Dolores, you are so right.  The suffering in this world is monstrous and to
not take the opportunity to do something about it is indeed a great moral
failure.  How many egregious acts does this administration have to commit
before people wake up?
ray
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dolores Buente" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2005 11:50 AM
Subject: Re: PD and politics


> Dear List members,
>
> I feel that Linda's message in regard to PD and politics is  so important
> that it bears repeating and deserves our time to reflect upon  it and
> fully
> comprehend its meaning.
>
> Linda wrote that anyone who thinks that finding a cure for Parkinson's
> doesn't involve politics is living with their head buried in the sand.
> She
> explains that it took three years of political activism to pass the Udall
> bill  and
> that Parkinson's research would still be receiving the lowest  funding of
> all
> chronic illnesses if people hadn't worked politically to turn  that
> around.
>
> She points out that while billions of dollars are being spent on the war
> in
> Iraq, the proposed budget for the NIH this year is a 1/2 percent
> increase.
> With the rate of inflation, this represents less dollars than we  had to
> work
> with last year.
>
> The current administration is ignoring the advice of scientific experts in
> their fields in favor of the opinions of religious fundamentalists and neo
> conservatives.  Medical advisory committees have been stacked with those
> who
> share the President's social and religious beliefs.  Scientific
> associations
> have termed George W. Bush as "The most anti-science President  in
> history."
>
> As a person with Parkinson's disease, these are all very important issues
> to
> me.  These issues affect my life and my future. They  affect the lives and
> futures of my children and grandchild.  I am  but one of many whose lives
> and
> futures are affected by  the decisions our political leaders wish to make
> for us
> (for  society) and I do not choose to sit back quietly and  politely when
> I
> do not agree.  I think we all should have learned a  lesson on that when
> we
> watched as levees broke, a city  flooded and thousands of lives were
> jeopardized
> as a result of a failure of  leadership to initiate either a responsible
> plan
> for  prevention or an organized plan for responsive emergency action.
>
> Yes, I know, and I will agree with the principle that our leadership  is
> not
> responsible for nor can they be expected to prevent or remand  every
> disastrous act of nature and every affliction that can befall  us.  What I
> do not agree
> with is our leaders being presented with  a reasonable opportunity to
> fund,
> explore, research and hopefully  find cures for some of mankind's most
> devastating diseases through  embryonic stem cell research and their
> choice not to do
> so....I call that a  monstrous failure of leadership!
>
> There are some who will find this message inappropriate to this forum  but
> in
> spite of the risk of being offensive, I feel it imperative to  express to
> the
> Parkinson's community my feelings about the importance of  PD's connection
> to
> politics and the need to be vocal on this  issue.
>
> Dee
>
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