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Paula, I think it is a stretch to claim that scientists who disagree with
Bush & Co. are atheists.  No, I can't quote names, but Albert Einstein,
probably the most famous of 20th century scientists, wanted to know how God
thought and he probably came closer than anybody.

As I'm sure you know, there is and always has been great disagreement about
the tenets of Christianity between Christians from Gnostics, to Catholics,
Eastern Orthodox, Protestants of many denominations to Christian Scientists.
.  It is the ones who take the Bible literally that come into conflict with
science and rightly so.

If you want a really awesome, religious experience, take an astronomy class.
I know, Paul Sagan and his "billions and billions" of stars was an atheist,
but I don't see any inherent conflict between quantum physics and the blend
of Eastern and Western faith Deepak Chopra espouses.

Intelligent design does not belong in a science class because it is not
science.   A comparative religion class would be perfect.  Please  won't
someone on the List with a science background explain to all what the
scientific method is?   Also, what actually is a cell?

Since when aren't Bush and the religious right  the powers that be?

The problem with the war is, the Iraqis didn't attack us, the Saudis did.
It's like going after Peruvians, only they don't have oil.   This is not a
conflict between nation-states.   One thing we do agree on,  Americans don't
have the taste for hundred year wars like people used to.  In the same
neighborhood, the Crusades took around 200 years and the West lost.
Europeans have been there, done that, hence their lack of enthusiasm for
preemptive wars, plus millions killed in 20th century wars.  War is not the
way to peace, it never has been.   Peace is the way and when enough people
become convinced of that we won't have war.

Rayilyn Brown
Neopeacenik and
Agnostic, MA in History, UCLA 1967


----- Original Message -----
From: "Paula Nixon" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, October 01, 2005 7:04 PM
Subject: Re: PD and politics


> Anything to do with science and medicine is very political.  Financing has
> to go along with the current powers-that-be thought or forget it.  Bush
> and the religious right have good science and expert scientists behind
> their philosophies too, but because they aren't the powers-that-be's
> ideas, ie global warming, etc. Bush is considered as not being a
> scientific President. Wouldn't you surround yourself with people that you
> thought were right?  Who says they aren't right just because they don't
> agree with the atheistic scientists, that are so closed minded they won't
> print anything in their journals if they get the hint the writer believes
> in Intelligent Design, and then say their ideas aren't to be considered
> because they are not published in their journals?  There are intelligent
> scientists that think embryonic cells are not the way to go, and that the
> adult or placental blood cells are a better way.
>
> I understand your panic and desire to get a cure.  My husband has PD and
> my mother and her brother had Alzheimer's, and my memory with words is
> slipping.  I'd really be thrilled if they can come up with cures before
> it's too late for us.
>
> While we are at it, something that really gripes me is the advertisements
> to apply for grants for whatever.  "Get money from the government to pay
> for your new business," etc.  There is so much money for grants for things
> that are nice but not necessary.  I am and artist, but I really resent
> money going to the arts in this time when we really need it for medical
> research, etc.  When the money is advocated for a project, they have to
> spend it whether they need it or not or they won't get as much the next
> year.
>
> Parkinson's research, what if they are going down the wrong alley as the
> pdrecovery.org thinks?
> They finance their own research and are getting recoveries.
>
> Because we are keeping the terrorists busy we haven't had any attacks
> here.  Good money spent I think.  Clinton kept backing down, and the
> antiwar people are encouraging to the terrorists because they think
> Americans don't have a stomach for the war and we'll give up to them.
> Well, we have to show them we can't be bossed around.
>
> Congress gave New Orleans plenty of money to fix their levies.  Just
> because the locals decided to to something else with the money, even
> thought they had been warned for many years that they needed to fix this
> situation, it is not fair to throw this into the fray as to adding this to
> the "ineptness" of the President.  Even though you admit this isn't
> pertinent here, it adds to the discontent with Bush.  Actually New Orleans
> had an elaborate plan on how to handle the disaster, but it was never
> implemented.
>
> Paula
> Dolores Buente <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Dear List members,
>
> I feel that Linda's message in regard to PD and politics is so important
> that it bears repeating and deserves our time to reflect upon it and fully
> comprehend its meaning.
>
> Linda wrote that anyone who thinks that finding a cure for Parkinson's
> doesn't involve politics is living with their head buried in the sand. She
> explains that it took three years of political activism to pass the Udall
> bill and
> that Parkinson's research would still be receiving the lowest funding of
> all
> chronic illnesses if people hadn't worked politically to turn that around.
>
> She points out that while billions of dollars are being spent on the war
> in
> Iraq, the proposed budget for the NIH this year is a 1/2 percent increase.
> With the rate of inflation, this represents less dollars than we had to
> work
> with last year.
>
> The current administration is ignoring the advice of scientific experts in
> their fields in favor of the opinions of religious fundamentalists and neo
> conservatives. Medical advisory committees have been stacked with those
> who
> share the President's social and religious beliefs. Scientific
> associations
> have termed George W. Bush as "The most anti-science President in
> history."
>
> As a person with Parkinson's disease, these are all very important issues
> to
> me. These issues affect my life and my future. They affect the lives and
> futures of my children and grandchild. I am but one of many whose lives
> and
> futures are affected by the decisions our political leaders wish to make
> for us
> (for society) and I do not choose to sit back quietly and politely when I
> do not agree. I think we all should have learned a lesson on that when we
> watched as levees broke, a city flooded and thousands of lives were
> jeopardized
> as a result of a failure of leadership to initiate either a responsible
> plan
> for prevention or an organized plan for responsive emergency action.
>
> Yes, I know, and I will agree with the principle that our leadership is
> not
> responsible for nor can they be expected to prevent or remand every
> disastrous act of nature and every affliction that can befall us. What I
> do not agree
> with is our leaders being presented with a reasonable opportunity to fund,
> explore, research and hopefully find cures for some of mankind's most
> devastating diseases through embryonic stem cell research and their choice
> not to do
> so....I call that a monstrous failure of leadership!
>
> There are some who will find this message inappropriate to this forum but
> in
> spite of the risk of being offensive, I feel it imperative to express to
> the
> Parkinson's community my feelings about the importance of PD's connection
> to
> politics and the need to be vocal on this issue.
>
> Dee
>
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