tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633581663557175057.post2328576373083024813..comments2024-02-25T14:29:44.021-05:00Comments on Denying AIDS and other oddities: What Is HIV/AIDS Denialism?Seth Kalichmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01715826946361587097noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633581663557175057.post-57869188154282058992011-05-04T08:40:16.496-04:002011-05-04T08:40:16.496-04:00"If you test positive for HIV antibodies with..."If you test positive for HIV antibodies with a Western Blot test, you have HIV infection"<br /><br />Excuse me, sir, but your facts are wrong. Please read<br /><br />AIDS Counselling for Low-Risk Clients<br /><br />http://library.mpib-berlin.mpg.de/ft/gg/GG_AIDS_1998.pdf<br /><br />“even if the results of both AIDS tests, the ELISA and WB (Western blot), are positive, the chances are only 50–50 that the individual is infected (Stine, 1996, pp. 333, 338)"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633581663557175057.post-71765768973024128492008-12-24T04:07:00.000-05:002008-12-24T04:07:00.000-05:00Hehe, well Seth, you proved your point - you kille...Hehe, well Seth, you proved your point - you killed the debate.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633581663557175057.post-5850643745463756652008-12-24T01:06:00.000-05:002008-12-24T01:06:00.000-05:00You throw the term propaganda around freely and qu...You throw the term propaganda around freely and quite often when referring to the dissident movement. Isn't the shoe on the wrong foot? WikipediA: Propaganda, states; "As opposed to impartially providing information". Impartial or impartiality are not a part of mainstream vocabulary, whereas predominate basic messages from the dissenters are almost always non biased and/or impartial. But hey, you know what? I think there are several rethinking websites open for genuine discussion, i.e. Henry Bauer. Maybe some are just closed to you?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633581663557175057.post-86985604188249111512008-12-23T18:51:00.000-05:002008-12-23T18:51:00.000-05:00Brian, Taminy, anyone who has ever tried to engage...Brian, Taminy, anyone who has ever tried to engage with denialists quickly learns that they are not interested in finding factual answers to questions or even about testing their beliefs in good faith in informed debate. If they were they would open up their own websites to genuine discussion. They are simply indulging in a ruse for promoting their propaganda to what they hope is a wider audience. Denialists have been refining their rhetorical techniques on web forums for years now, and they are easily recognisable.<BR/><BR/>Mainstream scientists, health workers and educators sometimes fail to understand what is going on at first, because their jobs usually entail helping people to understand intricate phenomena and teasing out the complexities of ideas. They can make an easy target for trolling by denialists if they fail to spot the rhetoric under the seemingly innocent questions. They can waste a lot of time before they recognise the real agenda of the people they have engaged in discussion.<BR/><BR/>Denialists almost never make positive assertions about their overvalued ideas, which are usually ill defined and contradictory. Debating their “logic” is like nailing jelly to a tree: frustrating, messy and ultimately pointless. <BR/><BR/>Denialist rhetoric usually follows a basic pattern: cherry picking of data, impossible expectations, moving the goalposts, citing fake experts, fallacies of logic and ultimately culminating in claims of conspiracy and maleficence by their opponents. <BR/><BR/>http://scienceblogs.com/denialism/about.php<BR/><BR/>The current silly campaign by AIDS denialists to have <I>Science</I> retract the four Gallo et al papers after 24 years is a transparent and desperate deployment of the last rhetorical technique in their armory. It will be treated with the contempt it deserves.Snouthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00315836146914661895noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633581663557175057.post-2994137643248298102008-12-23T11:17:00.000-05:002008-12-23T11:17:00.000-05:00This Blog is about AIDS Denialism. It is not a pla...This Blog is about AIDS Denialism. It is not a platform for a pseudo-debate on questions long answered. If you had written a coherent, intelligible, brief (<250 words), and civil comment I would have posted it. I welcome you to try again.Seth Kalichmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01715826946361587097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633581663557175057.post-43802182183721280632008-12-23T10:38:00.000-05:002008-12-23T10:38:00.000-05:00Why didn't you post what I wrote yesterday?Why didn't you post what I wrote yesterday?ex-Hollywood Liberalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10362435370651952710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633581663557175057.post-84506986121857878322008-12-23T09:29:00.000-05:002008-12-23T09:29:00.000-05:00Interesting is this list of 36 issues that Snout h...Interesting is this list of 36 issues that Snout has painstakingly listed in an attempt to coerce people into believing a very narrow one sided view. Those are the things that never get satisfactorily explained. Your list, albeit a bit hilarious in the way it's presented (Denialist Bingo) is a distraction from the real issue; that the bottom line, the original arguments by Gallo et al were fatally flawed. Everything else from Camp Mainstream AIDS is another assumption built upon a crumbling mound of garbage.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633581663557175057.post-5078343873989252082008-12-23T05:35:00.000-05:002008-12-23T05:35:00.000-05:00Hey you dishonest chumpI'm objectifying *you* at h...Hey you dishonest chump<BR/><BR/>I'm objectifying *you* at http://letterstotheempire.com/2008/12/23/censorship-at-aids-blog/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633581663557175057.post-5344956122257685902008-12-23T01:04:00.000-05:002008-12-23T01:04:00.000-05:00SnoutGreat list. A major contribution.Have you ev...Snout<BR/><BR/>Great list. A major contribution.<BR/><BR/>Have you ever met David Crowe?<BR/><BR/>Do you think he exists?<BR/><BR/>Is he a harmless passenger blogger?<BR/><BR/>Is there a global vitamin conspiracy orchestrated by Matthias Rath and David Rasnick to propel the myth that David Crowe exists?<BR/><BR/>Are you familiar with http://www.virusmyth.com/aids/award.htm<BR/><BR/>Should we start a wesite DavidCroweMyth.com?<BR/><BR/>Can anyone prove David Crowe exists?<BR/><BR/>What do you think?Seth Kalichmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01715826946361587097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633581663557175057.post-88338473544977245002008-12-23T00:54:00.000-05:002008-12-23T00:54:00.000-05:00Taminy, I can see that you will not read HIV/AIDS ...Taminy, I can see that you will not read HIV/AIDS science and trust authoritative information. If you were looking for answers you would read the sources I sent you. But you prefer to enter a debate. I fear you are sliding into the hole of denialism. This blog is not a debate site. There are plenty of those. <BR/><BR/>This blog is about AIDS denialism….not a forum for denialists. <BR/><BR/>But I will give you the benefit of the doubt.<BR/><BR/>The HIV/AIDS science and medicine will tell you that the screening test for HIV (the ELISA test) is sensitive and can cross-react to non-HIV antibodies, this is rare, but it does happen. It does not cause a false positive result, but rather an inconclusive result. People should avoid ELISA testing when they have just been vaccinated, for example. The confirmatory test (Western Blot) is very specific to HIV antibodies, over 99% accurate in detecting HIV antibodies. If you test positive for HIV antibodies with a Western Blot test, you have HIV infection. And yes, HIV infection causes disease that degrades the immune system over years which then makes you vulnerable to infections and some cancers – we call that AIDS. But you probably know all of this and just doubt what you know. You may be confused by the Denialists – that is the harm that they do.<BR/><BR/>If you spend too much time reading the denialists you will think that everyone tests HIV positive and that AIDS in Africa is different than AIDS in the USA. <BR/><BR/>You will hear that drug abuse and HIV medications cause AIDS and that good nutrition will cure AIDS.<BR/><BR/>If you listen to Peter Duesberg you will hear that HIV is harmless and that ALL cancer is caused by hazards and environmental toxins.<BR/><BR/>And if you pay attention to Henry Bauer, you will hear that homosexuality is a mental illness and that the Loch Ness Monster lives. <BR/><BR/>Taminy, if you are interested in getting out of AIDS Denialism, email me your address and I will send you a copy of my book. Every copy I buy will purchase HIV treatments in Africa.<BR/><BR/>Thank you again Taminy.Seth Kalichmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01715826946361587097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633581663557175057.post-54370702479572442822008-12-23T00:13:00.000-05:002008-12-23T00:13:00.000-05:00Dr. K,I'm hurt and disappointed in you. I put my t...Dr. K,<BR/><BR/>I'm hurt and disappointed in you. I put my trust in you to set the record straight, and I'm trying to find out if Hiv tests react with Only ONE thing, so I know I can trust what they say. And you won't answer! You're sarcastic and rude to me. <BR/><BR/>This is why people don't trust the Aids industry, because you won't answer questions, except with put-downs.