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Virus Will Soon Kill More Than All 20th Century Wars There's no doubt, says Gore—AIDS Threatens Security |
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By Jack Nichols
His drafted remarks said: "For the nations of sub-Saharan Africa, AIDS has crossed beyond the borders of a humanitarian crisis to become a security crisis because it threatens not just the citizens of those nations—it threatens the very institutions that define and defend those nations." Observers believe that Mr. Gore, by giving public recognition to the fact that AIDS is an international security issue, was referring, in part, to the business and professional classes, and that his concerns are about the probable decimation of economic, political and military institutions in many nations. Mr. Gore asserted that the United States would add $150 million to its upcoming budget to help affected countries in their struggle against the virus. His pledge, however, must be approved by Congress. The Executive Director of Unaids, a consortium of U.N. agencies that have worked in Africa estimated that his programs would require as much as $3 billion annually to meet the needs of Sub-Saharan Africa alone.
On Monday night, Gore received the endorsement of the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, Washington D.C.'s leading gay and lesbian political organization, a recognized constituency group of the D.C. Democratic Party and a chartered affiliate of the National Stonewall Democratic Federation. "The endorsement shows the strong support the Vice President has among the D.C. gay and lesbian community," said Kurt Vorndran, Stein Club President. "Al Gore has earned the support of our community. He has been a leader for ENDA, a leader for health care, and a leader for D.C. self-government. He is the only candidate who has reached out to us and we are proud to give him our full support." Gore gratefully acknowledged the Stein Club's endorsement: "I am grateful to have the support of these distinguished leaders," he said, "Every day, the Stein Club fights hard for equal rights of all Americans. With their help, we will continue the fight to end discrimination, enact federal hate crimes legislation, and expand and universalize health care." Eleanor Holmes Norton, U.S. Representative, addressed the Stein Club meeting Monday night asking for its endorsement of Gore's candidacy.
In San Francisco, where political perspectives often differ from those in the nation's capital, three city supervisors, President Tom Ammiano, Gavin Newsom and Michael Yaki publicly backed the Democratic party candidacy of former Senator Bill Bradley. |
