It Is My Responsibility To Preserve Humanity:

August 15-2006:


It Was Wealth & The Access To Wealth That Created Awareness Of HIV's Devastation:

* Where is the humanity among us today?
* Where is the human spirit that says life before strife?
* Where is the humanity that says "One Life Saved" Is Greater than thousands who will never survive!

The Advent Of AIDS:
Speculation began since the 1970's as to the source of HIV or AIDS. Some quarters said that it was The CIA experiment in Africa. Some said it was a deliberate attempt to infect Gay or known homosexuals with some virus that will eradicate this population in The USA for good. Some said it started in Africa, from sex with baboons.
While others today still speculate that it will never end, because the pharmaceutical corporations that produce the drugs to keep the infected alive, makes a killing in profits from this venture. And they will delay expeditious research to find a cure for as long as possible, to ensure the continuous bounty of profits from this venture.

AIDS Advocacy:
It was some wealthy and educated infected Gay men in the USA who had the Gaul, the finances, the bravery, and resolve to say openly, enough is enough. So they banded together in a small group to discuss a plan of action. They started voicing their concerns that the Feds were not seemingly interested. Meaning President Ronald Reagan, (President at the time), for his complacency with this new epidemic plague the Gay community at that time.
It was their forceful advocacy and public awareness by 'And Acting-up,' that created a political and social climate, conducive to discussion with politicians, and those who were able to help in research, funding, and HIV awareness education, and treatment facilities.
All of this took place in a climate of fear, ignorance, finger pointing at all homosexuals as evil plague carriers. There was also some suggestion of quarantining all homos, mentioned publicly. Today this mentality has diminished very little in some areas in America.
And still holds true to it's history in developing countries, steeped in ignorance, lack of awareness, treatment facilities, education, and funding resources.

This Pandemic Is Ravishing Africa:
Africa as a continent, still in social, political, and economic transition, is reeling from this disease in most states there. Ignorance, tribal and cultural suspicions with modern medicine, lack of basic nutrition, starvation, malnutrition, malaria, and a host of other indigenous diseases. HIV is only one such malady it is dealing with. And this creates a difficult PRIORITY agenda for several governments there.
How to apportion very scarce resources for education, general health care, basic nutrition, infrastructural maintenance, national security, economic stability, and at the same time provide adequate funding for HIV prevention education, medicine, medical facilities, and cultural habits toward sex, and sexual activities.
What Could We Do As Individuals:
Should we continue to provide military hardware, funding, and human resources to other states or governments to kill people en-mass?
Should we decide that it is okay to kill those who speak, pray or believe in a different God than we do?
Should we continue to say to ourselves, that the problems in Africa, Asia, Latin America, or The Caribbean, does not concern me. Let them take care of their own social and societal issues. Or should we advocate to our elected officials across the board, to band together with us in this global fight, and ensure that they stick to this agenda unwaveringly.
As I see it, international collective action is the only way to curb the spread of HIV, and other social maladies in existence currently. The global community have lost thousands of brilliant, creative, humane, and great intellectual minds by this epidemic. Our generation, and the next will be hard pressed to find the brains, and intellects that are needed to move forward globally, from this great loss of human souls!

Om Shanti.
Derryck S. Griffith.
Educator-Advocate & Blogger.
http://my.opera.com/BringBaka/
http://360.yahoo.com/derryck_sylvester
http://www.myspace.com/derryck_mimbari