Pubdate: Wed, 17 Dec 1997
Source: Rocky Mountain News (CO)
Author: Joey Tranchina

It is the abysmal judgment of foolish men like Steve Curtis that
consistently aligns the Right Wing of the Republican Party with
forces of ignorance, cowardice, bigotry, disease and death.

Your paper reports that "Curtis said needle exchanges encourage
drug use." Yet, serious scientists, who have studied syringe
exchange for over fifteen years, consistently reach the opposite
conclusion. Mr. Curtis' assertion has no basis in science or
common sense.

Precious human lives are at stake. To willfully abet the spread
of this terrible infection with thoroughly discredited lies in
order to preserve a "wedge issue" is a despicable political
trick, for which, I say, Steve Curtis should be put on trial,
like Adolph Eichmann, for crimes against humanity. Then everyone
could see, who is telling the truth and who is selling irrational
fear and spreading AIDS with lies.

Thoughtful examination of the facts tells us that failure to
aggressively pursue syringe exchange guarantees that more of our
children will die of AIDS.

This is an important decision. Don't believe me or Steve, go to
the library - study the scientific reports, which fill shelves
with the product of decades of critical scrutiny of syringe
exchange schemes around the world... then you decide. You owe
that to your children.

Joey Tranchina