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 : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: American Spirit who wrote (170480)	8/11/2001 11:40:36 PM
From: puborectalis	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

A stem cell ethics rule is eased Bush decision may add colonies for research By Rick Weiss THE WASHINGTON POST Aug. 11 — For all the restrictions President Bush imposed on federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research, he also made a little-noticed policy change that in one area makes his rules more permissive than those of President Bill Clinton. THAT POLICY CHANGE — the removal of strict ethics guidelines governing the procurement of stem cell-laden embryos from fertility clinics — means that colonies of cells that had flunked the Clinton administration’s ethics guidelines will now be eligible for use in federally funded studies. The subtle but potentially significant difference between the Bush and Clinton rules was one of several areas that federal officials tried to clarify yesterday in the aftermath of the stem cell announcement, highlighting some of the perils that Bush faced as he navigated through the sensitive, high-profile issue. Bush announced Thursday night that he would permit federal funding only for research on existing lines, or colonies, of stem cells, barring taxpayer money for research involving the creation or destruction of new embryos as sources of cells. The long-awaited announcement drew a range of reactions, but seemed, at least for the moment, to quell a drive in Congress to demand more funding for stem cell research, which scientists hope will lead to new treatments for a wide range of diseases. Much of the reaction focused on Bush’s decision to limit federal subsidies to existing cell lines, with some scientists challenging the administration’s estimate of how many lines actually exist and questioning how useful those lines will be. On the whole, Bush’s new stem cell rules are far more restrictive than the ones Clinton had put in place because they limit research to cells derived from embryos that were destroyed before Bush made his announcement. SOME CLINTON RULES RELAXED But on the question of embryo procurement, the Bush plan demands only that donors at fertility clinics give “proper informed consent,” without defining what that means. By contrast, the Clinton rules specified in great detail how the informed consent process should proceed. It demanded that consent documents use specific wording to ensure that women did not feel coerced to donate their embryos. The stem-cell decision In addition, the Clinton rules also required that only frozen embryos be used for research so that embryos would not be taken just as a woman was undergoing in vitro fertilization — an emotionally vulnerable time that ethicists have said should be off-limits to researchers seeking embryos. Bush has made no mention of such a restriction. WISCONSIN CONNECTION Among the cells that now will be eligible for federal funding are colonies created at the University of Wisconsin, the leading academic research institution located in the home state of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson, a National Institutes of Health official confirmed. Advertisement The cells were cultured by James Thomson and were the first human embryonic stem cells to be isolated in the United States. Thomson used fresh embryos and also used consent wording that differed slightly from the language specified under the Clinton rules. Under Bush’s new rules, however, a University of Wisconsin foundation that holds two key patents on Thomson’s stem cells will be able to distribute those cells to researchers who want to study them — and, if the research proves useful, perhaps collect substantial royalties. HHS spokesman Bill Hall said the Wisconsin connection had nothing to do with Bush’s decision to change the rules the way he did. “It played no role whatsoever in the deliberations” leading up to the new rules, Hall said. “It had nothing to do with who owned which [cell] lines.” SOME CELL LINES GRANDFATHERED IN Others said that in any case, Bush’s dilution of the ethics rules was disturbing. “It’s very troubling to find that this policy may actually grandfather in cell lines that were ineligible on ethical grounds even under the Clinton guidelines,” said Richard Doerflinger of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which opposes federal funding of human embryo stem cell research. “To be sure, our moral objection has not centered on how informed the parents’ consent is,” Doerflinger