Is Donald Trump Related to Pharma Douche Martin Shkreli?

I'm not sayin'. . .I'm just sayin'! Know what I'm sayin'?

The resemblance is uncanny. pic.twitter.com/HVtx4i0EnE

— Anyone But Trump (@AnyoneButDTrump) February 11, 2016

World AIDS Day: Flashing Back to "When AIDS Was Funny"

AIDS was, of course, never really funny. But for a time, people got titters about it, because it was "gay cancer," and openly gay Americans were rather rare, and the whole subject was treated like a joke. A dirty, truly tasteless joke. The most troubling fact about that, is that it wasn't just 13-year-old boys with pocket "dead baby" joke books treating it that way, but the official stance of the Reagan Administration. How much differently could the AIDS crisis have turned out, had Saint Ronnie treated the subject more seriously at the outset? We'll never know.

[Excerpt]

The Reagan Administration’s Unearthed Response to the AIDS Crisis Is Chilling

One of the most prominent stains on the reputation of the much-mythologized Reagan administration was its response, or lack of response, to the AIDS crisis as it began to ravage American cities in the early and mid-1980s. President Reagan famously (though, not famously enough) didn’t himself publicly mention AIDS until 1985, when more than 5,000 people, most of them gay men, had already been killed by the disease. Filmmaker Scott Calonico’s new documentary short, When AIDS Was Funny, exclusively debuting on VF.com, shows how the Reagan administration reacted to the mounting problem in chilling fashion. Not even Reagan’s appointed mouthpiece, notorious press secretary Larry Speakes, had much to say about the crisis beyond derisive laughter. . .


Read more (with video) at: Vanity Fair

Rush Limbaugh is Still a Big, Fat Pig, Part MCMLXXXVIII

With apologies to Senator Al Franken for stealing his title, Rush Limbaugh just seems to keep trying to outdo himself in piggishness. He's just disgusting.

[Excerpt]

Rush Limbaugh: Liberals will politicize Ebola like they used AIDS to ‘undermine’ Reagan

Radio host Rush Limbaugh warned his listeners on Monday that liberals would make Ebola into a political issue and use it like they had used AIDS to “undermine” President Ronald Reagan. In an audio clip flagged by Media Matters, the conservative talker explained that he had received some complaints from listeners who said that he should not be spending time talking about the Ebola outbreak in Africa. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Shot-Down Malaysian Plane Held 100 AIDS Researchers

Image from source, CBSNews

Wow. Even if the excerpted article doesn't have the number exactly right, that's just astonishing. 100 top AIDS researchers, enroute to a conference on the disease in Australia, perished when the plane was shot down, as yet by unknown assailants. The attack is of course tragic no matter who the people on the plane were. But for such a large group from one field to be wiped out at once? Tragic, and potentially devastating for the progress in finding a cure.

[Excerpt]

Crash claims top AIDS researchers heading to Melbourne

About 100 of the 298 people killed in the Malaysia Airlines crash were heading to Melbourne for a major AIDS conference, conference attendees have been told. Delegates at a pre-conference in Sydney were told on Friday morning that around 100 medical researchers, health workers and activists were on the plane that went down near the Russia-Ukraine border, including former International AIDS Society president Joep Lange. . .

Read more at: SMH.com.au


[Excerpt]

Malaysia plane victims include infants, AIDS researchers
 
Flight attendant Nur Shazana Mohd Salleh was single but hoping to find love soon. Instead, she was one of nearly 300 people who perished when Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down in eastern Ukraine. The airline initially said there were 295 people on board the Boeing 777, 280 passengers and 15 crew members. Early Friday, the airline increased the death toll to 298, saying there were three infants on board. . .

Read more (with video) at: CBS News

The Gay Thing: My Thoughts on The Normal Heart

I was in high school when there started to be scattered reports of "gay cancer" in New York, and other large cities. As a Columbus, Ohio teenager who had sussed out long-term suspicions, and inwardly accepted that I myself was gay, I was attuned to any scrap of news that came out. In those days, with no internet, and being terrified of being "found out," it's kind of a mystery to me how I managed to keep up to date on the story, but I did.

