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The Request
Governor Joe Frank Harris
Office of the Governor
Room 203
State Capitol
Atlanta, GA 30334
Dear Governor Harris:
The government of the State of
Georgia has been extremely negligent in
its treatment of the AIDS crisis. There
are presently 1,234 reported cases of
AIDS in Georgia, 30 of them are
children. We are currently rated 8th in
the nation in the number of AIDS cases,
yet the state is 35th in the country in the
amount of money appropriated per
Person With AIDS. Only 70 per capita
in AIDS-related spending has been
appropriated as compared to a 650 per
capita average in the country. You cut
the requested amount of 2.6 million
dollars for AIDS spending by the
Department of Human Resources in
fourth. Alabama spends almost 30 times
as much money per PWA as the State of
Georgia. These statistics are an outrage
and we, as residents of this state, demand
an immediate change in the policy of this
administration with regard to AIDS
appropriations and education.
Enclosed please find letters from
many citizens of this state who are
concerned about the frightening head-in-
the-sand approach you are taking toward
this deadly disease. Hundreds of us were
present at the State Capitol on May 6-7
in an overnight vigil and rally to
demonstrate our concern at the lack of
education and services available with
regard to AIDS in Georgia. If it is
impossible for you to act appropriately
out of any sense of your highly touted
Christian compassion for people who are
terribly ill, then at least respond as a
concerned public official and take steps
to institute recommended public health
measures in response to the disease now
in order to reduce the future fiscal
liability that will burden the residents of
Georgia as this crisis escalates. The
members of the Atlanta March
Committee and other concerned citizens
will be watching your actions closely for
signs of intelligent response. Don't
disappoint us!
For the Atlanta March Committee,
Cathy Woolard
The "Intelligent”
Response
Dear Ms. Woolard:
Thank you for your recent letter, and
those from other concerned citizens,
regarding state efforts to assist people
with AIDS and to halt the further spread
of the disease. I appreciate your interest
and concern.
As you may know, the General
Assembly adjourned on March 7 and a
new budget cycle will not begin for some
time. However, when we do start to
develop the next state budget, your
thoughtful comments about spending on
AIDS education and related programs
will be kept in mind.
Two pieces of legislation which came
out of this year's session may be of
particular interest to you. First, the
General Assembly passed an omnibus
AIDS bill, mandating counseling and
consent for HTV tests, ensuring
confidentiality of AIDS information and
providing for education, rather than
mandatory testing, of low-risk
populations such as marriage license
applicants. The second bill would
require sex education in our schools,
including information on AIDS. Both
bills are important steps in our fight
against this deadly disease.
I appreciate hearing from you on this
important issue and look forward to
learning your views on other matters of
concern to you.
With kindest regards, I remain
Sincerely,
Joe Frank Harris
An Open Letter to
the Gay and Lesbian
Community of
Atlanta
This letter is written from our hearts to
thank a group of people in Atlanta who are
caring and show true concern for our
community.
During Spring AIDS Action '88, certain
groups were very supportive and worked
very hard to get the community and our
state government involved in the research,
care and treatment of people with ARC
and AIDS.
Atlanta Altematives-Buyers' Club is a
newly formed organization to provide
access to alternative therapies to people
who are seropositive, and people with
ARC and AIDS. Atlanta PWAs for
Health has also been formed for
individuals who have been affected by
AIDS. We will hold informal meetings
monthly to get more information on
protocols, treatment and alternatives.
Keeping a good positive attitude after
finding out is extremely important and we
will have people here to help keep that
attitude. We will have people from local
and national institutions to give us new
and positive ways of dealing with AIDS.
It is something to look forward to and to
be excited about.
Atlanta Alternatives and Atlanta PWAs
for Health were chosen to receive
proceeds from refreshments sold at the
Spring AIDS Action Rally. We want to
thank Lesbians in Fun Endeavors (LIFE)
for giving us the support that is very much
needed. LIFE is a great group of women
who are concerned about the future of the
gay community. Jean and Shelly and all
the women are great. I can’t say enough
about this group of womea We thank you
and love you all. Thanks for your love
and wonderful support in our community.
