Thursday, January 08, 2009

Omigod, a journalist doing research!


Max Blumenthal has looked into Rick Warren's involvement in AIDS in Africa. It's not really a very edifying or encouraging sight.

I encourage you to read the whole article here.

This summarizes it:
But since the Warren inauguration controversy erupted, the nature of work against AIDS in Africa has gone unexamined. Warren has not been particularly forthcoming to those who have attempted to look into it. His website contains scant information about the results of his program. However, an investigation into Warren’s involvement in Africa reveals a web of alliances with right-wing clergymen who have sidelined science-based approaches to combating AIDS in favor of abstinence-only education. More disturbingly, Warren’s allies have rolled back key elements of one of the continent’s most successful initiative, the so-called ABC program in Uganda. Stephen Lewis, the United Nations’ special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, told the New York Times their activism is “resulting in great damage and undoubtedly will cause significant numbers of infections which should never have occurred.”

Bush loves to take credit for his "compassionate" stance toward AIDS in Africa too, but with his resolutely abstinence-only approach and the resultant governmental policy of withholding funds where contraception is taught or fostered, a lot of unnecessary death ensues. Bush's legacy is rather uniformly one of death and disempowerment for the masses and profits and immunity for the powerful rapists of society and the environment.

--the BB

4 comments:

Göran Koch-Swahne said...

This needs to be said over and over again.

:-(

it's margaret said...

Grrrr... I hope there is a very special, very small, very lonely corner in heaven....

I know. Not nice.... grrrrr.

Paul said...

LOL. Margaret, I don't think I've had a nice thought about W since he as put in by the Supremes.

As my momma used to say (of other situations in earlier days) - It just makes me lose my Christianity.

June Butler said...

Why am I not surprised? A leopard don't change his spots.

You know, I'm glad Obama was elected and all, but Warren will go a long way toward ruining my pleasure in watching the inauguration.