<BR/><BR/>People want to know more about the tests, about the drugs, and about the diagnosis. That's our right. <BR/><BR/>Dr. K., do the tests react positive for more than one thing? <BR/><BR/>Please let me know.<BR/><BR/>PS - you didn't post my other post about looking into the history of scientific racism. Please allow my comment to be published on your blog.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633581663557175057.post-57198053573091266712008-12-22T22:54:00.000-05:002008-12-22T22:54:00.000-05:00Giraldo's GhostNo. I cannot dedicate space on my B...Giraldo's Ghost<BR/><BR/>No. I cannot dedicate space on my Blog to the Giraldo’s joke that turned into AIDS pseudoscience lore. But I do dedicate quite a bit of Chapter 3 – the Pseudoscience chapter of Denying AIDS to his bizarre and unethical (if not illegal) fiasco. <BR/><BR/>You can find the wacky quackery article at the website below, and while you there you can also learn how emotional stress is the cause of AIDS and how good nutrition can cure AIDS. You can also schedule a natural health consultation with Giraldo – now wouldn’t that be wonderful! Not.<BR/> http://www.robertogiraldo.com/eng/papers/EveryoneTestsPositive.htmlSeth Kalichmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01715826946361587097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633581663557175057.post-14031065545869217862008-12-22T22:35:00.000-05:002008-12-22T22:35:00.000-05:00Anonymous/TaminyI am not so sure you trust me. If ...Anonymous/Taminy<BR/><BR/>I am not so sure you trust me. If you are a Denialist, you likely have a problem trusting in general. <BR/><BR/>At the core of denialism is the inability to trust science/medicine/government/industry. <BR/><BR/>That is what conspiracy thinking is all about. <BR/><BR/>I am happy to direct you to credible sources. But I am afraid from that point forward you just have to read and, yes, trust. <BR/><BR/>I am also happy to point out the wacky and the strange world of Denialism. That is what this Blog is all about.Seth Kalichmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01715826946361587097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633581663557175057.post-80435570547775886962008-12-22T18:49:00.000-05:002008-12-22T18:49:00.000-05:00Hi Seth,Can I make a suggestion for your blog?For ...Hi Seth,<BR/><BR/>Can I make a suggestion for your blog?<BR/><BR/>For most AIDS denialists what passes for “discussion” is the endless and uncritical regurgitation of the same old canards that have been answered again and again on forums like this. It can get pretty tedious after a while.<BR/><BR/>Often such misinformation is presented as “questions” that appear to demand fairly detailed and complex answers, and usually carry an implied impossible expectation, for example that diagnostic testing is only valid if it is based on a single test rather than an algorithm, or that a single test is unreliable unless its specificity is 100.00%: (99% or more is simply not good enough). <BR/><BR/>Perhaps to brighten up your blog you might want to set up a game of <B>AIDS Denialist Bingo</B>.<BR/><BR/>This is where you set up an array of say the 36 most common denialist canards, and readers can mark them off as they appear in the discussion thread. Maybe you could even offer a prize for the first reader to spot them all!<BR/><BR/>Here are 36 of my all-time favorites, but I’m sure your readers can think of more.<BR/><BR/><BR/>1. Non specific HIV tests<BR/>2. Show me the one paper<BR/>3. The petition(s)<BR/>4. Gallo was a fraud<BR/>5. Epidemiology proves it can’t be an infection<BR/>6. Never been isolated<BR/>7. Poppers cause KS<BR/>8. Anything quote mined from a test kit insert<BR/>9. No EMs of HIV<BR/>10. Magic Johnson is really HIV neg<BR/>11. “Everyone tests positive”<BR/>12. Hardly any deaths in South Africa<BR/>13. Dissidents have been persecuted/silenced<BR/>14. AIDS Inc / AIDS Mafia<BR/>15. AZT too toxic for cancer chemotherapy <BR/>16. Lab AZT has a skull and crossbones on the label<BR/>17. Pharma Shill<BR/>18. HIV is really (endogenous) HERV<BR/>19. AIDS Truthers won’t debate with us<BR/>20. Padian<BR/>21. Rodreguez<BR/>22. The Bangui definition<BR/>23. Intestinal dysbiosis/Gay bowel Syndrome<BR/>24. No gold standard<BR/>25. 1 million flat graph US prevalence since 1985<BR/>26. AIDS is really untreated syphilis / mycoplasma<BR/>27. The Continuum award<BR/>28. Galileo was right!<BR/>29. Just a new name for old diseases<BR/>30. AIDS is a category not an illness<BR/>31. Kuhn or any use of the word “paradigm”<BR/>32. Antibodies mean immunity<BR/>33. No vaccine proves there’s no virus<BR/>34. There are no FDA approved HIV tests<BR/>35. HIV only rarely detected in people with AIDS<BR/>36. HIV rarely progresses to AIDSSnouthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00315836146914661895noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633581663557175057.post-54867549658413421512008-12-22T18:39:00.000-05:002008-12-22T18:39:00.000-05:00Seth Kalichman,Could you be persuaded to discuss R...Seth Kalichman,<BR/><BR/>Could you be persuaded to discuss Roberto Giraldo's "pseudoscience" in an uncensored forum with right to reply?