Sunday, January 11, 2009

Radio Host "Gunny" Bob Newman: "Gays In Military Increases HIV/AIDS"

On January 7 "Gunny" Bob Newman, host of The Gunny Bob Show on Colorado's KOA-AM Radio, used his Clear Channel-owned media platform to make false and defamatory comments about gay service members. Newman suggested that lifting "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the ban on allowing qualified gay military personnel to serve openly in the armed forces, would lead to greater HIV risk.

On the program Mr. Newman said:

"Interesting, though, how Barack Obama, who strictly avoided military service, has – says that the key test must be those things. He left a lot of stuff out. Like being able to fight with as much combat power as you possibly can. And if we have gays serving openly in the military, according to the military, that is going to reduce their combat power. You reduce combat power, casualties can go up.

We had a doctor call in the last hour, a military doctor, been in a long time, and he explained the dangers of HIV-AIDS on the battlefield. Especially when it comes to combat transfusions at the battalion aid station or where have you, in the back of a Hummer ambulance, wherever. And I added there's also the danger of contamination when it comes to all the first responders on scene.

Often times that's gonna be a medic or a corpsman. Or just another soldier – doesn't have to be a medic or a corpsman or a Marine or what have you – who faces the additional risk of HIV-AIDS contamination. And the doctor also went on to explain, you know, how these transfusions are sought and how quickly they must happen. And he pointed out that if we do this, and more and more gays join the military and they are HIV-positive or suffering from AIDS, and their blood ends up getting transfused, you know, into another military person, well, then that's a death sentence for the other person too. 303-713-8585.

This doesn't bother Barack Obama. It doesn't faze him in the least. He doesn't care if a soldier or a Marine or a SEAL or what have you gets HIV, becomes HIV-positive, and then develops AIDS and dies because he happened to get a transfusion from an, say, an openly gay person with a very active sexual, open lifestyle.

Because to Obama, what's most important is two things, being politically correct – excuse me, three things: being politically correct; functioning as a good leftist; and number three, paying back the gay and lesbian lobby, which donated such staggering sums of money to his campaign. He owes them a lot of money."
The audio version of it can be found below thanks to Colorado Media Matters...


GLAAD is asking us to contact Clear Channel-owned KOA-AM executives in Denver, Colorado and Clear Channel Communications national executives in San Antonio, Texas to demand that they reprimand "Gunny" Bob Newman for his inappropriate and offensive remarks. Call on them to stop allowing their platforms to be used to perpetuate false and defamatory stereotypes about the LGBT community.

Contact:

KOA-AM

Mr. Lee Larsen
Vice President & General Manager
KOA-AM
Outlet Phone: (303) 713-8000
Email: leelarsen@clearchannel.com

Ms. Kristine Olinger
Director of AM Programming
KOA-AM
Outlet Phone: (303) 713-8000
Email: kristineolinger@clearchannel.com

Clear Channel Communications

Ms. Kathryn Johnson
Senior Vice President of Corporate Relations
Clear Channel Communications
Outlet Phone: (210) 822-2828
Email: kathrynmaysjohnson@clearchannel.com

Ms. Lisa Dollinger
Chief Communications Officer
Clear Channel Communications
Outlet Phone: (210) 822-2828
Email: lisacdollinger@clearchannel.com

If you choose to email Bob Newman himself he can be reached at bobnewman@850koa.com

10 comments:

T. R Xands said...

I thought it was impossible, but that may officially be the most outlandish thing I've ever heard.

Anonymous said...

If this guy said the same about any other minority, he'd be gone.

Queers United said...

It is very outlandish, I mean does he not know that HIV/AIDS is transmitted through sex or needles or during pregnancy?

Last I checked gay men dont have sex with straight men, military or not. Military people shouldn't be using needles anyways and I don't think pregnancy would be an issue. Yeah, argument fail.

Anonymous said...

Infection in the health-care settings

Hospitals and clinics should take precautions to prevent the spread of blood-borne infections. These measures include using sterile surgical instruments, wearing gloves, and safely disposing of medical waste. In developed countries, HIV transmission in health-care settings is extremely rare. However, cases continue to occur in less-resourced areas where safety procedures are not so well implemented.

Health-care workers have on rare occasions become infected with HIV by being stuck with needles containing HIV-infected blood. A few have also become infected by HIV-infected blood getting into the bloodstream through an open cut, or splashing onto a mucous membrane (e.g. the eyes or the inside of the nose).

givehimamask said...

Where's an alliance of Anonymous members when you need it.

NorCal Gary said...

Does he not know that there is a medical exam before one can enter the military? While I suppose there is a small chance that someone exposed to the virus recently may not test positive, anyone with HIV or AIDS would indeed be screened out by the physical entry exam.

This guy needs to be fired AND sent to Iraq as a blood donor.

Anonymous said...

Gunny was way out of line with these comments. It has been proven by the CDC that it is not only the Gay community, but also the straight community that will pass on the HIV/AIDS virus and some of them do not even know that they have it. Gunny needs to reprimad and not only made to apologize to the listening audience, to all of the families that have had family members to died from this ugly disease.

Anonymous said...

From the CDC:

MSM [men who have sex with men] accounted for 71% of all HIV infections among male adults and adolescents in 2005 (based on data from 33 states with long-term, confidential name-based HIV reporting), even though only about 5% to 7% of male adults and adolescents in the United States identify themselves as MSM

Anonymous said...

I have the misfortune of living in KOA's market (think Faux news). In the beginning Gunny Bob shared the mic with a liberal co-host but KOA soon axed all the liberals at the station and gave Gunny Bob free reign. He is one of those people who has his mind made up and isn't willing to truly hear opposing viewpoints, and he says something offensive pretty much every day. It's truly unfortunate that KOA even has an audience.

Anonymous said...

Take a look at the back of a can of institutional Lysol? Have you given blood lately, seen the questionnaire... Insanity. I would sue the government if I got HIV from a combat situation just because the military had to be politically correct. People of that persuasion should either be tested and pass, prior to any combat operation, or work in the rear (no pun intended).

You will of course never see gays suing Lysol, or the local blood bank. What would be next, forcing us strait people to take the blood or die.

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