McCain’s stumble exposes the war on contraception, Heather Boonstra fills us in on the International AIDS Conference, the Tyra Banks Show gives really bad dating advice, and a pick-up artist gets his on the internets.

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Insurance company rules

1 out of 2 people living with HIV is black

CNN documentary coverage

Black AIDS Institute

Representative Barbara Lee on the issue

Background on the Knoxville shooting

Press conference

Nancy Pelosi is not taunting you

 

This week on Reality Cast, we have a new segment we’ll return to a few times a year—Trendspotting with the ACLU. It’s an overview of the big legal issues in reproductive rights on the horizon. Also, a new report on HIV in the black community, thoughts on the Knoxville shooting, and some wingnut wisdom born of pure resentment.

Ha! Health Care For America has a new commercial out that I think many of us can relate to.

• insert insurance company rules *

Hopefully, one day people will look back and marvel at how we could have ever thought that the best way to handle health care distribution was through glorified gambling. "Didn’t they know," future generations will say, "That the house always wins?"

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Once in awhile in this field, you come across news that’s truly shocking. That’s how I felt when I saw the news released Tuesday that 1 person out of 2 living with HIV in America is African-American. That’s in a country where black people represent only 1/8th the population, so it’s an understatement to say that the HIV rate in the black community is wildly out of proportion.

CNN got out a report with an interview with Phil Wilson, the head of the Black AIDS Institute.

• insert hiv black population *

According to their coverage, AIDS is the number 2 killer of black men between 35 and 44. Historically, more men than women have been infected, but the epidemic in America is taking on new dimensions.

• insert hiv black population 2 *

Reading the report, called "Left Behind" from the Black AIDS Institute, shines some light on the reasons that women might be especially vulnerable to the infection. Gender inequities and even domestic violence make it hard for women to insist on protection. The report also singles out the high incarceration rate as a factor, and the refusal of our government to seriously look at harm reduction strategies to deal with drug users.

CNN interviewed Angela Burt-Murray, the editor of Essence magazine, on the woman-specific vulnerabilities.

• insert hiv black population 3 *

Adding to what she said, I have to say that this is exactly why I’m so angry about abstinence-only education and just the general lack of good sex education in public schools. A far-too-high percentage of black Americans live under the poverty line, and children in these communities get a lot less chances to get medically sound advice on managing their sexualities. If we had comprehensive sex education in every school starting very young, we’d catch a lot more people with this message.

Representative Barbara Lee of California contributed some remarks to the report. I found a video of her talking about this issue in March 2007 on the floor of the House. (

• insert lee hiv speech *

Hopefully this shocking report will wake people up and see how black Americans are being so woefully neglected by our HIV prevention and treatment policies.

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• insert interview *

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I feel, with all the coverage of this Knoxville shooting of a Unitarian Church, I should weigh in. Here’s a sample from the police’s press rally on this incident.

• insert Knoxville 1 *

Other news reports suggest that Jim Adkisson’s obsession with this particular church has a lot to do with the fact that his ex-wife belonged to it in the past. Unsurprisingly, their marriage was marred by his domestic violence against her, and she had to take out a restraining order against him.

Adkisson’s hatred of liberals so far seems to be the specific kind of hatred stoked by a right wing noise machine. Basically, a hatred of those liberals that threaten male dominance. Liberals who support gay marriage and a woman’s right to control her own fertility. Here’s some more from the press conference.

• insert Knoxville 2 *

I don’t expect the people who pump the airwaves full of hate against liberals and gays and women and racial minorities to apologize or own their part of this. Needless to say, I think they should, if not apologize, at least consider what part they play in this.

• insert Knoxville 3 *

After 9/11, it was basically forgotten in this country that the largest terrorist attack prior was not performed by outsiders, but by an American who was bent on the same right wing nuttery as this recent shooter. But never forget Oklahoma City. Terrorist attacks and hate crimes like these are just an extreme example of something that’s going on every day in this country. There’s a lot of anxiety and resentment because of economic concerns and the disappearance of the American Dream. And right wingers channel that anxiety by telling men like this that’s not the fault of leaders or the system. Oh no. It’s all those people that used to be oppressed having freedom. It’s the people that are doing stuff you can’t control. Gays getting married. Women having abortions. Black people moving about freely. Liberals drinking their lattes. Those are the scapegoats.

Extreme examples of this scapegoating get attention, but let’s not forget that the more mundane version is happening right now as right wing media outlets recover from this blip and return to spewing hatred towards innocent people who just want to be free.

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And now for the Wisdom of Wingnuts, I have to quote this guy’s rant about abstinence-only education, one that he made in response to Nancy Pelosi’s statements calling abstinence-only dangerous. It was hard not to quote the part before this, where he claims that he’s been abstinent for 20 years and it hasn’t hurt him, just begging for someone to point out that his obnoxious personality might suggest otherwise. Or that, "I’m not getting any, so you shouldn’t either," isn’t an argument. But no, I have to quote this:

• insert I’m not getting any so you shouldn’t either *

I liked that because first he condemns people who support the right to abortion and then he condemns girls who didn’t have abortions. Which is it? Oh yeah. He’s not getting any, so you shouldn’t either. His argument seems to end there. Wonder how quickly he’ll change his mind should an appealing opportunity arise?