Hey Phoenixboi~totally cool article dude. Some very impressive statistics here. I personally think educating folks about the disease, and enough funding for research will bring us that much closer to a vaccine~and hopefully a cure at some point in the future. However, there is still so much hysteria and homophobia in the name of AIDS~never mind that many folks who contract it (like Ryan White) are not gay at all. And the situation in Africa is truly heartbreaking, etc.

I liked what you said about AIDS on my blog a lot. Your voice truly is one of the few sane ones I've heard. There were a few others (around six or seven JU bloggers) that knew the score. Then there were the others, huh? . OMG. I've been called everything you can think of: Sick, twisted, insane, cold, a liar, and even an asshole by one blogger that reminds me of Archie Bunker's long lost sister big time! .

But I am able to laugh at such a revealing response. Because Ronald Reagan is sacred to them. And I am actually reminding them of his many sins against humanity (if you stick with the religious analysis, etc.) . Because silence really did equal death during those dark Reagan years. And Ryan White was only one beautiful soul we lost~there were so many others! But he always stood out to me because he tried to make a difference. To educate the public. To encourage compassion. Yet the world gave him very little of that at the start. And Reagan's administration was indifferent to the point of being almost criminal. I was there. I lost too many friends. I watched Reagan sleep through his years in the White House. And Americans were dropping like flies all around him. Is that the definition of a great man? Or is Ryan White's response the greater one? You don't have to be an Einstein to figure it out. THANKS FOR HELPING TO EDUCATE US HERE! AND I PROMISE TO SEND YOU AN EMAIL SOON (I DIDN'T FORGET).

~Frank

(aka MadPoet)