STEM CELL SURPRISE: Bush, Brownback, and Kansas
by diverdonreed
Fri Jun 22, 2007 at 04:09:46 AM PDT
Wednesday a friend approached me, and in the tone one would use for a death
in the family asked how I felt about "the bad news"....
I had to stop and think what she meant. "President Bush did not sign the
stem cell bill," she clarified, a little surprised I did not immediately
understand.
As a stem cell research supporter, I might be expected to let loose with a
few vivid verbs at the President's latest veto of the Stem Cell Research
Enhancement Act.
Of course I am disappointed, that legislation was once again denied,
delaying cure which might have helped millions of suffering people.
But do we curse the weather when it has been raining for six years? Do we
blame a rock for not being a tree?
diverdonreed's diary :: ::

KANSAS SURPRISE:  Research Astonishment from the Land of Brownback
Mr. Bush has been an endless disappointment as President, and this was just
more of the same. Of course, he did not sign the Stem Cell Research
Enhancement Act-it would have been astonishing news if he had.
This is the man who denies global warming until literally about a week ago
(and who now leaps into action with a dramatic pronouncement  that maybe we
should talk about it), who compliments the disastrously inadequate Hurricane
Katrina response as "Heck of a job, Brownie!", who fights poverty by cutting
the taxes of the rich, who wants power without limits in a democracy based
on checks on balances; who turns national surplus into national debt-- and
who invades Iraq to find weapons of mass destruction-- which did not exist.
That is George Bush. Every time he opens his mouth, I worry. What new
disaster will he bring today?
But I will not remember Wednesday, June 20th as just another Bush mistake.
For me, this will always be the day of the Kansas Surprise.
I was running through my handy-dandy state stem cell phone book, my ear was
burning from the phone, and my throat was sore from talking so much.
My goal is to contact at least one stem cell supporter in ten states every
week. If I do that, I can hit all 39 states (the ones with pending stem cell
legislation) once a month, and have at least some idea what is going on.
So, there I was in the K section, and I got to Kansas (amazing system, huh?
I made it up all myself! I have an alphabetized binder... you flick to the
tab with the letter K, and open it-bingo-every state that begins with K is
right there-I am thinking of patenting it.)
Now whenever I hear the word Kansas, two things come to mind: one, that
Dorothy loved Kansas in the Wizard of Oz, and secondly, Sam Brownback, my
nominee for most resolutely backward politician in the country. He is
actually running for President, but fortunately America figured him out. He
had a surge for a while there, all the way up to one per cent support among
Republicans, but he is not doing quite that well any more.
Anyway, the last time I checked on Kansas, there were four anti-stemcell
research laws under consideration-the worst imaginable.
There was a prohibition of state funding for embryonic stem cell research in
Kansas, a prohibition for SCNT, a set of legal "definitions" for stem cell
research made up by David Prentice himself, the most anti-science scientist
the religious right could pay (Prentice is an employee of the Family
Research Council, perhaps the most influential arm of the Religious Right in
the Republican party)- unbelievable stuff-- take a look.
HB 2255, prohibits state funding for anything connected to SCNT- including
hospitals receiving potential cures for patients-- even libraries can't have
SCNT-supporting books!
HB 2252-would make it a felony to participate in somatic cell nuclear
transfer, (including even receiving cures), with penalties of 52 months in
prison and $250,000 fine;
HB 2254-criminalizes embryonic stem cell research;
HB-2098-the definitions bill, inserts damaging and misleading language (by
David Prentice, and Bush Council on Bioethics) into law.
But why are they doing all this?
Why all these laws against stem cell research?
I mean, Kansas is Brownback country, right?
Except-- maybe not.
I had completely missed the buildup of something magnificent.
The University of Kansas is planning an expansion of their life sciences
department-- requesting $800 million for its biomedicine department-900,000
square feet of new laboratory space-and 244 new scientists.
Now I understood why all those anti-science laws were being pushed. The
Brownback-ians were working desperately to cripple the new research
department: to deny the scientists freedom before the labs opened.
Because if the bad laws are rejected, and the college gets its expansion-
Kansas becomes a hub of biomedicine: a world center for research.
Nowhere in the whole announcement is the word stem cell even mentioned.
