Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 08:42:14 -0800
From: Alex Damien <AlexDn@ix.netcom.com>
Subject: Going along for the Ride ($)

PrePS  Ron Johnson from GMHC, as will see below, I believe, is on one
Presidential Commission having to do with AIDS.

http://www.netcom.com/~alexdn/aids.html
http://www.netcom.com/~alexdn/kochs.html
http://www.netcom.com/~alexdn/aidslink.html

The Terrain is more important than the Germ!

Tonight there was a Community Forum on HIV Surveillance held at the
Community Center in NYC.  Several people were on the panel along with
others from various pro-HIV organizations.  The talk centered around
whether to give names, numbers attached to names, or not to report at
all to NY State health agencies.  Of course, there were various opinions
on what to do and why.  Basically, the content of the meeting was
predictable.

HEAL attendees spoke at the microphone and this was not very pleasing to
the panelists by the look of their faces.  After the meeting, I had to
ask Bob Lederer, POZ editor and WBAI-FM Pacifica Radio Station host, 
why they have never published an electron micrograph of the isolation of
HIV.  When I first approached he smiled and seemed happy that I
mentioned his show on WBAI but not after I asked my question.  The smile
changed to frown and he just wanted to get away.

I kept after him asking why POZ had not published the electron
micrograph demonstrating isolation and he did not want to talk about
it.  He walked over to a chair with his coat, etc. and was confronted by
a HEAL attendee and was asked another question.  After, I asked one last
time why POZ would not publish the electron micrograph,  he stated that
they would not since it had to do with SCIENCE!


The next encounter had to do with Ron Johnson from GMHC.  Again a friend
was asking him a question.  Then I had to ask about the tests that he
and GMHC want reported to NY State authorities.

"Do you know that the tests do not have Gold Standards?"

Ron - "Yes."

"Do you know what that means?"

Ron - "Yes."  ( Mind you I was a little surprised at his answers.)

"It means that the tests have never been verified using a viral HIV
isolate."

Ron - "Yes, I know."

"And you want to send the test results to the state using these tests."

Ron - "Yes."

"That's insane!"


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ALEX DAMIEN:::::::::Visit Web site under continual construction @
                      http://www.netcom.com/~alexdn/aids.html
                      http://www.netcom.com/~alexdn/kochs.html
                      http://www.netcom.com/~alexdn/elisa.html
                    YOUR comments and suggestions are necessary.

AlexDn@ix.netcom.com                                             Thank
you.

                      Yes, the public is wonderfully tolerant.
                      It forgives everything except genius.

                             The Critic As Artist,
                                            Oscar Wilde
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