The Joke that is Amnesty International

This is the ridiculous letter that you can sign and support on Amnesty's Internation site
(letter can be found here- http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=2320)

I strongly support a substantial increase in the US contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. I urge you to work towards an annual unrestricted US contribution of $2.5 billion, an amount commensurate with the United States’ leadership role and share of the global economy.

Every day 8,200 people die of AIDS. Meaningful assistance from wealthy countries can dramatically increase access to the medication and care that has made AIDS a chronic manageable disease in the United States. Without a substantial increase in pledges, the Global Fund will be unable to finance prevention and treatment programs in countries most impacted by the pandemic.

All human beings have a right to the highest attainable level of health. The obligation to prevent and treat AIDS extends not just to governments in countries with high infection rates, but also to governments and institutions that have the resources to provide assistance to stop the spread of the disease.

Please do all that you can to ensure that the United States demonstrates economic and political leadership in the global fight against HIV/AIDS, including by paying its fair share of the roughly $10 to 15 billion required annually to stop the pandemic and treat its victims, and by supporting policies and programs that combat discrimination, empower those who are most at risk of becoming infected, and ensure equal access to prevention and treatment.

That's odd...they want us to pay our "FAIR SHARE"?

Here are some facts in regards to the United States and the amount of money we give to prevent and fight AIDS:

• The U.S. is the largest bilateral donor of HIV/AIDS assistance, providing nearly 50% of all international HIV/AIDS funding.
• Total United States bilateral international assistance for HIV/AIDS prevention in FY 2001 is nearly $466 million, largely through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Defense (DoD), and the Department of Labor
• Since 1986, through USAID alone, the U.S. Government has dedicated over $1.6 billion for the prevention and mitigation of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the developing world. In FY 2001, USAID's HIV/AIDS budget increased to $340 million -- more than double since FY 1999. For example, in Uganda USAID's support was instrumental in reducing the prevalence of HIV in 15-24 year olds in urban areas by 50% and nationally by one-third.
• In FY 2001, nearly 70% of USAID's HIV/AIDS program assistance is going to non-governmental organizations that have direct connections to the poorest of the poor and those most vulnerable to infection.
• The U.S., through USAID, is the largest single-donor to UNAIDS, providing approximately $15 million per year, or 25% of the agency’s total budget.
• In FY 2001, CDC’s domestic and international HIV/AIDS programs -- including research, surveillance, interventions, and evaluation -- total $848 million. For FY 2002, that budget is expected to increase to $871 million.
• The Peace Corps has begun a multi-faceted initiative to address the myriad health, social, and economic problems related to the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. The 5-year initiative will train, for the first time, all volunteers serving in Africa as advocates and educators of HIV/AIDS prevention and care.
• The U.S. collaborates with other major donors. For example, in the Ukraine, USAID and the European Union designed a joint $4 million HIV/AIDS prevention campaign, and in Brazil, USAID is offering technical assistance to improve the national HIV/AIDS program that is supported by World Bank Funds.
• In FY 2001, funds for international assistance for tuberculosis programs nearly tripled from about $20 million to nearly $60 million. In addition, CDC provides technical assistance for TB programs in key countries around the world.
• Funding for international malaria programs has also increased considerably, nearly doubling in FY 2001 to about $50 million through USAID. At the same time, funding for international malaria programs at CDC totals close to $13 million per year.
• The Administration’s FY 2002 budget allocates $480 million in funding to fight the international HIV/AIDS epidemic, a 113% increase from FY 2000. It provides $2.5 billion for the National Institutes of Health for HIV/AIDS research, an increase of $258 million. It requests $100 million for international TB and $45 million for malaria programs.

  II. U.S. Government Support for Research HIV/AIDS

• The National Institutes of Health (NIH) represents the largest single-public investment in HIV/AIDS research in the world. The FY 2001 budget for HIV/AIDS research at NIH totaled $2.2 billion. Nearly $130 million of this amount will be spent in FY 2001 specifically on international HIV/AIDS research.
• The U.S. Department of Defense's Military HIV Prevention and Treatment Research program allocated $26 million in FY 2001 to research for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment protocols. This includes extensive vaccine research.
• The U.S. Agency for International Development spends approximately 10% of its HIV/AIDS budget on research, to identify new strategies to prevent HIV/AIDS.
• HIV prevention research conducted by CDC totals $76 million; approximately $11 million of this is for research conducted internationally.

