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JoAnn and Wendy, - turn it over to the women and it won't be violent. Mothers generally don't have that stiff upper lip when their sons and daughters are killed in the line of duty. The wars just might cease. Oh well dream on..... No offense guys, truly - but this time the truth is so mangled that pulling somebody's name out of a hat might be better - such is life in the year of the election. Paula ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jo Ann Coen" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 2004 3:16 PM Subject: Re: Urgent Op-Ed by Lanza and Rohm > Paula - Won't you be glad when the election is over.? Now Kerry is > blaming Bush for the contaminated flu vaccine from another country. As > if he went over there and sneezed in it. Where will this nonsense stop? > The problem is, there are people "out there" who believe their favorite > candidate, no matter how erroneous it is. Thank goodness, only > 13 more days to go. Then one of them will contest the vote count, and it > will have to be done all over again. What a mess. I should run for > President. I would have this country straightened out in 6 months. > Wouldn't you? (This is typical of the campaign promises being made, even > today). Best to you. Jo Ann > > On Wed, 20 Oct 2004 02:55:24 -0400 Paula Wittekind <[log in to unmask]> > writes: >> I don't want to get into the debate but need to say something that I >> think >> is not portrayed correctly. No one is forcing their religious >> beliefs on >> anyone. There is nothing in any religion that instructs not to >> clone. [that >> I know of] It does say, however, "don't kill", in many religions. >> It is >> the uncertainty of whether this constitutes killing that is at the >> core of >> many persons' inner conflict. >> >> They are as entitled to their feelings as much as those who want the >> research funded by everyone's money. No religion forced anywhere - >> they just >> don't agree, and the same thing happens when non-religious vote or >> campaign >> for and against things that many strongly disagree with. >> >> Bush is currently against federal funding beyond the limits set and >> is >> keeping his word to his constituents just as many are hoping Kerry >> will. >> Sorry - he has the right to do that. No one is having anyone's >> religion >> forced upon them. We all make decisions based on something within >> us. >> >> There will never be complete agreement. Votes decide and there >> should be >> respect for each others' views. >> >> And after the Edwards' comments this past week -both Mr, and Mrs. >> -don't >> even get me started about distorting anything and that most >> definitely >> includes science. >> >> It's not that I'm pro- Bush and I am hoping for answers about ESCR. >> I just >> can't stop shaking my head at the accusations based on faulty >> reasoning and >> with no constructive ways to solve them. >> >> Paula Wittekind >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Brightline" <[log in to unmask]> >> To: <[log in to unmask]> >> Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2004 3:48 PM >> Subject: Fw: Urgent Op-Ed by Lanza and Rohm >> >> >> > ----- Original Message ----- >> > From: [log in to unmask] >> > To: [log in to unmask] >> > Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2004 10:59 AM >> > Subject: Urgent Op-Ed by Lanza and Rohm >> > >> > >> > >> > Op-Ed >> > >> > Stem Cell 911 >> > >> > By Robert Lanza and Wendy Goldman Rohm >> > >> > In an unprecedented move, The Royal Society --Britain's National >> > Academy of Science--this week asked the United Nations to ignore >> > President Bush's call for a ban on all forms of human cloning >> > including stem-cell research. >> > What hangs in the balance, on the cusp of the UN vote and the >> > upcoming Presidential election, is not only the plight of millions >> of >> > patients, but the future of one of the greatest medical advances >> in >> > the 21st century. >> > It is alarming that the US policy being pushed by the >> > Bush administration is not in sync with either public opinion >> > (a recent Harris poll shows that 6 out of 7 Americans fully >> > support all forms of stem cell research), or the expert opinions >> of >> > thousands of scientists and scores of Nobel laureates in the U.S. >> > and worldwide. The President has also ignored the >> > recommendations of the most renowned scientific >> > and medical groups in the country, the American Medical >> > Association, the National Academy of Science, and the American >> > Association for the Advancement of Science. >> > Indeed, the President's ideological blinders seem to have put him >> > in the same factual vacuum he found himself in at the start of the >> Iraq >> > war: then and now, he refuses to look at the facts in an >> > objective/scientific >> > fashion. >> > Just a few months ago, even