190Thursday, July 13, 2006 - THE SETTLER SHOT WITH ARROWS: How We Can Win
The story is told of a settler found shot full of arrows, many as a
porcupine has quills-- but the single-shot rifle he carried was still
loaded.
There are two things wrong with that picture.
One of course is that the poor man could not decide where to fire his single
bullet, and so left it useless in the weapon.
If I was to be found dead after a similar battle, I want every bullet I have
to be expended, every throw-able rock in the neighborhood flung, and my
rifle barrel bent from being wrapped around adversarial noggins.
And the other thing wrong with that picture?
Yesterday I sat in on the phone meeting for the Coalition for the
Advancement of Medical Research.
Sean Tipton, President of CAMR led the meeting, and he announced there was
representation from 75 advocate groups in on the call.
Tuesday or Wednesday next week is the Senate vote on the Stem Cell Research
Enhancement Act, according to the latest information.
Behind the scenes, the White House is pulling out all the stops, trying to
prevent the bill from reaching the President.
If the White House can persuade just a Senator or two to change their minds,
that might be enough to gain only 59 votes instead of the 60 we need for our
bill to pass.
We cannot let that happen.
As Sean put it, "This is the bill we have been working toward for five
years. It is the only pro-cure, pro-patient, pro-research bill."
Remember, despite all his protestations, there is a chance the President
will sign the bill.
And even if he vetoes it-we still have a chance to win, by over-riding the
veto..
And if we cannot muster the 67 Senatorial votes needed to cancel the
President's wishes?
The American Public will remember in November.
If one party's dominance of government blocks life-saving research, that
dominance must be loosened, or it becomes dictatorship.
America is watching. Will research be funded which may one day cure
paralysis and cancer?
Or will the religious objections of a narrow minority prevail?
Behind the scenes, our organization-CAMR, the Coalition for the Advancement
of Medical Research-is working night and day.
But they are only as strong as we make them.
Being of an age when everything reminds me of something else, I remember a
Mighty Mouse cartoon which came out in World War Two.
It concerned an invasion of cats, very Nazi-like, and loaded with weapons:
tanks, planes, guns, bombs, you name it.
But Mighty Mouse did not fight the cats alone-- no solitary super-rodent he!
He organized the mice.
They worked together, and as they worked, they sang a song which still rings
in my mind,
"We did it before, and we can do it again, yes, we can do it again-we did it
before-and we'll do it again!"
Notice the operative word-we, as in "we can", and "we will".
Many good points were brought out in the meeting (I was outside and did not
have a pencil, or I would have taken notes) but the number one goal-- was
for everyone to just keep doing.
Re-contact friendly Senators, reminding them we appreciate their courage,
and willingness to go to bat for us. You called them before? Please call
again.
(Hint: You might feel more comfortable calling after hours and leaving a
message; emails work too. Faxes, hand-delivered letters, telegrams,--
probably paper airplanes would work-but in one way or another, we must reach
out, let them know they have support. )
We have no way of knowing what the opposition may offer by way of political
"horse-trading"-"vote the research down, and we will help you on that pet
project for your state"-we only can know what we are doing.
Good news: Senator Bill Frist appears to be working hard to pass our bill.
We may (and probably will) have to quarrel with him when it comes to SCNT
later on; but right now, he is acting as a Senator looking out for all
Americans, and we need to let him know we appreciate it. Remember he is
paying a political price for supporting HR 810. There are more of us
supporters of stem cell research than there are opponents-but the other side
is strong, well-organized, and extremely well-funded.
Open your phonebook, spend an hour contacting your Aunt Gertrude who hasn't
spoken to you since that unfortunate incident with the punchbowl New Year's
Eve-ask her to contact her Senator, and leave a phone message.
Write a letter to the editor. Write ten, even knowing they may not be
published-because every letter is duly noted by the editor, and they
absolutely are sensitive to the interests of their readership-and if your
letter is printed, the Senator's staff will read that as an expression of
the community's will.
Want another sample letter?
By some strange coincidence, I just happen to have one.
Here is a letter signed by some of the groups represented in CAMR.  Be sure
and check if your group is listed.
If your group is not listed, or not yet a member, here is Lisa Hughes, a
leader at CAMR who needs to hear from you immediately:
"If you are NOT a member of CAMR, please indicate if you would like to add
your organization's name by 12:00 noon Friday. You can e-mail me at
[log in to unmask]  I apologize for the quick turnaround time,
but we need to have this complete and to the Hill before the debate begins
on Monday.-Lisa Hughes."
July 14, 2006
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator:

We, the undersigned patient advocacy groups, health organizations, research
universities,
scientific societies, and other interested institutions and associations,
representing
millions of patients, scientists, health care providers and advocates, write
you with our
strong and unified support for H.R. 810, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement
Act.