HBO's The Normal Heart begins just before any items I may have heard about in the news, before anyone knew there was a coming plague. As I was getting my developing sense of self intertwined with fear of a deadly disease, the actual people that the film's characters are based on were living it. It had to be terrifying, and enraging. The film centers upon the activists who were desperately trying to get a handle on what began to be known as "GRID," and later AIDS. These activists weren't just at ground zero of the disease, they were present for the waning days of the sexual revolution, and the height of 1970s/early 80s excess, which was magnified in the gay community.

Remember that the gay community, such as it was, hadn't even existed for very long. Not until after Stonewall in 1969, was there a community outside of the shadows. Imagine if you belonged to a group of people who were marginalized, demonized, and forced to hide your life away for most of recorded history, and suddenly you were free to do what you wanted! Add to this freedom, the fact that what binds you together with this group is sexuality, and that you're all men. That things were excessive and unbridled isn't really a surprise, then, is it?

But the ultimate party had a hell of a hangover. Put a sexually transmitted disease into a group that has lots of sex, and you have the perfect storm. Throw in other "undesirables" like IV drug users, and you get a shrug from the general public, at least at first. I remember hearing things like "AIDS is a punishment from God," and "Hey, it's killing all the right people." Getting people to care was difficult, and getting people to help was even harder. Add to that, the disease itself was amazingly adaptable, and difficult to pin down, and also easy to spread. It was (and still is) a horror show.

Somehow, as this was evolving, I was able to see through the negative public take on AIDS, the biased and unflattering portrayals in the media--even from hard news sources--and see what was happening. That's one thing that I always felt about being gay, and I really don't know how I arrived at it: "I'm not wrong, everyone else is." I never felt guilty, or ashamed, or bad for who I was. And I didn't assign those things to AIDS sufferers either. But it sure would have been easy to in those early days.

The protagonist in The Normal Heart is based upon its author, Larry Kramer, and played (very well) by Mark Ruffalo. Kramer in real life is an abrasive guy, and quite polarizing, even in the gay community. The film doesn't pull punches there. It follows him (or rather, his avatar) as AIDS starts taking his friends, and ultimately his partner (Matt Bomer, who goes from stunningly gorgeous to wasted away and covered with sores), while local and federal government stands on the sidelines.  The film is ultimately a snapshot in time, covering the early development of the AIDS crisis before it really had that name. As such, there is no happy ending of course, and no resolution. As HIV is still not cured (though much more manageable and preventable), it still kills people in great numbers today.

The film is worth a view, particularly if you--like me--were not at the heart of it. I was 19 by the time Rock Hudson died, and the disease went "mainstream".  I basically sat out the worst years of the crisis, having been young, stuck in an unrequited love situation and being terrified to do anything about it. So, I didn't lose any friends, and have to date known very few people with HIV (that I'm aware of). And while nobody would lament not having lived through it personally, it does make me feel a bit disconnected from it.

That's why films like this are important though, to connect you to what happened. To realize what our community has been through, and to see how far we've come. And when it is done like this film was, with excellent actors, treated with a measure of reverence, it's even better. I will be shocked if The Normal Heart doesn't pick up a number of Emmys and other awards. It's worth your time, I highly recommend it. But get your box of tissues ready.

The Normal Heart is available on HBO Go, and HBO On Demand, and also stars Jim Parsons, Julia Roberts and Taylor Kitsch.

Is it Over for Ted Cruz After Praising Jesse Helms?

I'm sorry, but with that full-body frown, he just looks constipated.
Image from Huffington Post.

When Trent Lott helped the extremely elderly Strom Thurmond celebrate a birthday by butt-kissing him, it effectively ended Lott's career. You just can't get that cozy with a public person that well known as a rabid racist. Oddly though, ol' Strom had been a bit rehabilitated by then, and was even known to have a (surprise!) black daughter! Oh, my. But it was still curtains for Lott.

