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Home Front: Culture Wars
Wait… Now We're Talking About Decriminalizing Intentional HIV Transmission?
2019-10-13
[Hot Air] This is another item that dropped during CNN’s disastrous LGBTQ town hall on Thursday night, but I didn’t notice it until yesterday evening. There were plenty of painful moments, including when Joe Biden started rambling on about "round-the-clock sex at gay bathhouses in San Francisco." But in the midst of all that, CNN’s Anderson Cooper got some of the candidates to weigh in on an actual policy issue that is somehow being considered by Democrats.

Should the intentional withholding of a persons HIV positive status from a prospective sexual partner be decriminalized? Shockingly, several of the candidates agreed with that idea. This, as Brad Palumbo at the Washington Examiner explains, isn’t just bad policy. It’s insanity.

Should it be a crime to knowingly expose someone to HIV without disclosing it?

Most sane people would say yes. But a widely panned Vox article published this week said that state laws making it a crime to not disclose your HIV status "have only increased stigma and abuse." And apparently, many 2020 Democrats agree with this ludicrous, insane point of view.

Posted by:Besoeker

#86  Lot of talking past each other here and not much talking to each other. Calm down.
Posted by: Glenmore   2019-10-13 23:32  

#85  "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"
Posted by: Procopius2k   2019-10-13 22:24  

#84  Raise my \_/
a tous et a toutes
Posted by: Lex   2019-10-13 20:48  

#83  And my Coca Cola bottling background (not credential) God only drinks 7 oz returnables. You heard it here.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 19:56  

#82  OK, man love (but not *that* kind) is still a little icky. But this is one hell of a community here....
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 19:51  

#81  A delightful meeting of the minds. The depth of knowledge and talent found here has always amazed me.
Posted by: Besoeker   2019-10-13 19:51  

#80  OK, *Group hug?* Jeeeeebus
Posted by: Frank G   2019-10-13 19:49  

#79  Okay good, I like everyone involved and don't like to see regulars getting into fights with each other. Obviously we need more chew toys.

But sadly I'm on the rig so there will be no scotch tonight.
Posted by: Silentbrick   2019-10-13 19:43  

#78  Ooops not #71, #74. Time to hit the bed
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2019-10-13 19:33  

#77  if you don't have a piece of paper, you don't exist.

So very true today. Back in the wild west it was very seat of the pants. Before security became a thing all you had to do in IT was deliver uptime and somewhat accurate data. Now the credentialed whip the H2Bs to deliver whatever. When I did it soldering irons were still involved and knowing how to use one without baking imported chips was the coin of the realm at 4 am.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 19:28  

#76  #71 Now, it is I who must apologize. Should've quoted the relevant wiki address not bore people with irrelevancies. I'm glad you consider me a friend.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2019-10-13 19:27  

#75  #71. Actually no. One reason it didn't occur to me I'm bragging is because most Ph.Ds I know are, how shall I put it, not very good at that they're supposed to be doing. I judge colleagues by their papers.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2019-10-13 19:24  

#74  Got to say the actual words, or it's bullshit. I apologize, G, I made a stupid big deal out of a minor disagreement that you were right about. I feel stupid but if you are still my friend I'll get over it.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 19:21  

#73  #69 I don't know how it is in IT, but - in my experience - if you don't have a piece of paper, you don't exist.

Most intellectual person I ever met was fellow carpenter nailing off the roof deck.


Never said there's any connection between degrees & intellectualism.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2019-10-13 19:18  

#72  Spitball
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 19:08  

#71  Calling them credentials in your case g is a slight. They are achievements of which you should be proud and people like me should respect. Now, Honored Fellow of the Kennedy School of Government, we can all spit all that one.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 19:07  

#70  BTW, Santa Fe kicks ass because it's on the way to Taos.

To be young again.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2019-10-13 19:05  

#69  Oh Kay guys, I'm applauding the stand up routine but I suggest that you may have started drinking a tad early tonight.

8^) BA in Poli Sci, MBA and extra-curricular in Computers (I read Knuth for fun and profit).

Credentials mean jack except to those who care. I'm not and never have been. Most intellectual person I ever met was fellow carpenter nailing off the roof deck.

Time to reopen the Balvennie. Cheers to all!!
Posted by: AlanC   2019-10-13 19:05  

#68  Sorry. MM.

p.s. Actually, my credentials are pretty useful. In the last 5 years since I lost my job with TAU (soft money) I worked as biology teacher, chemistry teacher, and math teacher - so, where!