(entire article can be found here- http://www.state.gov/g/oes/rls/fs/2001/3547.htm)
emphasis added (mine)

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Wow...seems to me that we ARE paying our fair share. We give more than any country on the face of the earth for a problem that affects a mere .5% of our total population!! Remember...nearly all of this money comes from you and me (the taxpayers.) So, Amnesty International wants us to hand out even MORE money of your money to fight against a disease that we don't even have much of a problem with! If you're so willing to give more...why don't we take it out of YOUR taxes only? We'll set up a special fund that comes directly from your bank account...how about that? No? I didn't think you'd agree...but I'm sure you have no problem signing Amnesty's letter which basically demands this.

Below is another article concerning the obscene amounts of money we spend of fighting HIV worldwide.

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USAID Announces 12 African Nations to Receive Funds to Fight AIDS

U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
PRESS RELEASE

WASHINGTON, DC 20523
PRESS OFFICE
http://www.usaid.gov
(202) 712-4320

2000-01

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, January 10, 2000

Contact: Gabrielle Bushman

Washington, DC - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) today announced that 12 African nations have been targeted to receive additional fiscal year 2000 funding under President Clinton's LIFE (Leadership and Investment Fighting an Epidemic) initiative.

Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe have all been selected by USAID to receive additional funding to fight the AIDS pandemic in FY 2000. These countries were selected due to the severity of the epidemics and the commitment of their governments to stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS.

The U.S. government is the world leader in responding to the global pandemic of AIDS. USAID's budget for AIDS in 2001 will be approximately $250 million, a 100 percent increase from 1999.

"The U.S. government is on the forefront of the international efforts to respond to the needs of vulnerable communities around the world," said J. Brady Anderson, administrator of USAID. "There is no quick fix to cure this pandemic. But as staggering as this problem is, we can do something about it, and with the money provided through the LIFE initiative - we will."

The new funding will increase prevention efforts to vulnerable populations. Additionally, the funds will provide better support for those sick and dying of AIDS, help children who have become AIDS orphans, provide pregnant women with access to new treatments to reduce infections in their newborns and build health infrastructure in these countries.

AIDS is the leading cause of death in Africa, killing twice as many people as malaria and eight times as many as tuberculosis. Each day, more than 10,000 people are infected in sub-Saharan Africa - the equivalent of one every eight seconds. In many of the countries targeted by USAID, over 40 percent of elementary school teachers are already infected. Military ranks are being thinned by high levels of HIV infection, threatening the stability of many countries. In the countries most severely affected, the annual growth rate of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will be reduced by approximately one percentage point per year.

Also today, Vice President Gore announced there will be an additional $100 million in next year's budget to fight AIDS in the developing world, funds that will reinforce the U.S. commitment to fighting the AIDS pandemic. Of these new funds, approximately half will be used by USAID to continue and expand its programs in 46 countries around the world.

Since 1986, the U.S. government, through USAID, has dedicated over $1.2 billion dollars for the prevention and mitigation of this epidemic in the developing world. The U.S. Agency for International Development is the U.S. government agency that provides development and humanitarian assistance to the developing world.

This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.

http://www.usaid.gov/press/releases/2000/pr000110.html
emphasis added (mine)

Here are some facts on HIV and its effect on the mortality rate in the U.S.

Mortality from HIV infection, which dropped more than 70 percent over the previous 3 years (1996-98), continued this trend by decreasing nearly 4 percent in 1999. Though it is no longer ranked among the leading causes of death in the United States, HIV infection still ranks fifth among 25-44 year-olds, and is the leading cause of death for black men in this age group. Among black women in this age group, HIV ranks third.

"We’re paying very close attention to the trend in HIV mortality," said CDC Director Jeffrey P. Koplan. "Although HIV as a cause of death has dropped in rank in recent years, we must guard against complacency and continue to emphasize prevention as a key weapon in fighting this disease."

HIV mortality declined 26 percent in 1996, 48 percent in 1997, and 21 percent in 1998.

