AIDS, U.S. prisons, judgmentalism

October 19, 2003

Mostly I lurk, but:

The first person I knew who died of AIDs in the 1980s was a straight, married

man incarcerated in an upper New York State prison. He was isolated with

another AIDs patient -- an Italian member of organized crime -- neither of these

men were homosexuals. My friend had used street drugs -- the crime family

member had not, but had first shown signs of AIDs in prison. They were both

involved in the Syracuse University AZT trials.

In Europe people may believe that AIDs started in the 1970s and 1980s. Anyone

who has spoken to members of the U.S. prison population from the 1960s & 1950s

knows that AIDs was allowed to incubate within that group for at least 20 years.

Prisoners died of unknown causes -- got labelled with something (usually heart

failure or pneumonia) -- got buried. Straight men, married men, gay men -- a

crossection of society -- left the prison system carrying the virus. Cause of

death determinations played a large part in its being labelled a " homosexual "

disease for so long. When straight people died doctors were loath to put AIDS

on the death certificate. So, until the late 80s the lies continued with few

*straight* death certificates or medical reports indicating any AIDS link. As

we all know, or should know, AIDS does not cause death. Rather, it provides the

opportunity for many diseases to run rampant through a body.

State of mind does certainly play a part. My friend believed he had been cursed

by Santerria witches and that he was doomed. I also have longtime Registered

Nurse friend who did much work in AIDS wards. There are RNs who got AIDs

without ever having blood or bodily fluid contact with patients. Which leads me

to my personal opinion that you can eat all the raw and organic and healthy food

you want. If you are living in an overly stressed situation or just have a sour

outlook on life and spend your life passing judgement on this and that and

everything, you are weakening your immune system. So go ahead and believe that

homosexuals are bad, non-Christians are bad, etc., etc., etc. Living your life

in such a negative place will break down your immune system just as fast as any

physical behaviour that you may avoid and, anyway, most such judgmental people

are just not fun to be with.

Marguerite Chipp-Matthews

(who knows she is passing judgement on the judgmental -- a philosophical matter

she will ruminate over)

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