``We think this needs to be a wake-up call for the rest of the nation,'' said Dr. Ronald Valdiserri

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[snip]

For example, the proportion of gay men reporting that they always use a condom fell from 70 percent in 1994 to 54 percent last year.

``We've been waiting for the other shoe to drop,'' Coates said.

[snip]

Dr. Willi McFarland,... said the research involved only gay and bisexual men, and ``we really haven't seen a change in other groups.''

[snip]

``This is among people who should know better!''

And we waste millions of dollars on research to find a cure for this disease? Gimme a break. The 'cure' is easy! OBSTAIN from the 'behavior' that spreads the disease and we can use the saved research money on worthwhile things like: cancer research, alzhiemers, MS, etc.

P.S. I'm real tired of the lie of 'Safe Sex' being perpetuated. There is no such thing as 'Safe Sex'. No sex is the only 'Safe Sex' around.

-- Ain't Gonna Happen (Not Here Not@ever.com), July 01, 2000

Answers

Oh hurry, lets get those same sex marriages legalized so we can all help pay for the new explosion of AIDS cases. Im sure the rump rangers will be thrilled with the HMO version of treating AIDS. I know, I'm such a bigot. Who but a bigot would be upset about financing the medical costs created by two 'men' butt-fuckin' each other. I'll try to do better, NOT!!

-- Ra (tion@l.1), July 01, 2000.

Damn, you ARE stupid, Irrational! Why would it matter whether two gay men are married of not? If they're going to go at it, what makes you think a marriage license would make any difference to them?

I'm not charged up about the idea, but there are going to be HIV cases whether there are gay marriages or not. And whether there are needle exchange programs or not. Maybe, by your logic, we should go ahead and let lesbians get married, since they have the lowest rate of HIV infections of all demographic groups.

Oh, wait, I'm talking over your head again. I forgot how easy it is to lose you when I use facts, statistics and logic.

I'll try to do better.

NOT.

-- March For Bullshit (million.moms@are.wrong.org), July 01, 2000.

MFB, the reason I stopped responding to you is simpleyou are too stupid to comprehend what you read. I dont care if the butt pirates of the world HIV themselves into oblivion. I just dont want to have to PAY for their AIDS treatments. Comprende you half-wit? Why not have your wife read these posts to you real slow and draw some pictures. Dumb fucking moron!

-- Ra (tion@l.1), July 01, 2000.

That sound you hear is the chain being pulled.

-- Ra (tion@l.1), July 01, 2000.

"MFB, the reason I stopped responding to you is simpleyou are too stupid to comprehend what you read."

No, I comprehend EVERYTHING you have said only too well. The reason you stopped responding to me (only to start again now) is because you are an ignorant racist moron who:

A) Cannot support any of his assertions

B) Cannot disprove or counter any of mine

C) Cannot keep his mind on the points being argued

D) Runs away and claims victory

E) Refuses to advance an argument

F) Uses insults as his only debating tool

"I dont care if the butt pirates of the world HIV themselves into oblivion. I just dont want to have to PAY for their AIDS treatments."

Guess what? You already ARE. You and all other American taxpayers have ALREADY been doing so for quite some time. Or did you miss that?

"Comprende you half-wit?"

Hey, cracker-ass idiot. You are ALREADY PAYING for HIV treatments and HIV research. Legalizing gay marriages or needle exchanges won't change that -- you ALREADY ARE PAYING FOR IT.

Quarter-wit.

"Why not have your wife read these posts to you real slow and draw some pictures."

BWAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, what a LAUGH! You STILL can't formulate a coherent argument to ANYTHING I HAVE EVER POSTED, so you must resort to insults instead. You're PITIFUL, Irrational. Let's see how many threads you can run to instead of facing me, coward.

"Dumb fucking moron!"

Maybe. But I'm the moron with the facts, statistics, reasoning and logic on my side. You don't appear to have any of that, moron.

"That sound you hear is the chain being pulled."

That sound you hear is the lame excuse being made.

-- March For Bullshit (million.moms@are.wrong.org), July 01, 2000.

Perhaps the 'safe sex' message never got through in the first place. Perhaps it was a flawed campaign, since what it really means is keep doing what you're doing, but use a condom. And no study has ever ever shown that condoms are 100% effective in blocking bad microbes.

The whole premise that it is ok to continue to engage in whatever behaviors you have to this point, but don't worry because each time you do you only have a 5 or 10% chance of incurring a lethal lingering incurable disease, is unfair to the people who become victims.

The 'safe sex' campaign designers took a cynical choice between telling the truth, and figuring that no one would listen if they did. They chose the latter course, perhaps thinking that a few lives lost were better for the majority.

-- Stymo (Stromoda@kiefer.com), July 02, 2000.

I doubt this is a matter of poor PR. High-risk populations tend to take such things seriously and learn all they can. But with a strong enough motivation, people have an astounding ability to kid themselves, and the sex drive is strong motivation. So I think there's a tendency to try to finesse the problem. Like, well, I'll have fewer partners. And I'll have them tested one of these days. And my friends haven't had problems (that I know of), so I won't either. And I won't do it so often. And it hasn't happened to me yet, so what I'm doing must work. And the problem is under control. And so on.

Quitting sex is like quitting smoking -- for most people, the resolution is only temporary, after which the urge outweighs the risk in their minds. So they finesse -- well, I'll smoke fewer, and I'll smoke filters, and I'll smoke low tar brands, and I'll quit right after this latest carton (or relationship).

As in the old fable, the obvious solution is to put a bell on the cat. *Doing* it is the hard part.

-- Flint (flintc@mindspring.com), July 02, 2000.