Mike Huckabee's AIDS Answer on 1992 Questionaire/Current Statement

I have been avoiding this topic for a while. I wanted to get more info. I am sure by now many people have heard the flap about Mike Huckabee's answer to a 1992 AP questionaire, regarding AIDS. The first time I heard about the flap was when I recieved my Yahoo Alerts and the article took me to a gay online mag. Obviously this wasn't the most flattering article, plus I would not have wanted to leave a refering link to it.
It has absolutely nothing to do with the website being oriented towards homosexuality, some of the pics in there is not something I would want my readers to see. Yes, you people are grown-ups or older teens and you can make your own decisions. I may be loud and use colorful language, but some stuff is just off limits, this includes hetero pics with pda.

• LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Mike Huckabee once advocated isolating AIDS patients from the general public, opposed increased federal funding in the search for a cure and said homosexuality could "pose a dangerous public health risk." Anyways I want to talk about an article I found in Yahoo News.

Sounds big, bad, mean and homophobic, don't it? Well, don't stop there. To get the whole story, ya gotta read the whole story.

• As a candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in 1992, Huckabee answered 229 questions submitted to him by The Associated Press. Besides a quarantine, Huckabee suggested that Hollywood celebrities fund AIDS research from their own pockets, rather than federal health agencies.

I am going to be a bit ADD here. Let's first look at the first sentence and get beck to the rest later. Farther down the article is this.

• The AP submitted the questionnaire to both candidates in the 1992 senate race; only Huckabee responded. Incumbent Sen. Dale Bumpers won his fourth term; Huckabee was elected lieutenant governor the next year and became governor in 1996.

I think this is a good thing to remember. Only Mike Huckabee cared to give a response to any of these questions. Mike Huckabee cared to take the time to give his upfront and honest opinion. I guess Mr. Bumpers thought he had better things to do. Granted, Mr. Bumpers ain't running for anything now, but the point is that Mike Huckabee ain't afraid to take on questions that maybe not all people will agree on.

• In 1992, Huckabee wrote, "If the federal government is truly serious about doing something with the AIDS virus, we need to take steps that would isolate the carriers of this plague."
  "It is difficult to understand the public policy towards AIDS. It is the first time in the history of civilization in which the carriers of a genuine plague have not been isolated from the general population, and in which this deadly disease for which there is no cure is being treated as a civil rights issue instead of the true health crisis it represents."

A lot of what has been going on on the web is that people are saying that he is somehow anti-gay. Well here he is just saying that all carriers should have been isolated. It looks to me like he was talking about those who recieved AIDS through risky behavior, whether they be gay or hetero, and of course those who recieved the disease through blood transfusions. I do not speak for Mike Huckabee, so this is just my conclusion.

• "In light of the extraordinary funds already being given for AIDS research, it does not seem that additional federal spending can be justified," Huckabee wrote. "An alternative would be to request that multimillionaire celebrities, such as Elizabeth Taylor (,) Madonna and others who are pushing for more AIDS funding be encouraged to give out of their own personal treasuries increased amounts for AIDS research."

I am so glad that a politician has the guts to come out and say this. I don't care what the issue is. I am sick of hearing celebrities going out having big star studded events telling me give, give, give. Why don't you give, give, give? It would save time and money, and evergy. Think of all the money it costs for production costs, paying the fancy stars, sponsors to have their products hawked. Let's not forget about all the precious energy it takes for the lighting, sound, filming and whatnot.

• Since becoming a presidential candidate this year, Huckabee has supported increased federal funding for AIDS research through the National Institutes of Health.
• A Southern Baptist preacher, Huckabee has been a favorite among social conservatives for his vocal opposition to gay marriage. In 2003, Huckabee said that the U.S. Supreme Court was probably right to strike down anti-sodomy laws, but that states still should be able to restrict things such as gay marriage or domestic partner benefits.
• "What people do in the privacy of their own lives as adults is their business," Huckabee said. "If they bring it into the public square and ask me as a taxpayer to support it or to endorse it, then it becomes a matter of public discussion and discourse."

Read the full article here.

Here's Mike Huckabee's statement on the issue.

• News Release: Presidential Candidate, Governor Mike Huckabee Statement on AIDS Funding
  December 08, 2007
  
• Little Rock, AR - In the late 80’s and early 90’s we were still learning about the virus that causes AIDS. My concern, as a Senate candidate at the time, was to deal with the virus using the same public health protocols that medical science and public health professionals would use with any infectious disease.
  Before a disease can be cured and contained we need to know exactly how and with near certainty what level of contact transmits the disease. There was still too much confusion about HIV transmission in those early years. Recall that in 1991, Kimberly Bergalis testified in front of Congress after contracting HIV from her dentist, and that summer a study was published showing that HIV was transmitted through breastmilk more easily than had been thought. But the federal government provided some guidelines: Also in 1991 the Centers for Disease Control recommended restrictions on the practice of HIV-positive health care workers.
  At the time, there was widespread concern over modes of transmission and the possibility of epidemic. In the absence of conclusive data, my focus was on efforts to limit the exposure of the virus, following traditional medical practices developed from our public health experience and medical science in dealing with tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.
  We now know that the virus that causes AIDS is spread differently, with a lower level of contact than with TB. But looking back almost 20 years, my concern was the uncertain risk to the general population – if we got it wrong, many people would die needlessly. My concern was safety first, political correctness last.
  My administration will be the first to have an overarching strategy for dealing with HIV and AIDS here in the United States, with a partnership between the public and private sectors that will provide necessary financing and a realistic path toward our goals. We must prevent new infections and provide more accessible care. We must do everything possible to transform the promise of a vaccine and a cure into reality.
  Furthermore, I am proud that the United States has led the global battle against HIV/ AIDS. We have both a strategic interest as the world's only superpower and a moral obligation as the world's richest country to continue to do so until this scourge is a memory.
  I supported the current Administration’s proposal to double our initial commitment from $15 billion to $30 billion over the next five years for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). PEPFAR has already done an extraordinary amount of good, by providing drugs for over a million people and care for four-and-a-half million people, but it expires in 2008 and must be reauthorized. I support an increase in our commitment to the Global Fund. Through PEPFAR and the Global Fund, we can do our fair share to meet the Millennium Development Goals we affirmed in 2000, which include universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care. [source]