John Edward's comments over the top.

[dmadman43]

Originally posted by mallcat
Another of Kerry's promise "Plans" of which he cannot meet. No one can guarantee a paralyzed person will walk again. There is no ban on stem cell research. How can we promise results on something that is still be researched? (through GWB's federal funding for stem cell research by the way).

Exactly. Kerry and Edwards like to foment the impression that absolutely nothing is happening in the area of stem cell research and nothing will happen without govt funding or unless or until they get into office. Nothing could be further from the truth. Talk about scare tactics. Let's pray on the emotions of those suffering from paralysis and their family and friends.

 

[Crankyshank]

It's just rhetoric. No worse than Republicans making claims that Democrats will burn bibles, or implying that we will be attacked by terrorists if Kerry is elected.

 

[dmadman43]

Originally posted by Crankyshank
It's just rhetoric. No worse than Republicans making claims that Democrats will burn bibles

Link, please?

 

[caitycaity]

No one can guarantee a paralyzed person will walk again.

i missed the part where anyone was guaranteeing anything of the sort.

 

[dmadman43]

Originally posted by Galahad
It's no less a gimmick than the GOP trying to tap into the death of Reagan as a way to "remind" voters to vote Republican.

Or Reagan's own son using his father's death as a campaign tactic for stem cell research.

 

[caitycaity]

Originally posted by dmadman43
Link, please?

assuming she meant banned, i think cs was referring to this:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/09/24/politics/main645393.shtml

 

[Crankyshank]

Originally posted by dmadman43
Link, please?

GOP Mailing Warns Liberals Will Ban Bibles
AP/ Reuters ^ | Saturday Sept 18, 2004 | AP/Reuters


Posted on 09/17/2004 3:04:16 PM PDT by camboianchristmas


Campaign mail with a return address of the Republican National Committee warns West Virginia voters that the Bible will be prohibited and men will marry men if liberals win in November.


The literature shows a Bible with the word "BANNED" across it and a photo of a man, on his knees, placing a ring on the hand of another man with the word "ALLOWED." The mailing tells West Virginians to "vote Republican to protect our families" and defeat the "liberal agenda."


Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie said Friday that he wasn't aware of the mailing, but said it could be the work of the RNC. "It wouldn't surprise me if we were mailing voters on the issue of same-sex marriage," Gillespie said.


The flier says Republicans have passed laws "protecting life," support defining marriage as between a man and a woman and nominate conservative judges who will "interpret the law and not legislate from the bench." It does not mention the names of the presidential candidates.


Jim Jordan, a spokesman for American Coming Together, described the mailing as "standard-issue Republican hate-mongering."


Gillespie said same-sex marriage is a legitimate issue in the election. President Bush has proposed amending the Constitution to ban gay marriage. Democratic Sen. John Kerry also opposes gay marriage but said a constitutional amendment is going too far.

 

[Crankyshank]

Originally posted by caitycaity
assuming she meant banned, i think cs was referring to this:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/09/24/politics/main645393.shtml

Yes it was banned in the mailing, but in the CNN article someone was quoted as being afraid that liberals will burn the bible as well. Unfortunately, I can't access the article via the link I had saved

 

[mallcat]

"if John Kerry is elected president, people like Chris Reeves will walk again".

It says "will" walk again, not "might" walk again. Is that not close enough to a guarantee to take it seriously? Or should we take anything they say on face value?

 

[peachgirl]

he is also the first president to allow federal funding for stem cell research.

This is one of the most ridiculous arguments used.

Stem cell research funding has never been an issue before. No other President has been faced with this issue.

Using the death of this fine man as an election gimmick is a bit low.

There's absolutely no doubt that Reeves would have been proud to be "used" as you put it.


What's disgusting is that Bush is willing to let people continue to suffer and die when there is hope in research. All to keep his radical, right wing base happy.

 

[jenfur]

What about all those frozen embryos that are going to be destroyed anyway? If you are against stem cell research using those embryos shouldn't you also be against invitro fertilization since ultimately so many embryos are destroyed?

Have you ever heard of snowflake adoptions? Many childless couples actually "adopt" these embryos and go on to give birth.

http://www.embryoadoption.com/

I wasn't shocked or offended by the comment. I expected it when they announced Christopher Reeve had died. Its just typical of that party. I do get offended when my beliefs are patronized and made light of because of some non-existent greater good. If embronic stem-cell was so promising, private funds would be pouring in. Other stem cells are more promising, they have been working and have a steady record of doing so. They also are in always in constant supply, there will never be a reason to create these cell only to destroy them. Liberals always scream about the slippery slope of protecting an unborn child from crime, but when they have an agenda all bets are off.

 

[dmadman43]

Originally posted by peachgirl
This is one of the most ridiculous arguments used.

Stem cell research funding has never been an issue before. No other President has been faced with this issue.

er...ummm..

