03/17/wright/permalink/cc5a5f2ae2e416b3e4446e58fe37e9d6.html

  T. Theobald

  The straying sentence fragment wrongly identifying me as Dr. Wright was a mistake; that's about as far as you're gonna push your luck. I don't think Mr. Greenwald wants a dicussion on HIV/AIDS in this particular thread, which is why I asked you to choose another forum. But fair enough:

  "HIV is not increasingly prevalent.(Me)

  Say what? That sounds...remarkably ignorant. Please do a little googling and check some reputable sources. Like the UN" (Theobald)

  I was referring to the US HIV statistics since the mid-80s. Before you "refute" me with computer generated guesstimates from 3rd. world countries, you might want to consider it's less than a year ago Indian HIV estimates from your "reputable sources" were cut in half to great embarrassment for some; and it's no more than a couple of months ago worldwide HIV prevalence was lowered by 7 million according to the same higly embarrased "reputable sources". Do feel free, however, to pursue the "reputable sources" line of argument, Mr. T.

  "HIV and AIDS are not correlated geographically. (Me)

  First off, AIDS is the symptom group of HIV. Of course it is not correlated geographically - because in some areas, anti-retroviral drug regimens are available to fight the symptom, resulting in less AIDS per capita of infected HIV patient. What kind of dippy conspiracy theory conclusion were you alluding to?" (Theobald)

  I was once again referring to the US of A, Mr. Theobald. Once again, do feel free to elaborate on which geographical areas of the US are outwith the reach of antiretrovirals.

  "HIV and AIDS are not correlated chronologically. (Me)

  Another in what is becoming a long series of dumb assertions. Let's see your proof of this, taking into account the reduced per-capita I mentioned above. Also take into account HIV's incubation period, please." (Theobald)

  Let's stay with the US, shall we Mr. Theobald? surprising as this may seem to you the incubation period HAS been taken into account. - Which incubation period are you referring to, by the way, the original couple of months, or the present 10 years? Howbeit, the unravelling of the bogus HIV statistics is certainly too much for this thread. Here's a book and a website where you can find all the documentation you desire.

  http://failingsofhivaidstheory.homestead.com/

  hivskeptic.wordpress.com (just one of many informed sites)

  Again, feel free to engage with these arguments in an appropriate forum.

  "HIV and AIDS are not correlated in their relative impact on women and men". (Me)

  "This time you seem to be conflating HIV and AIDS. What are you getting at? Women are more easily infected (which is another characteristic of many STDs). "Relative impact"? How about you define this before anyone accepts your blanket BS assertion?" (Theobald)

  Mr, Theobald, you are slipping now. Staying within the US as always: women are indeed supposedly more easily infected with HIV, but the majority of AIDS cases have been, and still are, found among men. Is that clear enough for you, or are you still conflating HIV and AIDS? (-:

  "**** HIV and AIDS are not correlated in their relative impact on white and black people.**** (Me)

  Also true, but what conclusion can you draw from this? This is as much a result of poverty, demographic availability of public health care and testing, and even geopolitical/cultural attitude that happens to also subdivide white/black lines. For instance, in South Africa having a Prime Minister (or was it their president?) who was in active denial of the problem didn't do them any favors." (Theobald)

  I won't tire of repeating this, Mr. Theobald, the cultural, "geo"-political, cultural etc. differences are ALL PRESENT IN THE US STATISTICS! No need to bring in South Africa. Within EVERY DEMOGRAPHIC SUBSTRATUM of the US population, BLACKS CONSISTENTLY test HIV positive FIVE TIMES MORE OFTEN than WHITES on average.

  "I challenge anybody to refute any of these and many more not so politically correct statements in a forum of his/her choosing.(Me)

  Consider yourself refuted". (Theobald)

  Let's let he audience decide that, shall we Mr. T?

  And please stop clouding the issue.

  Permalink Monday, March 17, 2008 04:01 PM

• We have the press corps we deserve

  [Read the article: Various items]
  [Read more letters about this article: Here]

  "Only with the press corps that we have could a candidate who is so plainly nothing more than a third term for George Bush -- one of the most despised presidents in modern American history, plagued by recession and a deeply unpopular war -- have a plausible chance of winning. But we do have the press corps that we have, and therefore McCain does have a chance of winning, as irrational as that is."

  At what point do we start assigning some of the blame to the American voter, so eager to embrace Big Brother, so eager to remain ignorant?

  Permalink Sunday, March 23, 2008 06:52 AM