Dear Parkinsn list members,
ALL YOUR CALLS, FAXES AND E-MAILS TO THE WHITE HOUSE DID MAKE A
DIFFERENCE!
See the following message from Greg Wasson, author of the online stem
cell petition:
--------- Forwarded message ----------
On Sat, 09 Jun 2001 00:15:32 EDT [log in to unmask] writes:
>All of the single calls multiplied by thousands did get results.
> Just got off the phone with a senior official at both PAN and CAMR on
>another matter and was advised that there was an immediate and
>overwhelming response to the announcement by CAMR that Bush was going
>to announce his decision on stem cells today or Monday. This official
>said CAMR had it on high and reliable authority that today was
>probably the day (late afternoon Friday announcement hits the papers
>Sat., and the news has the rest of the weekend to start blowing
>over).
>
>However, the response by PD and other patient groups was so swift and
>overhelming that we tied up not only Bush's office, but we shut down the
Capitol Switchboard due to the volume of calls, bringing
>lots of day top day business to a halt. Because of this,
>administration officials as high up as HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson
>himself were forced to call CAMR and engage in "plausible deniability."
That is, call off your people, we really never intended to make any such
announcement, and one is no longer imminent.
>According to the official, the pro-stem cell forces may not have won
>the war today, but they won an extremely important battle. The
>remarkable response forced the administration to once again rethink at
least the timing of their announcement.
>
>Time is on our side in the stem cell debate. Although delays do delay
>research, more and more citizens are coming to realize the enormous
>potential of the therapies that are likely to be derived from this
>research. The administration will face an increasingly tougher
>challenge and pay a heavier political cost by banning the funding.
>
>As the official said, the days of snail mail action alerts are over.
>The power of an immediate overwhelming response in opposition to
>Bush's plan was the result of email lists that could be activated in a
>matter of minutes to pro-stem cell research supporters.
>
>The Parkinson's community specifically, and the
> CAMR network of the chronically ill generally, responded in a way
>that we have seldom seen in the last few years. Everyone should be
>proud to know that their effort helped stop an announcement to
>overturn the stem cell funding guidelines on the very day that the
>announcement was to take place.
>
>It's not over until it's over.
Greg
WHAT TO DO NEXT:
Keep up the calls to the White House
In the event that a Monday announcment by Bush is still a possibility,
don't let up --let your voice continue to be heard.
Phone #'s:
White House Office of Public Liaison at 202-456-2380.
or THE WHITE HOUSE COMMENT LINE AT 202-456-1111 IF YOU ARE HAVING
TROUBLE GETTING THROUGH.
It was also suggested that we call Dept. of Health and Human Services
Secretary Tommy Thompson's office with the same message:
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
(202) 619-0257
Toll Free: 1-877-696-6775
Electronic Mail
To e-mail the HHS Secretary or other Department officials,
[log in to unmask]
or
DHHS OFFICE of the Secretary
Phone..........: 202-690-7000
and:
Mary Manthos, Thompson's policy advisor
202-690-5400
Internet e-mail
[log in to unmask]
THANKS for everyone's efforts - they proved the power each of us is
capable of and the results of thousands of individuals, working together
for a common goal.
Linda Herman
FROM CAMR:
Many of you have already called the White House on this issue, but we
need you to take action again. We need EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU to call
the White House AS SOON AS POSSIBLE to register your support for research
on stem cells that come from fertilized eggs.
Following are talking points for your calls:
1. Call the White House Office of Public Liaison at 202-456-2380.
2. Explain (or leave a message) that you support research involving stem
cells that are derived from fertilized eggs.
3. State that you have learned that President Bush is considering banning
this research and that you want to urge him to support it because it
could be critical to curing diseases and conditions like Parkinson's,
Alzheimer's, spinal cord injury, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, ALS,
and many others.
4. Explain that 70-percent of all Americans support this research,
including a majority of Catholics, Fundamentalist Christians, and
pro-life individuals.
5. Be sure to leave your name and address.
PLEASE TAKE ACTION AND MAKE THIS PHONE CALL. WE NEED TO DO EVERYTHING
POSSIBLE TO EXPLAIN TO THE PRESIDENT WHY IT IS SO CRITICAL THAT THIS
RESEARCH MOVE FORWARD.
For additional information on stem cell research, see
http://www.stemcellfunding.org/
Thanks for your immediate help on this very important matter, and please
forward this message to your friends and loved ones.
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