The ABC's of Intelligent Dissent (Amherst, Bangkok, Calabar!)

It's been a hectic week following the Moore Follies. I've received some fascinating blog comments, direct correspondence, and indirect correspondence. Here's a sample.

Amherst (Massachussets)

James MacAllister is a professional documentarian. Here's his website.  Jim produced the animated movie Eukaryosis for Prof. Lynn Margulis of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, which presented her Serial endosymbiotic theory (SET) of evolution.

MacAllister came to our attention by editing the famous Amazon review of Doc Bialy's book by Dr. Margulis (No, not that damnable nurse on ER!)

Here's MacAllister's sober, thoughtful and well-reasoned comments on Barnes-ville regarding this AIDS mess:

Like most people, I assumed that AIDS was caused by a virus called HIV and dismissed Duesberg out of hand without even reading his book. Eventually, I read Bialy, then Duesberg, then everything I could find. I will be the first to admit, there's a lot of technical stuff I do not understand in the literature. I do not know if HIV causes AIDS or not. But what I do know (subjectively as a writer who had to translate complex medical topics into plain English) is that the folks who question the HIV-AIDS hypothesis do a much better job of presenting clear, logical arguments with citations to the primary science literature than do the folks who do not question the HIV-AIDS hypothesis.

I note that to be science, the research on HIV-AIDS would be as interested in falsifying the hypothesis as proving it. I could be wrong, but that does not seem to be the case. Duesberg on the other hand, suggests ways of testing his ideas.

I also note that things that might cast doubt on the veracity of individuals, such as Robert Gallo's "co-discovery" of Montaigne's virus or his lucrative patent from the AIDS test are strangely absent when the folks who believe that HIV is the cause of AIDS are telling their truths.

The absence of citations to primary scientific literature in the NIAID Fact Sheet "The Evidence That HIV Causes AIDS", not to mention the misrepresentations and omissions it contains just smells funny.

I also think that designation of the HIV virus as the cause of AIDS and the patenting of the AIDS test preceding the evidence being published, peer reviewed, and reproduced is not a practice that gives me great confidence. What are the odds of this being a lucky guess?

I'm not convinced that the various AIDS tests are proof of infection by HIV because I cannot find any study that documents HIV being purified. Given the manufacturers' disclaimers on these products, their use as diagnostic tools is clearly "off label". I wonder if this fact is shared with people being given their status as HIV+?

So you see, I have doubts, intuition, questions, appraisals and curiosity. Like you, I await convincing evidence.

Jim, we share your doubts and want  demand to see the evidence as well!

Bangkok, Thailand

Next, we have a correspondent, from Bangkok, a fellow named, Claus, who wanted to express some of his direct observations of events in that exotic city:

Over the course of several years now, embedded in the great not-so-adult entertainment centres in Bangkok and on Phuket, I've never been able to observe or otherwise confirm a single case of AIDS among the omnipresent 'pleasure models', many of whose lives and careers I've had the privilege of following for several years. I know this is all anecdotal, but still: NOT ONE SINGLE CASE in all the houses of extraordinary repute or the small villages the girls are supposed to return to die.

Neither do these people seem to die from anything else, apart from traffic accidents, until it's time for them to go more or less the way everybody else goes –– killed at a ripe age by some fumbling idiot of a doctor.

Be that as it may - I confess I haven't been to every secret room in every single hospital to find the AIDS ward –– there is NOTHING here like the hype I read in articles from Africa –– nothing whatsoever!!

In fact the correlation is clear and plain to see even for the ordinary tourist: the harder the girls party, drink, smoke the less healthy they are and look. Whenever they take a break from this, either to go home to their family, or when they find some 'good heart' sponsor, as they put it, to stay with, they IMMEDIATELY improve.

Contrary perhaps to some reports, harder drugs than alcohol are NOT a big problem among them, apart from some relatively random 'ia-baa' use. Those who're most into drugs and hard partying are, (surprise) the gays and especially the 'lady boys', who are also (surprise again) the unhealthiest, unhappiest looking individuals, and the ones that are most often rumoured to have AIDS.

The general population is of course incessantly pumped full of cheap over-the-counter antibiotics, I guess in a bid to break down their, in my experience, generally strong natural resistance. So its quite surprising that infectious diseases don't take a higher toll than is the case.

At any rate, I think if Duesberg or anybody else were looking for cheap, easy, enjoyable testing of their criticisms of the paradigm or their own theories, here's all kinds of parallel experiments set up and ready for any observer to follow. You suppose Bill and Warren could spare a few millions for this mmmm. . .?

Hang in there, Claus! More importantly, write to us again!

