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US versus Them.
By wltshr
12 June 2007
A bit of a rant really. Which changed direction slightly half way through. At least I've got it out of my system. Thanks.



 
What do the BNP, the KKK, and the drug companies have in common?

A belief that AIDS is a God given disease.

Religious Fundamentalists believe that God/Allah/Yahweh sent AIDS to plague homosexuals. The BNP, KKK, and similar racist organisations are pleased that God has also chosen to visit this plague on black Africa. Drug companies meanwhile, see this as a God given right to make billions of dollars in annual profit; for ever.
 
There will be no cure for AIDS. It would not make economic sense as it costs a minimum of £310 per annum in retroviral drugs to keep each AIDS victim alive for just a little longer. You no longer need to buy drugs if you are cured.
 
Obviously they are working to provide retroviral drugs at a lesser cost. A considerably higher turnover offset by a slightly smaller profit margin will increase profit still further. The market continues to grow year on year along with the profits.
 
Finding a cure would prove financially catastrophic for many of the larger companies. Even a drug which would guarantee that, once taken, you would be immune from the disease would have limited appeal.
 
There is a limited marketplace for a cure, but an unlimited marketplace for drugs that can extend a life by even a short amount.
 
Much publicity is given to show that enormous sums of research funding is granted to improving retroviral drugs but I can find no detail pertaining to the realistic search for a cure.
 
Indeed many drug companies are extremely interested in the results of a Nigerian Doctor who believes that he may have found a total cure for AIDS. As yet he has insufficient research evidence to present his findings. Even so the Nigerian Government and this particular doctor are being paid court by the larger drug companies who would like him to work alongside their own scientists. Perhaps it's the cynic in me, but I can see large sums being expended by the drug companies and the sad facts being released by the drug companies in the future informing the world that, sadly, after much research, the cure is not viable.
 
The largest drug companies in the world are either to be found in the US or are controlled by the US. Is it likely that corporate America would forego so much profit, and that the US government would forego so much tax revenue? Is it reasonable to assume that corporate America can be said to reflect conservative America and, as such, this particular administration? If so, then Heaven help us all.
 
The US is a country, which purports to allow abortion on demand but, due to their legislated lack of funding for education or facilities, only really allows abortion for poor Hispanics and Blacks. Any attempt to provide a service to God fearing middle class whites has been met with hostility and violence. Indeed when the next Supreme Court judge is elected the conservative majority in the Supreme court is expected to overturn Rowe vs. Wade, and abortion would once more become illegal. This is what the Bible-Thumpers are angling for now. I'm just looking forward to seeing what they do when 3500 extra working-class Black and Hispanic kids are born and not aborted each and every day. How many years before they realise that their smug asses have been protected by the very legislation they purport to hate. Two generations ought to do it.
 
The only superpower today is the United States of America. That superpower both overtly through it’s domestic and foreign policy, and covertly through it’s economic dominance, has no power if the rest of the world unites to let them know that their abuse of power is unacceptable to us all.

Reviews

Written by Phil (6838 comments posted) 12th June 2007
A good rant, and horribly believable. 
 
Short anecdote: I recently, for reasons I can't seem to work out, tried out blogging. The site I used was mainly US members. Lots of fundamentalist Bible bashing, denying any environmental crisis, military talk, very righ wing political talk etc. When I posted and asked if the sample of bloggers I'd read were perhaps unrepresentative of the site, the replies I got were interesting. Things like: 'the site, like me, is actually left leaning.' Our idea of politics here in the UK don't seem to reflect at all what goes on over there. Even our Conservative party (May they all rot in hell - sorry, it's like Pavlov's dogs. I see Cameron on TV, salivate and growl.) seem far to the left of US centre ground. Anyway. Four days of blogging and the experiment is over. 
 
Well written piece. 
 
Phil.

Written by Phil (6838 comments posted) 12th June 2007
Sorry, something to add. 
 
I wouldn't want anyone to think I'm anti American, far from it - just much of US politics. But then I'm anti much of UK politics too.

Written by wltshr (341 comments posted) 13th June 2007
Hi Phil 
 
Thanks for the support. 
 
I'm not anti american either. I just despair of them sometimes. 
 
I've never had a problem with individual americans, in fact I have a good friend, a bloody nice chap, who visits every Christmas and is quite enlightened, even for a staunch republican. It's America, en masse, that I have a problem with.  
 
I should imagine the blog was interesting if a little scary. I recommend that you put "abortion in the US" into google if you want to frighten yourself. 
 
Best 
 
Wltshr 
 

Written by Fledermaus (3448 comments posted) 13th June 2007
Interesting plot theory. A bit like the possibility to make lightbulbs that's last for an eternity, which are not produced because everyone would just have to buy a few... Only that one doesn't kill people. 
I wonder how those people who think AIDS is a heavenly punishment will think about it when it hits themselves. 
I do think that the only reason why the US is the only superpower though is because China and India are too peaceful and Europe and Russia are too busy quarreling with themselves. Other nations are probably just as powerful as the US, but unlike them they do not use that power for bullying.

Written by Phil (6838 comments posted) 13th June 2007
Abortion in the US. The sheer weight of numbers is astonishing on its own. 40 million since 1973. ;That's the populatin of an average sized European country. I wonder how the stats compare for this country.

