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# 176 Friday June 23, 2006 - THE DISORIENTED DOZEN? LATEST FROM STEM CELL WASHINGTON Like all professional speakers, the late lamented Senator Everett Dirksen had the problem of sore throats from talking too much. He developed an unusual answer. Every morning he would put a glob of cold cream on two fingers, shove it down his throat. It must have worked, because he had a beautiful speaking voice, and was a master of persuasion. And how was he himself persuaded? Here is what Senator Everett Dirksen said about the power of public pressure: "When I feel the heat, I see the light." KEY SENATORS WHO NEED TO BE REMINDED TO SUPPORT HR. 810/S 471 Georgia: Johnny Isakson (R) Georgia: Saxby Chambliss (R) Idaho: Mike Crapo (R) Indiana: Richard Lugar (R) Iowa: Chuck Grassley (R) Minnesota: Norm Coleman (R) Missouri: Christopher Bond (R) New Mexico: Pete Domenici (R) Tennessee: Bill Frist (R) Texas: Kay Bailey Hutchison (R) Virginia: John Warner (R) West Virginia: Robert Byrd (D) Right now, an even dozen Senators are wavering back and forth on stem cell research advancement. We must not let them be unbalanced, a Disoriented Dozen. If they straighten up and fly right, voting yes on the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, (S 471) America and the world will benefit. But if they choose the wrong direction, research for cure will be grounded for years, perhaps decades. We need to understand the pressures they are under, and help them decide. Consider, for example, Senate majority leader Bill Frist, (R-TN). He is a good man, a caring individual. Even as a Senator, he takes time routinely to volunteer his personal services as a doctor. But he has extraordinary pressures on him, because he wants to be President. Now to win the general election, candidates appeal to the majority of the voters, people in the middle, not the extremes. To get the nomination of the party is a different matter altogether. Who are the folks stuffing envelopes, walking door to door? Who are the volunteers ringing you up in the middle of the night, willing to risk your anger on the slender chance of gaining your vote for their candidate? Are these casual people, middle-of-the-road'ers? These are the party faithful, the true believers in their cause. And who are the activists with the most energy in the Republican party right now? The Religious Right. They have power, money, and enthusiastic volunteers. I just wish they were on our side! In time, of course, they will be on our side. Each of them has loved ones too, families at risk of chronic disease or disability. When a person realizes, hey, that research may help my son who has diabetes, my daughter with leukemia-or my wife who has breast cancer or my husband with Alzheimer's, or my sister with arthritis, or my brother in his wheelchair-- or plain old me, myself and I- he or she will talk about it within their community. Person by person, change will come. But that day is not now. Today, the Religious Right is the opposition; they are against the research we support; if they win, we lose. It took political courage for Bill Frist to come out in favor of House Resolution 810: the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act. He paid for it. The editorials were savage from the Religious Right, his former supporters. All the dozens of times he had voted their way was forgotten. It would only be natural for him to want to make them happy again-- to support his bid to gain the Republican Presidential nomination. But even among the social conservatives, increasing numbers are re-thinking their position. In California, Prop 71 won in every voting segment. Conservatives have families too, people they love, and will protect. And there is also another power base in the Republican party: Free enterprise, the business engine of America, supports embryonic stem cell research. The biomed industry has a lot of start up-corporations, the scientific equivalent of mom and pops outfits; they are definitely in favor of the research, and biomed is growing. Corporations large and small: would any business want to miss out on the next great wave of the future? Would they shut themselves off from computer use, if that near-magical means of communication offended someone? Business people know that every great innovation is feared and opposed at first. Even cameras were once considered "soul-stealers" by certain religions. Executives have families, too. Leaders like Senator Bill Frist must remember all his constituencies. But each day brings us closer to November, with more and more reasons to put off a controversial vote-or tie it to something poisonous, and hope nobody notices. Politicians are subtle, masters of innuendo and the hidden meaning, gestures within gestures, ways to appear progressive while taking a giant leap backward. America needs a straight up and down vote on S 471, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act: no tricks, no add-ons, no deceptions, no decoys. Senator Frist has already paid the price of independent thought; we must support him in that decision, and make sure he does not throw it away by some last minute "deal". Remember Senator Dirksen's heat and light? Education is the light. We must also bring the heat. Every Senator needs to know that supporters of stem cell research have not gone away, that we are watching, and that we will hold them accountable. A letter to Senator Frist (or any of the Disoriented Dozen) might go something like this: Dear Honorable Senator Frist: Please allow a straight up and down vote on House Resolution 810, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act. It has been more than a year since HR 810 passed the House of Representatives. You have promised to support it, and to allow a vote. Please do not allow any tricks, like distracting "decoy bills"; or linking it to something poisonous, as the Brownback anti-research legislation. As the (here, identify your interest-father of a paralyzed son, patient with Parkinson's, whatever your most pressing reason for involvement) I strongly support embryonic stem cell research. I urge you to follow the will of American people who so overwhelmingly support embryonic stem cell research. Please allow the vote. Thank you, Your Name Or. GOT SOME DOLLARS YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO WITH? John Hlinko, the founder of STEMpac (and the man behind the successful Draft Wesley Clark effort), has made a video commercial he would like to run, urging Senator Frist to do the right thing about HR 810/S 471. He wants to run the ad in New Hampshire, site of the first Presidential primary, reminding the Senator of the national importance of the issue. To check out John's effort, go directly to his website-www.STEMpac.com. Do NOT send me money-but John is a serious worker, and I recommend sending him a couple of bucks if you can. Small donations matter too. I saw John at the GPIconvention, and I shoved $20 in his hand, or maybe it was $10, I forget. I am cheap, granted, but every nickel counts, way I see it. If you are able to make a highly targeted contribution, that would be great. If, however, your wallet (like mine) is not exactly cluttered with cash of multi-digit denominations, a letter to Senator Bill Frist and one or more of the Disoriented Dozen is also extremely helpful. P.S. The very latest: Senator Frist has repeated his promise to allow a vote on H.R. 810/S 471-in mid-July. That is good news. The bad news is: As we feared, it looks like it will be a package deal: an anti-research bill to please Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS), as he runs for the Presidency as the Religious Right candidate: and a decoy bill on so-called "alternative" stem cell research, to allow social conservatives the appearance of voting for progress in a meaningless way-while voting against the real research. Stay tuned. By Don Reed, www.stemcellbattles.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn