AIDS Denialism in Action: Clark Baker and the HIV Innocence Project Part II

Clark Baker and the late Karri Stokley

I received this email the other day. The writer's identity is concealed, although he did not ask me to do so. He nearly fell for Clark Baker's Innocence Project. Fortunately he had enough sense to recognize Baker was a sham. Baker's suggestion to stop taking his medications was a dead giveaway that he was dealing with a mad man. Good news is that this guy searched Clark Baker and found my blog. Mission accomplished! Below are the correspondences he gave me permission to post.

Dear Seth,


I just found out that the HIV innocence project is a fake! I was wrongly convicted for being HIV positive and spent two years in jail. I read about the Office of Medical and Scientific Justice (OSMJ) and thought I had finally found some help. But all I'm getting from Clark Baker is double talk. He won't take my case! I wonder if his project exists at all. Why won't he put me in touch with lawyers?


Worst of all, is this man trying to kill me? He wants me to go off medicines. I'm not a fool- I need legal help. But I want to stay healthy. Why would any detective tell me to go off meds? I'm reading on the internet about Karri Stokely. Is this what happened to her? Is this legal? Why is Baker harming his clients?

Denialist Henry Bauer's Logic and AIDS

What Constitutes Common Knowledge?

Guest Post by Concerned Citizen 

Very recently I attempted to engage Henry Bauer in dialogue at his HIV Skeptic site.  From the start of my argument it was obvious that I was not a dissident, but to his credit, Bauer went along with the dialogue.  Unfortunately, the dialogue ground to a halt after my third post.  I attempted a discussion on the reliability of HIV Testing based on the specificity of antibodies.  As proof of the highly specific nature of antibodies, I gave an example of vaccinations.  Vaccines are incredibly successful against the organism being inoculated against because of the specificity of the antibody elicited.  I also conceded that the dialogue was doomed to failure since Henry claims HIV has never been isolated and therefore, by that logic, the specificity of the antibodies to HIV could not be confirmed. 

AIDS Denialism in Action: Clark Baker and the HIV Innocence Project

AIDS Denialist Clark Baker with the late Karri Stokely

WICHITA, Kansas, KSN.com – Effort is being made to get a new trial for a McConnell airman convicted of hiding his HIV status from sex partners in Wichita. KSN has learned the Innocence Project has its sights set on Wichita. It plans to help Tech Sgt. David Gutierrez get a new trial after he was convicted in a military courtroom in January.

It was a case that aired Wichita’s dirty laundry from Coast to Coast: an airman sentenced to eight years behind bars for hiding his HIV positive states at swinger parties.

Robert was one of the victims.

“As many people as he tried to infect, and I'm sorry, kill, in my book, I think he should get the death sentence,” he said.

But not everyone agrees. The HIV Innocence Project has joined Gutierrez in a push for a new trial. The non-profit group helps defendants accused of HIV-related crimes. It took on 20 criminal cases last year, saying in almost every case the charges were dropped. The group’s leader, Clark Baker, calls the Gutierrez case disturbing.

Welcome to My World Mr. President

President Obama spoke at the White House yesterday to deal with the conspiracy theory regarding his birthplace. His frustration was all too familiar to anyone who follows AIDS Denialism.  Here is a sample...

"As many of you have been briefed, we provided additional information today about the site of my birth. Now, this issue has been going on for two, two and a half years now.  I think it started during the campaign.  And I have to say that over the last two and a half years I have watched with bemusement, I've been puzzled at the degree to which this thing just kept on going.  We've had every official in Hawaii, Democrat and Republican, every news outlet that has investigated this, confirm that, yes, in fact, I was born in Hawaii, August 4, 1961, in Kapiolani Hospital.

We've posted the certification that is given by the state of Hawaii on the Internet for everybody to see.  People have provided affidavits that they, in fact, have seen this birth certificate.  And yet this thing just keeps on going. 

We’re not going to be able to do it if we just make stuff up and pretend that facts are not facts.  We’re not going to be able to solve our problems if we get distracted by sideshows and carnival barkers.

I know that there’s going to be a segment of people for which, no matter what we put out, this issue will not be put to rest. "

It has been a couple years since the rumor started that our President is not an American.  

How AIDS Denialism Can Kill You Part VIII: Karri Stokely is Receiving Hospice Care

Karri Stokely, prominent AIDS Denialist, is dying. Below is an excerpt from the blog of Karri Stokely's cousin. I was aware that she had a relative who was outraged by her AIDS Denialism, but I had not seen his blog before today. I heard that he was concerned about her and tried to talk her back to reality. She obviously did not listen. His frustration is apparent. 

Perhaps he should direct his anger at those who facilitated her Denialism, rather than the victim herself. But Karri, like Christine Maggiore before her, is a victim with blood on her hands.

If you are not familiar with Karri Stokely, look back over some of my older posts. You can also visit numerous AIDS Denialism websites, where she is a common feature. Rethinking AIDS shamelessly exploited this woman and her family.  Our goal should be to make it impossible for them to replace her with a new poster-person.

UPDATE: Karri Stokely passed away yesterday. Her health deteriorated and she developed opportunistic infections. Reader comments regarding her death are posted near the end of this thread.  

If it looks like a Nut and smells like a Nut, it's probably a Nut

Why do so many Tea Party people sound like AIDS Denialists? I previously posted on libertarian/Tea Party US Senator Rand Paul's membership in The American Association of Physicians and Surgeons, an ultraconservative group that endorses pseudoscience and AIDS denialism. In addition, Celia Farber,  a vocal AIDS Denier, is aligned with the Tea Party movement. Several AIDS Deniers have posted their nutty views on the libertarian Lew Rockwell website. So it should not be surprising that leaders in the Tea Party can look a lot like AIDS Denialists. 


