Comments:HIV-positive man receives 35 years for spitting on Dallas police officer

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35 years?

35 years? How is that fair. If that happened to a normal citizen a prison sentence would be unlikely but as soon as it happens to a police officer its a serious crime. Anonymous101 :) 09:53, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

The minimum is already 25 for the habitual offender statute. I would think the additional ten would be coming out of the assault with a deadly weapon. The combination of minimum get tough on crime laws, assaulting a police officer, fear/misunderstanding of HIV/AIDS all appear to have played a role in this. Also was this man homeless, and did he have any mental health issues? Biting people in prison I would think would indicate that. -Optigan13 (talk) 10:43, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

So what?

So what if HIV has never been transmitted from saliva? The man, by spitting on the officer and simultaneously proclaiming he had AIDS, intended to cause potentially fatal harm. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.18.179.242 (talk) 16:38, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

Absolutely; even if it's one-hundred percent physically impossible to pass it on in such a way, if he believed that it could be and he spat at the officer with the intent to do so, that's nothing less than attempted murder (by proxy, I'll admit), surely? 149.254.200.220 09:52, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

HIV positive man with history of spitting and biting others

Information would be welcome as to the risk of such behavior, including the HIV status of the persons he spit on or otherwise tried to infect. 209.5.160.73 17:32, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

Oh the news.

This made me smile. w:User:Ian Lee 19:36, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

Still dangerous

Saliva is very dangerous from HIV positive people. A study once found people with HIV had given it to babies. They chewed food, then fed it to them. HIV sufferers often have bleeding gums; the blood in the saliva passed on the virus. Blood Red Sandman ^{(Talk) (Contribs)} 20:01, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

Do you have a link to this info or a way to find the specific study? Cirt (talk) 20:50, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

Common sense, I would think - if he had any kind of small cut, or ulcer on his lips or mouth, that would be enough for the virus to transfer from blood to saliva. - Vechs —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.31.106.145 (talk) 21:08, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

Have a Reuters story. Try Google for others. Don't know where the report itself is. Blood Red Sandman ^{(Talk) (Contribs)} 21:13, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

Ah thanks, but even so, there is still the CDC info, Saliva, Tears, and Sweat. In any event, I hope the article gives the matter a neutral treatment. Cirt (talk) 22:01, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

Yes, the article deals very well with a controversial topic. First-class work. Blood Red Sandman ^{(Talk) (Contribs)} 22:20, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

Thank you, much appreciated. Cirt (talk) 22:29, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

Pathetic

35 years for spitting on someone? I admit that it's a disgusting thing to do, but 35 years in prison for it? Someone needs their head checked. It's almost impossible to transfer HIV through saliva, I learned that when I was like, 13.

Proof that Texas are still lagging behind in the evolution chain. Retards. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.42.220.94 (talk) 21:37, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

I was inclined to think it was rather excessive for the offence of spitting but the sentence was 25yrs for the habitual offender issue and 10yrs for the assualt with a deadly weapon (i.e. spitting). Also, although HIV has never been shown to be transmitted via saliva, there is always the issue of mouth ulcers etc. which could result in blood being present in saliva. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Nk.sheridan (talk • contribs) 21:48, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

Also, because the saliva made contact with the police officer's eyes and mouth, it's more likely to enter his system than if it had only been contact on his skin. Plain old saliva is clean of HIV, but mixed with other body fluids, there's a small but significant chance. Just the fact that he informed the police officer that he had AIDS is enough to conclude that whether possible or not, he intended to harm the officer. - 207.54.204.19 14:59, 19 May 2008 (UTC)

Uh...

How is the healthcare in prison, I mean does it exist? Cause I'm lookin' at my last set of quotes and I can't speak French, so.... 35years healthcare for spitting would be nice. Or is that just at Gitmo? 71.56.114.89 11:43, 19 May 2008 (UTC)

Sentence is justified

There are two reasons why I think this sentence is justified. Firstly, as mentioned above, though saliva itself does not contain much HIV, blood that might be mixed with the saliva does and could transmit the virus. Secondly, the actions of the man clearly shows that he intended to use his saliva as a weapon by attempting to transmit HIV through it. 76.64.105.110 15:48, 19 May 2008 (UTC)

He's going to die in prison

LOL —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.180.8.4 (talk) 07:02, 20 May 2008 (UTC)

Headline misleading

I believe the article written is misleading to the public and, based on the headline, is sensationalistic and not true news reporting. The fact is the HIV-positive man did not receive his prison sentence because of the spitting incident. He received his prison sentence because he was a repeat offender with a history of violent behavior towards others and public servants. His prison sentence was INCREASED because of the intention to cause harm with his spitting (even though the CDC has stated that transmission of HIV through saliva has never been reported). Aside from the misrepresentation of the actual details of the case and factual reporting, the author has decided, intentionally or not, to rile up fear regarding HIV transmission and people living with HIV and AIDS. Because of this, this article should be revised or stricken from the Wikinews webpage, if one wants to retain and improve upon the journalistic integrity of the website. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.42.1.171 (talk) 15:58, 20 May 2008 (UTC)

Please see very similar wording in headlines in main stream media publications such as The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle, Sydney Morning Herald, United Press International, USA Today, and probably a whole slew more can be found in a simple web search. Cirt (talk) 10:06, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

my son is being lied on by the chicago police also

my son was being beaten by a mob of men when i called the police when the police showed up they maced my son and the mob arrested one of them and my son the leut came into my home where i explained to him that my son and his gay lover had a misunderstanding then he called all these guys over but it appeared they werent trying to help me and my son they started to conduct an illegal search in my home then beat my son for tryin to rinse the chemical out of his face after i tried to asked them to leave my home they asked me if i wanted handcuffs on me proceded to lock my son up in hand cuffs and charged him with domestic battery, took him to a hospital where he recently had visited they knew his hiv status and gave his info to police when he arrived at the police station they threatened him and told him he would be charged with assault to an officer if he didnt not sign something

my son is only 18 i need help stetknee@netzero.com —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.150.118.47 (talk) 23:54, 30 July 2008 (UTC)