[aldo_14]

http://www.badscience.net/?p=349

f you think the nutritionists and vitamin peddlers in the UK are weird, you really want to go to South Africa, where President Thabo Mbeki has a long history of siding with the HIV denialists, who believe that HIV does not cause Aids (but that treatments for it do), and where his health minister talks up fruit and vegetables as a treatment, as we have previously covered here.

In this world, Zackie Achmat is a hero: the founder of the Treatment Action Campaign in South Africa, he recently won a breakthrough in his long battle against the vitamin-loving Aids denialists of Mbeki’s government, to make HIV medication available through the public health system.

Achmat is also HIV positive, and was wealthy enough to afford antiretroviral medication, but deprived himself, risking his own life, as a matter of principle, until they were made widely available, despite even the personal pleas of Nelson Mandela, an avowed and public supporter of both antiretroviral medication and Achmat’s work.

Achmat’s victory, tragically a decade too late, was a deep wound for Matthias Rath, the German vitamin impresario who claims that his vitamin pills are better for Aids than medication, and his colleague Anthony Brink, a barrister and the leader of an allied organisation, the Treatment Information Group, which campaigns vociferously against the currently available antiretroviral medication, claiming - loudly - that they are not just ineffective but actively harmful.

This man Anthony Brink has now managed to file a complaint against Achmat with, of all places, the Hague international criminal court: Achmat is accused of genocide, for successfully campaigning to get access to HIV drugs for the South African people.

Now I have read this ridiculous document - which has been reported as a proper news event in much of the gay and South African media - and for the first 50 pages or so you get the familiar anti-medication and Aids-denialist stuff: they talk up the side effects of HIV drugs, they misrepresent the research.

But then, at around page 58, by which time any journalist covering this story must, I can only assume, have stopped reading, this “indictment” document suddenly deteriorates into full-on fruitcake action.

Brink “respectfully submit(s)” that the international criminal court should punish Achmat with “permanent confinement in a small, white, steel and concrete cage, bright fluorescent light on all the time … warders putting him out only to work every day in the prison garden to cultivate nutrient-rich vegetables, including when it’s raining”. This is supposed to be a serious war crimes document, remember.

Then it gets nasty. Achmat should be forced to take his HIV medication (”which he claims to take”) and it should be “pushed if necessary down his forced-open gullet with a finger, or, if he bites, kicks and screams too much, dripped into his arm”.

And how will this forced administration be possible? He should be, white barrister Anthony Brink respectfully submits, “restrained on a gurney with cable ties around his ankles, wrists and neck … until he gives up the ghost on them, so as to eradicate this foulest, most loathsome, unscrupulous and malevolent blight on the human race, who has plagued and poisoned the people of South Africa”.

I don’t think it’s out of line to suggest this is particularly vile considering that Achmat is a “coloured” man, by the apartheid government’s classification: and let’s not forget that Achmat, a longstanding anti-apartheid and gay rights campaigner, was imprisoned under that brutal regime.

Achmat has been nominated for the Nobel peace prize, and is a hero in ways you’d better hope you never get the chance to be. Meanwhile this vicious and unhinged hatred, this surrealist charge of genocide, comes from a colleague of the vitamin peddler Rath: from Anthony Brink, from the man who is credited with introducing Mbeki to HIV denialism, who has helped cost the lives of tens of thousands of people needlessly deprived of effective treatments.

[Centrixo]

typical africans governments...

[Flipside]

Thing is, even though reporters won't read that tripe, the ligislature will have to. I can be pretty sure that it will get laughed out to be honest. We tend to adopt the assumption that the African government are somewhat archaic in their approach to things, and yes, the African people themselves are being bombarded with contradictory information from several sources attempting to manipulate them, but the government itself will have Doctors and specialists to refer to who will point out the folly of this disgusting document.

[aldo_14]

typical africans governments...