Whither Ted Cruz? The freshman Senator from Texas, a tea party darling, has cozied up to the memory of Senator Jesse Helms. Now Helms was never rehabilitated in any sense. He was an unapologetic segregationist. He was a nasty homophobe. He tried to block Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a holiday. He did have a lot of arch-conservative bona fides, but they were all presented in a vicious, combative, pinched, unpleasant, confrontational way. And Cruz is apparently a fan of Helms' methods.

But what about Helms' beliefs? Is Ted on board with all of that crap? I assume there is a portion of the tea baggin' base that would have voted for Helms in a heartbeat. But can the GOP actually let Cruz ride on that kind of reputation? Can they take the id of the tea party, and fly that philosophy front-and-center?

Full disclosure: I loathed Jesse Helms with every fiber of my being, while he was in office. And I wasn't even attuned to politics much at the time. Also, since the first time I saw Ted Cruz, I thought he looked like a sanctimonious ass, and I didn't even know his name or party yet. My first impression was pretty well on the money though. And I still can't believe he's younger than me.

[Excerpt]
Ted Cruz: 'We Need 100 More Like Jesse Helms' In The Senate

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said Wednesday that the country would be better off if the Senate was full of people like Jesse Helms, the late senator who was ardently opposed to all kinds of civil rights measures and even tried to block the Senate from approving a federal holiday in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. . .

Read more at: Huffington Post

And if you're wanting a rightward view of this little happening, how about a little Jennifer Rubin, who doesn't have much nice to say about Cruz either.

30 Years of AIDS

I know I'm a day late for "World AIDS Day," but this really struck me. We've been living with AIDS (early on, known as GRID, or "Gay Related Immune Disorder") for thirty freakin' years. The first buzz I remember from it was about 1982 or 1983. It started like a smoldering fire, and bloomed into an inferno. By 1985, we knew that Rock Hudson had it. Soon after, Liberace. An Early Frost was TV's answer. AIDS freaked my shit out. The timing was perfect. In 1984, I was of legal consenting age, but, I was terrified of both AIDS and others' discovery of my sexuality. So, that combination of factors led me to a protracted period of celibacy.  The AIDS crisis claimed a hell of a lot of lives in the 1980s and 90s. But it also scared a bunch of us enough to throw us clear of the epidemic.

Elizabeth Taylor Dead at 79

Image from source, LA Times

By now, this is no longer breaking news of course, but I had to mention it for a couple of reasons. First, Elizabeth Taylor is one of the last of the golden age of Hollywood, at least of the big stars (Debbie Reynolds is still kicking, and probably very happy about that).  Second, for all of the good things that happened to her, Taylor had a hell of a rocky ride of it, with more health problems than most families endure. But for me, a big part of her lasting legacy will be the work she did on behalf of people living with AIDS.

Thanks to her great friendship with Rock Hudson (and undoubtedly others), she was outspoken about the disease at a time when few were. She started The American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFAR), and spoke before Congress. So, Taylor leaves behind a tremendous legacy, and not just beautiful pictures and good (and bad) movies. RIP, Liz.

[Excerpt]

Elizabeth Taylor, legendary actress, dies at 79



Elizabeth Taylor, star of stage and screen who married multiple times, became a successful businesswoman and helped to pioneer the fight against AIDS, dies of congestive heart failure. . .
 
Read more at: Los Angeles Times


On a side note, we can add one more to the "Greenlee Curse." There have been several celebrities, all--at the time--off the radar, who have died the day after I had a conversation with someone about them. Starting with Elvis, and on to Isabel Sanford, Nell Carter, Bea Arthur, Dan Fogelberg (an odd bunch to be sure), along with others, I've been astonished to say after each one, "I was just talking about them." I need to be more careful.

Science is Cool: Potential Cure for HIV?

This could be huge.  Experts have always said that if HIV could be cured, many other diseases could be close behind. Let's hope so.