said, noting that it focuses instead on the well-being of the embryos. “But at least the Clinton guidelines spelled all this out. This is distressing.” Bush’s statement Thursday that there are 60 human embryonic stem cell lines already in existence eligible for study with federal funds under the new plan caught many researchers by surprise. Even specialists in the field had been unaware there were more than 10 or 15 lines. Lana Skirbol, NIH director of science policy, said the number Bush referred to was derived from a recent intensive round of inquiries to laboratories around the world by the agency. Many more lines are in existence than previously believed, she said, with several being kept behind closed doors to protect commercial and proprietary interests. NOT TRULY STEM CELLS? Some scientists said they suspect that many of those cells are not truly stem cells. The criteria for stem cells are quite strict; the cells must be able to reproduce without limit, and all progeny cells must be able to reproduce indefinitely and develop into every cell type in the body. Many cells that at first appear to be stem cells have proven not to be, but Skirbol said the agency used strict definitional rules in its survey. Moreover, she said, all appear to be eligible for federally funded studies. “The NIH believes that all 60 cell lines meet the president’s criteria” for federal funding, she said. To meet the criteria, cells must be from embryos left over from fertility treatments (as opposed to having been created for research); parents must not have been compensated for donating the embryos; proper informed consent must have been obtained; and the embryos must have been destroyed before 9 p.m. Aug. 9 — the day of the president’s announcement. In an interview, Skirbol acknowledged that a few of the existing cell lines may be found to be of little or no use, perhaps because they don’t grow well or cannot be easily manipulated. But new lines are also expected to become available she said, as researchers reveal lines created in recent months. The NIH will require documentation that the cells are from embryos destroyed before Thursday, she said. The agency is creating a registry of all eligible stem cell lines — and, in a difficult task, devising material transfer agreements that specify the legal conditions under which cells can be shared — so that researchers will soon be able to choose from a menu of embryo cells. FASTER APPROVAL New grants will not be available until next year, Skirbol said. But scientists who already have NIH grants can file for supplemental money for stem cell work — a system that works faster than the normal grant approval process. And many researchers already working with conventional cells are expected to apply to NIH for permission to add stem cells to their experiments. That process does not require grant approval and can take just a few weeks. Depending on how long it takes to work out legal arrangements, some stem cells could be available on this basis within a few weeks. The Bush system will work much more efficiently than the Clinton system would have, Skirbol said, in part because it eliminates a layer of scientific and ethical oversight from a special committee called for under the Clinton plan. That committee was formed earlier this year but never met. One of the more complicated aspects of getting the system in place will be coordinating patent and royalty arrangements that may be demanded by laboratories that have stem cells to share. The arrangement at Wisconsin in particular makes it difficult to predict how much profit, if any, the university may make from its stem cells. Thomson and the university’s alumni research foundation share two key patents on stem cell processes and products, with commercial rights licensed to Geron Corp., a Menlo Park, Calif., biotechnology company. A nonprofit corporation, WiCell Inc., distributes the Wisconsin cells to scientists for $5,000 per batch. That amount barely covers costs, said spokesman Andrew Cohn. But scientists who find lucrative uses for those cells, such as a treatment for diabetes, may have to pay a portion of their revenue or profits to the university foundation, depending on what kind of arrangement they have made and how much of the work is covered by the university’s patents. Cohn said he had no profit projections for the stem cell business, and said any suggestion that Thompson considered the university’s finances during the stem cell decision-making process was “ludicrous.” Last year, the foundation made $35 million for the university. © 2001 The Washington Post Company

