Attorney seeks to prove America is first in bio-terrorism.
A California Black man recently spent the Independence Day weekend in jail, reportedly returning home with bruises and scars. Actually for many Black men, his was a typical weekend. Until you discover who this man is, and what are the particulars of his case. It was only several hours before that he opened arguments for the full disclosure of the formerly secret US Special Virus Program, under the Freedom of Information Act. The program that he feels can prove that the United States government is behind the making of the virus that causes AIDS.
For years AIDS and its precursor HIV have been linked to that mother of all scapegoats, Africa. According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the Dark Continent takes on 70 percent of the HIV/AIDS population, and 42 million people were infected world-wide by the end of 2002, but scientists’ theory of the virus passing from chimpanzee to human is coming under great question. One man virtually stands alone to put that theory to rest, hopefully before the government puts him to rest.
Attorney and former naval officer Boyd Graves is said to have pursued the immediate review of the US Special Virus Program for the past five years. His 7/3 opening argument inside the US District Court for Southern California is the result of an initial late 2002 suit brought by Dr. Graves granted by the US Department of Health and Human Services. The Supreme Court dismissed Graves case months ago. Through the denial of the major press to focus on him, Dr. Graves has struggled in relative anonymity. He claims to not only have the “smoking gun” documents that prove his government AIDS conspiracy, but is seeking smoking room documents as well; copies of progress reports, and an audio tape titled “Virus Makers of the CIA,” where he alleges that government experts discuss the plot to rid the country of undesirables through the exposure of the AIDS virus.
There is no denying that AIDS has caused amazing damage to the world’s population. The report by the United Nations Joint Program on HIV/AIDS says that during the first 20 years 58 million people were infected with AIDS, 23 million having died. Whereas gays seemed to be the first targets, Black men between 24 and 44 die more from AIDS than through murder or other means.
I don’t know Dr. Graves, but it seems conspicuous to me-now that he is pushing the AIDS issue-That critics like George Bellinger Jr., of AIDS Action is now saying that Graves suit is a distraction because “it prevents people from getting the real information and taking precautionary measures to enhance their lives or prevent them from getting HIV.” A timely statement indeed given President Bush’s recent trip to Africa, and his publicized pledge to really fight the HIV and AIDS virus. The distraction Bellinger and others are no doubt pointing to are all the common lies we heard about HIV over the past couple decades, Graves or his alleged findings certainly are no threat to stand in anyone’s way of having safe-sex, or practicing abstinence, or finding effective treatments.
The scary thing would be if Graves’ claims are proved right, this would make America first in a bio-terrorism that even Saddam would envy. On 7/8 the federal court has granted attorneys for John Ashcroft to dismiss Dr. Graves’ FOIA request in San Diego. Ashcroft apparently humored Graves, until he picked a time that he felt that no one was paying attention, and moved to have him locked up, and the case tossed