I'm not sure what you mean.  The **** in question is Anthony Brink, a barrister and colleague of a German 'nutritionalist'.  Although Mbekis government deserves a great big kick in the balls for listening (much as Nelson Mandela deserves a pat on the back for his statements and acts supporting proper HIV treatment, etc), there's not really much doubt these loonies are a product of the 'western'  world, same as the likes of Gillian McKeith (the only difference being that the Phd-buying, poo-raking charlatan bint isn't actually killing people...yet).

Thing is, even though reporters won't read that tripe, the ligislature will have to. I can be pretty sure that it will get laughed out to be honest. We tend to adopt the assumption that the African government are somewhat archaic in their approach to things, and yes, the African people themselves are being bombarded with contradictory information from several sources attempting to manipulate them, but the government itself will have Doctors and specialists to refer to who will point out the folly of this disgusting document.

Um, it's not been submitted to an African court but to the International court at the Hague.

[Centrixo]

the africans say they will do something, in the end, what do they do?
nothing...

if there is going to be an arguement im finished becuase im not interested right now for an arguement.

[aldo_14]

the africans say they will do something, in the end, what do they do?
nothing...

Um, where does it say that?  The only thing it says is that they took far too bloody long to do something (make proper anti-viral drugs available)... there's definately a lot of fair and damning criticism to be made of Mbeki & the South African government, I'm just not sure where you're getting it from this story.

[Centrixo]

the african countries on thw whole.

this is the last time im going to say this, im not interested in arguing right now

[Flipside]

Thing is, even though reporters won't read that tripe, the ligislature will have to. I can be pretty sure that it will get laughed out to be honest. We tend to adopt the assumption that the African government are somewhat archaic in their approach to things, and yes, the African people themselves are being bombarded with contradictory information from several sources attempting to manipulate them, but the government itself will have Doctors and specialists to refer to who will point out the folly of this disgusting document.

Um, it's not been submitted to an African court but to the International court at the Hague.

Ah, my mistake Still, if anything, that makes the point even more valid, I certainly can't see the European court taking more than a glance at that before throwing it out.

[vyper]

Govan Mbeki must be spinning in his ****ing grave.

[karajorma]

Personally I'd arrest Achmat. And then when he turns up to gloat I'd arrest Anthony Brink and use his own document to throw him in jail for genocide

I'm sure Achmat would forgive me. Once he stopped laughing.

[Unknown Target]

the african countries on thw whole.

this is the last time im going to say this, im not interested in arguing right now

Too bad, we could all have used a laugh at your poorly formed and grammatically incorrect arguments.

But yea, this will definately get laughed out of court - no one in their right mind could possibly sponsor this.

[Centrixo]

recorrect that or i will attack it.

[Unknown Target]

*Is s-s-s-soooo skeered*

Except not.

[Centrixo]

fine but i gave you fair warning ass hole.

[NGTM-1R]

Talk's cheap.

Back it up.

[Starkweather]

*Gets popcorn*

Then realizes... probably nothing will happen *continues to eat popcorn*

[Ford Prefect]

You know, you nimrods could exchange rounds of "no ur a tard" over any number of media that would not involve getting an interesting topic locked.

On topic: It's really a testament to the vast unpredictability of the world that a genocide trial at the Hague ultimately sprang from people trying to sell vitamins.

[aldo_14]

You know, you nimrods could exchange rounds of "no ur a tard" over any number of media that would not involve getting an interesting topic locked.

On topic: It's really a testament to the vast unpredictability of the world that a genocide trial at the Hague ultimately sprang from people trying to sell vitamins.

And a testament to stupidity that it's not one against these people selling the vitamins......

(although it's not a trial, it's a submitted complaint/indictment which will presumably be chucked out as soon as the judges stop pissing themselves laughing at it)

[karajorma]

fine but i gave you fair warning ass hole.

And now I'm giving you a fair warning. Another flame like that and you take a 3 day holiday from Hard Light with a lovely new monkey avatar.

[Harbinger of DOOM]

LMFAO, pwnt by Kara.