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190Thursday, July 13, 2006 - THE SETTLER SHOT WITH ARROWS: How We Can Win The story is told of a settler found shot full of arrows, many as a porcupine has quills-- but the single-shot rifle he carried was still loaded. There are two things wrong with that picture. One of course is that the poor man could not decide where to fire his single bullet, and so left it useless in the weapon. If I was to be found dead after a similar battle, I want every bullet I have to be expended, every throw-able rock in the neighborhood flung, and my rifle barrel bent from being wrapped around adversarial noggins. And the other thing wrong with that picture? Yesterday I sat in on the phone meeting for the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research. Sean Tipton, President of CAMR led the meeting, and he announced there was representation from 75 advocate groups in on the call. Tuesday or Wednesday next week is the Senate vote on the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, according to the latest information. Behind the scenes, the White House is pulling out all the stops, trying to prevent the bill from reaching the President. If the White House can persuade just a Senator or two to change their minds, that might be enough to gain only 59 votes instead of the 60 we need for our bill to pass. We cannot let that happen. As Sean put it, "This is the bill we have been working toward for five years. It is the only pro-cure, pro-patient, pro-research bill." Remember, despite all his protestations, there is a chance the President will sign the bill. And even if he vetoes it-we still have a chance to win, by over-riding the veto.. And if we cannot muster the 67 Senatorial votes needed to cancel the President's wishes? The American Public will remember in November. If one party's dominance of government blocks life-saving research, that dominance must be loosened, or it becomes dictatorship. America is watching. Will research be funded which may one day cure paralysis and cancer? Or will the religious objections of a narrow minority prevail? Behind the scenes, our organization-CAMR, the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research-is working night and day. But they are only as strong as we make them. Being of an age when everything reminds me of something else, I remember a Mighty Mouse cartoon which came out in World War Two. It concerned an invasion of cats, very Nazi-like, and loaded with weapons: tanks, planes, guns, bombs, you name it. But Mighty Mouse did not fight the cats alone-- no solitary super-rodent he! He organized the mice. They worked together, and as they worked, they sang a song which still rings in my mind, "We did it before, and we can do it again, yes, we can do it again-we did it before-and we'll do it again!" Notice the operative word-we, as in "we can", and "we will". Many good points were brought out in the meeting (I was outside and did not have a pencil, or I would have taken notes) but the number one goal-- was for everyone to just keep doing. Re-contact friendly Senators, reminding them we appreciate their courage, and willingness to go to bat for us. You called them before? Please call again. (Hint: You might feel more comfortable calling after hours and leaving a message; emails work too. Faxes, hand-delivered letters, telegrams,-- probably paper airplanes would work-but in one way or another, we must reach out, let them know they have support. ) We have no way of knowing what the opposition may offer by way of political "horse-trading"-"vote the research down, and we will help you on that pet project for your state"-we only can know what we are doing. Good news: Senator Bill Frist appears to be working hard to pass our bill. We may (and probably will) have to quarrel with him when it comes to SCNT later on; but right now, he is acting as a Senator looking out for all Americans, and we need to let him know we appreciate it. Remember he is paying a political price for supporting HR 810. There are more of us supporters of stem cell research than there are opponents-but the other side is strong, well-organized, and extremely well-funded. Open your phonebook, spend an hour contacting your Aunt Gertrude who hasn't spoken to you since that unfortunate incident with the punchbowl New Year's Eve-ask her to contact her Senator, and leave a phone message. Write a letter to the editor. Write ten, even knowing they may not be published-because every letter is duly noted by the editor, and they absolutely are sensitive to the interests of their readership-and if your letter is printed, the Senator's staff will read that as an expression of the community's will. Want another sample letter? By some strange coincidence, I just happen to have one. Here is a letter signed by some of the groups represented in CAMR. Be sure and check if your group is listed. If your group is not listed, or not yet a member, here is Lisa Hughes, a leader at CAMR who needs to hear from you immediately: "If you are NOT a member of CAMR, please indicate if you would like to add your organization's name by 12:00 noon Friday. You can e-mail me at [log in to unmask] I apologize for the quick turnaround time, but we need to have this complete and to the Hill before the debate begins on Monday.