AIDS Relief Organization Honors Congress

by Holly Jackson

Sen. Barbara Boxer and Rep. Barbara Lee were among twenty-six members of congress named as honorees by the Global AIDS Alliance Fund on Monday for their legislative efforts in fighting the AIDS epidemic.

The event, “Spreading Hope: The Congressional Leadership Awards in the Fight against HIV/AIDS,” ran concurrently with the opening day of the Democratic National Convention.

Although the group said it strives to make the fight against AIDS a bipartisan issue, it favors Sen. Obama’s AIDS strategy, with many at the event referring to Sen. Obama as the next President. Senators Obama and Hillary Clinton were also named as honorees, but were not in attendance.

Moderator David Munar of the AIDS Action Council said, “The drivers for change are coming from the Democratic Party.”

The organization also asked candidates for U.S. Congress to sign a pledge to provide leadership in fighting AIDS domestically and abroad, saying the U.S. needs to devise national AIDS strategy to combat the disease.

Actor Danny Glover, the Chairman of TransAfrica Forum, said “There is a country where a new epidemic, a new infection happens every nine minutes.” Glover continued, “There is a city where one out of 20 people are infected with HIV. That country is the United States and that city is Washington, D.C.”

Glover also said there were serious problems with President George W. Bush’s legislation “President’s Emergency Plan on AIDS Relief” (PEPFAR) approach to fighting global AIDS. The legislation requires that one-third of funds provided to AIDS-infected nations must be used for abstinence-only programs. Glover’s organization, TransAfrica Forum, is an African-American lobbying organization for Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean for AIDS relief funding.

The Global Aids Alliance Fund will also be present at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis next week.

Young College Conservatives Take to the Denver Streets

by Jessica Sall

Supporters of Presidential candidate John McCain arrived today at the Colorado Convention Center. They attempted to be heard by protesting against the Obama campaign. “We want to support our candidate,” stated protest leader of the supporter group, Charlie Smith, referring to Sen. John McCain.

“It’s a good thing for us to have the alternative view point out here,” Smith said, “As people become more familiar with Obama, the celebrity aspect of him will pass.”

The McCain supporters consisted mostly of college students from around the Denver area. “There’s a lot of youth support of McCain that doesn’t gets out there,” said Smith. According to Smith there will be other McCain supporter groups waking around downtown Denver with McCain signs, trying to get their message out. They will stay the length of this convention before continuing to the Republican National Convention next week.

Zimbabwe Electoral Crisis Update

This past week, both the United Nations Security Council and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon have renounced violence surrounding the electoral stand-off in Zimbabwe.


On Monday, the Security Council dileberated late in to the evening.  Current Security Council president Zalmay Khalilzad, United States Ambassador to the UN, expressed his frustration at the on-going voilence, indicating that it would be almost impossible for a "free and fair" election to occur on schedule.  Mr. Ban stated earlier this week that an election held under such adverse conditions "would lack all legitimacy."

Additionally, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, B. Lynn Pascoe, renounced recent acts of violence and intimidation.  In a statement issued on 19 June, Pascoe called political intimidation "unacceptable" and noted that if violence continued it would be very difficult for the world community to recognize the results of this Friday's previously-scheduled run-off election.  Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has been holed-up within the Dutch embassy after announcing his intention to pull out of his bid to unseat current President Robert Mugabe.  Tsvangirai's supporters have been targeted in attacks by Mugabe loyalists. 

For more information on the Zimbabwe electorial crisis, please visit the BBC's Zimbabwe Q&A, and the Guardian's Zimbabwe timeline.  Google News on the Zimbabwe electorial crisis.

Meeting the press

I sat down with my mom last December, I looked at her seriously, and told her of my one ultimate goal for covering Iowa caucuses. "I just want to get a picture with Tim Russert."

I'm not going to say I idolize people just because they are on TV. I am not going to spout off hero worship. I wanted that picture because the NBC Washington Bureau Chief was the real deal. Tim Russert had a unique style, he was a great writer, and he was one of the few TV people who did journalism. He was tough with everyone. He was a great host of Meet the Press. He did his research. He checked his facts. He was prepared.

If more television journalists did the simple fundamental things Tim Russert did, I would watch more TV news.

Emotional Upheaval: Making the Sudan video

I developed great sadness while making the video about the Christian Solidarity International/Talkers Magazine Trip to Southern Sudan video, and have written an extended post about it on my personal website.

Click here to visit my personal website and read my thoughts on this video.