STEM CELL BATTLES
See that empty wheelchair? We who fight for embryonic stem cell research
believe that wheelchairs are for temporary occupancy only. We do not accept
the diagnosis of "incurable", given to more than one hundred million
Americans with cancer, paralysis, Alzheimer's, AIDS, diabetes, MS, and more.
We are America's millions: patients, family, and friends. We support
research to bring cures, to empty the wheelchairs everywhere.
Don C. Reed, October, 2005
#262 Monday, December 4, 2006 - BUILD UP THE STOREHOUSES
Monday, tonight about eleven I will hit the road for LA. Drive all night
(thank heavens for coffee) reach Los Angeles hopefully without getting lost
at 8:00.
Tuesday, I will get to listen to projects about how to cure paralysis. This
is Roman Reed Act stuff, projects to be funded-or not-a much-smaller version
of the mountain of work the CIRM is attempting right now. I will be
struggling, intellectually puffing and panting. Listening to scientists can
be like running on a treadmill which is going too fast to keep up with. But
difficult or not, it will be terrific; I never leave a gathering of
scientists without the feeling of satisfaction that people like these are
working toward the cure that will one day let Roman, Karen and millions
stand up, and walk away from their wheelchairs, as Christopher Reeve used to
say.
Wednesday, unbelievable luxury-if all goes as planned, I will read all day.
I will stay in the hotel, bring a stack of books along, and have a glorious
time. No sense driving back to Fremont, only to have to turn around and
drive back-so I will be kicking back and doing as little as possible, lazy
day-I may occasionally take a nap, by way of diversion, but that will be the
tough part of the day.
Thursday, ICOC meeting. These are always such a joy, listening to some of
the finest minds in the world struggle with the problems and possibilities
of stem cell research in the 21st century-I'll drive back that night.
It will be a glorious week.
Some days, I can hardly believe my good fortune.
Consider: I get to work with good people, all the time.
My wife is Gloria. My children are Roman and Desiree.
I play Tai Chi in the park three times a week when I am home, and the only
cost is a dollar a month for the batteries to the tape recorder.
Right now, this instant, I am hearing Ethel Merman on the earphones. She is
singing "Everything's Coming Up Roses".
Kind of scares me, when things get so good.
Remember the story in the Bible about Joseph and the dream about seven fat
cows and seven skinny ones? The Pharaoh had the dream, and Joseph
interpreted it as there would be seven great years and then seven years of
famine-so the kingdom should get ready.
The Pharoah set up food storage places, stored food during the good years,
and his kingdom survived the bad years which followed.
Now is the good time. These are the years we will remember with delight and
sigh as we bore our grandkids about the good old days.
But storms are coming, fierce winds will blow harsh and cold once again.
So-maybe we should build up the storehouses.
How do we do that?
Go through your phone book. Call some people you owe favors to-in my case
that is about half the western hemisphere-and at least say hello. Oh, hi,
no, I actually don't want anything this time-no, really, I mean it-yes, this
is me, and no I am not sick-how are things in your neck of the woods? Yes,
this is an actual social call-hello, hello?
This free advice ("Free advice costs nothing, and it's worth the price"-Alan
King) is probably more for me than anyone-because I don't make half the
phone calls I should.
A good phone call is like a Christmas card, all year long.
I don't do cards, but Gloria does.
My beloved sends out beautiful family Christmas cards she designs and makes
herself-they take about 20-30 minutes each, she starts making them in July-
frameable.
Gloria is very family-oriented. She always tells me, call your sister, you
haven't talked to her in weeks. To which I respond, look, hon, I am really
busy-and Gloria respects that-- meaning she won't harass me for ten or
fifteen minutes before bringing it up again.
You and I have only the strength of our combined voices; that is the gentle
weapon we use to shape the world, to make it a better, kinder place.
The other side has money, connections, power, control over a vast
communications network.
We have each other. Friendship is our strength; our brothers and sisters in
this fight are worthy of our affection as well as our respect.
Like Ray Lee.
Rayilyn Lee has Parkinson's, a disease I really hate, progressive and
debilitating. It would be very easy for her to just take care of herself
alone, to focus on the endless struggle to maintain her personal health, and
let the rest of the world do what it wants.
But Ray Lee fights. She answers articles written by the idiots' brigade:
those folks who endlessly talk trash about adult stem cells having cured
everything and therefore there is no need for embryonic stem cell research.
She writes letters to the editor responding to articles the rest of us just
pound the desk about-look at this, someone should respond to this!-well, Ray
Lee is that someone, fighting for us all.
I owe Ray Lee a phone call.
She is my friend, and yours as well.
Call a friend today.
P.S. Just as I finished this column, I read an email from Sean Tipton would
want to read. Sean Tipton, of course, is President of the Coalition for the
Advancement of Medical Research, that amazingly effective group-of-groups,
our best friend in Washington.
Listen to this latest insider's update from President Sean:
"The month of January will be a busy time for all us. By now, you have
probably all seen the press reports that the new Democratic leadership
in both the House and Senate have made stem cell legislation a priority
and intend to hold votes in early January. We have been meeting with
staff of the new leadership and our champions in both chambers to get
ready for this.
Because a new Congress will convene in January, the stem cell
legislation that passed both the House and Senate in the 109th Congress,
the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act (H.R. 810) will have to be
reintroduced. The plan is that both chambers will introduce a new
version of the bill. The bills will be worded identically to each other,
and to last session's HR 810. If we get lucky, they may even have the
same bill numbers in both chambers. We will be sure to let you know the
new bill number as soon as it is introduced. It appears likely that stem
cell legislation will be among the first items considered by the 100th
Congress.
We expect a vote on the floor of both chambers as early as January 15!
We believe that just as a clear majority of the American people support
stem cell research, we will again gain support of a majority of both
chambers of Congress. We don't know what the President will do, but we
need to be ready for another veto.
If that happens, we will make every effort to override that veto.
Should a veto come, and we are not able to override it, we still won't
be done. We are developing strategies, such as attaching the bill to
other "must-pass" legislation, that we may go to if we have to.
The bottom line is this, we expect a stem cell vote in January, so we do
not have a second to waste. The CAMR legislative team is already hard
at work, but we need you to make every effort to contact new members of
Congress. If you have members and supporters who live in a district with
a new Representative or Senator, please reach out to them and tell them
to vote in favor of the new Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act when it
comes to the floor in early January. If you have a representative or
Senator who previously voted no, now is the time to tell them to
reconsider and change their vote."-Sean Tipton, President, CAMR
(for more info, visit www.camradvocacy.org)
By Don C. Reed, Chair, Californians for Cures, www.stemcellbattles.com.
Email Don at: [log in to unmask]
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