Calabar, Nigeria

Finally, we have a correspondent from Nigeria, a fellow named, Toye Omotoye, trying to make sense of African AIDS and expressing some doubts thereto:

I am a second year sociology student at UniCal, and last semester my biology Prof. told us some of the reasons he thinks that AIDS is not an African problem. This came as quite a surprise to me because since I was in secondary school I have heard about the sex epidemic and warned that I was not to frequent any of the "hotels" in my town.  But after his lecture I began to think that in the 10 years I can remember getting such good advice about the devil's playground a few doors down from our flat, I never saw any of the girls who lived in the hotel get sick let alone die from the AIDS,  and none of my friends who were not as obedient as me ever got AIDS either. So I am now thinking that maybe my biology Prof. wasn't so crazy, and maybe neither is Prof. Duesberg, and maybe the  definition of AIDS  that the traditional doctor from Oyo gave so many years ago that Prof. quoted is really true. "AIDS = American Invention to Discourage Sex".

AIDS=American Invention to Discourage Sex.....and scare a lotta folks into taking dangerous drugs, while scientists and Big Pharma line their pockets with self-righteous cashola!

So, there you have it. A few smart, curious, friendly folks from Amherst, Bangkok and Calabar, employing a skeptical eye on some of the AIDS dogma from around the globe. Kinda intellectually refreshing, no?

Tell me your thoughts on the matter, folks.

Comments

[RK]

I was going to leave this comment in the pevious thread, but this one seems as good, maybe even better.

Hank,

I have been following you around the blogs for a while in my regular perusals of the "AIDS wars", and I have refrained from leaving a comment anywhere previously for a large number of reasons. But I think the time has come to break my self-enforced silence (and shyness) to make the following observation.

Although dissident spokespersons appear to delight in invading unfriendly (to them) blogs and making trouble upon troubles for the blogmeisters and their companions in delusion, I have not been able to detect even a meagre counter-offensive from them here (with the exception of a Dick Jeffreys, and even he appears to have given up the fight).

I cannot help but wonder, since Professor Moore has such a vast army of supporters, and since he so clearly has been reading at least the recent posts, why not one has shown up here to defend the "moral truths" of the NY Times op. ed. editorialist and Pharma whore?

[Stephen Davis]

American Invention to Discourage Sex! I love it! I also like Acute Intervention to Denigrate Sex, or Addled Intention to Disparage Sexuality.

I want your readers to know that I am offering to send a FREE CD to anyone who is HIV-Positive with an interview I did (July 15th) on the Health Radio Network, along with a friend and former HIV/AIDS counselor in San Francisco. It's called "HIV Blood Tests: Shoddy Science, Bad Medicine," and we cover a number of salient points about the ELISA and Western Blot tests, especially false positives, and the HIV medications.

This CD is not copyrighted, and I hope it will be copied and distributed widely in an effort to get this information to as many HIV-Positives as possible. These are the ones who we need to remember are the true, present-time victims of this insanity.

Anyone can preview this interview at www.theaidstrial.com/recinter.htm. Then, if any of your readers want me to send them a copy of this CD, or send it to someone they think should hear it, simply email me at [email protected] with a mailing address. The CD is free.

[Johnny B.]

Those could all have been 3 good separate stories! Anyway, keep drumming away Hank. Despite what Moore says, he DOES care what your blog and others are saying because it IS making a difference in peoples views - at least to the point of making them THINK about it. As you well know, this is entirely the case with me. I never really gave the topic a second thought until I wandered into Smith's blog and found you and Professor Harvey Bialy.

It's time to go beyond the talking though. Professor Duesberg has devised falsifiable tests of his hypothesis. They MUST be funded. There must be a DEMAND, as you say, from all of us that the science be done. If Professor Duesberg is found to be incorrect, so be it. I'll live with that science. But with so many unanswered questions, the science is demanded and if you are a REAL SCIENTIST, even one who believes the current model to be correct, you should LEAP at the opportunity to participate. That's what science is all about.

Let's find out what the truth is - whether we like it or not.

[HankBarnes]

RK,

Welcome, Sir! Don't worry about silence and shyness, either. You're free to speak your mind here.

Stephen Davis,

Great stuff, great book! I heard one of your radio interviews, the other day with Doc Watson -- very impressed.

Johhny B,

Perfectly stated. Couldn't have said it better myself;) Let the scientific chips fall where they may!

Who's afraid of falsifying an opinion, anyway?
HankB

[Johnny B.]

Yes, but mine wasn't just a rhetorical primeval cry in wilderness. I expect YOU to get something started in this direction!

[Johnny B.]

By the way, I'm working my way through Stephen's enlightening interviews. I have to say that I'm not into the "natural health" solution to everything, but I don't think the forum Stephen used to get his message out should be held against him. Anyway, I recommend using the link he provided in cut and paste form.