[Excerpt]

Image from source, Huffington Post

Stem Cell Transplant Cures HIV In 'Berlin Patient'

On the heels of World AIDS Day comes a stunning medical breakthrough: Doctors believe an HIV-positive man who underwent a stem cell transplant has been cured as a result of the procedure. . .

Read more at: Huffington Post

Rachel Maddow Exposes Religious Right's Connection to Uganda "Kill the Gays" Law

The bill--which is likely to pass--in Uganda, which punishes homosexuality with years or life in prison, and even death, was fostered by opportunistic far-right politicians and religious leaders from the United States. A few of the key people involved had tacitly distanced themselves from it, and many more remain curiously silent. One of them is from my state, Senator John Ensign (R-Nevada). Yes, Captain Hairdo is quite the model of family values.

The proposed law is thoroughly disgusting, and should--you would think--be universally condemned by all Americans, far-right or not. The tepid denouncements so far are kind of stunning. And if you think the tea bagging crowd has a dim view of the bill, you'd be wrong. For a really disgusting insight into what the "Real Americans" think about the issue, you can go here. Fair warning, it will piss you off. Thank goodness Rachel Maddow is shining a light on this subject, and abjectly shaming those involved. I hope she drags every American who had anything to do with fostering this abomination out into the light.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Science is Cool: A Cure for HIV / AIDS?

Photo from source, KVUE

HIV/AIDS has been with us now for over 27 years, and every time it seems there might be a cure on the horizon, it somehow prevails. Now, doctors have a promising new way to combat the illness. Cross your fingers, everybody.

[Excerpt]

Houston doctors say they may have found a way to destroy HIV

There is real hope that what’s happening in a Houston lab might lead to a cure for HIV.

“We have found an innovative way to kill the virus by finding this small region of HIV that is unchangeable,” Dr. Sudhir Paul of the University of Texas Medical School at Houston said. . . .

Read more (with video) at: KVUE

Hat-tip to Stupid Monkey Planet for the link.

Ryan White's Mother Speaks Out Against Huckabee

Photo of Ryan White from Wikipedia

I don't think we've even begun to see the end of Huckabee's potential troubles in the press. If he continues to maintain or even enlarge his presence in the primaries, he's going to continue to draw scrutiny, and he hasn't--so far--been very adept at dealing with that.

Now, he's drawn the ire of the mother of Ryan White (the boy with AIDS in the 80s who famously fought the system). Ryan White and his mother were instrumental in showing the public that AIDS wasn't "only" a gay disease. See what she has to say. . .

[Excerpt]

AIDS Comments Alarm Ryan White's Mother

The GOP front-runner in Iowa's Jan. 3 caucuses stood by his 1992 comments in a broadcast interview Sunday, infuriating Jeanne White-Ginder, the late teen's mother and a board member of the AIDS Institute.

"It's so alarming to me," she said in a telephone interview Monday with The Associated Press from her home in Leesburg, Fla. . .

Read more of what she had to say at: SFGate

Huckabee Defends AIDS Statement

Photo from source, Raw Story

Mike Huckabee is turning out to be everything I feared Fred Thompson would be: wrong about everything, but sounds reasonable enough to appeal to mainstream America. I watched Huckabee's interview on FOX "News" Sunday, and find him to be just as much a bobber and weaver as any other politician.

For all the (tedious) talk about religion this campaign season, and the focus on Huckabee's cred as a Christian--he's just as bad as the rest. He will not answer a question about his past statements directly an honestly. In this case, he is not changing his story as much as he is sugar-coating it.

[Excerpt]

Huckabee stands by AIDS statement

GOP presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee said Sunday that he stands by the statement he made 15 years ago that AIDS patients should have been isolated.

"I didn't say that we should quarantine," Huckabee said in an interview with Fox News, "I simply made the point, and I still believe this today, that in the late '80s and early '90's, when we didn't know as much as we do now about AIDS, we were acting more out of political correctness than ... normal health protocols."

Read more at: Raw Story