To: American Spirit who wrote (170480)	8/11/2001 11:47:11 PM
From: puborectalis	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

Gore comes out of political hiding to coax young adults into seeking public office The Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. Although each is perhaps best known for twice failing to win the presidency, former Vice President Al Gore and former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander tried Saturday at a bipartisan workshop to persuade young adults to get involved in politics. The daylong, invitation-only event at Vanderbilt University was Gore's first appearance at a public political event since he conceded the 2000 presidential election to George W. Bush. Some political analysts said Gore's involvement suggested he was "testing the waters" toward another presidential campaign. A recent CNN-Gallup poll found Gore leading a list of potential nominees for 2004. Gore wasn't saying, but this week he is leading a weeklong "summer camp" for young Democratic political activists, also in Nashville. And on Saturday he promised he would be involved in 2002 elections in Tennessee, where he vowed to mend fences after losing his home state last year. "We're keeping the focus on young people," Gore said when asked about the 2004 race as he and Alexander, a Republican who was education secretary under President Reagan, walked by reporters on their way to lunch with the 100 young Democrats and Republicans some still in college, others seasoned campaign workers in their 30s. "We wanted to do this thing together to inspire these young people of both parties to be more involved and more active," said the former vice president, who won his first race, for Congress, at age 28. Alexander told The Associated Press when he arrived that the event was meant to "help young people learn political skills but to be more than political warriors to practice politics with civility and respect for others." In addition to Gore and Alexander, the panels on issues ranging from grass roots organizing to political advertising featured political heavyweights including former Gore campaign manager Donna Brazile and strategist Carter Eskew, and Sen. John McCain's former adviser Mike Murphy, who is now working for the president's brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. John Geer, a Vanderbilt political science professor who specializes in presidential politics, said Gore's involvement in the two events may signal that he is "testing the waters to see how receptive the Democratic party is to another Gore presidential campaign." But Brazile and Eskew said Gore has long been interested in involving more young people in politics. Murphy said that if Gore really were trying to crank up his political machine, "he'd be giving this speech in New Hampshire." Eskew said Gore and Alexander "disagree on most issues politically but have remained good friends for years, proving you can be political adversaries but still compromise and do business." Both Gore and Alexander have written books and both plan to return to college campuses to teach this fall. On Saturday, using a relaxed town hall format, Gore and Alexander led sessions ranging from grass-roots organizing to political advertising. Frederick Willis, 22, a recent college graduate and Gore campaign volunteer, said the information would help prepare him for a future political race. "They're grooming us," he said.

To: American Spirit who wrote (170480)	8/12/2001 12:13:50 AM
From: greenspirit	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

Still trying to divide America Anti-American Spirit? The politics of division, pitting one group of Americans against another is like a dog stain left on our shoes from Clinton era politics. The level Democrats are willing to go in order to take swipes at George Bush never ceases to amaze me. Texas is a wonderful state, full of wonderful Americans, just like every state is. If you want to find something negative and nasty, you can do so anywhere. You've built a mental model, and then went looking for the evidence to support it. Democrats are about dividing Americans up, Conservatives about bringing them together. Your politics of division, class envy, and racial divisiveness is an ugly path most Americans do not wish to follow.

To: American Spirit who wrote (170480)	8/12/2001 12:42:22 AM
From: SecularBull	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

I'll take Texas over your Brave New World any day. Austin is not the seat of culture or education in Texas. Austin "and surroundings" (surroundings in this case being the equivalent of a huge chunk of most other states) is not the sole atypical example of Texas geography. You make the false assumption that chicken fried steak lifestyles are not what a majority of Americans desire. You, as most "enlightened" liberals, make the assumption that you know what is best for the rest of us. Don't confuse being an elitist with being enlightened. ~SB~

To: American Spirit who wrote (170480)	8/13/2001 3:13:09 PM
From: Lazarus_Long	Respond to of 769670

Calm down and take your lithium.

To: American Spirit who wrote (170480)	8/13/2001 6:28:15 PM
From: bosquedog	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769670

