Oh in a stunning turn of events, the President vetoed the stem cell research bill, something which the majority of the country supports. I'm now as disappointed in our leadership as I have ever been. And just because I enjoy hearing the crazy left and right arguments, I was listening to Rush Limbaugh today, and a caller says that this is a victory for female rights because there would be temptation to get pregnent to sell embryoes on the black market if this thing would have passed. Rush subsequently agrees that the callers point is valid. Geniuses, freaking geniuses. That's like saying we should outlaw organ donation because there is a black market for it. Things of value create a black market, is this really a new concept?

We've gotta start getting better presidential candidates. Thank you South Carolina for killing Johh McCain's bid in 2000. I don't care if he will be the oldest president ever elected, he's got common sense and has been one of the only people on the Republican side to cross the aisle for some consensus building. Unless something magical happens and there's good Dem that will beat Hillary, I'm throwing my support to McCain. The rest of the "viable" Repubs are too Bushlike for me to consider them at this time. That's all for my weekly rant.

I'm moving to Canada or something after I graduate.

Yeah, I think I will too.


He stated that he didn't want federal money paying for the killing of humans, or some bullshit similar to that. So, then if he doesn't want federal tax dollars paying for killing humans, who's paying for the war?

to quote the bill in question

"`(b) Ethical Requirements- Human embryonic stem cells shall be eligible for use in any research conducted or supported by the Secretary if the cells meet each of the following:

`(1) The stem cells were derived from human embryos that have been donated from in vitro fertilization clinics, were created for the purposes of fertility treatment, and were in excess of the clinical need of the individuals seeking such treatment.

`(2) Prior to the consideration of embryo donation and through consultation with the individuals seeking fertility treatment, it was determined that the embryos would never be implanted in a woman and would otherwise be discarded.

`(3) The individuals seeking fertility treatment donated the embryos with written informed consent and without receiving any financial or other inducements to make the donation."


So boys and girls, this leads us to believe that if the embryos are not used for stem cell research they are to be "discarded." So no gain comes from something where enormous medical breakthroughs could happen, and the embryo still gets destroyed and never allowed to develop into a human.

But then you'd have to deal with those crazy Quebecians!

All public money comes with strings attached.

If you want to study stem cells, use private funding. Otherwise you are going to subject yourself to the whims of the government.

that black market crap is bogus.

first off, if there is a medical researcher willing to buy embryos off the blaack market with which he plans to conduct experiments or analyze, he's psycho. I doubt that the black market would be able to properly remove and store and ship and handle embryos. if there were doctors participating in this black market, with all the cpacity to do it correctly, they wouldnt be stopped by the law, as they are obviosly not stopped by the ethical no-no of selling embryos on the black market.

secondly, making something illegal doesnt stop the black market anyway! case in point, the fucking black market!! legal or not, a black market could exist for a product. if research is legal, at least we know at least some things will be on the up and up.

as for the whole human soul thing, i dont buy into it. Bush has plenty of people killed all the time. He is fighting a war, he is in favor of the death penalty, its all bullshit. If an embryo is life because it has the potential to become a human, how far do we go? Are women arrested every 28 days for losing a human life? are men arrested every 28 hours for destroying a potential life? I hate how hypocritical the president is sometimes. I don't respect his decisions, and now I dont even respect him at all. All the hipocrisy needs to end. Either we admit that destroying this potential life is okay, and the reseasrch progresses, or we decide to uphold the sanctity of life and end the war and remove the death penalty. which will it be bush?

For once I agree with you.

go us!

Nah, see, Hillary'd actually be a good president. She would polarize Congress so badly that nothing would ever get done (her goals would be defeated in Congress, and Congress' goals would get vetoed), and from the current crew of Congresscritters, nothing is better than anything.

Become Libertarian.

As for the main topic, if embyos are going to be destroyed anyway, use them for something. I don't support the random creation of embryos, but I don't see any reason to not use the existing ones. Also, I agree that the hypocrisy of being so strong for war and death penalty but against using embryos for research is absurd.

I'd rather see it remain privately funded. At least that way, no governmental partisan propiganda can influence the outcome or progress of the research. I think that this is one area the government needs to stay out of.

I'd much rather see federal money go to something that can save lives rather than pay for a war.

How about not paying for either and it doesn't get taken out of our paychecks.

I'd rather see all embryos get used for stem cell research--I fucking hate kids.