Poli Ramifications of Turning Tree

[gumOnShoe]

Imagine that you caught a mutated version of a wart virus. Normally, you'd just get a few painful bumps on part of your body. This time, however, they began to grow at an alarming rate, shooting out of your feet, giving you roots. It spreads up your legs, and down your arms. You lose use of your hands and you can walk, but extremely painfully. I can not stress enough how painful this is. And on the emotional level as well. Your wife, girlfriend, family, friends, and coworkers are scared of you. You can't work anymore. You can't love anymore.

What do you do? You rely on medicine as your last hope before you develop skin cancer or the growths kill off your vital organs. But what if your government, your country wouldn't let the one man who was capable of curing you cure you.

Let's move away from the hypotheticals and step into reality, or rather let me lift away the hypothetical and tell you this has all been true.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jht ml;jsessionid=SZQURCVG1CAYZQFIQMFCFGGAVC BQYIV0?xml=/news/2007/11/26/wtree126.xml

A man offered to try and find a cure, but the Indonesian government won't let it happen now. It is likely that Dede won't live much longer. Where to the Indonesians come from? Well, they can't let Americans solve all of their problems that they can't solve themselves or for all time Americans will be solving their problems. Unfortunately, if they don't solve their own problems then a man dies, a man who can possibly be saved.

At what points do the needs of a nation supercede the needs of the man? Is Indonesia's grasp for power too strong, or has their lack of power turned them into a feeble old woman clinging to her children as she drowns, not leting them survive?

It's a sad fate, to succumb to a virus, but can a country claim that they own a virus because it turned up in their country first? Are they aloud to tell the rest of the world that nothing should be done to stop this virus because they would lose advantage in the world market if some other country capatilizes on a way to save a man's life?

Or is the problem inside of America and it's health industry. An industry that cares so little for its own people, let alone those outside of the nation. Who here is to blame, is there anyone? Or does placing blame even help the real man, who is being devistated?

[gumOnShoe]

Working Links:
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[Kazuhiro]

Hm? Surely they had more reason than a cultural distaste for America.

[gumOnShoe]

At 1/15/08 10:57 PM, Kazuhiro wrote: Hm? Surely they had more reason than a cultural distaste for America.

As far as I have found, and you can check my links, they believe they own the virus and his blood and that any samples should stay inside the country. In other words, they won't let it out of the country because they want to claim ownership of a virus that mutated inside of their country. According to the article, and I don't know how accurate it is, the country did the same thing with bird flu samples.

[Kazuhiro]

Well then... Even as the morally bankrupt atheist I am, I have no argument. I mean, maybe they want to be the only ones with the cure, or they want the credit for curing it. Maybe there's even a bigger reason than that.

I really can't play devil's advocate here. That's really scary.

[deslona]

The attitude to not allow access to a virus by medical doctors from other countries disgusts me. If they allowed access or provided the necessary equipment and resources in Indonesia it may be acceptable. But I am sure they would claim a patent over it.

Simply put, the attitude of the Indonesian Minister disgusts me. A country that has continuously shown it cares little for its' people.

[gumOnShoe]

I think its a reflection on all of us, even Americans. It shows how our business practices have shaped our world and affected the individual. But it is also a reflection on those developing nations who don't care for their people because they are to concerened with not being manipulated and preserving their own power.

[Geordi-Laforge]

At 1/16/08 01:20 PM, gumOnShoe wrote: I think its a reflection on all of us, even Americans. It shows how our business practices have shaped our world and affected the individual. But it is also a reflection on those developing nations who don't care for their people because they are to concerened with not being manipulated and preserving their own power.

Yes it does.

I think if this really wants to have a chance, he needs to make a request to visit here, if they're allowed to travel outside of the country in that country :/

After all, his infection isn't contagious, and any help we might possibly request while visiting here would be advantageous for everyone. The oppressive asian government wouldn't be stretching to foreign doctors for answers, and they'd be letting a dying man make his last wish, to see the world.

...in a perfect world...

[gumOnShoe]

At 1/16/08 01:34 PM, Geordi-Laforge wrote: ...in a perfect world...

I doubt that they would let him leave, I mean if they aren't going to let a blood sample out, why let the person out. Same thing, right?

And on top of that anyway, name an airline that's going to carry a guy that looks like that? I don't know how he would travel out of the country anyway.

[LazyDrunk]

At 1/16/08 01:47 PM, gumOnShoe wrote:

At 1/16/08 01:34 PM, Geordi-Laforge wrote: ...in a perfect world...

I doubt that they would let him leave, I mean if they aren't going to let a blood sample out, why let the person out. Same thing, right?

Yeah, that's what I mean. There'd need to be some crazy angle like, "I got long lost family living 20 minutes from the Mayo clinic", ya know? Long shot, of course, but hey, what's there to lose?

And on top of that anyway, name an airline that's going to carry a guy that looks like that? I don't know how he would travel out of the country anyway.

Norwest could use the publicity.