And maybe they won't touch stem cell research. That is for Kansans to
decide.
But if they have a magnificent new science department set up, and a couple
hundred new scientists eager to serve their country and do Kansas proud?
In the fullness of time, Kansas scientists will choose to lead. Sooner or
later, they will be doing stem cell research.
Or maybe I'm wrong.
Here is a background article by  Jason Gertzen, of the Kansas City Star.
Posted on Tue, Jun. 19, 2007
Push is on for research plan
Officials seek support for effort to remake the local economy around the
life sciences.
By JASON GERTZEN
The Kansas City Star
"We are working hard to make sure the benefits of our programs extend across
the state."--Barbara Atkinson
University of Kansas officials asked for help Tuesday with an aggressive
$800 million research expansion proposal intended to raise the state's
stature as a national bioscience hub.
Speaking to state lawmakers, civic leaders, researchers and others attending
a morning presentation at the University of Kansas Medical Center, officials
presented their plans for hiring 244 new faculty members and building nearly
900,000 square feet of additional lab space at their Kansas City, Kan.,
campus and in Lawrence.
The medical center has devoted more than $105 million to new facilities
since 2000 and hired more than 150 new faculty members in the past five
years, said Barbara Atkinson, the medical center's executive vice
chancellor. These investments have paid dividends in the form of increased
research funding, a boost to the regional economy and medical advances.
Still, Atkinson said, the medical center ranks 81st nationally with $46
million in grants from the National Institutes of Health, a dominant source
of medical research funding. The University of Iowa with its $137 million in
national institutes grants and No. 30 ranking offers a compelling example of
what a heightened commitment might mean in Kansas, she said.
"Iowa is a very good school, it has very good research, and it has put in a
lot of investment," Atkinson said. "We can do the same thing."
University officials did not include a detailed financing plan along with
their proposal for how they would expand existing research programs and
establish new pursuits in the next decade. The $800 million would include a
mix of state financing and contributions from private philanthropists.
This proposal marks another milestone in the region's efforts to remake the
local economy around the life sciences, said Drue Jennings, chairman of the
Advancement Board, a support organization for the medical center and the
University of Kansas Hospital.
Area leaders can help by supporting these initiatives as they continue
trying to overcome geographical, political and other barriers that hinder
cooperation, Jennings said.
"Everyone has a big role to play," Jennings said.
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius did not attend the Tuesday presentation but said
later that she was encouraged by the vision and welcomed discussion about
how to reach its goals.
Nicole Corcoran, a Sebelius spokeswoman, said: "The University of Kansas
Medical Center's desire to invest in this growing industry can create jobs,
spur economic development and enhance the educational and research missions
of the University of Kansas."
Bob Page, incoming president and chief executive officer of KU Hospital,
said he supported the medical center's aspirations for significant growth of
its research operations.
"I strongly believe that for success in life sciences, all three aspects of
the academic medical center on this campus must thrive," Page said in a
statement, referring to research, education and patient care.
Some other top leaders offered a more mixed reaction.
State legislators understand the importance of research and are willing to
provide additional support, but any successful proposal probably will have
to be more inclusive than the one presented Tuesday, said Melvin Neufeld, an
Ingalls farmer who serves as speaker of the Kansas House of Representatives.
Wichita State University researchers, for example, have such in-depth
expertise in bioengineering that it makes little sense to establish or
expand similar programs in Lawrence and at the medical center, Neufeld said.
"The whole thing is driven toward Kansas City," Neufeld said. "I want a lot
more emphasis statewide."
Earlier, during the presentation, Atkinson said the proposal was designed to
include active participation by researchers throughout the state and in the
Kansas City area.
"We are working hard to make sure the benefits of our programs extend across
the state," Atkinson said." --Jason Gertzen, Kansas City Star, June 19th
2007.
I predict victory.
And this is how I choose to remember Wednesday, June 20th, 2007: not for
another in the long line of Bush mistakes, but for glorious beginning.
On this day, a new star was born, bringing light and hope to the world.
Thank you, Kansas.
Don C. Reed

Rayilyn Brown
Board Member AZNPF
Arizona Chapter National Parkinson's Foundation
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