We urge your vote in favor of H.R. 810 when the Senate considers the measure
next week.Of the bills being considered simultaneously, only H.R. 810 will
move stem cell research forward in our country. This is the bill which holds
promise for expanding medical breakthroughs.

The other two bills - the Alternative Pluripotent Stem Cell Therapies
Enhancement Act (S. 2754) and the Fetus Farming Prohibition Act (S. 3504) -
are NOT substitutes for a YES vote on H.R. 810.

H.R. 810 is the pro-patient and pro-research bill. A vote in support of H.R.
810 will be
considered a vote in support of more than 100 million patients in the U.S.
and substantial progress for research.

Please work to pass H.R. 810 immediately.

Sincerely,

Alliance for Aging Research
Alliance for Stem Cell Research
Alpha-1 Foundation
ALS Association
American Association for Cancer Research
American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurological
Surgeons
American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association
American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
American Diabetes Association
American Gastroenterological Association
American Medical Association
American Parkinson's Disease Association (Arizona Chapter)
American Society for Cell Biology
American Society for Microbiology
American Society for Neural Transplantation and Repair
American Society for Reproductive Medicine
American Society of Hematology
American Thyroid Association
Association of American Medical Colleges
Association of American Universities
Association of Independent Research Institutes
Association of Professors of Medicine
Association of Reproductive Health Professionals
Axion Research Foundation
Biotechnology Industry Organization
B'nai B'rith International
The Burnham Institute
California Insitute of Technology
Californians for Cures
Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation
Cedars-Sinai Health System
Children's Neurobiological Solutions Foundation
Christopher Reeve Foundation
Columbia University Medical Center
Cornell University
CuresNow
Duke University Medical Center
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
FasterCures
FD Hope Foundation
Genetics Policy Institute
Hadassah
Harvard University
Hereditary Disease Foundation
International Foundation for Anticancer Drug Discovery (IFADD)
International Longevity Center - USA
International Society for Stem Cell Research
Jeffrey Modell Foundation
Johns Hopkins
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
Massachusetts Biotechnology Council
National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research
National Association for Biomedical Research
National Coalition for Cancer Research
National Council on Spinal Cord Injury
National Health Council
National Partnership for Women and Families
National Venture Capital Association
New Jersey Association for Biomedical Research
New York University Medical Center
Parkinson's Action Network
Parkinson's Disease Foundation
Pittsburgh Development Center
Project A.L.S.
Quest for the Cure
Research!America
Resolve: The National Infertility Association
Rett Syndrome Research Foundation
Robert Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins
Rutgers University
Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research
Society for Women's Health Research
Stanford University
Stem Cell Action Network
Stem Cell Research Foundation
Steven and Michele Kirsch Foundation
Student Society for Stem Cell Research
Take Charge! Cure Parkinson's, Inc.
Texans for the Advancement of Medical Research
Tourette Syndrome Association
Travis Roy Foundation
University of California System
University of Minnesota
University of Rochester Medical Center
University of Southern California
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Vanderbilt University and Medical Center
Washington University in St. Louis
WiCell Research Institution
Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
Wisconsin Association for Biomedical Research and Education

So, what was the other thing wrong with the picture, that settler shot full
of arrows? It was something beyond his control, not his fault, but he lost
because of it.
He fought alone.
The other side never comes against as individuals; they always fight as a
group, and that is how we must meet their attack: in an organized unity.
We are in this together: patients, parents, scientists, researchers,
citizens in every walk of life: we are defending our loved ones.
CAMR is our group of groups.
CAMR is us.
We work together, so the strength of one becomes the strength of many; and
that is how we will prevail.
When CAMR fights, we bring the neighborhood.
By Don Reed       www.stemcellbattles.com

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