Sincerely,
Gregg Allison, Atlanta Alternatives
Clouds Blur the NAP
Dear Editor:
In replying to my letter in Vol. 1, No.5
of Southern Voice, T. Harris brings up two
issues: (1) defending the NAP (New
Alliance Party) and (2) my credentials.
Addressing (2), as a long-time activist in
progressive 3rd-party politics, I helped
found the Citizens Party and chaired the
Georgia Chapter and women's caucus.
Also, locally I was president of First
Tuesday and have worked on several
successful campaigns electing progressive
candidates to the Georgia House and the
Atlanta City Council. I would suggest that
Harris' criticism of me is less relevant than
a serious study of the NAP. The main
point of my first letter (perhaps Harris did
not see that one, however) is to plead for
people to closely examine the NAP before
believing their claims of being a
progressive alternative, self-described as
women-led, pro-gay, etc.
Regarding (1), as a member of several
politically progressive groups including
the Citizens Party (which had the first
Sen. Sam Nunn (D-GA.) has allegedly fired three gay employees. HRCF (Human
Rights Campaign Fund) is trying to document the firings, hoping such documentation
will guarantee that Nunn will not be the Democratic vice presidential nominee. Nunn,
known for his opposition to the ERA and abortion, was quoted by the Athens Observer
on April 4 saying, "I've supported civil rights legislation for women and blacks but I
draw the line at sexual preference. I don't think the federal government should tell local
school systems that they have to hire homosexuals."
woman presidential candidate, Sonia
Johnson), I found NAP to be an
opportunistic movement controlled by an
unethical therapy cult whose white male
gum has been closely affiliated with neo
fascists cult leader Lyndon LaRouche.
The analysis, "Clouds Blur the Rainbow,"
closely mirrored our own experience with
NAP. As far as Tara Harris saying that the
NAP has nothing to hide on any issue,
why would they continue to misrepresent
or ignore their founders' associations with
LaRouche? Ten percent of the current
NAP board were under LaRouche's
leadership, with the same ideas and styles
which formed the basis of National
Socialism, which became part of the
European fascist movement and put Hitler
in power. Also, what about the period
when the NAP collected and disseminated
intelligence on progressive groups? As far
as the so-called Black leadership, people
should talk to Dennis Serrette, who left the
NAP after unsuccessfully struggling for a
meaningful leadership role.
I would request that this discussion not
turn into an argument between NAP
members and myself over who has better
credentials in the community or in
progressive politics. I assume that
members Tarra Harris and Pat Jackson
share my own concerns about mainstream
America. I repeat my request - don't
believe me, read for yourself the thorough
report on the NAP from Political Research
Associates, a group which collects and
disseminates information on right-wing
political groups and trends: 672
Massachusetts Ave., Suite 205,
Cambridge, Mass. Look at their proof and
documentation and decide if it is
believable and supportable.
I commend Southern Voice on
presenting all sides and encourage you to
cover NAP activities when it seems
relevant to the paper's intended subject
matter. Of course, I would be most happy
if you followed any article mentioning
them with the statement "For further
information about NAP, write Political
Research Associates..." If anyone else
writes to protest this letter, I suggest
strongly that readers read that report for
my side of the story, as I don't believe it
serves a useful purpose for me to continue
writing back.
Sincerely,
Beth Coonan
Viewpoints is part of a continuimg effort to provide a forum for our community.
We invite your ideas, comments and feelings and your responses to ideas expressed
in Ids space.
The opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not neccesarily
represent the views of Southern Voice. Submissions should be typed, double
spaced and no longer than four pages. Mail to:
Southern Voice/Viewpoints
PO Box 54719
Atlanta, Georgia
30308