Sickening sleaze

Say what you will about Dubya (and, trust me, in my time I’ve had plenty to say about the 43rd President of the United States), he did one truly admirable thing. In 2003 he created the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, commonly known as PEPFAR. Since then the agency, working with partners, has saved tens of millions of lives, primarily in Africa.

Every Administration since has continued to support PEPFAR. It’s an incredible program. (Seriously, click on the link to see what the program has been doing.) Or rather, it was. If you now ask about the program on the State Department website, this is what you get.

On his first day in office the second time around, the Wankmaggot signed an executive order to pause ALL foreign aid, including PEPFAR. Although bipartisan support for the program eventually restored much of its funding, significant damage was done and limits have been placed on the work of the program. (AIDS orphan? Too bad for you now, kid.)

Phew. I didn’t start out intending to write so much about PEPFAR. I started out infuriated by this article in the Guardian about the transactional nature of the Wankmaggot administration’s approach to health care aid. The “What’s in it for us if we help you?” approach. Mineral rights? (Zambia.) Great. Opening the door to US private health care sector to get involved in your country? (Rwanda.) Fantastic. Sharing confidential patient information? All right!

Zimbabwe has just refused to sign an agreement for the last reason.

Won’t play ball? Go fuck yourself.

It is grotesque, literally sickening and, sadly, all too easy to believe.