AIDS broke in 1980-81. Reagan would even say the words HIV or Aids In a message dated 10/29/2008 3:48:23 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
Nothing to say about the fact that only a Democrat President had hurt gays and Republicans haven't? ====================== Reagan and Aids By Larry Kramer In response to Reconstructing Ronald Reagan (March 1, 2007) REAGAN & AIDS To the Editors: It is always distressing to read "upgradings" by academics and journalists more determined to recreate history in their own imaginings than in the facts that are available for honest consideration [Russell Baker, "Reconstructing Ronald Reagan," NYR, March 1]. Ronald Reagan may have done laudable things but he was also a monster and, in my estimation, responsible for more deaths than Adolf Hitler. He is one of the persons most responsible for allowing the plague of AIDS to grow from 41 cases in 1981 to over 70 million today. He refused to even say the word out loud for the first seven years of his presidency and when he did speak about it it was with disdain. He was, in the words of his domestic policy adviser, Gary Bauer, "irrevocably opposed to anything having to do with homosexuality" (personal communication with me in his White House office in April of 1983). As I write in my book The Tragedy of Today's Gays (Penguin, 2005), "I can locate no work of any urgency, or indeed, much work at all, on AIDS" during his entire presidency, thus allowing many millions of gay men all over the world to be exposed to the virus without so much as a warning from anyone in his government. Those of us on the front lines can attest to this stone wall that was unbreachable. It is laughable that Emerson, a possibly gay man himself, should be dragged in here. "Great flexibility of mind!" "Ability to adapt and embrace change!" Diggins and Arquilla have got to be joking. Larry Kramer New York City ==================== I'll concede that Kramer was overstating with the mention of Hitler. Clinton was hemmed in by Newt Gringrich's congress with the Defense of Marriage Act which was authored by Bob Barr. And Clinton was thwarted by Dick Armey on the Gays in the Military issue. Armey threatened to pass legislation to counter any executive order by Clinton about gays in the military. Thus the compromise, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." >From day one, Clinton was besieged by the right wing starting with the $400 haircut et al. No comparison between the number who died because of Reagan's denial and the number who couldn't marry because of Clinton's signature. Clinton wasn't afraid to say the word AIDS nor to invite gay representatives to the White House early in his administration. **************Plan your next getaway with AOL Travel. Check out Today's Hot 5 Travel Deals! (http://travel.aol.com/discount-travel?ncid=emlcntustrav00000001) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AsburyPark/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AsburyPark/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