Tho, it is true that small segments of the population (blacks as mentioned in this article, and homosexuals and IV drug users which are not mentioned here, but do, in fact, make up the largest number of people infected with HIV and AIDS) are inflicted with the disease in disproportionate numbers, in my opinion, you cannot take such a small portion of the population and stretch the numbers to cover the entire country. The fact is- HIV is NOT an epidemic in the U.S. HIV rates are declining, year after year, and the fact remains that it is pretty much isolated to a small segment of the population (mainly homosexuals and iv drug users.) We cannot be expected to spend EVEN more money on a disease that kills so few when we are spending less and less on diseases that are killing far more (cancer, heart disease, INFLUENZA, alzheimers, etc)

How much does Amnesty International expect us to give? Should we take the money we need to fight other disease that actually affect Americans and send it overseas to help others? Should we tell the people of this country, 'sorry, we gave the money we were gonna use to help rsearch heart disease to fight HIV in a country across the globe, because Amnesty International wanted us to.' ?? Get real...that's just plain silly.

Below is a letter from the Amnesty International site in regards to the U.S. policy on Iraq.

As you consider U.S. military intervention in Iraq, Amnesty International urges you to abide by international human rights and humanitarian law. Following World War II, the United States led international efforts to establish the United Nations and adopt the United Nations Charter as a means of preserving peace and promoting human rights internationally. The United States must exercise leadership by making clear that it is upholding international law, as defined by the United Nations Charter and related international human rights and humanitarian law.

Amnesty International urges that:

The United States abide by the UN Charter, which provides for the UN Security Council to authorize the use of military force only as the last resort and once peaceful means for resolving a conflict are exhausted, and in compliance with international rule of law.

In the event an attack occurs or is imminent, the international community protect and support refugees and asylum seekers, ensure their safe passage to neighboring countries, uphold their right to protection in another country, and maintain the principle of non-refoulement that refugees should not be sent back to a country where their lives or liberty would be at risk.

Should the UN Security Council authorize use of force, all parties involved in an armed conflict respect fully the rules and principles of international humanitarian law. The most complete statement of the rules governing the conduct of hostilities in international armed conflict is in Protocol I Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1949, relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I, adopted in 1977).

The United States take a consistent approach to advocacy and promotion of human rights and avoid selectively using rhetoric on human rights to justify war. Instead, the US should urge all countries to uphold human rights, including US allies.

The experience of previous armed conflicts has shown that all too often civilians become casualties of war. Military intervention in Iraq is likely to exacerbate the already precarious situation for civilians in Iraq and to result in further grave violations of their human rights.

As a world leader, it is important that the United States abide by the UN Charter and the decisions of the UN Security Council. The United States must work within the international legal framework and exercise leadership within the international community. Please let me know how you intend to address this issue.

I have one thing to say about this for now (as I will probably write more later.) First off...war is a part of this world, whether we like it or not. It always has been, it always will be. Amnesty International is against any and all armed conflict, which is just fantasy. It's like living in fairytale land with puff the magic dragon. Not all conflicts can be solved peacefully, and there will always be madmen hell bent on power, there will no other way to bring them down other than with force. So, their policy to begin with is unrealistic.

The bigger issue is Amnesty Internationals contradiction. They have claimed numerous times in the past that the U.N. is breaking international law by keeping the sanctions on Iraq in place. They complain that the U.N. and the U.S. are basically responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis due to the sanctions that are still in place in the country.

So...how then can Amnesty International urge the U.S. to abide by international law and the U.N.mandate if they claim that the U.N. itself is in violation of international law? Anyone see a problem here?

As I have said before..Amnesty International is an organization full of complaints but completely lacking in answers. They have no real answers as to how to solve any of the problems they list on their site. It is an organization that is, for the most part, full of rhetoric and void of action. Their website action section lists two campaigns that, in the end, really don't make a lot of sense. They claim the U.S. is not paying its fair share to fight a disease that barely affects Americans, yet in reality we pay more than any other country on earth...then they demand that the U.S. abide by international law set by a group (the UN) they claim is in violation of international law themselves. Those two facts alone are reason enough to consider the group as a whole a joke...

Disagree? Think I've lost my mind...comment below.