Thursday, August 26, 2010

Joe "The Popper King" Miller Dead

Joe Miller, one of the largest financial contributors to Indiana Democrats and the world's largest manufacturer of Poppers is dead according to fellow blogger Ruth Holladay. She says a source tells her he took his own life last night:

A known contributor to Dem causes, Joe Miller, a gay man, has died. By his own hand.

Tragic.

Here is a portion of an email from a source:

"You've probably heard that Joe Miller died late last night. Joe was a controversial figure in the gay community---I'm sure you've heard of his travels and tribulations. He made lots of money and spread it around. Rumors about his lifestyle are rampant, and always hahve been. Yet, he was largely a recluse."
I wrote earlier this summer about how an Atlanta gay activist died after using Poppers while he was on the prescription drug Levitra. Miller's company, Great Lakes Products, illegally distributed Poppers as a recreational inhalant largely in the gay community, where it is sold in gay bars, adult bookstores and over the Internet. Miller once boasted that he was the largest manufacturer of Poppers in the world and spent more money than any other business on advertising in gay publications. Miller gave large campaign contributions to politicians like the late U.S. Rep. Julia Carson, former Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson and U.S. Rep. Baron Hill. According to Indiana campaign finance data, Miller and his businesses contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to Indiana Democratic committees and candidates in recent years. He also donated generously to Indianapolis' Damien Center, which aids in the treatment of people suffering from HIV/AIDS. Ironically, Miller's product played a key role in the spread of HIV/AIDS among gay men, although the proven connection was largely ignored by the mainstream media. Indianapolis media rarely reported on Miller, who was one of Indianapolis' most successfull businessmen.

11 comments:

artfuggins said...

I find this posting tasteless and insensitive.

Gary R. Welsh said...

Tell that to all the dead gay men who used Poppers thinking they were totally safe.

Carlos F. Lam said...

Gary, at the risk of sounding naive, what are "Poppers?"

Gary R. Welsh said...

Poppers are a recreational drug. They are not supposed to be ingested by humans except by a physician's prescription; however, they are cleverly marketed in small bottles as room deodorizers or video head cleaner. They are made from butyl or alkyl nitrates. Physicians sometimes prescribe them in pill form for certain heart conditions. In the bottle form, they are inhaled and used as a recreational drug that gives the user a sudden rush or feeling of euphoria. When combined with drugs like Viagra, Cialis or Levitra, they can cause a sudden drop in blood pressure resulting in death. The liquid chemical substance will cause severe burns on human skin if contact is made.

Marycatherine Barton said...

I wonder if his poppers were a factor in his suicide.

Unknown said...

I knew Joe and his death saddens me, just as I'm sure it saddens his family and friends a great deal. Joe was an incredibly generous and caring man. It is heartbreaking that one's psychic pain can be so great that it results in suicide.

Learn more about Joe at:
http://jfmillerfoundation.org/meetjoemiller.html

indyernie said...

So what you aren’t directly stating is that Julia Carson and several prominent democrats were re-elected on donations from a known drug king pin. And indirectly Carson and crew can be linked to the deaths of men nationwide. I believe it.

Roderick St. John said...

Very sad ending for a very sad man.

I'm wondering if his illegal drug activity caught up with his conscience. Perhaps it was his unrequited, seemingly bottomless love of youths of the world, especially those in Thailand.

Sad
.

popperdude said...

"Miller's company, Great Lakes Products, illegally distributed Poppers as a recreational inhalant largely in the gay community, where it is sold in gay bars, adult bookstores and over the Internet." Where are your sources that support this statement? Poppers aren't illegal. What's sold online and in adult bookstores are not an illegal substance. And poppers don't spread HIV - PEOPLE do. People who die while using poppers and medications like Levitra, Cialis and Viagra are reckless and either know the combination is lethal and don't care or are really stupid.

Gary R. Welsh said...

When they are sold for human consumption as a recreational drug inhalant, they are illegal. There's a reason physicians are required to write a script for nitrates to treat heart conditions, popperdude. Party on.

Lux314159 said...

The medical literature on poppers is extensive. Even if "AIDS" had never raised its ugly head, there would still be compelling reasons not to use them. Poppers are hazardous to the health. At present the use of poppers is the only tenable hypothesis for the occurrence of Kaposi's sarcoma in gay men. Check out:

http://paganpressbooks.com/jpl/POPPERS.HTM

JL