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On 15 Aug 2004 at 0:47, Gary L Peskin wrote: > Dr Fink -- > > I'm not really sure what you're talking about. > > Last December, the Bush administration reversed a Clinton > administration policy and granted a $2 million subsidy to private > lumber companies to clear-cut 800 year old timber in America's largest > intact rain forest, the Tongass National Forest in Alaska. This > clearcutting effort yielded gross income to the US treasury of $45,000 > on the taxpayers' investment of $2 million dollars. The profit all > went to the private lumber companies. > > On July 12th, the Bush administration proposed extending this program > of subsidizing private lumber companies in their clear cutting of > national forests to extend to all national forests, not just the > Tongass National Forest. > > I think that your statement that the government can't give funds to a > lumber company to do this is just factually incorrect because the Bush > administration is doing just that. That doesn't make it right; and citizens should oppose this vigorously. > > Regarding stem cell research, I agree that that a sizable minority of > people agree that certain types of stem cell research is immoral. I > also agree that it is legitimate in some cases to prohibit such work > to be done with public money. What I think most people object to is > that this decision was not made for moral or scientific reasons but > for purely political and selfish reasons. I think that this is putting "words into the mouths" of the government people. I know many people (including some medical professionals) who oppose ESC work and they hold this position quite strongly. > Furthermore, there are some in the US Government who are attempting > criminalize the act of a patient receiving medical treatment if that > treatment was derived from *legal* research performed using embryos > generated from asexual reproduction (ie reproduction not involving a > sperm cell and and egg cell). Patients receiving such treatment would > be subject to a fine and imprisonment for up to 10 years in a federal > penitentiary or both fine and imprisonment. This is so even if the > research and treatment were paid for entirely with private funds. "Attempting" is one thing, "succeeding" in those attempts is another. It is unlikely this this will come about, and if it should, the courts would not support it. Best, Bob Robert A. Fink, M. D., F.A.C.S., P. C. Neurological Surgery 2500 Milvia Street Suite 222 Berkeley, CA 94704-2636 USA 510-849-2555 FAX: 510-849-2557 <http://www.rafink.com/> "Ex Tristitia Virtus" Disclaimer: That which is written in my e-mail is not to be considered as "medical advice". Such advice can only be given after a formal, in-person, consultation between doctor and patient. ********************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn