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Thank God it is a democracy. And you should know what to do in Nov4 election. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Nina P. Brown" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2004 9:07 PM Subject: FW: Bush has declared war on the majority of American citizens! > President Bush has declared war on the health and well-being of all > Americans! > Earlier this month 60 leading scientists and philosophers, including Nobel > laureates, backed a Union of Concerned Scientists report that accused the > Bush administration of distorting scientific advice to fit ideological > goals. > The following article taken from yesterday's Washington Post reported that > Bush dismissed two members of his handpicked Council on Bioethics -- a > scientist and a moral philosopher who had been among the more outspoken > advocates for research on human embryo cells. > In their places he appointed three new members, including a doctor who has > called for more religion in public life, a political scientist who has > spoken out precisely against the research that the dismissed members > supported and another who has written about the immorality of abortion and > the "threats of biotechnology." > It's apparent that this "advisory" council is not constituted to discuss and > debate all aspects of scientific and ethical views on biomedical research. > Rather, they have been selected to reinforce the President's predetermined, > ideological views. > What ever happened to the concept of government by, for and of the people? > He was elected to be and promised to be the president of all the people and > by law, he is. His philosophy is "don't bother me with facts, my mind is > already made up." As our elected leader, President Bush owes it to the > millions of people affected by this decision to consider all sides of the > question. > Our President borders on being as righteously sure of his positions as the > terrorists are of theirs. This philosophy borders on being a threat to > democracy. > +++ > Bush Ejects Two From Bioethics Council > Changes Renew Criticism That the President Puts Politics Ahead of Science > By Rick Weiss > Washington Post > Saturday, February 28, 2004; Page A06 > President Bush yesterday dismissed two members of his handpicked Council on > Bioethics -- a scientist and a moral philosopher who had been among the more > outspoken advocates for research on human embryo cells. > In their places he appointed three new members, including a doctor who has > called for more religion in public life, a political scientist who has > spoken out precisely against the research that the dismissed members > supported, and another who has written about the immorality of abortion and > the "threats of biotechnology." > The turnover immediately renewed a recent string of accusations by > scientists and others that Bush is increasingly allowing politics to trump > science as he seeks advice on ethically contentious issues. > Last week, a Washington-based interest group released a report detailing > what it called many examples of the administration distorting the scientific > process to achieve desired policy answers relating to pollution, embryo > research and other topics. Some in Congress, led by Rep. Henry A. Waxman > (D-Calif.), have also been getting vocal on the topic, as have academics, > scientific organizations and science journal editors. > One of the dismissed members, Elizabeth Blackburn, is a renowned biologist > at the University of California at San Francisco. She said she received a > call yesterday morning from someone in the White House personnel office. > "He said the White House had decided to make some changes on the council. He > wanted to express his gratitude and said I'd no longer be on the council," > Blackburn said. > She said she had no warning and had not heard from the council's director, > University of Chicago ethicist Leon Kass. She said she believed she was let > go because her political views do not match those of the president and of > Kass, with whom she has often been at odds at council meetings. > "I think this is Bush stacking the council with the compliant," Blackburn > said. > The other dismissed member, William May, an emeritus professor of ethics at > Southern Methodist University, is a highly respected scholar whose views on > embryo research and other topics had also run counter to those of > conservative council members. Efforts to reach him last night were > unsuccessful. > Asked why Blackburn and May had been let go, White House spokeswoman Erin > Healy said the two members' terms had expired in January, and they were on > "holdover status." Asked whether, in fact, all the council members' terms > had formally expired in January, she said they had. > Pressed on why Blackburn and May had been singled out for dismissal, she > said: "We've decided to go ahead and appoint other individuals with > different expertise and experience." She would not elaborate further. > Kass, who has written prolifically about biotechnology's toll on human > dignity and was selected by Bush to head the council, was traveling > yesterday and could not be reached. > Bush created the council by executive order in 2001 to "advise the President > on bioethical issues that may emerge as a consequence of advances in > biomedical science and technology." He recently renewed its commission for > another two years. > The group of scholars, scientists, theologians and others has produced > several reports, including ones on human cloning, stem cell research and the > use of biotechnology to enhance human beings. But the council has often > found it difficult to reach consensus on issues. > The three new appointees are Benjamin Carson, the high-profile director of > pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University; Diana Schaub, chairman > of the department of political science at Loyola College in Maryland; and > Peter Lawler, a professor of government at Berry College in Georgia. All are > respected members of their fields. And their writings suggest their tenures > will be less contentious than their predecessors'. > When not performing some of the most difficult surgeries in the world, > Carson is a motivational speaker who often invokes religion and the Bible > and has lamented that "we live in a nation where we can't talk about God in > public." > Schaub has effusively praised Kass and his work. In a 2002 public forum > discussing the council's cloning report, she talked about research in which > embryos are destroyed as "the evil of the willful destruction of innocent > human life." > In a book review in the conservative Weekly Standard in late 2002, Lawler > warned that if the United States does not soon "become clear as a nation > that abortion is wrong," then women will eventually be compelled to abort > genetically defective babies. > Michael Gazzaniga, a Dartmouth neuroscientist who sits on the council, said > he was "upset" by Blackburn's ejection. > "She was one of the basic scientists who understood the biology of many of > the issues we're talking about," Gazzaniga said. "It will be a loss for > sure." > Research editor Margot Williams contributed to this report. > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn