Obama Offers Frank AIDS Talk

[jefferson_dem]

Obama Offers Frank AIDS Talk

By GILLIAN FLACCUS
The Associated Press
Friday, December 1, 2006; 5:08 PM

LAKE FOREST, Calif. -- Potential presidential candidate Barack Obama stood before one of the country's largest evangelical churches Friday for a frank discussion of sexuality and spirituality that included the declaration that condoms should be made more widely available to fight AIDS.

<SNIP>

"We are all sick because of AIDS," Obama said. "We are all challenged by this crisis."

In a show of political unity, Obama took an AIDS test with a potential White House rival on the Republican side _ Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas. Brownback draws his support from the conservative evangelical community, but Obama has been urging liberals not to allow Republicans to claim itself the party of Christians.

After addressing Brownback as his friend and applauding his efforts on issues such as AIDS, Obama said: "There is one thing I've got to say, Sam, though: This is my house too. This is God's house. So I just want to be clear."

<SNIP>

"I also believe we can't ignore the fact that abstinence and fidelity, although the ideal, may not always be the reality, that we're dealing with flesh and blood men and women and not abstractions, and that if condoms and potentially things like microbicides can prevent millions of deaths, then they should be made more widely available," Obama said. "That's my belief."

<SNIP>

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/01/AR2006120101164_pf.html

[JackBeck]

1. Wow. I'm really glad he mentioned microbicides.

[wiley]

2. Good for Obama. Now if he would help stop the fraud

called the Ryan White Care Act Reauthorization that is currently before the Senate. One thing you can always count on is turning the topic to AIDS in Africa or elsewhere when the topic of the AIDS crisis in the United States. Why? Because it deals with racial issues, sexuality and poverty.

There is currently an awful bill that was passed by the Republican dominated House and which is stalled in the Senate, thanks to great leaders like Senator Clinton, Obama and others. I pray that the bill does not get passed in its' current form.

It needs 675 million dollars added to it to fully fund the care, treatment, testing, prevention of HIV/AIDS in this country. Instead of doing that, the Republicans have very evilly pitted red states against blue states, rural areas against urban areas, and organizations and medical care providers against each other to desperately fight for money that sold out AIDS activists say "just isn't there".

The Ryan White Reauthorization Act must be fully funded according to need. That need includes 675 million more dollars. Republican Senators and House members should not be given cover and be allowed to say they are doing something about AIDS when what they are proposing is to punish doctors and community based organizations in larger, more urban areas who have prevented AIDS from becoming as bad as it is in Africa and Asia, in the US.

The current bill is similar to saying that we have conducted breast cancer screening in areas where many women and some men were at risk of developing breast cancer for the last fifteen years and now that we have determined that there are people with breast cancer in that area we are going to destroy all the networks and expertise in those areas,and give too little money to other areas in the US to address a huge problem that they all but ignored for the last fifteen years. Now, everyone will have too little money to address the problem.

Well, if you cut Medicaid and dump a $2700 donut hole through the Medicare Prescription drug act on people with HIV/AIDS throughout the country you'll just see what we are already seeing. People are buying food instead of accessing medicatioons or medical care. When a wave of multiple drug resistant tuberculosis or highly resistant HIV hits your area - and it will - you will all be able to thank a Republican controlled administration and Congress for ruining yet another great program, and putting the health of the people in this country last, again.

Either fund the Reauthorization Act with an additional 675 million, or wait until a new Congress gets in. Thanks to Senators like Obama, that awful bill has not yet been approved by the Senate. Pity to deprive Republican Senators and House members from the South and rural areas of the ability to say they did something about AIDS in their own states.

[JackBeck]

3. They're trying to spread the money around to all the states

the same way they did with the Homeland Security dollars.

I work at a HIV treatment and research non-profit in NYC. My department had over $300,000 written out of our contract. I might be out of a job by the end of the year if we don't find new funding.

[wiley]

4. Now's the time to let the country know about this evil plan

I feel for those states that have yet to receive appropriate funds to address HIV/AIDS or any other health issue in their state,because it's the poor and lower income workers and increasingly the middle class who suffer because of it, but claiming that certain states need federal funds because they don't pay high property taxes or cover much through their Medicaid programs means that the Governors, Senators, and House members have to address the issue ALONG WITH the federal government.

I pay property taxes for a reason - to fund health, education and other programs in my state. I pay taxes because everyone in the US has a right to health care, and it shouldn't depend on handouts from the pharmaceutical industry.

http://www.projectinform.org/healthcare/alert_pia111306.html

[xchrom]

6. it's very important to note that communities like the bay area are SUFFERING

because of cuts to ryan white.

programs like adap which gets fed and state dollars has been hurt -- and takes fewer new patients -- and is more restrictive now are essential to people with hiv/aids.

i'm less concerned with barak and brownback getting an aids test than with them finding the full funds for ryan white.

[wiley]

8. Exactly, as in New Jersey, New York, Illinois, Florida, etc.

http://www.projectinform.org/healthcare/alert_pia111306.html

[beaconess]

5. What this piece doesn't mention is that Obama's comment about "God's house"

was in response to Brownback's telling Obama "Welcome to my house." Obama replied, "This is my house, too. This is God's house."

[IndianaGreen]

7. Exactly! Brownback was spouting the BS that only people like him

are true Christians, while Obama said what Jesus would have said had he been faced with the same situation.

Obama connects with people of all persuasions and belief systems. And there is nothing phony about it!

[goclark]

9. Yes he does connect in such a honest way