AIDS Activists Disrupt Karl Rove's Speech

[DUreader]

http://www.commondreams.org/news2003/0725-07.htm


FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
JULY 25, 2003
8:34 PM
CONTACT: ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to
Unleash Power)
on site: Micah Sucherman [phone]
off site: Asia Russell [phone]

AIDS Activists Disrupt Karl Rove's Speech at Black
Tie College Republican Soirée
Rove's White House lies about global AIDS funding and access to
generic medicines, while millions die

WASHINGTON - July 25 - Chanting and holding signs reading "Dying for AIDS
drugs? Karl says drop dead" and "Bush's lies kill, generic medicines now!",
angry AIDS activists staged a noisy disruption of an appearance by top White
House advisor Karl Rove at the National Conference of the College Republican
National Committee, at the Washington Hilton.

"President Bush is breaking his promise to fully fund a $3 billion global AIDS bill
signed into law in June. Bush is breaking his promise that countries can put
access to medicines and public health ahead of the patent rights of greedy drug
companies. The deadly global AIDS fraud perpetrated by this White House has
gone far enough," said Sean Barry, a protester.

"Rove pulls the strings in this Administration, and Rove has the blood of people
with HIV on his hands."

Two days ago, lawmakers in the House of Representatives, under the direction
of Rove's White House, opposed efforts to fully fund the bill President Bush
signed into law in June that would provide $3 billion in global AIDS funding in
2004, with $1 billion for the nearly bankrupt Global Fund, the only multilateral
program spending money on treatment for dying people with AIDS.

Experts point out that life saving programs in the hardest hit countries around
the world could readily absorb the $3 billion promised by Bush; the White
House, on the other hand, claims funding the Global Fund with $1 billion in 2004
would be profligate.

[flamingyouth]

1. Good for them!

I'm with them in spirit!!

[AdrianInOcala]

2. Uh Oh....They're gonna get thrown in Unka Johnny Asscrofts

Gitmo concentration camps for something that bad, I mean, the audacity of interrupting KKKarl Rove when he is busy telling the nation what they should think....

[sam sarrha]

3. typical promise and failure to follow thru, like serving his...

... country in the national gaurd, and going AWOL in a time of war. like everything he made himself look good by 'GOING TO DO' but never will, expept making the richest 1% richer.

[Stephanie]

4. OH, it was Act Up. Now it makes sense.

Act Up has used guerilla theater tactics since they first formed, in the late 80s. They made a HUGE difference at that time in challenging the drug companies and the FDA to release life-saving drugs that were held up in bureaucracy, and demanding AIDS-awareness education. They saved many lives. The group was started by the playwright Larry Kramer (The Normal Heart) and others. GOOD for them for doing this.

Interesting how the story initially led us to believe it was some random Democrats disrupting the speech.

[revcarol]

5. That's Drudge-speak fer ya!!

Only $1 billion instead of $3 billion and that one Billion $$ has to be spent on high priced patent drugs manufactured in the U. S.....

Tell me again about our pretzeldents's compassion...and ditto for the repug Congress...

[theriverburns]

6. We need to socialize Big Pharma

We pay for a great deal of their research already. We also pay for their patent protection from any nation/rogue corporation who would "bootleg" their stranglehold on our health. Let's face it, any industry that commands 5,000% markups will attract a lot of illicit competition unless heavily policed. We pay for that policing.

There are a few other industries that would benefit mankind far more if socialized.

The others are: (notice they are all Republican supporters)

Energy
Defense
Health Care
Media
Insurance
Pharmecuticals/Big Chem
Agribusiness

For those who don't think socialsing some industries would work, take a look a the the World Wide Web. The internet was created by our government. And, it is not anyones private property. It is a "commons" belonging to all of us. It works just fine.

AIDS medication ought to be freely available... like LINUX.