Case in point: The Huffington Post has collected "The craziest things Michele Bachmann has ever said".  Congresswoman (and potential Presidential Candiate) Bachmann has weighed in on intelligent design, germ conspiracies, vaccine hazards, and homophobic paranoia. It is just a matter of time before she claims that HIV does not cause AIDS. Here are some favorite Bachmann quotes from the Huffington Post article. If you have a couple minutes, visit the article and watch some of her videos. 


"And what a bizarre time we're in, when a judge will say to little children that you can't say the pledge of allegiance, but you must learn that homosexuality is normal and you should try it."

Denying AIDS is Turning Japanese

Denying AIDS has been published in Japanese. This translation was in the works for more than two years. 
AIDS Denialism has a foothold in every region of the world. There are AIDS Denialism websites throughout Asia. The Japanese have a strong interest in Denying AIDS. Sadly, it is hard to see the book finally finished at this dark hour. 
The horror of Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami has gripped the world's attention. To receive my copies of the Japanese translation at this moment leaves me speechless. My thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Japan.

Seeing is believing: Oxford University Students Learn about AIDS Denialism

Seeing is believing

by Abu Abioye | 11:26 GMT, Tue 01 March 2011

Cherwell.org - Student news and reviews at Oxford University

It seems almost absurd to me that “sensible” people are able to deny evidence that AIDS is caused by HIV. Without trying to sound flippant, I would invite these people to voluntarily infect themselves with HIV and see how they fare. From the holocaust to smoking causing cancer, denialism appears to be rife – posing as skepticism. One might argue that we cannot deny freedom of expression. Indeed, revolutionaries such as Copernicus and Galileo held ideas that contradicted the scientific dogma of their time, and some doctrines that were once accepted by the scientific community have turned out to be false. However, it is important that we stick to the scientific method and provide valid proof for whatever theory or claim we may have, be it in line with or against the scientific consensus.

How AIDS Denialism Can Kill You Part VII: Nadezhda

David Crowe AIDS Denialist

A Russian woman has posted her story at David Crowe's Alberta Reappraising AIDS website. It illustrates how the AIDS Denialism movement attracts people who are unable to cope with their HIV diagnosis. Her T-cells are dropping and she believes it is nothing to worry about. Nothing to with AIDS. Rather than correcting her misinformed beliefs, Crowe is happy to confirm them. He is a primary vector for the spread medical misinformation. If you have read the tragic story of Emery Taylor below, Nadezhda's post will sound very familiar. Here are some excerpts. I encourage you to visit Crowe's website, if you can stomach it. 

My name is Nadezhda. I am 31 years old. I tested HIV-positive 2 years ago, I am asymptomatic and healthy and never have been sick since my “diagnosis”. I didn’t ask for this testing, it was mandatory testing for official purposes.

Prior to my test I already had seen sites online saying that “HIV=AIDS” is a myth. One of them is run by a doctor who writes about healthy lifestyle and natural ways of healings. He also writes against HIV=AIDS and vaccinations and other medical dogmas and since he was a doctor himself I trusted his opinion. When I read that HIV doesn’t cause AIDS, I just knew that he was right deep in my heart. But I didn’t know any details.

Denial Desperation

Guest Posting by Concerned Observant Citizen

The death of Emery Taylor has set off a disturbing action in the “dissident” (denialist) community.  They have taken this death as a Publicity Opportunity to “Circle the Wagons”.  Mr. Taylor’s death has become a call to arms to batten down the hatches and decide if you are a true “dissident” or a “denialist”.  This has started because Mr. Taylor’s death was a “classic AIDS Death” according to Gos, an AIDS dissident blogger, who is also afraid this fact “will prove to be a massive crisis of faith for many who currently call themselves ‘AIDS dissidents’”.  Gos goes on to conjecture that the truth of Mr. Taylor’s death “will make or break us.”

How AIDS Denialism Can Kill You Part VI: Emery Taylor Dies at age 28

The Rethinking AIDS Website predominantly displays Emery Taylor as one of many people  living just fine without HIV medications. The Home Page at Rethinking AIDS says…

.

“HIV+ for over 10 years, no meds, healthy”

Emery Taylor was interviewed at the RA2009 Conference:"According to the numbers I have AIDS, but when you look at me you see a healthy 28-year old ... I don't spell AIDS at all ... I work 70 hours a week ... It's just not consistent with what my doctor said would happen eleven years ago when I tested positive."

Emery Taylor has died. The following Facebook page announces his memorial service.

"It's with heartfelt sympathy that Rehoboth Temple communicates the passing of one of its members, Emery Taylor. 
Our condolences and prayers are with his family, friends and the many whose lives were touched by him.


See past stories on How AIDS Denialism Can Kill You
Part V: Karri Stokely 
Part IV: One Too Many Coincidences 
Part III: Lambros Papantoniou
Kim Bannon
Part II: Henry Bauer
Part I: AIDS Myths Exposed

Goodbye to another reckless source of AIDS Denialism

Mothering Magazine Ceases Publication

 BY SIERRA ON FEBRUARY 15TH, 2011 @  http://blogs.babble.com

After over 30 years of publication, Mothering Magazine is leaving the shelves. Mothering will continue as a web-only organization, but the magazine has printed its last issue.

Mothering has long catered to hippie mamas, featuring stories on attachment parenting, cosleeping, natural foods and creative play. The magazine, and more recently the message boards, have been a home base for parents with an alternative viewpoint for generations.

The magazine announced the change on Facebook today, surprising their thousands of readers, many of whom hold subscriptions to the print magazine.

The January/February and March/April issues of Mothering will still be published, but in web-only form. After that the magazine will cease publication altogether, though Mothering will continue its message boards and other online activities.