More than a 100 AIDS researchers and activists were killed on MH17

[hack89]

They were on their way to Australia for a large international AIDS conference. Words escape me.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/delegates-to-melbourne-aids-summit-on-doomed-flight-mh17/story-e6frg6nf-1226993197572

[Dreamer Tatum]

1. That's sad

but are they better than anyone else on that plane?

[Bad Thoughts]

3. Their deaths will hasten the deaths of others

Or at least fail to stop the deaths of millions of people. The loss is likely huge for the research.

[dsc]

4. If one of them had the cure to AIDS

then yeah, they might well be.

[uppityperson]

6. How is posting this information making them "better than anyone else"? I am really confused by your

reply here.

As information comes out about who was on the plane, I am sure it will be released. Do you not feel the loss of people studying AIDS is worthwhile talking about?

[hack89]

7. All lives have equal value

Please don't put words in my mouth. Now is not the time to look for a fight - I am not interested.

[Starry Messenger]

11. Nice. Keep it up.

Hopefully your career here will end soon.

[tblue37]

17. Such researchers are needed to help progress toward better treatments

or a possible cure for AIDS. Don't you think that is relevant?

[flvegan]

19. Wow. Nothing more, just wow.

[bluesbassman]

21. Of course not, but the work they did has serious ramifications for all of us.

So pointing out a statistically large percentage of the passenger manifest who were all engaged in this vital research is relevant. We all mourn the senseless loss of each life on that flight, but the loss of so many engaged in life threatening disease research compounds the tragedy.

What makes me curious is why one would even make such a remark. The OP did not infer that these people were "better" than anyone else on that plane, yet that is your take away. Odd reaction to say the least.

[Hissyspit]

25. Oh for chrissakes...

[Renew Deal]

30. Yes. Some people are "better" than others

That's a fact of life that acceptance of helps simplify things.

[whopis01]

34. Do you say the same thing to a crying child that lost a parent on the plane?

Or the parents that lost their child? Or coworkers whose colleagues are now dead?

The "importance" of each individual on the lost on the plane is relative to those whose lives were touched by that individual.

When someone grieves the loss of anyone they aren't denigrating everyone else.

If I had a relative aboard that flight I would be more upset by that loss than by anyone else on the flight. If you have a problem with that, well then you have a problem.

I have friends that are suffering with AIDS. The loss of a group of researchers that were working to solve that tragedy is the first personal connection I have to anyone on that flight. There are many many others who will feel the same way. Commenting on that loss in no way implies anyone was of lesser or greater value than anyone else.

[enlightenment]

2. A terrible tragedy made so much

worse with this news.

[uppityperson]

5. "activists, researchers and health workers" not just researchers

This doesn't make it better, but just being clear here and damn. Now I need to go check on friends who are involved with the conference.

[hack89]

8. I changed the title of my OP. Nt

[uppityperson]

9. thank you, not meaning to nit pick. Thanks for posting this and kicking it again.

[Cha]

10. So terribly sad for them and everyone who was aboard.. thanks hack :(

[riverwalker]

12. terrible loss

http://www.aids2014.org/

[Renew Deal]

13. Some important people in medicine on that flight

<snip>
Among those thought to have been killed was prominent Dutch researcher Joep Lange, a former president of the International Aids Society.

Glenn Thomas, a World Health Organisation media relations coordinator, also died in the crash, according to Dr Haileyesus Getahun, coordinator of the WHO’s Global TB program.

Delegates Lucie van Mens, Martine de Schutter, Pim de Kuijer and Jacqueline van Tongeren were also reportedly on the flight.

Dr Van Mens, director of program development and support at the Female Health Company, has been involved in public health, focusing on prevention of STIs and HIV/AIDS, since 1995.

Shocked messages from friends, family and colleagues are filling social media.

Mr Lange’s friend Dr Seema Yasmin, from the US Centers for Disease Control, said Mr Lange was a true humanitarian.

“What a HUGE loss to the world,” she tweeted. “Just learned that dear friend, amazing father to 5 girls and veteran AIDS researcher Joep Lange was on #MH17.”
<snip>

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/delegates-to-melbourne-aids-summit-on-doomed-flight-mh17/story-e6frg6nf-1226993197572

[smirkymonkey]

20. How awful!

This is such a tragedy all around, but it is especially saddening to hear of the deaths of those who devoted their lives to saving others. What a huge loss.

[JackRiddler]

14. Horrible.

[riverwalker]

15. Bill Clinton was scheduled speaker there next week

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton will deliver an address at next week’s AIDS conference.

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/805940-glenn-thomas-joep-lange-among-malaysia-airlines-flight-mh17-victims/

[TwilightGardener]

16. What a horrible loss for the world.

[Agschmid]

18. Kick, terrible loss of all lives.

[MrScorpio]

22. OMG.

[joshcryer]

23. This is making me physically ill.

Because I know Putinists are probably toasting to these dead researchers and activists. Because that's how they are deep down.

[FLyellowdog]

24. How long before Pat Robertson says this was

all a part of gawd's plan?

The whole thing is too tragic.

[sheshe2]

26. One life...

They could have had the answers for a cure. So sad, hack. All that died such a senseless loss.

I mourn them all.

[Uncle Joe]

27. That's a tremendous loss to the cause of curing AIDs.

Thanks for the thread, hack.

[defacto7]

28. To think this was an accident has

a reasonable amount of probability, to think it was a random act of war is a high probability. But it is also possible it was a planned attack though a smaller probability. If it was planned it sets up quite a line of speculations that I won't begin to discuss as they border on tin hat. But there are many unexpected acts that have happened over the years. It just makes me put a few political strings together and I come up with some rather ugly possibilities.

[MohRokTah]

29. The Russian sponsored terrorists really don't care.

Time to call these animals what they are.

[DemocraticWing]

31. Rutherless persecution of minorities, annexing neighboring countries, and the murder of civilians...

Is the Putin Fan Club still cheerleading him after all this?

[IronLionZion]

32. Hatred kills people

Russians and Republicans share a hatred of the gays and anyone who might have HIV, so how long before they make some boneheaded comments about this

[Dorian Gray]

33. That makes a this

even more tragic.

[YarnAddict]

35. Tragic, yes, but

their research is not lost. Numerous people work closely on these projects, and those left alive will continue their work.

[Coventina]

36. A loss to all humanity.

Putin has much to answer for.