our new US ambassador to the United >> > Nations, John Danforth, called a press conference in support of >> > therapeutic >> > cloning and the urgent need for this research. Now, like NIH chief >> Elias >> > Zerhouni, >> > Danforth appears to have had the Bush policy shoved down his >> throat and >> > must >> > promote the Bush position to the UN that neither represents the >> scientific >> > facts >> > nor public opinion. >> > In the U.S., President Bush's habit of mixing personal religious >> beliefs >> > with public policy has slowly and subtly eroded the line between >> church >> > and state. This is inappropriate and damaging to human well-being >> and >> > public health. If the Bush administration succeeds in extending >> this to >> > the world via a UN ban, it will be a sad day indeed. >> > Bush's policies in the area of scientific research are as damaging >> to >> > the public interest as his foreign policies have been to the state >> of >> > international peace. >> > In the American arena, a careful look at the record will show that >> > a scientific and factual view of the world has rarely been >> incorporated >> > into decision-making by this President. Earlier this year, 5,000 >> > scientists >> > (including 48 Nobel laureates) spoke out in support of embryonic >> stem >> > cells >> > research and human cloning, and expressed outrage at the Bush >> > administration's >> > habit of distorting science. >> > When Laura and George W. Bush state that embryonic stem cell >> research >> > holds no near-term promise for helping patients with debilitating >> > diseases, >> > scientists on the front lines know that they are flat out wrong. >> With >> > adequate >> > funding, we can see the first therapies within the next five >> years. The >> > scientific >> > results so far speak for themselves. In animals, embryonic stem >> cells >> > already >> > have reversed diabetes and fixed damaged hearts. Nerve cells have >> been >> > used >> > to treat Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and to restore >> function >> > to paralyzed rats. >> > Stem cell scientists worldwide have no interest in destroying >> lives. They >> > obtain stem >> > cells from tiny balls of cells left over in in-vitro fertilization >> > clinics. Some 400,000 of these >> > are either discarded or frozen in the U.S. alone. >> > It is puzzling to us that the President believes the potential >> life of a >> > group of >> > cells-smaller than a grain of sand-is more valuable, say, than the >> life of >> > a >> > living, feeling, 5-year-old with a life-threatening disease. >> > Leading Republicans like Senator Orrin Hatch are similarly >> puzzled. >> > They believe an embryo only has the potential for life when it is >> a fetus >> > in woman's >> > womb, not a ball of cells in a test tube. The question is whether >> a >> > microscopic >> > ball of cells warrants the same rights as a parent or a spouse >> suffering >> > from >> > Alzheimer's disease, or a young diabetic child who may go blind or >> have >> > limbs >> > amputated. >> > Even a generous private sector will be hard pressed to fill the >> > government's >> > role. Overcoming the scientific challenges that remain will >> require a >> > large and >> > sustained investment in this research. The government is the only >> > realistic >> > source for such an infusion of funds, and remains the greatest >> hope for >> > moving >> > embryonic stem cell research into the clinic in the next five to >> ten >> > years. >> > Without this support, research progress will be substantially >> delayed, and >> > many >> > scientists and companies may be driven overseas, to the UK, >> Singapore, >> > South Korea, >> > Israel, and many others, where stem cell research is more fully >> supported >> > by government. >> > Bush's dangerously flawed policy in the US should not be allowed >> on the >> > world stage, >> > where it will severely dampen efforts underway worldwide to >> relieve human >> > suffering and >> > disease with emerging stem cell therapies. Moreover, it should be >> > overturned in the US; >> > time is of the essence for millions of patients. >> > >> > --Robert Lanza, MD, editor in chief of "Handbook of Stem Cells," >> is >> > medical director >> > at Advanced Cell Technology. Wendy Goldman Rohm is author of "The >> Eighth >> > Day: >> > On the Front Lines of Stem Cell Research and The Countdown to a >> Human >> > Clone," >> > Random House (Harmony Books). >> > >> > ------------ >> > Please circulate freely >> > >> > Editors, for editing questions, >> > contact: Wendy Goldman Rohm 847-942-9534, [log in to unmask] >> > or Robert Lanza at [log in to unmask] >> > >> > >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >> > 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 >> > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > 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