Lets talk stem cells and the Federal Government shall we? I read today that two Democratic congressmen challenged President Bush to go ahead and veto an expansion of FEDERALLY FUNDED embryonic stem cell research, which he is on record as saying he will do.
U.S Rep. McDermott and Rep. Inslee are publicly pressing for passage of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005. This bill will lift Bush’s 2001 ban on FEDERAL FUNDING for research of new embryonic stem cell lines – it is scheduled for a House vote this week. Rep. McDermott said of President Bush’s veto threat, “Bring it on” and face the fallout of public opinion.
I am emphasizes will all caps the words Federal and Funding for a reason. So many people think, thanks to the continuing misinformation we get from major media, that Bush’s 2001 legislation is an outright ban on embryonic research – it is NOT! What Bush is saying is this; the Federal Government is not going to open the money spigot for research that involves the destruction of human life. Human embryonic stem cell research is completely legal. It always has been – Bush did NOTHING to change that. That is fact/myth number one. I am amazed how many of our “educated elite” either chooses to misrepresent that or are completely ignorant to that fact. Fact #2 is this: Bush is the first President to even fund human embryonic stem cell research. He is just requiring that the research be limited to the 22 lines already created.
The proponents of changing this bill tell us that embryonic stem cells (the ones you have to artificially create and then kill) offer soooo much more hope of saving people suffering from paralyses, heart disease, acne, etc. Ok, maybe not acne, but I wouldn’t be surprised. Lets stop here and interject a little free market common sense.
When a free market economy is allowed to work, it works well. It has a knack for picking the winners and losers without any help from the government. If, as Mr McDermott and the others would have us believe, embryonic stem cells are the only sure fire answer to solving the worlds health problems, then our free market economy would be pouring money in by the truck loads - they same way it did to technology “start ups” in the 90’s. The capitalists are more than willing to have their money first in line when it comes time for a new product to pay off. If, embryonic stem cell research has such a promising future, WHY is it imperative for the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT to fund it?! These elitist frauds are playing on everyone’s natural fear of death to spread their lies. “Do you want to die of heart disease? Well, then you better hope the Federal Government starts funding this research or else you certainly will.” Come on – give me a break.
We have access, free of moral dilemma, to thousands of stem cells right now – adult stem cells. Adult stem cells have treated over 58 diseases in human patients in published clinical studies; embryonic stem cells have not treated one.
This shouldn’t even be an argument related to morality at all. Substitute stem cell research with oil exploration, computer technology, whatever, and I still don’t think that the Federal Government should be spending my tax dollars to support private R&D. In 1999, even President Clinton's National Bioethics Advisory Commission (NBAC) acknowledged broad agreement in our society that early human embryos "deserve respect as a form of human life" (NBAC, Ethical Issues in Human Stem Cell Research, 1999, p. ii). NBAC recommended funding of embryonic stem cell research, only if there were no alternatives. But there IS an alternative - adult stem cells.
Everyone wants a cure for paralysis, Alzheimer’s, etc. But don’t scare people into thinking that the ONLY way a cure can be found is if we create and kill thousands of human embryos for research. Those who tell you that just don’t have the facts.
Monday, May 23, 2005
Friday, May 20, 2005
Not another Blogger?!
Welcome! I’m glad you found this space. Of course, the three of you who are probably reading this were forced into it (thanks mom, dad, shell). This is really going to sound selfish, but this blog is more for me than it is for you. I think there is something therapeutic about expressing your opinions for the entire world to read – even if only three people actually do read it.
I caught the public opinion bug a couple of years ago as a guest host (both “guest” and “host” are used liberally here) on a local sport radio station (“sports” used liberally here as well). Richard Hunter, of the P1 Wild Ass Circus fame (1310 AM KTCK) invited me, and several others, on to help co-host a new radio format. I will save those memories for later posts, but needless to say, the idea of talking to millions, ok thousands, or at least hundreds of people at once was thrilling. It couldn’t have come at a better time for me – smack dab in the middle of a Presidential campaign (definitely more about that topic later).
I plan on using this forum as an extension of that radio opportunity to express my worldviews. I don’t suppose any topic is off limits. I intend to waste some space on politics, religion, sports (especially local to Dallas), family, morality, corporate life, music and whatever else tickles my fancy. And as always, I intend to interject just a little bit of common sense into things. And by that, you can assure yourself that there will be very little political correctness on my part – the bane of all common sense.
I don’t know if Albert Einstein said it best when he said, “Common sense is the collection of prejudices collected by age eighteen.”
Or if Gertrude Stein was right in that, “Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense.”
With all do respect to Mr. Relativity, I tend to disagree with Albert and agree with Gertrude. I think I have changed dramatically in my views since the age eighteen. Even though Mrs. Stein made her statement some 60 years ago, it probably is truer today than ever.
Well, that’s it in the way of introductions. I suppose I will come up with something contentious to say pretty soon - if for no other reason, than to hear myself talk.
I caught the public opinion bug a couple of years ago as a guest host (both “guest” and “host” are used liberally here) on a local sport radio station (“sports” used liberally here as well). Richard Hunter, of the P1 Wild Ass Circus fame (1310 AM KTCK) invited me, and several others, on to help co-host a new radio format. I will save those memories for later posts, but needless to say, the idea of talking to millions, ok thousands, or at least hundreds of people at once was thrilling. It couldn’t have come at a better time for me – smack dab in the middle of a Presidential campaign (definitely more about that topic later).
I plan on using this forum as an extension of that radio opportunity to express my worldviews. I don’t suppose any topic is off limits. I intend to waste some space on politics, religion, sports (especially local to Dallas), family, morality, corporate life, music and whatever else tickles my fancy. And as always, I intend to interject just a little bit of common sense into things. And by that, you can assure yourself that there will be very little political correctness on my part – the bane of all common sense.
I don’t know if Albert Einstein said it best when he said, “Common sense is the collection of prejudices collected by age eighteen.”
Or if Gertrude Stein was right in that, “Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense.”
With all do respect to Mr. Relativity, I tend to disagree with Albert and agree with Gertrude. I think I have changed dramatically in my views since the age eighteen. Even though Mrs. Stein made her statement some 60 years ago, it probably is truer today than ever.
Well, that’s it in the way of introductions. I suppose I will come up with something contentious to say pretty soon - if for no other reason, than to hear myself talk.
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