I vividly remember the day that in my ninth grade biology that I suggested that we take all of the HIV/AIDS patients of the world and stick them on an island and we wouldn’t have this problem any more.  It was in a group project that the members of my group were stunned to say the least.  I also remember the incredulity of my teacher’s face; a teacher who was green before it was popular.  He was 20-something kid, would be considered my equal if I was the age I am now back then, and he rode his bike to school everyday because he was doing his environmental part in society.  I’m sure that didn’t help my standing in class, but I wanted to make a statement and I didn’t care who I offended and I wanted to be heard no matter what and I wanted to be the center of attention, no matter what–and I accomplished just that.

That was 1998, this is about to be 2008.

I spoke with the naivete of a kid who didn’t know any better and at that age, really didn’t care.  I didn’t know anyone who had been affected by HIV or AIDS, or at least I didn’t know anyone who had told me that they were infected, thus making me affected.  Well, since 1998 naturally I’ve grown older.   I remember when I came home and told my parentswhat I had said that sme look of “What child is this?” came over their faces much like the teachers.  But, again, that 1998 and this is now, isolationism, or rather containment as the military would call it, has never been in the best interest of human welfare.  Particularly that of a disease that does not have a communicability rate of near 100% ( meaning that it can be transferred from merely being breathed upon or from touch).  So, just when I was ready to support a decent Republican (even though my bloggers needn’t worry about me voting Republican ANY time soon), this about Mike Huckabee rises to the surface, like a dead body floating in the streets of New Orleans when the levees broke.

How is it that a grown man could fix his mouth to say that this was a “genuine plague”?  Especially after information about how the disease was contracted and is transferred was released–one can’t get HIV or AIDS from shaking hands or even kissing!!!  But I guess Huckabee was making a statement and didn’t care who he offended and wanted to be heard no matter what and wanted to be the center of attention no matter what.

Guess you got your wish…

Keep it uppity, JLL

Huckabee wanted to isolate AIDS patients

By ANDREW DeMILLO, Associated Press Writer

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Mike Huckabee once advocated isolating AIDS patients from the general public, opposed increased federal funding in the search for a cure and said homosexuality could “pose a dangerous public health risk.” As a candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in 1992, Huckabee answered 229 questions submitted to him by The Associated Press. Besides a quarantine, Huckabee suggested that Hollywood celebrities fund AIDS research from their own pockets, rather than federal health agencies.

“If the federal government is truly serious about doing something with the AIDS virus, we need to take steps that would isolate the carriers of this plague,” Huckabee wrote.

“It is difficult to understand the public policy towards AIDS. It is the first time in the history of civilization in which the carriers of a genuine plague have not been isolated from the general population, and in which this deadly disease for which there is no cure is being treated as a civil rights issue instead of the true health crisis it represents.”

The AP submitted the questionnaire to both candidates; only Huckabee responded. Incumbent Sen. Dale Bumpers won his four term; Huckabee was elected lieutenant governor the next year and became governor in 1996.

When asked about AIDS research in 1992, Huckabee complained that AIDS research received an unfair share of federal dollars when compared to cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

“In light of the extraordinary funds already being given for AIDS research, it does not seem that additional federal spending can be justified,” Huckabee wrote. “An alternative would be to request that multimillionaire celebrities, such as Elizabeth Taylor (,) Madonna and others who are pushing for more AIDS funding be encouraged to give out of their own personal treasuries increased amounts for AIDS research.”

Huckabee did not return messages left with his campaign.

When Huckabee wrote his answers in 1992, it was common knowledge that AIDS could not be spread by casual contact. In late 1991, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there were 195,718 AIDS patients in the country and that 126,159 people had died from the syndrome.

The nation had an increased awareness of AIDS at the time because pro basketball star Magic Johnson had recently disclosed he carried the virus responsible for it. Johnson retired but returned to the NBA briefly during the 1994-95 season.

Since becoming a presidential candidate this year, Huckabee has supported increased federal funding for AIDS research through the National Institutes of Health.

“My administration will be the first to have an overarching strategy for dealing with HIV and AIDS here in the United States, with a partnership between the public and private sectors that will provide necessary financing and a realistic path toward our goals,” Huckabee said in a statement posted on his campaign Web site last month.

Also in the wide-ranging AP questionnaire in 1992, Huckabee said, “I feel homosexuality is an aberrant, unnatural, and sinful lifestyle, and we now know it can pose a dangerous public health risk.”

A Southern Baptist preacher, Huckabee has been a favorite among social conservatives for his vocal opposition to gay marriage. In 2003, Huckabee said that the U.S. Supreme Court was probably right to strike down anti-sodomy laws, but that states still should be able to restrict things such as gay marriage or domestic partner benefits.

“What people do in the privacy of their own lives as adults is their business,” Huckabee said. “If they bring it into the public square and ask me as a taxpayer to support it or to endorse it, then it becomes a matter of public discussion and discourse.”

 This story is courtesy of http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071208/ap_po/huckabee_aids