Written by Phil (6838 comments posted) 13th June 2007
186000 in 2005. That's a lot. Multiply that by 37 years, (like for like US since 1973) that's 6.3 million. US population about 5 times UK? That makes pro rata: 31 million. Less, but proportionally not substantially less. 
 
I'm not anti abortion, but the figures are astronomical. 
 
Phil.

Written by wltshr (341 comments posted) 13th June 2007
Sorry Phil. 
 
The stuff I found scary was not the numbers but the attitude and the kind of anti-choice websites to be found. Also the fundamentalist approach of the current administation. 
 
Check out: http://www.who.int/idhl-rils/frame.cfm?language=english  
 
Which is the World Health Organisation's info on recent abortion related legislation in the US. 
 
Fledermaus: Thanks for reading. I'm glad I'm not the only paranoid one. 
 
Wltshr

Written by cheapthrill (30 comments posted) 13th June 2007
Provocative piece. 
 
I had considered covering something similar my self but with the pharma-tech industry just as an example of the gross inequality that deregulated free market corporations promote through out the world. 
 
What is interesting is that if countries like Africa, Brazil, China and India ignore patents on retroviral drugs they are seen as "low trust" in regards to intellectual property. Yet we are expected to see our big pharma companies as "high trust" as they slap 200-500% mark up prices on their life saving drugs. 
 
The whole intellectual property system as a whole is fairly unprincipled. There was a time where a patent covered the process you used to make something and if someone came along and found a more efficient way to make it they were free to, now with intellectual property you can effectively patent the product its self and prevent anyone else from doing the same. 

Written by Phil (6838 comments posted) 14th June 2007
Thanks Wilts, didn't get that far - the numbers astounded me. I'll check it out.

Written by wltshr (341 comments posted) 15th June 2007
Hi Cheapthrill 
 
(What a fabulous screen name!) 
 
The joys of living in a world run by corporations for corporations. Governments now only do admin. 
 
You mentioned "...their life saving drugs." I wish they were. Sadly, they are only death deferring drugs, and they're not even particularly good at that.  
 
Best 
 
Wltshr

Written by stevetroster (1588 comments posted) 15th June 2007
An interesting conspiracy theory, but I’m guessing that there are enough billions of people in the world to make inoculation a nice little earner. They sorted out polio, etc, yet still make billions from the antigens. 
Re; population. India (a country that I have an interest in), if you want to be mesmerised by population growth, log on to www.medindia.net. They have a population clock, that shows the population of India going up by one person every two seconds! It is absolutely mesmerising to sit there and watch the number going up, and up, and up. When I last logged on (21.25 15/6 ) the population of India stood at 1,106,963,360. I wonder what it is now? Charge every one of the Indians £10 and how much have you made? And you’ve still got the rest of the world to profit from. 
 
Watto Wilty
Written by BrianRobertNeal (1195 comments posted) 22nd June 2007
Devil's Advocate time. Aids kills so you lose so many customers who could have bought other drugs. 
 
Remember at one time the prediction was that Aids would be the "Catastrophic Event" that would kill off mankind. 
 
My rant against the Drug Companies is their cynical use of thirld world countries to test out their latest offerings. You notice that there are no Human's Right Activists making any fuss about this. 
 
Brian

Written by wltshr (341 comments posted) 25th June 2007
Steve and Brian: I was doing a little research on AIDs with the idea of a story in my head only to discover that there is a lot of info. out there re retroviral research and very little about the attempt to find a cure for HIV/AIDS. I just got a little angry that so much money can be made from drugs with the most appalling side-effects which generate obscene levels of profit. I assume some research is taking place looking for a cure, although I could find nothing on the expected scale. 
 
I am generally not a conspiracy theorist but one wonders whether public opinion and government attitudes might have been rather different if AIDS victims were predominently white, middle class, jewish or christian heterosexuals in Europe and the US. 
 
Regards 
 
Wltshr
RANT FOR SURE
Written by karlostheunhappyjackyl (13 comments posted) 18th July 2007
Yes, this is a rant. But if only there was some references to evidence then it would make an article worthy of publication. 
 
What is your evidence/where have you read/heard that the BNP feel this way about God and his wrath that is Aids?  
 
Cite your sources, otherwise this is a) weakening your assertion (which I believe is a correct assertion though I would probably drop the God angle for the BNP, although I wholeheartedly support your linking the despicable attitudes by the BNP, KKK and global pharmaceutical companies) and b) tantamount to slander. 
 
If we cannot trust your claim of the BNP attitudes is connected to a view on God's wrath, why should we trust you on the figures quoted. This is why you need to add references and sources. 
 
Let me know if you revise this accordingly as I might be interested in passing on to a co-operative magazine's editorial committee. 
 
Best regards & agree with the sentiments.

Written by wltshr (341 comments posted) 18th July 2007
Hi Karlos 
 
Will this do?  
 
www.naar.org.uk/lagcar/downloads/NEWSsummer04.pdf  
 
 
It took me wo minutes to find. If you need more I'm sure it won't take long. 
 
Regards 
 
Wltshr
Two Minutes. Not wo minutes!
Written by wltshr (341 comments posted) 19th July 2007
Twit that I am! 
 
Wltshr

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