Obama, Bush and Clinton to Participate in World AIDS Day Forum

President Barack Obama and former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton are among those who will participate in a World AIDS Day forum at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., later on Thursday, Dec. 1.

ONE and (RED) will host a forum that will focus on "the beginning of the end of AIDS." Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete; CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta; Florida Sen. Marco Rubio; California Congresswoman Barbara Lee; Bono; Alicia Keys; Dr. Patricia Nkansah-Asamoah, director of the PMTCT Clinic at Tema Hospital in Accra, Ghana; Florence Ngobeni of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and Kay Warren are also slated to participate.

More than three decades after the first cases of what became known as AIDS were reported, more than 33 million people around the world currently live with the virus.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told federal health officials and HIV/AIDS service providers during a speech at the National Institutes of Health on Nov. 8 that a so-called AIDS-free generation is possible. A Centers for Disease Control report earlier this week indicates that only 28 percent of the 1.2 million Americans with HIV have viral counts that are considered under control.

Rick Perry’s Race Problem

Texas Gov. Rick Perry remains on the offensive after the Washington Post reported on Sunday, Oct. 2, that a rock at the entrance of a hunting camp that both he and his father once leased contained a racial slur. Perry’s campaign moved quickly to downplay the article, but Herman Cain described the offensive sign as “a sign of insensitivity” during an interview with Christiane Amanpour on “This Week.”

Presidential hopefuls subject themselves to an exceedingly harsh spotlight that often exploits unflattering details of their personal lives—news of then-presidential candidate George W. Bush’s 1976 arrest for driving under the influence near his parents’ vacation home in Maine broke less than a week before the 2000 presidential election is one of the myriad of notable examples of this predictable phenomenon. Race and politics remain a combustible mix in this country. The question remains, however, whether this controversy will prove more than another tempest in a highly polarized tea pot.

Poll: Majority of Americans Blame Obama for Economy

A new Gallup poll indicates that more than 50 percent of Americans blame President Barack Obama for the country's economic woes.

Fifty-three percent of Americans blame Obama for the state of the economy, while 69 percent of respondents said former President George W. Bush is responsible for the current economic malaise in the country. Obama has a 42 percent approval rating in Gallup's daily tracking poll on Thursday, Sept. 22.

Gallup also found that 62 percent of registered voters would definitely vote for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election. Fifty-four percent said they would vote for Obama, while 53 percent would support Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

Boy in Bushwick discusses Bush's legacy on BBC

As the debate over President George W. Bush's legacy continues to rage in this country and around the world, the British Broadcasting Corporation provided me the opportunity to enter into the fray today on its "World Have Your Say" program.

It is certainly true terrorists have not attacked the United States since Sept. 11, 2001. It is also correct on face value to assert the Bush administration's efforts to combat HIV and AIDS in Africa have delivered some tangible results. The fact remains, however, the White House's conduct with regards to the so-called War on Terror, its arguable failure to regulate an economy that continues to slide into a deeper and deeper recession and the pursuit of socially conservative positions that observers can easily interpret as a failed attempt to deflect attention away from its response to Hurricane Katrina and other domestic failures are among the innumerable things for which the outgoing administration must answer.

Bush will obviously continue to defend his overall record. Vice President Dick Cheney will do the same as he has done in interviews with PBS' Jim Lehrer and other reporters in recent weeks. It is safe to conclude Bush polarized the country to a new and arguably frightening degree during his eight years in office. He arguably failed to win election in 2000 and he managed to secure only 50.7 percent of the vote in 2004. The anti-Bush rhetoric will continue to rage as the country looks forward to President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration and his first few months in the White House. The fact remains, however, the outgoing commander-in-chief's extremely complex legacy has only begun to reveal itself.

Anti-Terrorism Agreement Raises More Concerns

President George W. Bush and his administration remain arguably the movement for LGBT rights' perfect villain. He maintains his support for the long-shot proposed Federal Marriage Amendment to secure his dwindling socially conservative base. The White House continues to support abstinence-based curriculum to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa. Bush also maintains his solid support [and taxpayers' money] for faith based programs. These three things are only a small portion of the many reasons to which LGBT activists and their supporters point as the motivation behind their opposition to the current administration.

The Washington Post reported yesterday the United States and the European Union will soon begin to share personal information about trans-Atlantic airline passengers. The paper further indicated sexual orientation may be among the data collected. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff defended the program as an "essential screening tool" in the American government's ongoing fight against terrorism. Others will certainly disagree in light of the [perceived or actual] terrorism threat. This proposal will provide anti-Bush and arguably anti-Republican activists within the movement for LGBT rights yet another source of ammunition to advocate against the administration's agenda. This rhetoric has almost grown tired in recent years because it frankly does not carry the impact it once did. This program, however, raises many questions about the lengths to which this administration will go under the guise of anti-terrorism. Activists will certainly demand answers to these concerns as details of the program emerge.

House Passes Hate Crimes Bill

The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday passed a bill that would allow federal, state and local law enforcement to better prosecute hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act languished for nearly a decade in the formerly Republican controlled Congress before lawmakers passed it with a vote of 237 to 180. The Human Rights Campaign and other advocacy organizations quickly praised passage of the historic bill.

"This is a historic day that moves all Americans closer to safety from the scourge of hate violence," HRC President Joe Solmonese said in a statement. "Today, legislators sided with the 73 percent of the American people who support the expansion of hate crimes laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity."

Legislation is a small part of a much larger solution needed to reduce the number of anti-LGBT hate and bias crimes in this country. Anti-LGBT organizations continue to frame LLEHCPA as an attempt by a radical agenda to stifle anti-LGBT sentiments. This argument is ridiculous but the Bush administration, which appears receptive to these positions, announced the President plans to veto the bill.

"The administration favors strong criminal penalties for violent crime, including crime based on personal characteristics such as race, color, religion or national origin," the White House said in a statement. "There has been no persuasive demonstration of any need to federalize such a potentially large range of violent crime enforcement, and doing so is inconsistent with the proper allocation of criminal enforcement responsibilities between the different levels of the government."

Inconstant with the proper allocation of criminal enforcement responsibilities between the different levels of the government? Only 22 states have in place anti-hate crime statutes that include sexual orientation while less than a dozen of these states include gender identity or expression. The federal government has a responsibility to protect all of its citizens and the Bush administration's position fails to meet this responsibility. The murders of Matthew Shepard, Sakia Gunn, Brandon Teena and countless others are stark reminders of the tragedy these crimes continue to inflict in this country. Politicians, activists and average citizens alike all have a responsibility [and a duty] to work together to reduce the numbers of anti-LGBT violence. LLEHCPA remains a symbolic piece of this solution. But the Bush administration and other LLEHCPA opponents should attempt to explain their opposition to the friends and family members anti-LGBT hate crimes impact most directly before they further their gross misjudgments based on homophobia and transphobia.