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633581663557175057.post-13628652697298546302008-12-22T14:25:00.000-05:002008-12-22T14:25:00.000-05:00Dr. K, I'm just reading your response to my questi...Dr. K, <BR/><BR/>I'm just reading your response to my question about antibody testing. I want you to answer, not some third-party website. <BR/><BR/>It's you I trust. <BR/><BR/>You wrote, "What all children who have died of AIDS have in common is they have HIV antibodies."<BR/><BR/>I asked, <BR/><BR/>"What is an "hiv antibody," and how can we know it? Which of the "Hiv tests" reacts ONLY with "Hiv antibody?"<BR/><BR/>That is my question. Please don't pawn me off on some website. You're the expert, writing books on what we should, no, must do to all Africans who have an 'antibody reactive' test. <BR/><BR/>How do we know that "Hiv Tests" react to ONLY one thing? Please share your knowledge.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633581663557175057.post-71958901281888914202008-12-22T14:11:00.000-05:002008-12-22T14:11:00.000-05:00Hello Anonymous 'Learning about HIV Testing'To bet...Hello Anonymous 'Learning about HIV Testing'<BR/><BR/>To better understand antibodies and how they are detected by HIV antibody tests I suggest UCSF HIVinSite http://hivinsite.ucsf.edu/InSite?page=kb-02-02-01<BR/><BR/>What is nice about the UCSF site is it gives lots of detail. It explains how denialists have distorted the testing package insert information to make unfounded claims. The site discusses the importance of testing in a clinical context. <BR/><BR/>If this information is too technical for you, I would suggest http://www.avert.org/testing.htm<BR/><BR/>But you should avoid entirely what the denialists say about HIV testing. It is one of their more harmful distractions. They often rely on a pseudoscientific experiment conducted by Roberto Giraldo to say the tests are invalid. For example, Henry Bauer has taken time away from chasing the Loch Ness Monster to proclaim HIV tests are invalid, relying on Giraldo’s wacky experiment (see Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, Summer, 2008 by Joel M. Kauffman, Henry H. Bauer http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_6878/is_/ai_n28556246). <BR/><BR/>Giraldo’s experiment is pseudoscience at its worst and is discussed at length in Denying AIDS.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for reading my BlogSeth Kalichmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01715826946361587097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633581663557175057.post-54696622491245556322008-12-22T12:32:00.000-05:002008-12-22T12:32:00.000-05:00Hi Seth,I have several gay friends, who, in the 19...Hi Seth,<BR/><BR/>I have several gay friends, who, in the 1980's, were given death sentences by their doctors based on a non-specific anti-body test, and then, to fight the death sentences, were given life-time doses of AZT, an old cancer chemotherapy, originated in 1964 by Dr. Jerome Horowitz.<BR/><BR/>Are you going to write a book about these poor victims, next?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633581663557175057.post-56034953569489067142008-12-22T09:34:00.000-05:002008-12-22T09:34:00.000-05:00"What all children who have died of AIDS have in c..."What all children who have died of AIDS have in common is they have HIV antibodies."<BR/><BR/>Dr. K, <BR/><BR/>What is an "hiv antibody," and how can we know it? Which of the "Hiv tests" reacts ONLY with "Hiv antibody?"<BR/><BR/>Yours truly, "learning about hiv testing."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633581663557175057.post-84164847628497996492008-12-21T21:41:00.000-05:002008-12-21T21:41:00.000-05:00Clark,While your "investigation" may have exposed ...Clark,<BR/><BR/>While your "investigation" may have exposed you to ideas and beliefs you were previously unfamiliar with, your report is nothing more than a rehash of the same old discredited denialist canards that have been circulating for years if not decades. Sorry to burst your bubble.<BR/><BR/>As for the Stats SA report you cite, maybe you missed this bit on page 2:<BR/><BR/><I>"This release covers mortality and causes of death broadly, and hence does not focus<BR/>specifically on HIV and AIDS. It does, however, provide indirect evidence that HIV may be contributing to the increase in the level of mortality for prime-aged adults, given the increasing number of deaths due to associated diseases. The data captured through this exercise can contribute to detailed studies in which the incidence of deaths due to AIDS related conditions is estimated (see, for example, Groenewald et al, 2005)."