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2004-08-15-stem-cells_x.htm

Three years ago, President Bush made the decision to open, for the first time, the laboratory doors to federal funding for human-embryonic-stem-cell research. He determined, however, that federal funds should not be used to encourage or support the destruction of living human embryos, a principle that has been part of federal law since 1996. Funds would be made available for research derived from embryos that had already been destroyed. He placed no limits on private funding of research.

What's disgusting is that Bush is willing to let people continue to suffer and die when there is hope in research. All to keep his radical, right wing base happy.

What hope? What evidence is there to support Edwards statement that people WILL walk again through govt funded stem cell research? Again, you all act like absolutely no research is going on in this space. That is absolutely not true.

 

[dmadman43]

Originally posted by Crankyshank
Yes it was banned in the mailing, but in the CNN article someone was quoted as being afraid that liberals will burn the bible as well. Unfortunately, I can't access the article via the link I had saved

The fact that some random person interviewed may have jumped to the illogical conclusion that the GOP is saying liberals will burn Bibles, does not make it policy.

 

[dmadman43]

Originally posted by caitycaity
assuming she meant banned, i think cs was referring to this:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/09/24/politics/main645393.shtml

Thanks. That's a far cry from "burned". Nor do I see this articulated in the GOP or DNC platform.

 

[mallcat]

"What's disgusting is that Bush is willing to let people continue to suffer and die when there is hope in research. All to keep his radical, right wing base happy."


Why are people acting like research is not being done? It is most certainly being done. Like all medical research, it does not provide a cure overnight. Federal funding is the first step. That first step has been accomplished. However, like all ethical issues, caution must be used. You can not plunge head-first into these issues without consideration for human life in all stages. If I were a research analyst or lab technician or pathologist working on the stem cell research, I would resent the fact that people are underestimating their efforts. I am sure they are doing their job as best as they can. But, they are not God. You have to watch us "right wing" base people, we are nutjobs who are against research to help human beings, cold ruthless people that we are---even though that very research is being performed as we speak. I guess calling a Republican a "radical" is a safe answer when you don't know what else to say to state your case!

 

[caitycaity]

Thanks. That's a far cry from "burned". Nor do I see this articulated in the GOP or DNC platform.

it was sent out by the RNC, what more do you want?

 

[peachgirl]

er...ummm..

Your point? This issue has never been before a President until Bush. Of course he was the first one.....

What hope?

The same hope that is offered through any research. There are promising indications regarding stem cell research. Until the funding is there, we'll never know what the results will be.
To say that there has to be definitive proof that research will provide successful treatments in the future is silly.

If that were the benchmark, we wouldn't have many of the drugs and treatments we have today.


Potential Applications.......

Stem cell research was chosen by Science magazine in 1999 as its “breakthrough of the year.” Stem cells provide the opportunity to study the growth and differentiation of individual cells into tissues. Understanding these processes could provide insights into the causes of birth defects, genetic abnormalities, and other disease states. If normal development were better
understood, it might be possible to prevent or correct some of these conditions.

Stem cells could be used to produce large amounts of one cell type to test new drugs for effectiveness and chemicals for toxicity. Stem cells might be transplanted into the body to treat disease (diabetes, Parkinson’s disease) or injury (e.g., spinal
cord). The damaging side effects of medical treatments might be repaired with stem cell treatment.

For example, cancer chemotherapy destroys immune cells in patients making it difficult to fight off a broad range of diseases; correcting this adverse effect would be a major advance.

 

[Crankyshank]

Originally posted by dmadman43
The fact that some random person interviewed may have jumped to the illogical conclusion that the GOP is saying liberals will burn Bibles, does not make it policy.

I didn't say it was policy. I said Edward's comment was rhetoric and no worse than the asinine comment that liberals will ban bibles.

 

[Funkyzeit mit Bruno]

If Kerry is elected the lame will walk? I suppose the deaf will hear and the blind will see, too. Maybe Edwards is trying to cut into Bush's stranglehold on the religious right. I know many Democrats think christian fundamentalists are stupid, but does anyone really think they'll buy that Kerry is Jesus?

 

[julia & nicks mom]

This is one of the most ridiculous arguments used.

If no other president has ever been faced with this issue before then how did President Clinton make a decision to ok stem cell research? During his administration it was illegal to put money towards stem cell research and although he decided to ok research he did not lift the ban on funding

Obviously this was a topic that he dealt with as well in his administration

http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,38381,00.html?tw=wn20000823

You are still refusing to admit that it is not a ban that President Bush has put on stem cell but precautionary measures and that there are no limits on the private research of stem cells.

This is an issue that must grow - as we learn more about stem cell research the funding will also grow - from 2002 to 2003 there was a 132% increase of federal spending on stem cell research bringing the total to $190 million dollars and I imagine this number will continue to grow -

Obviously there will always have to be private sources to fund medical research of any kind as the government does not have the resources to totally fund all medical research and there are studies that would like to go outside the parameters that come with government spending.