A recent, outstanding article in Extra! (Janine Jackson, 9-10-99) is required reading for those who object to totalitarianism and want to know more about how our government works. In details how the mainstream media has misled the public regarding Al Gore’s efforts to prevent drugs that combat AIDS from reaching South Africa.
In brief, here is the story: South Africa (SA) passed a Medicines and Related Substances Act in 1997 which was designed to
grant them the freedom to obtain essential drugs, such as those used in AIDS prevention, at accessible cost. The Clinton Administration has acted on behalf of the U.S. pharmaceutical industry (which are generous campaign donors) and come down hard on South Africa for doing so. (The Clintonites are much more concerned over the profit margins of the pharmaceutical companies than they are if thousands of South Africans die from easily preventable diseases.)
As chair of the U.S.-South Africa Bi-National Commission, Al Gore has been a major player in this effort. This has prompted activists to dog Al Gore’s anemic presidential campaign to vocalize their concerns.
Meanwhile, the national media, including the Washington Post, NY Times, ABC and a slew of others have served the administration well by offering up deliberately misleading accounts of the story to keep the issue under wraps during this election cycle.
Jackson’s story is another terrifying account of the behavior of a mainstream media that is completely under the control of the business community. Mediawise readers who get their hands on it and read it may believe the U.S. is already a fascist country afterwards.
Scott Loughrey
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