Stem Cells: The Hope And The Hype

Interesting...still reading it...

TIME.com: Stem Cells: The Hope And The Hype -- Aug. 7, 2006 -- Page 1: "Stem Cells: The Hope And The Hype"

Here is a list of the common lies put forth by people who support Embryonic stem cell research. The quoted text is from the article, which surpisingly actually does point out some of these lies (or hype)

Lie #1: A cure is just around the corner for you or your grandpa.

Last month, when President George W. Bush vetoed the bill that would have expanded funding for human embryonic-stem-cell (ESC) research, doctors got calls from patients with Parkinson's disease saying they weren't sure they could hang on for another year or two.


Lie #2 It's not a human life (but then they have to say "compared" to you or me). What gives them the right to compare one life to another? Why can't they just admit it is a human life and deal with it. Oh, we don't experiment on other humans, so admitting embryos are human life would kind of end the discussion.

Opponents of ESC research--starting with Bush--argue that you can't destroy life in order to save it; supporters argue that an eight-cell embryo doesn't count as a human life in the first place--not when compared with the life it could help save.


Lie #3: We only talking about embryos that would be destroyed anyways...

Extracting knowledge from embryos that would otherwise be wasted is one thing, but scientists admit that moving forward would require a much larger supply of fresh, healthy embryos than fertility clinics could ever provide.

Tied to #3 is the possibility that any cure might require embyroic cells related to the patient. So couples might create an embryo for the sole purpose of destroying it to save themselves. This is mentioned offten for some reason!

Lie #4: Bush's VETO a bill that would have fixed everything

Congress tried to address the problem with its bill to allow funding for research on any leftover embryos donated by infertility patients. But even if Bush hadn't vetoed the bill, it wouldn't have solved the supply problems. One study estimated that at best, a couple hundred cell lines might be derived from leftover IVF embryos, which tend to be weaker than those implanted in patients. The very fact that they come from infertile couples may mean they are not typical, and the process of freezing and thawing is hard on delicate cells.


Lie #5: The Scientific community reviews the "ethics" of all research. So I have to ask, just what is the "Scientific" basis for "Ethics"? When you have a bush of Scientists doing "ethics reviews' is it really surprising that they find doing science "ethical"? Also, is the option to shutdown ALL embryonic research really "on the table" in these reviews? It's a joke that they even go through the motions of these "reviews".

After exhaustive ethical review [This Post Continues after the jump...]

The UN Actually Praises Israel !!

All I can say is WOW...
I still don't understand all that is going on, but Israel is actually getting support from the UN, so something weird is going on.

Maybe I've been watching too much CNN. The UN actually expressed disapproval of CNN and the BBC.

The world is turning upside down (or maybe back right side up...)

TCS Daily : Technology - Commerce - Society [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Shaken and Stirred

An interesting perspective... I've said that I don't agree with or understand what Israel is doing, but this is based on the assumption that they will not be able to actually "destroy" hezbollah.

If they are able to do that, then this attack would make sense. But I still don't think they will be able to do in a few weeks what years of occupation couldn't do before.

But time will tell....

TCS Daily - Shaken and Stirred [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Bush's use of "signing statements"

What does it mean to pass a law aimed at limiting an executive branch practice (such as a Torture ban) if the president says he can just ignore it? Is the president "above" the law?

But then again, if the 3 branches of government are supposed to be "equal" then congress should not be able to limit the President (If they could then congress would be "above" the President, not co-equal)

The whole idea of "equal branches" seems unworkable to me. In my opinion, Congress should be the "first" among equals. The Supreme Court is above Congress because they can strike down any law passes (but supposedly only if it clearly contradicts the constitution), but they can be cut out the loop if congress says they don't have jurisdiction.

The President is the most powerful brach mainly because he is one person and doesn't have to debate issues or work the middle ground. He or She does whatever they want.

Congress is the pass all laws, but is a large body and has to compromise a lot. It is also the most effected by "the people" in many ways.

I'm rambling.. here's the link
USNews.com: Inside Washington: Bar association task force urges Congress to push for judicial review of Bush signing statements [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Judge Orders Teen to Cancer Treatment

This is scary to me.

At 16 I don't even see this as a parental rights issue (but it is partly that), but mainly a 16 year old should be able to make their OWN healthcare decisions to a large extent.

I don't know the success rate for Hodgkin's disease, but no one should be forced to take Chemo for anything.

BREITBART.COM - Judge Orders Teen to Cancer Treatment [This Post Continues after the jump...]

WorldNetDaily: Where are the Christians?

I hate to say it, but I tend to agree with Pat here...
I just don't understand what Israel hopes to accomplish.

WorldNetDaily: Where are the Christians? [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Bush Vetoes Embryonic Stem Cell Research Bill

Thank God that Bush is able to stop this for now. But eventually it will pass, or something like it.

FOXNews.com - Bush Vetoes Embryonic Stem Cell Research Bill - The Executive Branch [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Israel Going too far

No link here, just my thoughts that I think Israel is going too far. Maybe I don't know all the facts and the US news organizations are not giving any reason for Israel's action, but the response seems disproportionate.

An example would be if a drug cartel in Mexico capture two US boarder patrol agents and the US started bombing Mexico City as a result.

I really don't see what Israel is tring to prove or accomplish. Lebanon has a week government and needs to eventually be held accountable for Hezbollah, but destrying them is not going to help things. [This Post Continues after the jump...]

New Scientist Breaking News - 'Rewired brain' revives patient after 19 years

New Scientist Breaking News - 'Rewired brain' revives patient after 19 years [This Post Continues after the jump...]