AIDS advocacy as a model?

paolo...firstly i just want to say this is a great post

Ive taken a quick read through the linked document (il digest again later lol) and it is indeed very interesting.

I think as individuals we are very passive about a cure for our own Spinal Cord Injury. The AIDS movement was intelligently thought out and collaborated and as bob says there was a driving force, a motivation..stemming from desperation.

I think to develop a movement similar is possible but would need very similar elements to the AIDS movement model. People with such drive are far and few between and the understanding and knowledge on the science of SCI research.
But im sure there are many potential potential campaigners or current ones who could set this into motion. You are making a good start paolo, your posts are thought provoking.

6 years ago i became involved with a horse rescue organisation..the campaign was to try stop the live export of horses travelling from France to Italy for slaughter. I was involved, firstly, with a huge charitable organisation but then realised that the charity was being 'clever'.

The organisation uses the plight of these horses that die along the journey as their 'front' and use it to receive donations from horse lovers. 70 years, with the same campaign and no change, the export continues..the charity still uses this plight as their platform for receiving funds that they use elsewhere and only a small proportion goes for its intended purpose.
They cleverly undercover videos that show the horrific state of these animals and deaths to gain donations.

So i tried to campaign myself after becoming dissolusioned, I saved and purchased one of the horses in France that was due to travel to Italy, brought him to the UK and contacted newspapers and charities.
All i wanted was a petition signing and to be honest, many people, even people who owned horses could not be bother....it was impossible to do on my own.

Sorry to divert but your post reminded me of my experience.

Wow Lara, I remember helping my son with a paper on horse slaughter. I learned a lot about life from that one even about president Obama. They presented the slaughter of horses as an act of mercy to the wild starving horses. There were votes on it and would you know the only two states the slaughter was approved was Texas and Illinois the reason being they were the only states that had slaughter houses, so at the time I guess Obama went along with the slaughterhouse's lobbyist for a while until the public uproar came along, then he changed his opinion.

Do people who want to protect horses fight with each other?

Too bad that's not the case with Sci Cure research goals

Well guys seems that in general charity accountability is in need of some structured overseeing of finances

bob..maybe its time that SCI has a voice thats heard