A MOTHERS THOUGHTS on an HIV MUPPET

Home Sweet Home ^ | Saturday, July 13, 2002 | Katherine Jenerette

[SamBees]

Sesame Street goes the way of MTV.

[griffin]

"Isn't there anything worthwhile for children anymore? "

Have you seen Veggie Tales and 321 Penguins?

Also, my 4 and 2 year old LOVE the child version of the "Jesus" video. It is their favorite video. It is a remake and summary version of the Campus Crusades "Jesus" video with children injected into the story and a children's sinner prayer at the end.

[Khepera]

After all of this, can anyone at Sesame Street please tell me, why would I teach my children that Homosexuality is NORMAL and they should treat it as such?!

[BringingUpPatriots]

We LOVE Veggie Tales! Maybe more than our kids too and they are now teens. They STILL love Veggie Tales and 321 Penguins! To find anything worthwhile, we also have to go back to old classic movies like "High Noon" or "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington".

I miss Captain Kangaroo and Mr. Green Jeans, Moose and Bunny Rabbit. Are there any reruns to be found on tape or anywhere?

I used to feel guilty for not giving to PBS or NPR when they had the fundraisers. Now I am glad I never gave. If I were to start my family all over today, my kids wouldn't even see a television for the first 5 years. Period!

Visiting at my grandparent's house, we only watched Bugs Bunny on Saturday mornings, Johnny Carson at night on occasion and we saw movies like "The Sound of Music" on primetime back then. The rest of the time, we were way too busy having fun playing store, learning how to build stuff in grandpa's garage and learning how to crochet, embroider or dance the schottische!

As much as I try to pass some of this on to my own kids, I find the competition difficult to battle. It's not impossible but it's a constant barrage of unwholesome entertainment. I am not impressed with Nickelodeon or Disney who make adults look mostly dumb and irresponsible. There are many kids now out there who think that adults are their equals. Drives me nutty.

Sorry for the tangent. This subject of brainwashing by media strikes a very deep chord with me!

[Dimensio]

What are the five things then?

[gunnedah]

This is just the beginning of things to come to America.I really believe it is time to reap what we have sown sadly to say!

[Mark was here]

Try this - Have some compassion for the unborn children of the future

Tell that to the abortion lovers

[RJayneJ]

Thanks for the nomination! };^D)

[fight_truth_decay]

Told ya your post was "Over the Top"..;)

[gremu]

This is a rant I wrote a while back...it is somewhat relevant to this topic.

First of all, let me say that I'm angry. I may even let a few four-letter words fly, so if that's a problem, you may not want to read any more of this f***ing rant. I'm angry because a few months ago my daughter was diagnosed with diabetes and it has turned her life upside-down. It has also caused considerable stress in our family.

I will readily admit that prior to her diagnosis, I probably thought about diabetes for a total of about an hour in my whole life. For that, I am truly sorry. I am sorry because I have been unaware and insensitive to the plight of diabetics. And I'm talking about Type 1, juvenile-onset, or whatever you want to call it. Not Type 2 or adult-onset. I now have great compassion for anyone with diabetes, but it is for the children that I weep. I'm sorry that there is such a lack of awareness or "publicity", if you will, in our nation. In the back of my mind, I assumed that diabetics had insulin, and that was all they needed. My father-in-law became diabetic later in life with Type 2. His lifestyle practically begged for diabetes. Even still, no one deserves diabetes, but it is the children that are truly innocent. They cannot "prevent" diabetes as an adult might. They did nothing to cause it. Who will speak for them?

It seems that diabetes is not a favored disease. This is not to belittle the many dedicated scientists and researchers who are working diligently for a cure. Godspeed to them. As a woman says on a diabetes list-serv I belong to, "where's the &*?#*!! cure?" Well, let me be a little more blunt. Where is the f***ing cure?

