Comments on: Morality, Courage & SSI Membership http://www.semmelweis.org/2009/06/26/morality-courage-ssi-membership/ Sun, 21 Mar 2010 00:00:17 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: Celia Farber http://www.semmelweis.org/2009/06/26/morality-courage-ssi-membership/#comment-792 Celia Farber Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:57:45 +0000 http://www.semmelweis.org/?p=436#comment-792 I want to thank the leadership of SSI for not doing what virtually every person, organization, media outlet, colleague, and even "friends" have done when faced with the Maoist Inquisition of the HIV/AIDS Party, namely throw the "denialist" to the wolves. There are many ways of doing that--many of them simply involve creative uses of silence. Pretending not to know somebody anymore. I was in Kenya, speaking on HIV/AIDS, when word reached me of the drive from within a small cadre of SSI, to rescind these awards. This came after the predictable attacks from TAG, Housing Works, and all the other luminaries who would are intent upon domination of the under-classes (especially in Africa) with ARVs, microbicides, and worse. This was the very topic I was asked to address in Kenya, by WESTERN AIDS groups! At the very same time, a few individuals were warning SSI that if these rewards were not rescinded SSI's good name would be destroyed. I sent urgent emails to the SSI leadership, and offered to have my award suspended, while the matter was investigated. I wanted nothing more than for SSI to get to the "bottom" of this. I can recall a feeling that is hard to describe--when you can see how the only logical thing is for YOU to be sacrificed, and yet you prevail upon people's instincts for justice and decency. I asked for cooler minds to prevail. I asked SSI to simply buy time. And investigate--on its own. And I said if I come up short, in SSI's estimate, rescind the award. The opposition, as Clark Baker has said, wanted the awards rescinded with NO investigation. SSI has thanked me, but I have yet to thank SSI, publicly. With these developments, a new standard has been set, which grasps that personal attacks, reputational assaults, retaliation, and so forth, are ALWAYS the hallmarks of terrorism. I use the word in its broadest sense. SSI stood by, not me, or Duesberg, but its own internal standard. Lesser men and women would have found a justification to avoid trouble and take the goodie bag--the way it is done is by disassociating with those under attack. Sound familiar? We are all inside the same funhouse. And now we will fight, together, against the very same forces of superstition, fear, and corruption that Ignaz Semmelweis faced. Thank you Clark, Gil, Roland, Terry, Shirley, Sharon, Saundra, Tim, and all the others who held steady and did not betray standards. I expect SSI to grow stronger than ever in the immediate future. Many people around the world are watching closely, and applauding you from afar. I want to thank the leadership of SSI for not doing what virtually every person, organization, media outlet, colleague, and even “friends” have done when faced with the Maoist Inquisition of the HIV/AIDS Party, namely throw the “denialist” to the wolves. There are many ways of doing that–many of them simply involve creative uses of silence. Pretending not to know somebody anymore.

I was in Kenya, speaking on HIV/AIDS, when word reached me of the drive from within a small cadre of SSI, to rescind these awards. This came after the predictable attacks from TAG, Housing Works, and all the other luminaries who would are intent upon domination of the under-classes (especially in Africa) with ARVs, microbicides, and worse. This was the very topic I was asked to address in Kenya, by WESTERN AIDS groups! At the very same time, a few individuals were warning SSI that if these rewards were not rescinded SSI’s good name would be destroyed.

I sent urgent emails to the SSI leadership, and offered to have my award suspended, while the matter was investigated. I wanted nothing more than for SSI to get to the “bottom” of this. I can recall a feeling that is hard to describe–when you can see how the only logical thing is for YOU to be sacrificed, and yet you prevail upon people’s instincts for justice and decency. I asked for cooler minds to prevail. I asked SSI to simply buy time. And investigate–on its own. And I said if I come up short, in SSI’s estimate, rescind the award. The opposition, as Clark Baker has said, wanted the awards rescinded with NO investigation.

SSI has thanked me, but I have yet to thank SSI, publicly. With these developments, a new standard has been set, which grasps that personal attacks, reputational assaults, retaliation, and so forth, are ALWAYS the hallmarks of terrorism. I use the word in its broadest sense. SSI stood by, not me, or Duesberg, but its own internal standard.

Lesser men and women would have found a justification to avoid trouble and take the goodie bag–the way it is done is by disassociating with those under attack.

Sound familiar?

We are all inside the same funhouse. And now we will fight, together, against the very same forces of superstition, fear, and corruption that Ignaz Semmelweis faced.

Thank you Clark, Gil, Roland, Terry, Shirley, Sharon, Saundra, Tim, and all the others who held steady and did not betray standards. I expect SSI to grow stronger than ever in the immediate future. Many people around the world are watching closely, and applauding you from afar.

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