</I><BR/><BR/>The Executive summary of the 1997 – 2004 Adult Mortality Report makes it even clearer:<BR/><BR/><I>"HIV death rates have a distinctive pattern by age in which there is an increase to a given age and then a rapid decline at older ages. This peak occurs at 30-34 for females and at 35-39 for males. Many HIV deaths are registered as being due to some other cause of death. This problem is aggravated by the fact that HIV is not a reportable disease in South Africa, unlike some other communicable diseases. Based on the age pattern of death rates by sex, it is likely that a high proportion of deaths registered as due to parasitic diseases, parasitic opportunistic infections, certain disorders of the immune mechanism and maternal conditions (females only) are actually caused by HIV. Some registered causes of death rise to a peak with age but then decline at older ages more slowly than HIV, especially for males. For these registered causes of death, some of the deaths are likely actually due to HIV, but some of the deaths are likely due to something other than HIV. These causes of death include all infectious diseases, tuberculosis, malaria and nutritional deficiencies.</I><BR/><BR/>http://www.statssa.gov.za/PublicationsHTML/Report-03-09-052004/html/Report-03-09-052004.htmlSnouthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00315836146914661895noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633581663557175057.post-20527285120432938382008-12-21T18:12:00.000-05:002008-12-21T18:12:00.000-05:00Dear Snout,In your long winded diatribe describing...Dear Snout,<BR/><BR/>In your long winded diatribe describing who the deniers are, you left out the common folk who see right through the diabolical trappings of your overly protected, heavily funded death and dying club. They grow in numbers day by day. Jesus... you and the good old boy Dr. Kalichman make it seem there's there's just a handful. You both severely underestimate. <BR/><BR/>In the meantime answer for the casual reader who stumbles on to your blog: Why is it that people on treatment with anti-HIV medicine are dying from the side effects of these drugs more often than from illnesses associated with AIDS? (Reisler et al - Grade 4 events)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633581663557175057.post-17698293683234828472008-12-21T18:10:00.000-05:002008-12-21T18:10:00.000-05:00Seth:If I once believed that your comments were le...Seth:<BR/><BR/>If I once believed that your comments were legitimate, you lost all credibility when Brian Foley of the Los Alamos National Laboratory praised your blog.<BR/><BR/>As a 28-year investigator who has conducted thousands of criminal and civil investigations (and unlike Dr. Gallo was never formally accused of fraud or misconduct), I was asked last May to investigate the AIDS industry and alleged “denialism.” Almost immediately, I was pressured and ultimately attacked by members of AIDS Inc. – individuals who coordinated their attacks with Dr. Foley and John Moore, PhD (Cornell). While your so-called denialists welcomed my unbiased investigation, members and beneficiaries of the pharmaceutical industry applied tremendous pressure (and still do) to get me to discontinue my ongoing investigation.<BR/><BR/>So please Seth, please explain to me why independent investigators intimidate the so-called scientists you defend? Why did they want an independent investigator to stop his investigation? Why do they behave like Gambino Family enforcers? If you have proof that HIV attacks cells and causes AIDS, wouldn’t it be easier to post links on your blog that shows us exactly how the AIDS industry proved it so that other independent investigators and scientists could corroborate your findings? Why write about denialists when you can simply post your proof for everyone to see? What’s the big secret?<BR/><BR/>If AIDS science was so compelling, why would you and your friends work so hard to attack an independent investigator or write a book about so-called denialists? Why do you think your friends attacked me? Why do you think Foley used a fake name and Los Alamos servers to attack one of my witnesses? Why do you think one of their cohorts stole my ID (LAPD Report 08-0619018)? Why did you write a book that attacks real scientists and others as denialists?<BR/><BR/>Denialism is clearly not a mental disorder, but an epithet (not dissimilar to “Jew-lover” and “N-GG-R lover”) designed to protect dysfunctional and corrupt scientists and pharmaceutical companies from getting caught the way Bernard Madoff was recently caught with his $50 billion fraud. His sophisticated investors were duped into believing something that did not exist. Until scientist Jeffrey Wigand exposed the tobacco industry, tobacco industry scientists and doctors said there was nothing dangerous about inhaling tar or nicotine. 