Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Al Gore vs George Bush: the moderate's perspective -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: RCMac who wrote (9898)	8/6/2001 5:27:40 AM
From: calgal	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 10042

Bush ponders idea on stem cell study Proposal based on unproven theory 08/05/2001 Chicago Tribune WASHINGTON – President Bush, eager to find middle ground on the volatile issue of embryonic stem cell research, is considering an unproven scientific theory that stem cells can be taken from a human embryo without destroying it. Related content • States to get latitude in Medicaid program • Bush doctors say he's 'fit for duty' • After initial success, Bush agenda falters Mr. Bush's top political strategist, Karl Rove, and Vice President Dick Cheney's chief counselor, Mary Matalin, met separately recently with Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., to discuss Mr. Bartlett's claims that the stem cells used in scientific research could be "cleaved" from the embryo in a way that would allow the embryo to reform and, possibly, still be implanted in a woman's womb. "This is a solution that I believe everyone in Congress can support to the perplexing controversy concerning embryonic stem cell research," Mr. Bartlett, a former physiology professor at the University of Maryland and a one-time researcher at the National Institutes of Health, said in a letter he circulated on Capitol Hill. The White House continued to grapple with the stem cell issue during a week marked by several legislative victories before the president's departure for Texas for a lengthy working vacation. So far, however, the ability to cleave cells while preserving the human embryo is an untested theory. Activists on both sides of the debate said the White House's pursuit of such an untried scientific technique is an indication of how eager the administration is to find politically safe ground on an issue viewed as a defining event of Mr. Bush's short tenure. The White House confirmed the meetings, and Mr. Bartlett's staff said there had been several follow-up discussions. But there was no indication from the White House when Mr. Bush would make a decision on Mr. Bartlett's proposal or what alternatives he is studying on federal financing of stem cell research. Even as the White House weighs Mr. Bartlett's proposal, researchers have said that the techniques he advocates are untested and potentially overly burdensome to scientists. The abortion foes Mr. Bush would seek to appease with such a proposal are lining up against Mr. Bartlett's plan, insisting there is no guarantee that embryos wouldn't be destroyed, an act they equate with abortion. One group, American League for Life, conducted a news conference Friday near the White House to deride Mr. Bush for "selling out" conservative voters by breaking a campaign promise in even seeking a compromise. Embryonic stem cells, which have been available to researchers for only the last three years, can be manipulated to create tissue, blood and nerves and have excited millions of people with their promise of new treatments for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, juvenile diabetes and other diseases. What Mr. Bartlett proposes is that a small part of a days-old embryo could be carved away before the embryo is implanted in a woman's womb. Stem cells would be taken from the cleaved portion of the cell cluster. The remaining embryo would be allowed to rejuvenate and, if the timing is precise, be implanted. But even the researchers Mr. Bartlett consulted caution that the technique is only "theoretically possible." No one has taken stem cells from a human embryo without destroying it. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services dallasnews.com

To: RCMac who wrote (9898)	8/7/2001 4:26:44 PM
From: Mephisto	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 10042

"You might say that his remarks gave us a sense of his soul. And it turns out that his soul — or maybe it's just his heart — belongs to people, of whatever nationality, who sell oil. " KRUGMAN As usual, in the above quote, Mr. Krugman sees clearly that "The Toxic Texan's loyalty is to his friends in the oil industry. They have made him rich! Gosh, I bet Junior is fed up with all those California complainers. -Mephisto " Funny, isn't it? When California complains about high electricity prices, it gets a lecture about how you can't defy the laws of supply and demand. But when foreign producers collude to prevent prices from falling in the face of an oil glut, the administration not only signals its approval but endorses the old, discredited theory that cartels are in consumers' interest." KRUGMAN It seems that Mr. Bush does not have any special interest in the environment beyond beyond the bare brown patch where he built his Texas Ranch. - Mephisto. "The energy bill the House passed last week was notable for its indifference to environmental consequences and its lack of serious conservation measures — increased fuel-efficiency standards could easily save far more oil than we'll ever get by punching holes in the tundra. But the most amazing thing is that the bill contains more than $30 billion in subsidies and special tax breaks for energy producers. That's even more amazing given that money is looking very tight: Republicans are nervously awaiting new budget projections, which everyone in Washington expects will show that the tax cut has wiped out the non-trust-fund budget surplus for the foreseeable future." KRUGMAN The Toxic Texan is obsessed with "crude." Unfortunately, for his shareholders, he lost money when he owned an oil company. Other Bushes were successful in the oil patch so Jr. could and does live a privileged life apart and out of touch with the rest of Americans who have suffered from high energy prices. You might say Junior is indifferent and uninterested in the prices we pay at the pump and to heat our homes. -Mephisto " So it seems that many of the administration's principles contain a special clause, making an exception when it comes to oil. The administration tells people that they should place their trust in the free market, and accept the fact that prices will move up and down with changes in supply and demand — unless those people happen to be selling oil. The administration tells people that they should be self-reliant, and should not expect subsidies from the federal government — unless those people happen to be selling oil. And the administration tells countries that they must expect the United States to stand up for its own interests, and that our government doesn't worry about offending their delicate sensibilities — unless those countries happen to be selling oil." KRUGMAN