And what would Tom Cruise do?

Or, don't make me whip out my soap-box, you irresponsible murderous gits!

The 21st century is turning out to be a son-of-a-bitch. More and more frequently I'm finding my commitment to the inviolability of free speech stretched to breaking point; times when I just ache to break out the duct tape and an elephant gun.

Here's one such instance. Stumbling about the web I happen upon the TAC (Treatment Action Campaign) website. TAC, launched back in '98, lobbys for greater access to HIV treatment for all South Africans. Good people doing the work of the saintly. On TAC's homepage I found a link to a transcript of a discussion on the activities of the Rath Foundation and one Dr Matthias Rath, aired on the Tim Modise Show earlier this month. The Rath Foundation advocates cessation of anti-retroviral drugs usage in favour of, you guessed it, vitamins. The dialogue, as you might surmise, got heated – fast. This caller sums things up nicely:

CALLER: JUSTICE: I'm a medical doctor, I have been treating patients for quite a long time, most of them have got HIV Aids. I now want to put to the fore a few facts... I can tell you today that a multi-vitamin won't cure an Aids virus, HIV virus... it seems like he has got his own agenda and I think that perhaps he is trying to promote this multi-vitamin... This man needs to be (indistinct) out of the country, he is not registered with the Medical Council... tell everybody how does a multi-vitamin stop the virus from multiplying? And I can tell you a lot of people who died, (indistinct) people who died from HIV Aids they were very well nourished ... (TALKING SIMULTANEOUSLY - INDISTINCT). I've got people who died (indistinct), and Dr Rath (indistinct) South Africa must know this, people who do things like Rath...

Don't get me wrong, no flat worlder am I. They might after all be on to something. So here's a thought; why don't we inject Dr Rath with some HIV, hand him a lifetime supply of Centrum Complete and let him demonstrate the efficacy of his regime firsthand? Seems fair, don't you think? After all, I shouldn't be the only one having my convictions put to the test.

posted by dorna! @ 12:21 am