Larry Kramer: Obama is
Useless on Gay and AIDS Issues
I just received an alert notifying me that my friend Larry Kramer, of many accomplishments across lots of political and cultural realms, gave an interview to the NY Daily News for World AIDS Day, and true to form, he had nothing positive to say about President Barack Obama.
The paper offered up a sampling of Larry's caustic comments from the video talk he had with the reporter:
“Mr. Do-Nothing Obama will say today ‘Lets think of all the poor dead people’- or ‘let’s honor all the dead’ instead of fighting for the living.
"He has been really useless in terms of both HIV and gay issues. An exceedingly large disappointment to me, how useless he has been.
"He is simply not a leader. He may be president, but he is not a leader.”
It gives me tremendous pleasure knowing that Larry is still acting up and being critical of politicians, including the president, while also speaking of the cure for AIDS, a topic we don't hear enough of these days. At the same time, as I wrote earlier today, we are also blessed to Dr. Joe Sonnabend still helping people with AIDS, and just being his wonderful self.
I count it among my many reasons to give thanks at this time of year, that my path in life has crossed with both Larry and Joe. There are genuine gay humanitarians who have done not just the gay and AIDS communities worldwide so much good, but they've also contributed so much toward making the world for all peoples.
Hey, Larry and Joe, have I told you lately that I love you guys? Well, I do!
Give this video a look and really listen to Larry say the word cure, and then ask yourself, why don't we discuss the possibility of curing AIDS anymore:
(Hat tip: Johnny Simpson.)
Would you rather have George Bush back in office?
ReplyDeleteAs a long-time activist and member of the Gay Community, I tend to agree with Mr Kramer more than I disagree with him, but, unfortunately, I completely DISAGREE with him this time.
Regarding the comments about him not being a leader, please remember that no modern president has the ability to make instant changes.
President Obama has been stratled with, and has his hands tied by:
- two simultaneous wars;
- an economy which, because of bad decisions made by a previous President committed him to significantly increasing the deficit;
- an economy devistated by bad business decisions made by banks and Wall Street executives, and stuck him with negative input from the public, who see those policies as his own;
. . . is doing as much as Congress, the Republicans, Sarah Palin, the tea party [lower case deliberate], and the religious right [case deliberate again] will allow him to do.
If Mr Kramer, or anyone else, has the solutions to bring immediate results, than he or she should get themselves elected and see just how difficult it is to effect those solutions in today's caustic political climate.
Bruce Barnes
Chicago IL