> Not to defend the Red Cross, but that seems to be an FDA policy.
>> "Spending time that adds up to six months or more on military bases in
>> Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Italy or
>> Greece from 1980-1996" disqualifies a person too. Of course, they're
>> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: That 'spending six months or more on
>> military bases' is another way of asking the same question about
>> homosexual activity. As far as trying to 'avoid anyone with a
> I don't think so Pat. Those are dates for which Mad Cow disease was
> a concern. I lived in France for a year around 1994 and was barred
> from blood donation for 10 years after I got back because of Mad Cow
> concerns. Maybe it's some other concern, but I doubt they are equating
> being stationed in those places with homosexualality. I'm not defending
> the Red Cross or the FDA's policies here, just saying those dates look
> an awful lot like the dates they had for possible Mad Cow contamination
> in Europe and they only thought it was a problem if you were there for
> 6 months or more, probably to avoid barring everyone who took a vacation.
> Bill Ranck
> Blacksburg, Va.
Gotta agree with Bill: it is all about RISK: testing is not perfect.
Hey, they are 'this close' to disqualifying senior citizens because they take cruises out of the country!-)