Dron, it was in 1995.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2019-10-13 19:03  

#67  BTW, Santa Fe kicks ass because it's on the way to Taos.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 18:59  

#66  G, I have always told myself, if I meet someone three times and can't remember their name, that's my brain telling me I don't want to know them.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 18:54  

#65  Been tested 3 times to satisfy partners. Never mind promiscuous people or needle sharers make the tests meaningless
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 18:51  

#64  Oh, nice ! Mention that on a date, grom. ☺
Posted by: Dron66046   2019-10-13 18:47  

#63  Hey, G, sorry for the tiff. I respect you more than I did when I started mouthing off.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 18:46  

#62  Only asymptomatic I know of is Magic Johnson. Obviously he can't be the only one.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 18:45  

#61  #48 And I agree with you, MM. I didn't cherrypick an article. Just google "Asymptomatic, virus, wiki". Everybody (with my background) knows that viruses have asymptomatic carriers.
More importantly, the reason I had it on tip of my tongue because I remembered a girl (well a woman) I used to date in Santa Fe. She once asked me to explain what I'm doing. When we were talking I mentioned asymptomatic HIV carriers. She was shocked, and asked if I believe myself to be one. So when the subject arose here, I was hit with that memory. I was back there and I was that postdoc. Now I'll probably won't sleep half the night because I can't remember her name.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2019-10-13 18:43  

#60  This is 500% better than what typically happens in an AOSHQ thread
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 18:41  

#59  I told g I don't want to fight anymore and happy hour broke out.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 18:38  

#58  Just a little party, Frank. Honestly, we'll clean up. [giggle]
Posted by: Dron66046   2019-10-13 18:37  

#57  This is what happens when you let the Turks invade people. hee hee hee heeheehee...
Posted by: Dron66046   2019-10-13 18:36  

#56  WTF happened in this thread?
Posted by: Frank G   2019-10-13 18:34  

#55  Hmmm... never occurred to me.

Using alcohol in a jeep, not the ...thighs.

Must have been a happy jeep after that.
Posted by: Dron66046   2019-10-13 18:34  

#54  Drove a jeep on everclear once. Not cheap but better than walking.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 18:31  

#53  Greta Thunderthighs has Assburgers
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 18:29  

#52  Vodka, moy drug. Vodka. Whassa man gonna do with everclear ?
Posted by: Dron66046   2019-10-13 18:28  

#51  Just popping up to fix a monitory glare on anyone thinking of challenging me for "Least Credentialed Burger" (if indeed I even are one).
Posted by: Sneager Snore7828   2019-10-13 18:28  

#50  Cranberry and vodka or cranberry and ever clear?
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 18:25  

#49  I was giving him the mix, but he said 'Hold the cranberry ♪', and there you go.
Posted by: Dron66046   2019-10-13 18:20  

#48  Thing is, G, I agree with you so much of the time. Trying to gouge my eyes out with your sheepskins or cherry picking a scientific article you happen to agree with and selling it as gospel is beneath you. I know you are better than that and I really only know your comments here which are not even a shadow of you.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 18:16  

#47  You can't attack me and I definitely don't feel inferior. So there's that.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 18:04  

#46  Well, since you insist on twisting everything I say. And since I'm not responsible for your inferiority complex - massively revealed by your attacks, all I can say bless your heart.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2019-10-13 18:02  

#45  Or peyote. That works too.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 18:02  

#44  Visions and dreams are different though. The dream is subjectively encoded. But it's a nifty thing to have. Also, visions require a dedicated, godly life.

Real godly.
Posted by: Dron66046   2019-10-13 18:00  

#43  If you read Mein Kampf would you believe it? If you read Das Kapital would you believe it? I won't as about the holy krayon because I have no trouble believing you would believe it.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 17:59  

#42  Reading is breathing for the brain. Make your stupid cracks about visions. I read most of the day every day. Even out in the Gulf Stream in a fighting chair trying to catch swordfish for dinner. Visions. You are an arrogant piece of work you are.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 17:54  

#41   through dreams sent by the Gods

Oy ! I do ! I mean... I won't for some time now, on account I got sloshed t'night.Heee hee hee

But I do. Him's a rather effective teacher I'll tell ya !
Posted by: Dron66046   2019-10-13 17:54  

#40  The learning process o' life. Yupp ! Now that I can identify wth.
Posted by: Dron66046   2019-10-13 17:50  

#39  The [to?] belive what you read and think thing is abrasive.

Really? How do you learn things - through dreams sent by the Gods?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2019-10-13 17:50  

#38  Life is a learning process, D. Calling it education is hoity toity.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 17:48  

#37  As for what I read, bullshit has never been in better supply.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 17:47  

#36  Buncha shnobs. Ejication... bah ! Who needshh it ? Everyone learnin' to be a good handbasket weaver ! For the world to... go in it... eh ? Heh hehe hehh heeh cough ... hic ehhuhh !



