# 197 Monday, July 24, 2006 - SCHWARZENEGGER AND THE GREAT LOAN-- CRITICAL
MASS FOR STEM CELL RESEARCH?
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission defines "critical mass" as: "the
smallest mass of fissionable material that will support a self-sustaining
chain reaction."
I am no physicist, to put it mildly. The more complicated aspects of high
math-like long division-I place in the category of things to ask somebody
else about.
But as I understand the concept of critical mass, it is that when a certain
point is reached, and enough stuff has come together, there will be a boom.
Obviously, in nuclear terms, when this happens, we do not want to be in the
neighborhood.
John Wayne, Rita Hayworth and the cast of the movie "The Conqueror" were
taken to the Nevada salt flats to witness a nuclear bomb test. It is my
understanding that many of the cast that witnessed the explosion developed
cancer.
The A-bomb gave our species the horrendous power: to essentially end life on
earth. Henry Kissinger made the point (about thirty years ago) that with
weaponry so far advanced, more bombs "would only make the rubble bounce."
Personally, I feel if we can blow up the world several times over, that is
probably enough.
But what if there was something peaceful and wonderful, and that reached
critical mass?
Friday, 21 July, Sacramento, California.
As Gloria and I took the Jefferson exit off highway 80, and turned downtown,
crossing the big yellow bridge over the slow-flowing American River, I felt
excitement deep inside, as I always do before I see the Capitol building.
Would it be as beautiful as I remembered it, that shining white dome, symbol
of democracy?
There it was, just ahead.
And this time, something else waiting inside, something wonderful.
On Wednesday, we had some bad news: President Bush announced his first veto:
denying funding for more embryonic stem cell research.
The very next day, the word went out that Governor Schwarzenegger had a
surprise in store for supporters of stem cell research. And on Friday.
As we waited in the little room (before we were allowed in, bomb-snuffing
dogs went over everything, which was interesting, if a little depressing) on
the stage was (on the right) Karen Miner, Susan Rotchy, and Roman Reed.
On the left was a huge new friend (6'9") named Cory, a wheelchair driver,
and his family.
Also a beautiful young lady named Candace Coffee, winner of the Miss
Sacramento pageant. I had heard her speak before, and she is a powerful
advocate. She suffers a disease called (I think) Devic's disease--? It
blinded one of her eyes, occasionally paralyzes her, and keeps her in
continual pain, so she must sleep with icepacks at night.
All of us waited, waited some more-- and then we heard the movie-familiar
booming laugh behind a door, and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger came
bounding into the room.
He was announcing his decision to loan $150 million dollars to the
California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
This was so huge, so wonderful.
When California voted to spend $300 million a year on stem cell research, it
was a heartbreaker to see the research held up by a lawsuit. But that had
happened, and the CIRM had had to get by on gift-loans from dedicated
individuals-and that meant Bob Klein endlessly asking people for donations,
which might or might not be paid back.
"We can no longer afford to wait to fund this important research," Governor
S. had said earlier in a letter reported in the Los Angeles Times ("State
Takes Lead in Stem Cell Efforts", Lee Romney, July 21, 2006).
"I remain committed to advancing stem cell research in California, in the
promise it holds for millions of our citizens who suffer from chronic
diseases and injuries that could be helped as a result of stem cell
research."
Now, today, it was happening.
"We must not fall behind other nations which have made the lifesaving
research a priority," he said.
The opposition in the governorship race would naturally make some comments
about "politics"-but nobody in the room cared about that. All we wanted was
for the science to move forward.
Schwarzenegger magnificent gesture did just that. His willingness to help
with a huge loan puts the CIRM in position to do life-saving research sooner
rather than later-probably giving us about an 18-month head start.
It will take about three months before the check clears, all the complicated
details to be arranged.
But now at last the ingredients were in place.
When the Governor spoke, the audience was one big smile. I grinned until my
jaws ached. But we did not clap afterwards, because that would not have been
polite. It was a press conference, after all, and the reporters needed to do
their jobs without noise and distraction.
Then Bob Klein spoke.
He said all kinds of nice things (deserved) about the governor, and about
the vital nature of the research-it almost didn't matter what he said-- and
when Bob was through we forgot about being quiet, and we clapped till our
hands went numb.
The Governor is a political powerhouse, a force of nature.
But that's our Bob, the man who made the whole shooting matching possible,
without whom none of this would have happened.
Karen understood immediately. When I called up and started raving about the
good news, the first thing she said was:
"Bob Klein had his hand in this."
I did not know it at the time, being somewhat too excited to think straight,
but she was exactly right.
As I understand it, behind the scenes, what happened was this:
After President Bush vetoed the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act,
California's Governor wanted to do something to help. So, he had his friends
call up Bob Klein, and say, "What can we do?"
Bob, of course, was ready. You could wake him up out of a deep sleep and ask
him to opine on the superiority of Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer over adult
stem cells, and he would say something like: "It is vital that both avenues
of research move forward, to the betterment of both, and the advantage of
millions of patients."
He instantly responded with a two-page letter requesting a major loan for
the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine: the stem cell research
program.
And Schwarzenegger did it.
Folks, I don't care what your politics are. Mine are liberal Democrat.
But when the man who once played Terminator did that magnificent gesture, he
shut up my Arnold jokes forever.
It was a shining deed, something every supporter of stem cell research
should respect.
For the first time, an appropriate level of funding is available. We have
the scientists-- heaven knows we have the ailments to cure-and now, at last,
we have the money.
What the atomic bomb was for death and destruction, the great Schwarzenegger
loan may turn out to be for life and hope and healing.
July 21, 2006, may go down in history as the day when-for the healing
science of stem cell research-- critical mass was achieved.
By Don Reed www.stemcellbattles.com
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