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Rick I totally agree with your position. I know of no way to ignore "politics" and all aspects of our lives. Your response to limitations is music to my ears, and I'm sure to many others. Knowledge is our ally, and letting our decision makers know that we are paying attention. We here, in Arizona are still in a drought. Bernie -----Original Message----- From: Parkinson's Information Exchange Network [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of rickmcgirr Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2006 8:10 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Acceptable Topics for the Parkinsn List What kind of help do you want? Here's a hypothetical example of what I mean: if I do some lobbying, and I make headway for our cause with some legislators who see the value of funding medical research, and other legislators are reluctant to buck their conservative constituencies or are too religiously conservative themselves to favor funding medical technology, and the funding does not go through for yet another year, and I feel frustrated in my attempts to communicate to these conservatives the rectitude of doing everything we can to help those with chronic diseases, and I am a PWP... Now, I happen to be in this very position, along with others here. Are we not to discuss our efforts here because we might pluck someone's strings? Are we not helping others, or at least trying to? In the example above, are we not to express to this group, a support group, our frustration with those who are standing in the way of research vital to defeating PD, etc.? By the way, in the example above, each and every one of the recalcitrant lawmakers is a so-called conservative. And coincidentally, that's the way they lined up in last year's voting. But then, if I start discussing our frustration with these hypothetical conservatives, someone might chime in with a comment about the moral rectitude of ESCR, and, for purposes of example, claim that every liberal who supports such research is pro-abortion, or a murderer, well, these are beliefs actually held deeply by different members here. And they go against the grain of others here who hold other truths to be self-evident. Are we not to try to drum up support from members here for funding legislation? Are we not to talk about the grounds for limits being placed on nuclear transfer and cloning? These grounds are moral and therefore individual in nature. Deeply held views are the hardest and most emotional to express. And so a simple report of the results of a lobbying campaign have spilled over into a discussion of everything behind the scenes. All of it pertains to PD, and all of the attitudes and comments coming out of the above hypothetical scenario are valid ones held by PWP. Do you want to hear none of it? If you can tell me where the line is, I will try not to cross it. I've posted plenty of welcoming and helpful messages, and sympathetic and supportive and informative toward individuals here. Do you all want me to just sit with you and hold your hand and say, "Oh dear, oh dear, when is that darned bus going to get here?" If you expect to just wait quietly for the drug companies and the legislatures to solve our problem, well, I wish you luck. They will...when it is the most profitable moment possible for them, and barring our noise, not a moment sooner. Blessed are the noise-makers, for they are the life of the party. Doesn't it say that somewhere? Where is that darned bus? Enjoy! Rick McGirr ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Cottingham" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Monday, January 23, 2006 5:50 AM Subject: Acceptable Topics for the Parkinsn List > The acceptable topics for the Parkinsn list are those that pertain to > helping others with Parkinson's. > > Topics that are just political without any value to helping a pd sufferer > are outside the scope of our charter/guidelines. Bush and tree bashing, > while giving a few heartburn are really not what Parkinsn is about. > > Let's get back to helping one another on the one thing we can agree on, > the > need to support and help one another. > > Some of you are sending html in your postings....that is verboten. Text > only is all that is permitted for security. Check the options of your > email > program to see that text is selected for sending email. > > Carry on. > > John Cottingham > co-owner 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