30 years ago, the tobacco industry would have hired you to attack Wigand and other “tobacco denialists.”<BR/><BR/>Having investigated criminal gangs before, I’ve found that AIDS Inc behaves not unlike any other criminal enterprise I’ve investigated, greased by nearly a trillion taxpayer dollars since 1981. Your book is merely a continuation of those attacks.<BR/><BR/>Anyone familiar with US universities today understand that freedom of thought and speech no longer exists on campuses. Why can the PC crowd prevent others from telling the truth on campuses like Cornell? Could it be that honesty would stop the flow of millions of research dollars each year that are used to perpetuate the myth? If you suddenly discovered that HIV science was a myth, would you have the courage to lose your funding to tell the world the truth? Your book only proves your cowardice.<BR/><BR/>So Seth, instead of creating a blog that attacks the questions, why not post your reports that show exactly how the AIDS industry proved that HIV attacks cells and causes AIDS? If you do that, I’ll get an independent lab to prove that HIV attacks cells and causes AIDS and I will gladly modify my report to prove to your alleged denialists that they are wrong. Please, help me help you.<BR/><BR/>One more thing – Your UNAIDS Report does not jibe with South Africa’s mortality report:<BR/><BR/>http://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P03093/P03093.pdf<BR/><BR/>If UNAIDS told the truth, their employees would no longer receive funding.<BR/><BR/>Lastly, I have one favor - please get your pharmaceutical friends to call their dogs off me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633581663557175057.post-16570874465213217252008-12-21T16:56:00.000-05:002008-12-21T16:56:00.000-05:00No, Michael, I have no conflicts of interest in th...No, Michael, I have no conflicts of interest in this matter. <BR/><BR/>I’m fascinated that you consider trying to understand and confront the phenomenon of denialism to be a “conflict of interest” for a health care provider. I’d have thought it was part and parcel of the job. <BR/><BR/>To be honest my own specific interest in AIDS denialism comes from the fact I’m a gay man and therefore belong to the community that in my country at least has borne the brunt of the epidemic and has also taken on the lion’s share of the responsibility for dealing with it, along with quite a few non-gay people who have responded with intelligence, decency and diligent hard work.<BR/><BR/>Now, I do feel some sympathy (as well as frustration) for those most affected by HIV who use denial as a personal, if dysfunctional, coping mechanism. There are much more sensible and effective ways of dealing with reality.<BR/><BR/>However I have no patience at all for those cranks and hobbyist denialists who use the internet and other media to promote their idiot pseudoscience to vulnerable people who lack the scientific background to be able to always tell when they are being fed bullshit. I find that dishonest, contemptible, exploitative, manipulative and profoundly unethical, and it makes me very angry.<BR/><BR/>So I hope that clears things up for you, and thanks for asking.Snouthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00315836146914661895noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633581663557175057.post-88724808158718809342008-12-21T09:35:00.000-05:002008-12-21T09:35:00.000-05:00Hi MartinAbout a quarter million children in the w...Hi Martin<BR/><BR/>About a quarter million children in the world have died of AIDS and 2 million have HIV infection. Se WHO/UNAIDS report of 2007 linked below. <BR/>I do not find it logical to say they had done drugs or even that all of their mothers had done drugs? The rate of illicit drug use in the places with the most AIDS is the lowest in the world.<BR/><BR/>Many (if not most)of these children live in places that do not have HIV treatments. When they do have treatments they live longer.<BR/><BR/>Some are in poverty others are not.<BR/><BR/>What all children who have died of AIDS have in common is they have HIV antibodies.<BR/><BR/>And counter what Henry Bauer would say, they are not all Black/African.<BR/><BR/>Thank you again for reading my blog.<BR/><BR/>link to UNAIDS Report http://www.unaids.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/HIVData/GlobalReport/2008/2008_Global_report.aspSeth Kalichmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01715826946361587097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633581663557175057.post-16853105160982400642008-12-21T03:35:00.000-05:002008-12-21T03:35:00.000-05:00Hello Seth,Can you post the reference for the "tra...Hello Seth,<BR/><BR/>Can you post the reference for the "tragic numbers of children who have never taken illicit drugs and never treated with AZT who have died of AIDS." <BR/><BR/>thanks, MartinAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com