PolitiFact: Bryan Fischer Rated A "Pants On Fire" Liar For AIDS Claims

After President Obama mentioned the loss of HIV/AIDS researchers on the downed Malaysian Airlines flight, hate group spokesman Bryan Fischer declared that Obama was "politicizing" their deaths in order to legitimize gay relationships. Fischer went on to claim, "We know how to stop AIDS: persuade men not to have sex with men." PolitiFact looked into Fischer's bullshit and gave him their worst rating as being a "Pants On Fire" liar.

Globally, the dominant form of transmission is heterosexual sex, said Sophie Barton Knott, UNAIDS spokeswoman. Nearly half of people with HIV are female, and most were infected through heterosexual sex. Most of the 50.9 percent of men with HIV got it through heterosexual sex, too, she said. The highest rates of AIDS among 15- to 24-year-olds is among women in many parts of the world, said Seth Faison, spokesman for The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. And in Eastern Europe, the highest transmission rates of AIDS are among people who inject drugs. "Men who have sex with men are a high-risk group, but not the only one," he said. The bottom line? Preventing men from having sex with men will not end AIDS. Faison said the criminalization of same-sex activity actually can increase transmission rates. Being gay is a crime in at least 76 countries, and in those places, gay men are less likely to receive treatment, testing and prevention. The CDC also says stigma and homophobia are likely one factor behind the rise in HIV infections among young gay men in the United States. "In effect, efforts to ‘persuade men not to have sex with men’ is counterproductive," Faison said. "It will not stop AIDS." Fischer’s claim is ridiculous. It rates Pants on Fire.

But we all knew that, of course.

Obama Speaks About Airliner Attack

This afternoon President Obama held a press conference on the shooting down of the Malaysian airliner. Here's an excerpt of his statement via a transcript provided by the White House:

Here’s what we know so far. Evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile that was launched from an area that is controlled by Russian-backed separatists inside of Ukraine. We also know that this is not the first time a plane has been shot down in eastern Ukraine. Over the last several weeks, Russian-backed separatists have shot down a Ukrainian transport plane and a Ukrainian helicopter, and they claimed responsibility for shooting down a Ukrainian fighter jet. Moreover, we know that these separatists have received a steady flow of support from Russia. This includes arms and training. It includes heavy weapons, and it includes anti-aircraft weapons.

Here’s what must happen now. This was a global tragedy. An Asian airliner was destroyed in European skies, filled with citizens from many countries. So there has to be a credible international investigation into what happened. The U.N. Security Council has endorsed this investigation, and we will hold all its members -- including Russia -- to their word. In order to facilitate that investigation, Russia, pro-Russian separatists, and Ukraine must adhere to an immediate cease-fire. Evidence must not be tampered with. Investigators need to access the crash site. And the solemn task of returning those who were lost on board the plane to their loved ones needs to go forward immediately.

Near the end of his remarks, the president paid tribute to the many AIDS researchers who perished in the attack.

Let me close by making one additional comment. On board Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17, there were apparently nearly 100 researchers and advocates traveling to an international conference in Australia dedicated to combating AIDS/HIV. These were men and women who had dedicated their own lives to saving the lives of others and they were taken from us in a senseless act of violence. In this world today, we shouldn’t forget that in the midst of conflict and killing, there are people like these -- people who are focused on what can be built rather than what can be destroyed; people who are focused on how they can help people that they’ve never met; people who define themselves not by what makes them different from other people but by the humanity that we hold in common. It’s important for us to lift them up and to affirm their lives. And it’s time for us to heed their example.

After his prepared statement, the president took questions from the press about sanctions against Russia.

Porno Pete: I Was Wrong About Putin

(Tipped by JMG reader Ashton)

REPORT: Airliner Shot Down Over Ukraine

Story developing...

TRAILER: The Vanishing Act

Via the Associated Press:

The director of a movie based on the Malaysian Airlines plane disappearance is apologizing for a trailer that suggests a love triangle among members of its crew. Rupesh Paul announced "The Vanishing Act" at the Cannes Film Festival. A brief trailer for the film, which has not yet been cast, shows two crew members kissing as a third looks at them angrily. In a statement to The Associated Press, Rupesh Paul Productions said he was removing that element of the teaser trailer soon "so as not to hurt sentiments" of the families of those on the plane. He also offered "an unconditional apology to the families of the missing MH 370 passengers" and said he never "meant to hurt any of the grieving friends and families of the passengers in the missing plane nor make profit over the missing passengers."

SNL: CNN Pregnancy Test