Friday, August 18, 2006

An Epidemic Of Nonsense

The political dog and pony show that was the 16th International AIDS Conference is packing up and leaving for the next town, in time for Torontonians to take in the more agreeable displays at the CNE.

Tony Clement really wished he was in Stephen Harper's place right now, because he drew the short straw and had to go:

The federal minister of health says he didn't make funding or policy announcements at the International AIDS Conference because it was becoming difficult to have a “rational discussion.”

During a visit to Nova Scotia on Friday, Tony Clement said that activists and “so-called experts” had started to skew the dialogue towards grandstanding political demands during the weeklong gathering in Toronto.

“That conference in our view was becoming a place where you couldn't have a rational discussion,” he said during an interview.

....

During the week, Mr. Clement postponed but then didn't reschedule a funding announcement on Canada's contribution to combatting the epidemic.

During a candlelight vigil, he was heckled by members of the crowd as he lit candles in honour of different groups in society that have been greatly affected by AIDS.

By week's end, Mr. Clement said he'd had enough, given that Canada has doubled its domestic funding for AIDS and is about to announce additional funding beyond its current $800 million commitment to the international effort.


Look how much attention was lavished on the celebrities who lent little more than their names to the cause, and on the protestors who offered nothing more than slogans and street theatre, and how little was given to the scientists, physicians and care workers who have been doing the real work in dealing with AIDS.

For some activists, AIDS isn't a disease to be cured: it's a cause to be exploited.

Source: Globe and Mail

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wonder if Billy C and Monika were doing it (or not) ("I never had sex with that woman")with an Gates-Aids sponsored condom.

They want Canadian taxpayers to deliver the goods. They slam the PM. And now I see where the conference Co-chair has said opps "maybe we were a little nasty" and the Government should take its time with a funding announcement.

Somewhere I have a disconnect.

hunter said...

Good for Tony, and Harper, those activists booed Bill Gates when he mentioned ABC's, so, they want to continue having unprotected sex, but we should pay for it??? As a taxpayer, I say, send money to Africa, but slow the funding at home, we are an educated society, our aids victims are smart enough to pay their own way, for their own behaviour.