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U2's Bono cites moral compass to fight Aids
LINCOLN (AP) - A rock star's campaign to enlist the financial support of the U.S. government in stopping the spread of AIDS in Africa started in the American Midwest. For a very good reason, said U2 lead singer Bono.>"There is a sense of community, of family, a certain decency that we need to convince the politicians," Bono said Sunday. "There is a moral compass in this part of the country that reads clearly when it knows the facts.">Bono, whose given name is Paul David Hewson, said he didn't come to lecture. Instead, the Irish rocker wanted to hear what Nebraskans are willing to do to help convince their lawmakers to divert government funds toward the AIDS crisis in Africa.
"These people ... are the ones that will send the message to Washington that we're looking for," he said.
Bono also wants the American government to forgive the debts of African nations so that money can be channeled to fighting the disease.
His year-old organization - Debt, AIDS, Trade Africa - received the moral support from the world's second richest man, Omaha billionaire Warren Buffett.
"I welcome him, and I welcome his ideas," Buffett said before the Sunday night event that drew 2,300 people to the Lied Center for Performing Arts.
To those that believe there are not enough people that care about the AIDS crisis, Bono countered there are enough to make changes.
"You are more powerful than you think," he told the stilled crowd. "It's not about charity. It's about justice and equality."
Also taking part in the World AIDS Day event were actress Ashley Judd and four-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong.
"We're extraordinarily honored to be here to learn and to challenge other people around the world to say, 'You know what, a $4 dollar shot can prevent a mother from transmitting the HIV virus to her infant,"' Judd said.
Agnes Nyamayarwo, an Ugandan woman living with HIV, told of her experiences when working with AIDS patients in her country.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln junior Nicholas Willis, 21, said that put the crisis into perspective for him.
"It puts faces on the numbers," he said.
Bono and Judd, best known for the movies "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" and "Double Jeopardy," helped assemble about 20 panels of the traveling AIDS quilt earlier Sunday at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Student Union.
Despite Judd's high-heeled shoes and Bono's admitted fear of heights, the two climbed a ladder to fasten a piece of the panel.
"It's fine if I don't look down," Bono said as he tentatively stood midway up the ladder as Judd climbed to the top.
Bono also appeared at St. Paul United Methodist Church to help deliver the Sunday sermon. He brought along Nyamayarwo, who spread the message about the importance of anti-retroviral drugs for someone living with HIV.
Bono has spent much of the last year advocating relief for African debt and AIDS awareness. He said a 1986 trip to Africa left a lasting impression on him that action needed to be taken.
He traveled to Africa in May with U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill to draw attention to the needs of the continent.
Bono's Debt, AIDS, Trade Africa tour was to continue in six other states, including Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.
U2's Bono cites moral compass to fight Aids
LINCOLN (AP) - A rock star's campaign to enlist the financial support of the U.S. government in stopping the spread of AIDS in Africa started in the American Midwest. For a very good reason, said U2 lead singer Bono.>"There is a sense of community, of family, a certain decency that we need to convince the politicians," Bono said Sunday. "There is a moral compass in this part of the country that reads clearly when it knows the facts.">Bono, whose given name is Paul David Hewson, said he didn't come to lecture. Instead, the Irish rocker wanted to hear what Nebraskans are willing to do to help convince their lawmakers to divert government funds toward the AIDS crisis in Africa.
"These people ... are the ones that will send the message to Washington that we're looking for," he said.
Bono also wants the American government to forgive the debts of African nations so that money can be channeled to fighting the disease.
His year-old organization - Debt, AIDS, Trade Africa - received the moral support from the world's second richest man, Omaha billionaire Warren Buffett.
"I welcome him, and I welcome his ideas," Buffett said before the Sunday night event that drew 2,300 people to the Lied Center for Performing Arts.
To those that believe there are not enough people that care about the AIDS crisis, Bono countered there are enough to make changes.
"You are more powerful than you think," he told the stilled crowd. "It's not about charity. It's about justice and equality."
Also taking part in the World AIDS Day event were actress Ashley Judd and four-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong.
"We're extraordinarily honored to be here to learn and to challenge other people around the world to say, 'You know what, a $4 dollar shot can prevent a mother from transmitting the HIV virus to her infant,"' Judd said.
Agnes Nyamayarwo, an Ugandan woman living with HIV, told of her experiences when working with AIDS patients in her country.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln junior Nicholas Willis, 21, said that put the crisis into perspective for him.
"It puts faces on the numbers," he said.
Bono and Judd, best known for the movies "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" and "Double Jeopardy," helped assemble about 20 panels of the traveling AIDS quilt earlier Sunday at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Student Union.
Despite Judd's high-heeled shoes and Bono's admitted fear of heights, the two climbed a ladder to fasten a piece of the panel.
"It's fine if I don't look down," Bono said as he tentatively stood midway up the ladder as Judd climbed to the top.
Bono also appeared at St. Paul United Methodist Church to help deliver the Sunday sermon. He brought along Nyamayarwo, who spread the message about the importance of anti-retroviral drugs for someone living with HIV.
Bono has spent much of the last year advocating relief for African debt and AIDS awareness. He said a 1986 trip to Africa left a lasting impression on him that action needed to be taken.
He traveled to Africa in May with U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill to draw attention to the needs of the continent.
Bono's Debt, AIDS, Trade Africa tour was to continue in six other states, including Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.