I am certainly not a scientist or biologist, but it seems to me that a great nation with vast resources like ours, that has cured smallpox, whooping cough, polio, etc. should be able to cure diabetes. We are told how lucky we are. There have been so many advances in diabetes care in the last few years. But I'm thinking, when insulin was first discovered in the 1920's or whatever, they injected it with needles into the lucky diabetics. Granted this was a huge improvement over death, but I can't see how things have changed that much in the subsequent 80 years. My daughter is still injecting her insulin via needle. Yes, we have better insulins, and we can monitor her blood glucose eight times a day if we want, but when it comes right down to it, diabetes is still a crapshoot. We try to give her the proper dose, but half the time we are wrong. So then we have to correct the next dose, and so on. Or we can get her an insulin pump. She can carry it around like a beeper, strapped to her body, with a semi-permanent I.V. tube dripping insulin into her body. And believe it or not, that is state-of-the-art.

Three months ago, I was the type of parent who was paranoid about giving my kids children's Tylenol. I would always give them a conservative dose, probably to their detriment. Now I'm drawing out insulin (or supervising) in a syringe, with life-or-death implications three times a day.

Let me tell you what happens when she gets too much insulin. Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, sets in. She becomes dizzy, she feels faint. Today she felt nauseous. If she is able to recognize her hypoglycemia, she will eat something sweet, candy or juice. This will normally bring her around and she feels better. If she is unable to tell us she feels bad, and the low blood sugar becomes worse, she may become incoherent and difficult to deal with. Thank God we haven't been to this stage yet, but I wake up every morning thinking this will probably be the day. If she can't eat or drink, we can squeeze some glucose gel or cake frosting into her mouth and hope that somehow she ingests enough of it to make a difference. If she completely passes out, we have been given a special syringe with glucagon in it. We are supposed to inject it immediately, and this will cause the liver to release stored glucose. When they told us about the glucagon syringe at the hospital, I dismissed the likelihood of us needing it. As responsible parents and caregivers, we would never let her get to that state. What a truly barbaric remedy. Come to find out, it's not all that unusual. My friend's sister, diabetic for 40 years, has needed the glucagon many times. She has often been found unconscious in her bed. That freaks me out. If the glucagon doesn't work, then 911 is called. Hopefully, it's not too late. I've read about this... it's called "dead-in-bed" syndrome. I try not to dwell on it.

If she receives too little insulin, her blood sugar gets high. She gets cranky, headachy, and nauseous. If it remains too high for too long, she will begin (and has begun) down the slow, inexorable path to the pathetic complications of diabetes...neuropathy, nephropathy, retinopathy. As you probably know...as I knew, but never really thought about....diabetes is one of the leading causes of death in our country, consuming 10% of our healthcare dollars. But with insulin, it's manageable, right?

Now I'm getting around to the politically incorrect part of this diatribe. If you are squeamish or very P.C. then I would by all means recommend you read no further. Because you see, diabetes is not a P.C. disease. I know that millions of dollars are donated to diabetes research every year and for that, I have become almost nauseatingly grateful. When my daughter was diagnosed, I began donating to the cause, but soon realized the pitiful amount I could manage would not be a drop in the ocean. I have even fantasized that maybe it's not too late for me to become a brilliant scientist and "cure" diabetes. Needless to say, that is not happening and I am feeling quite inadequate.

Money may not cure this disease but it will sure as hell help. There is a small army of researchers with very expensive toys trying to find a cure. If there were more money available, there will be more toys for them to play with and more incentive to find the cure. We need more money, more scientists, and more equipment.

I think we all know what diseases are politically correct. Breast cancer is P.C. Prostate cancer is not, even though both kill approximately the same amount of people. One of these days, men may learn to organize like women have on behalf of their disease. But I digress. I do not begrudge any dollars spent on breast cancer research. After all, if my daughter survives diabetes, I certainly don't want her dying of breast cancer. And of course, cancer is not a disease one can readily prevent. But the most P.C. disease is of course AIDS. Why, there has been more publicity and hoopla generated on behalf of AIDS in the last 5 years than there has been for diabetes in the last 100.

Now I'm beginning to get very f***ing angry. I am not a homophobe. I wish that so many thousands of young men in America had not died of AIDS or had not become ill. I have had several good friends who were homosexual. They were some of the most delightful people I have known. I have attended "gay-liberation" balls in college that were wildly entertaining, if not decadent. But the simple fact of the matter is that AIDS is almost entirely preventable already. There is no need to spend multi-millions of dollars on this disease. There is no need for big Hollywood stars to make themselves feel good by lending their name to this cause. There is no need to wear a f***ing red ribbon on your lapel to show that you are hip and caring.

Why is there no need?

Because all we need to do to prevent AIDS is for these people not to put their penises in other men's anuses. That is a little blunt, but is quite apt. If the thousands of young men had not engaged in homosexual sex they would not have died. It's not a question of whether it's perverted sex or if God is punishing gays. It is simply a fact that most AIDS victims are homosexuals. Surely, 95% of the people on Earth (and 99.9% in the USA) already know how you get AIDS. Some just choose to ignore these inconvenient facts.

I don't understand why Hollywood stars like Elizabeth Taylor are so adamant about defending and encouraging the right of men to put their penises in other men's anuses. Does she really care or is it just P.C.? Are the Hollywood stars (I don't mean to pick on them... there are plenty of non-Hollywood types with the same predilections) really concerned about everyone having this option? They always act like AIDS is this mysterious scourge sweeping across the planet, endangering everyone, when in fact, it mainly affects men who engage in this type of sex. And intravenous drug users. Don't get me started on intravenous drug use. I've seen enough of it in the last few months. And Africa. The pathology of AIDS in Africa is not relevant to this rant.

Anyway, I don't really begrudge funding for AIDS research. But let's get real. AIDS is preventable. Diabetes, one of the oldest diseases known to mankind, is not. I will have respect for these Hollywood types when they advocate for diabetes sufferers like they do for AIDS. Surely innocent children are more deserving of compassion than young men who choose to ignore the dangers of unsafe sex.

[Barnacle]

I presume it's because they want to be accepted.

[My back yard]

I'm not sure if I remember, it was about a year ago. Things like 'proper condome use', 'be sure to clean your needles'. Or, maybe it was proper needle use and condom cleaning, I don't know.

[Barnacle]

Anyway, I don't really begrudge funding for AIDS research. But let's get real. AIDS is preventable.

The millions of dollars of our money going into AIDS research is being siphoned away from other research such as diabetes.

Not only is AIDS preventable, but most infected people had to go to what we'd consider to be extraordinary lengths to become infected.

Rather than wasting the money on a cure for AIDS, how about solving the epidemic by spending a tenth of that amount telling people the truth?

My prayers for you and your family. If you're inclined, please tell us your daughter's first name. My little girls will pray for her too.

[Barnacle]

Well, it didn’t take any time at all - FOX news says the South African AIDS Muppet is now being considered for broadcasts in America.

Anyone surprised?

Just a little bit?

Anyone?

No?

[afraidfortherepublic]

I don't know why people in the US are so upset over what South African children are watching on television.

Because Sesame Street has already said that they have plans to introduce the character in other countries, including the USA.

[afraidfortherepublic]

...why would I teach my children that Homosexuality is NORMAL and they should treat it as such?!

Or illegal IV drug use.

[gremu]

thanks, her name is Hayley

[Barnacle]

thanks, her name is Hayley

She has a beautiful name. Prayers for Hayley.

[PoisedWoman]

Thanks for the ping, grlfrnd. As you know, I commissioned book on women and aids in '92, found a woman doctor to write it. She'd been first doc in her city to treat AIDS patients and test for HIV at her office, so she knew everyone who had it and everything about them.

Many women have AIDS, today it's one of top killers of teenage girls, etc. etc. But! We could not get the author on Oprah, Sally, or any other tv shows to publicize her book and tell women to be careful because the ditzy young producers who book guests for those shows refused to believe women could catch AIDS. Every time I look at Oprah, I blame her personally for deaths of many women who might have been educated by a show she would not put on the air.

Interesting that recent study -- a large one-- showed that AIDS/HIV was misdiagnosed or undiagnosed in an enormous number of women, virtually all of the white and Asian. Doctors don't think they "fit the profile" of AIDS victim. That's how badly the news has been botched by the stupid liberals....you can find a thousand artilcles on AIDS and minority women, but the study I cite, conducted by UCLA, etc., goes unreported.

Vets_Husband_and_Wife, this thread is for you. Please read Mrs. Jennrette's comments. She says it well and I totally agree.

[pray4liberty]

This is just a simple Carolina mother's perspective....

And you are absolutely right. I have lost five friends to AIDS. How I begged and pleaded with them to be careful, but they wouldn't listen to me, and now they are dead.