Guest Editorial: An Unspoken Epidemic - WSFA.com: News Weather and Sports for Montgomery, AL.

Guest Editorial: An Unspoken Epidemic

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By John Shryock - bio | email

  • Editorials

  • Thursday, May 16 2013 7:20 PM EDT2013-05-16 23:20:04 GMT
    In my editorial on Tuesday I chided our legislators for being the last state to pass a no-brainer  bill legalizing home brewing.  Today I want to challenge them to be one of the first states to pass another no-brainer;
    In my editorial on Tuesday I chided our legislators for being the last state to pass a no-brainer  bill legalizing home brewing.  Today I want to challenge them to be one of the first states to pass another no-brainer;

  • Tuesday, May 14 2013 7:20 PM EDT2013-05-14 23:20:07 GMT
    Kudos, or perhaps, cheers to the Alabama Legislature for passing HB9, the home brewing bill. Legalized home brewing may not be up there with education reform or prison funding, but it was overdue. 
    Kudos, or perhaps, cheers to the Alabama Legislature for passing HB9, the home brewing bill. Legalized home brewing may not be up there with education reform or prison funding, but it was overdue. 

  • Thursday, May 9 2013 7:20 PM EDT2013-05-09 23:20:06 GMT
    What was the old Pan-Am gas station at the corner of Bibb and Coosa is now no longer.  Last weekend that landmark was demolished with nothing remaining where it once stood other than the outline of a foundation. What
    What was the old Pan-Am gas station at the corner of Bibb and Coosa is now no longer.  Last weekend that landmark was demolished with nothing remaining where it once stood other than the outline of a foundation. What
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MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) - No one likes talking about my subject today but it has reached epidemic proportions because of that very reason. Just because people are living longer with it does not mean it's over or that a cure has been found, it just means we've ignored it into oblivion.

AIDS is a major problem in the south but particularly here in Montgomery and southeast Alabama. The African American population makes up 26% of the State according to the latest numbers from 2007 but we are 49% of the known, yes I said KNOWN AIDS Cases. 

There are four things I encourage you to do TODAY, TOMORROW, or at some point in the next few weeks:

1) Get tested and find out if you are as safe as YOU think you are; 2) Stay safe by practicing SAFE SEX. That means abstinence, celibacy, or using the proper precautions if you are active so you can protect not only yourself but those you claim you love; 3) Be aware of what your teenage children are doing, where they are and who they are with. The Teen pregnancy rate and AIDS for that age group is also up and as parents we need to do something sooner rather than later; and finally 4) TALK about it and know what it is. It's the only way to be safe!

Rose McCall