Posted by: Dron66046   2019-10-13 17:45  

#35  The belive what you read and think thing is abrasive. I believe less and less as I get older. As for belief, I always believe I might not have to get out of bed to pee in the middle of the night but I already know I'm wrong. Consider a bit of honesty and humility if you will.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 17:45  

#34  And did I ever said anything that leads you to believe that I despise/dismiss this?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2019-10-13 17:34  

#33  I only have a BA in English. I've bottled Coca Cola, written for newspapers, written software, systems engineered (uncredentialed but paid) white water canoed and gunsmithed. Maybe be a Federal District Court juror soon (I meet their qualifications)
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 17:32  

#32  Or give a damn.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2019-10-13 17:26  

#31  Now you've summoned him.
Posted by: Dron66046   2019-10-13 17:25  

#30  Mr. Credentialed does not understand how legal arguments work.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 17:25  

#29  Give Herb this: He's never bored us with his credentials.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 17:24  

#28  Talking to me? All I did is explain to TW why she shouldn't call me a physicist.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2019-10-13 17:11  

#27  Well, I've a BS in Civil Engineering/Minor in Radiation Physics, and a professional license to kill in Civil. My political opinion is based on my ability to think and my credibility is based on none of my structures having killed anybody...yet

Comfy?
Posted by: Frank G   2019-10-13 17:03  

#26  No I said that I believe that I read and thought about. There's a minor difference - obvious to people who think.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2019-10-13 16:52  

#25  Your Honor, the witness has just said he believes everything he has ever read or thought. (Prosecutor looks toward jury and shrugs, looks back at the judge.) No more questions. Defense attorney facepalms and mutters "Oh, shit..."
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 16:47  

#24  Yea, so?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2019-10-13 16:35  

#23  I've known people with JDs who didn't practice law and people with MDs who didn't practice medicine. Interesting people doing interesting things. Mostly under the radar.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 16:34  

#22  Never mind credentialism is 99% of the nation's problems.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 16:27  

#21  Heh... you're overqualified for that. Unless you took 5 years in the M.Sc and the Ph.d is honorary.
Posted by: Dron66046   2019-10-13 16:20  

#20  That position is no longer available.
Posted by: Besoeker   2019-10-13 16:19  

#19  The ad was for chief of secret police.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2019-10-13 16:16  

#18  I've B.A. in life sciences, M.Sc. in Biochemistry, and Ph.D. in Applied Math.
Posted by g(r)omgoru

Your bona fides are indeed impressive. Thanks for applying to the Burg. Unfortunately the position we are seeking to fill is for a junior analyst.
Posted by: Besoeker   2019-10-13 16:14  

#17  Well, avoiding the needles and gay sex is easy (for me anyway) I've had 4 dentists and one endodontist in 60 years, so that's straight up luck. No transfusions (luck also) Did you know dentists are second behind chemist's in professional suicide statistics?
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 15:20  

#16  I thought I recalled you were a physicist, g(r)omgoru

Never, I hate them more than I hate Chinese anime.
I've B.A. in life sciences, M.Sc. in Biochemistry, and Ph.D. in Applied Math.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2019-10-13 14:59  

#15  doctorate/post in theoretical immunology in 1990es at the peak of HIV.

I thought I recalled you were a physicist, g(r)omgoru, who worked at one point at Los Alamos. Israeli scientists do get around — my father started in herbicides and pesticides with a double BS in biology and physics and a PhD in organic chemistry, then ended up in oncology research.
Posted by: trailing wife   2019-10-13 14:54  

#14  Everything I learned by reading and thinking is true.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2019-10-13 13:57  

#13  So. You are saying everything you learned in an academic setting about something so politically freighter is true? Hoooookaaaaay...
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 13:12  

#12  The difference with prions is that is true. And the reason I know that MM, because I did my doctorate/post in theoretical immunology in 1990es at the peak of HIV.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2019-10-13 12:47  

#11  CA has already done this..so, you know who to thank
Posted by: Rex Mundi   2019-10-13 10:25  

#10  Interesting article. OTOH, heard anything about "prions" lately? I didn't think so...
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 09:48  

#9  Quarantine would wipe it out quickly. Not politically correct.

Wouldn't be too sure about this
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2019-10-13 09:39  

#8  Quarantine would wipe it out quickly. Not politically correct.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 09:32  

#7  Yea, but once they tried to cure it.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2019-10-13 09:28  

#6  AIDS is a politically correct disease?

Oh, yes. About the only way to get it besides gay sex is sharing needles (drug addicts) getting it from a promiscuous sex partner, tainted blood transfusion or medical misadventure (see HIV positive dentist who infected many patients. See incorrectly sterilized surgical instruments.) Getting HIV through no fault of your own is considered to be in bad taste by the politically correct as it puts the problem in focus.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 09:26  

#5  AIDS has always been a politically correct disease.
Posted by: CrazyFool   2019-10-13 09:23  

#4  AIDS is a politically correct disease?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2019-10-13 09:06  

#3  Remember, Red Cross was not keen on screening blood donors either. A typical example of Star Chamber of Communism / Bidness Rountable "bad for business" mindset...
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 08:37  

#2  Well, some people are talking about it. I don't include myself in the headlines Herb-all "We."
Posted by: M. Murcek   2019-10-13 08:35  

#1  Number of people killed by guns since 1980? Number of people killed by HIV since 1980? And they want to ban the latter but not the former?
Posted by: Procopius2k   2019-10-13 08:05  

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