-Lisa Hughes." July 14, 2006 U.S. Senate Washington, DC 20510 Dear Senator: We, the undersigned patient advocacy groups, health organizations, research universities, scientific societies, and other interested institutions and associations, representing millions of patients, scientists, health care providers and advocates, write you with our strong and unified support for H.R. 810, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act. We urge your vote in favor of H.R. 810 when the Senate considers the measure next week.Of the bills being considered simultaneously, only H.R. 810 will move stem cell research forward in our country. This is the bill which holds promise for expanding medical breakthroughs. The other two bills - the Alternative Pluripotent Stem Cell Therapies Enhancement Act (S. 2754) and the Fetus Farming Prohibition Act (S. 3504) - are NOT substitutes for a YES vote on H.R. 810. H.R. 810 is the pro-patient and pro-research bill. A vote in support of H.R. 810 will be considered a vote in support of more than 100 million patients in the U.S. and substantial progress for research. Please work to pass H.R. 810 immediately. Sincerely, Alliance for Aging Research Alliance for Stem Cell Research Alpha-1 Foundation ALS Association American Association for Cancer Research American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurological Surgeons American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association American College of Neuropsychopharmacology American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists American Diabetes Association American Gastroenterological Association American Medical Association American Parkinson's Disease Association (Arizona Chapter) American Society for Cell Biology American Society for Microbiology American Society for Neural Transplantation and Repair American Society for Reproductive Medicine American Society of Hematology American Thyroid Association Association of American Medical Colleges Association of American Universities Association of Independent Research Institutes Association of Professors of Medicine Association of Reproductive Health Professionals Axion Research Foundation Biotechnology Industry Organization B'nai B'rith International The Burnham Institute California Insitute of Technology Californians for Cures Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation Cedars-Sinai Health System Children's Neurobiological Solutions Foundation Christopher Reeve Foundation Columbia University Medical Center Cornell University CuresNow Duke University Medical Center Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation FasterCures FD Hope Foundation Genetics Policy Institute Hadassah Harvard University Hereditary Disease Foundation International Foundation for Anticancer Drug Discovery (IFADD) International Longevity Center - USA International Society for Stem Cell Research Jeffrey Modell Foundation Johns Hopkins Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Massachusetts Biotechnology Council National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research National Association for Biomedical Research National Coalition for Cancer Research National Council on Spinal Cord Injury National Health Council National Partnership for Women and Families National Venture Capital Association New Jersey Association for Biomedical Research New York University Medical Center Parkinson's Action Network Parkinson's Disease Foundation Pittsburgh Development Center Project A.L.S. Quest for the Cure Research!America Resolve: The National Infertility Association Rett Syndrome Research Foundation Robert Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins Rutgers University Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research Society for Women's Health Research Stanford University Stem Cell Action Network Stem Cell Research Foundation Steven and Michele Kirsch Foundation Student Society for Stem Cell Research Take Charge! Cure Parkinson's, Inc. Texans for the Advancement of Medical Research Tourette Syndrome Association Travis Roy Foundation University of California System University of Minnesota University of Rochester Medical Center University of Southern California University of Wisconsin-Madison Vanderbilt University and Medical Center Washington University in St. Louis WiCell Research Institution Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation Wisconsin Association for Biomedical Research and Education So, what was the other thing wrong with the picture, that settler shot full of arrows? It was something beyond his control, not his fault, but he lost because of it. He fought alone. The other side never comes against as individuals; they always fight as a group, and that is how we must meet their attack: in an organized unity. We are in this together: patients, parents, scientists, researchers, citizens in every walk of life: we are defending our loved ones. CAMR is our group of groups. CAMR is us. We work together, so the strength of one becomes the strength of many; and that is how we will prevail. When CAMR fights, we bring the neighborhood. 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