Great idea Barb!  The only problem is that the pro-life zealots will not embrace a religion that promotes free choice.  My personal opinion is that if Bush-Cheney win in November this country and the rights of all, including the disabled, women, minorities, gays, and others will be set back 20 years.  I shudder to think of the Supreme Court appointments they will make.  If anyone has any political contacts now is the time to start beating down their doors.

Greg
47/35/35
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Barb_MSN" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, August 05, 2000 3:28 PM
Subject: Re: NIH priorities and George W


> Phil T. and All....
> 
> Whence last I checked, the U.S. Constitution still espouses the
> separation of church and state.  Therefore, all we Parkies need to
> do to assure Parkinson's researchers and PD patients continued
> stem cell (and other promising treatments) research no matter what
> the politicians say or try to do vis a vis such much needed
> research, is to declare Parkinson's a RELIGION!
> 
>  Heck,  we can even CANONIZE James Parkinson to get the ball
> rolling.. <wee smirk>
> 
> Barb (about to become very religious! Mallut
> [log in to unmask]
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Phil Tompkins <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Saturday, August 05, 2000 8:22 AM
> Subject: NIH priorities and George W
> 
> 
> Thank you, Linda, for keeping us up to date on the NIH priorities.
> Unfortunately, one of the priority items, stem cell research,
> would
> be jeopardized should George W. Bush be elected, according to a
> June 8 article by Morton Kondracke:
> 
> "... Bush is siding with the pro-life movement on the issue of
> federal
> funding of medical research using embryonic stem cells, which has
> the promise of curing diseases including diabetes, cancer and
> Alzheimer’s.
> 
> "...Bush’s position was first disclosed in the Wall Street Journal
> on
> May 30. The governor’s aides told me he favors a ban on federal
> funding for stem-cell research “because of his pro-life views.”
> Asked
> how much politics weighed into the decision, they said, “Very
> little.”
> 
> "According to aides, Bush also opposes federal research using
> tissue obtained from aborted fetuses, although that would be
> harder
> to stop by presidential executive order because it’s been
> authorized by Congress.
> 
> "The right-to-life movement fought fetal tissue research in the
> 1980s
> and successfully persuaded Ronald Reagan and George W.
> Bush’s father to ban federal funding by executive order.
> 
> "During various Congressional fights to lift the ban, disease
> groups
> won over such pro-lifers as then-Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan, and Sens.
> Strom Thurmond, R-S.C.; Pete Domenici, R-N.M.; Connie Mack, R-
> Fla.; and John McCain, R-Ariz.
> 
> "Dole declared in one debate that permitting research to fight
> disease was 'the pro-life position to take.' President George Bush
> vetoed Congress’ lifting of his ban, but President Clinton and
> Congress reversed that policy in 1993...."
> 
> See the complete article at
> http://www.rollcall.com/pages/columns/kondracke/00/
> kond0608.html
> 
> For background on this issue:
> 
> NIH has a good introductory article on stem cells at
> http://www.nih.gov/news/stemcell/primer.htm and further info at
> http://www.nih.gov/news/stemcell/index.htm
> 
> The Association of American Medical Colleges web site has been
> tracking the Congressional stem cell debates and documents:
> http://www.aamc.org/advocacy/issues/research/stemcell1.htm
> 
> Our Senators and Representatives must be contacted and urged to
> support stem cell research.  Senators also must support Sen.
> Arlen Specter's bill S2015, which would permit federally funded
> researchers to derive stem cells under NIH guidelines from
> discarded embryos created during in-vitro fertilization.
> 
> Phil Tompkins
> Amherst, Mass.
> age 62/dx 1990
>