As most of you have probably noticed, the stem cell debate has been in the news again triggered by our fearless leader's veto of the proposed bill to increase federal funding on research - the first veto of his presidency. With a republican controlled house and senate, you'd think approving bills would be an easy process for a republican president, right? Not when our moral leader, who has cornered the market on morality, needs to show the country what real morals are.Stem cell research is what brought me to California. My partner, Larry, was conducting research with mouse embyonic stem cells at Washington University in St. Louis, got a job offer in the private sector here in California, so we moved.
Fifty nine percent of registered voters in the state approved the California Stem Cell Initiative, opening up a lot of doors here for research to begin. Some say there will be a backlash from the same ultra-right wing who penned the term 'snowflakes' and call for the adoption of unused frozen embryos like they were pet rocks or something - if they're not gay, black, or something that isn't white, right? Until they can use same genetic research that they oppose to discover how to detect such things and correct them, their morals will suffice. Besides, if the embryo or fetus does die, they can take Rick Santorum's lead, pickle it, bring it home to the kids and PROVE to them that it was a living human being. It's a win win, right?
Already though, the initiative is at a stand-still, caught in court by the aforementioned freaks.
The good news is that the ball is already rolling. The private sector - funded by private, non-government investors - isn't constrained by the same limitations set by Chimpy McWonder Monkey and has already gone above and beyond the appoved stem cell lines. And if things get worse here, the research will go to other countries, as it already has. The US is not the leader in this research, and probably won't be for some time. But as soon as a scientist in Singapore discovers a way to cure Parkinson's Disease, Diabetes, Alzheimer's or AIDS, all the Rick Santorums of the world will get in line to buy the pill. Well...maybe not AIDS, because all infected gays deserve to die, right?
Meanwhile, as he is so determined to save lives here, Bush's war is killing thousands of innocent people in Iraq according the Washington Post:
"In the first half of this year, 4,338 Iraqi civilians died violent deaths, according to a new report by the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq. Last month alone, 3,149 civilians were killed -- an average of more than 100 a day."
I think if we substituted 'Iraqi civilians' with 'Snowflakes', The Party of Life might actually start giving a shit.
'Cause it is 'shit' right, Mr. President?