Annual Report: 1999

The Alberta Reappraising AIDS Society was formed in February, 1999 with the assistance of Steve Jenuth of the law firm Ho, MacNeil, Jenuth.

Organizational

After the treasurer (Pam Munroe) moved to British Columbia, Madeleine Oldershaw volunteered to step in on an interim basis. Following that, Kathleen DeWitt Newell agreed to take her place.

By the end of 1999, the society had a phone number with voice mail (+1-403-220-0129), and a post office box (Box 61037, Kensington Postal Outlet, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 4S6, Canada). The website (www.aras.ab.ca) and email (aras@aras.ab.ca) were not established until 2000.

Financial

At the end of 1999, the Alberta Reappraising AIDS Society bank account held CDN$907.91. There were no other significant assets. The major income was from various donations from individuals and corporations. The major expenses were the PO Box ($26), telephone (about $50/month) and a membership in the International Committee for Medical Justice ($150). More details are available upon request.

Education

One of our most important roles has been in education. We have created three documents that have received fairly wide circulation. Myths & Mysteries of HIV & AIDS fits on a single sheet of legal-sized paper and summarizes some of the major questions that AIDS dissidents have, including references. A list of referenced quotations on AZT, the first and perhaps still the most commonly prescribed AIDS drug, describes the awesome toxicity and questionable effectiveness of this 'therapy'. A similar file on HAART (Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy) describes concerns about the many drugs that have more recently been used in various combinations. These files were made available in 2000 on our website, and are regularly updated:

• AZT - http://www.aras.ab.ca/azt.html
• HAART - http://www.aras.ab.ca/haart.html
• Myths & Mysteries of HIV & AIDS - http://www.aras.ab.ca/mnm.html

Advocacy

We are aware of several cases where the civil rights of Canadian mothers have been violated because of fears about their HIV-positive status. Mothers are perhaps the most vulnerable victims of HIV/AIDS hysteria, because they can be forced by the legal system to give medical treatment to their children or lose custody (in which case the treatment will be forced on the children anyway). In one case, a mother left one province in a hurry because of harassment by social workers, although she was forced to interrupt the breast-feeding of her child because of their threats before she could move to a safer location. In another case, that received national attention, a mother lost custody of her children and their grandparents were put in the unenviable position of forcing their grandchildren to take drugs that often made them throw up or have serious diarrhea. Eventually this woman took her two children and fled the custody. We were able to provide some support to both of these mothers.

Volunteering

If you are concerned about the effects of the prevalent dogma that HIV causes AIDS, there are ways that you could help out. While financial donations are always welcome, we also welcome your time. Some of the roles that you could perform are:

• Monitoring and following up on correspondence. Not surprisingly, we rarely get prompt responses to our (very polite) letters. Someone to follow up until a response is obtained would be very valuable.
• Mailing out information. We often provide copies of books at no cost or reduced cost, as well as our publications.
• Campaigns. Through advertising or demonstrations, we can raise the profile of this important issue.
• Meetings. Arranging for meetings of HIV+ people who want to question their current advice, or perhaps arranging for speakers.
• Ensuring that our website is accessible through all the major search engines.
• Others. There are many things that we are not doing. Write your own volunteer job description! I would be glad to have you on board.

© Copyright Wednesday, June 27, 2007: Alberta Reappraising AIDS Society

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