Dear Friends, Last year, I wrote a small piece about what it means to me to be a Texan. My friends know it means about damned near everything. Anyway, this fella asked me to reprint what I'd wrote and I didn't have it. So I set out to think about rewriting something. I considered writing about all the great things I love about Texas. There are way too many things to list. I can't even begin to do it justice. Lemme let you in on my short list. It starts with The Window at Big Bend, which in and of itself is proof of God. It goes to Lake Sam Rayburn where my Grandad taught me more about life than fishin, and enough about fishin to last a lifetime. I can talk about Tyler, and Longview, and Odessa and Cisco, and Abilene and Poteet and every place in between. Every little part of Texas feels special. Every person who ever flew the Lone Star thinks of Bandera or Victoria or Manor or wherever they call "home" as the best little part of the best state. So I got to thinkin about it, and here's what I really want to say. Last year, I talked about all the great places and great heroes who make Texas what it is. I talked about Willie and Waylon and Michael Dell and Michael DeBakey and my Dad and LBJ and Denton Cooley. I talked about everybody that came to mind. It took me sitting here tonight reading this stack of emails and thinkin about where I've been and what I've done since the last time I wrote on this occasion to remind me what it is about Texas that is really great. You see, this last month or so I finally went to Europe for the first time. I hadn't ever been, and didn't too much want to. But you know all my damned friends are always talking about "the time they went to Europe." So, I finally went. It was a hell of a trip to be sure. All they did when they saw me was say the same thing, before they'd ever met me. "Hey cowboy, we love Texas." I guess the hat tipped em off. But let me tell you what, they all came up with a smile on their faces. You know why? They knew for damned sure that I was gonna be nice to em. They knew it cause they knew I was from Texas. They knew something that hadn't even hit me. They knew Texans, even though they'd never met one. That's when it occurred to me. Do you know what is great about Texas? Do you know why when my friend Beverly and I were trekking across country to see 15 baseball games we got sick and had to come home after 8? Do you know why every time I cross the border I say, "Lord, please don't let me die in _____"? Do you know why children in Japan can look at a picture of the great State and know exactly what it is about the same time they can tell a rhombus from a trapezoid? I can tell you that right quick. You. The same spirit that made 186 men cross that line in the sand in San Antonio damned near 165 years ago is still in you today. Why else would my friend send me William Barrett Travis' plea for help in an email just a week ago, or why would Charles Stanfield ask me to reprint a Texas Independence column from a year ago? What would make my friend Elizabeth say, "I don't know if I can marry a man who doesn't love Texas like I do?" Why in the hell are 1,000 people coming to my house this weekend to celebrate a holiday for what used to be a nation that is now a state? Because the spirit that made that nation is the spirit that burned in every person who founded this great place we call Texas, and they passed it on through blood or sweat to every one of us. You see, that spirit that made Texas what it is is alive in all of us, even if we can't stand next to a cannon to prove it, and it's our responsibility to keep that fire burning. Every person who ever put a "Native Texan" or an "I wasn't born in Texas but I got here as fast as I could" sticker on his car understands. Anyone who ever hung a map of Texas on their wall or flew a Lone Star flag on their porch knows what I mean. My Dad's buddy Bill has an old saying. He says that some people were forged of a hotter fire. Well, that's what it is to be Texan. To be forged of a hotter fire. To know that part of Colorado was Texas. That part of New Mexico was Texas. That part of Oklahoma was Texas. Yep. Talk all you want. Part of what you got was what we gave you. To look at a picture of Idaho or Istanbul and say, "what the Hell is that?" when you know that anyone in Idaho or Istanbul who sees a picture of Texas knows damned good and well what it is. It isn't the shape, it isn't the state, it's the state of mind. You're what makes Texas. The fact that you would take 15 minutes out of your day to read this, because that's what Texas means to you, that's what makes Texas what it is. The fact that when you see the guy in front of you litter you honk and think, "Sonofabitch. Littering on MY highway." When was the last time you went to a person's house in New York and you saw a big map of New York on their wall? That was never. When did you ever drive through Oklahoma and see their flag waving on four businesses in a row? Can you even tell me what the flag in Louisiana looks like? I damned sure can't. But I bet my ass you can't drive 20 minutes from your house and not see a business that has a big Texas flag as part of its logo. If you haven't done business with someone called AllTex something or Lone Star somebody or other, or Texas such and such, you hadn't lived here for too long. When you ask a man from New York what he is, he'll say a stockbroker, or an accountant, or an ad exec. When you ask a woman from California what she is, she'll tell you her last name or her major. Hell either of em might say "I'm a republican," or they might be a democrat. When you ask a Texan what they are, before they say, "I'm a Methodist," or "I'm a lawyer," or "I'm a Smith," they tell you they're a Texan. I got nothin against all those other places, and Lord knows they've probably got some fine folks, but in your gut you know it just like I do, Texas is just a little different. So tomorrow when you drive down the road and you see a person broken down on the side of the road, stop and help. When you are in a bar in California, buy a Californian a drink and tell him it's for Texas Independence Day. Remind the person in the cube next to you that he wouldn't be here enjoying this if it weren't for Sam Houston, and if he or she doesn't know the story, tell them. When William Barrettt Travis wrote in 1836 that he would never surrender and he would have Victory or Death, what he was really saying was that he and his men were forged of a hotter fire. They weren't your average every day men. Well, that is what it means to be a Texan. It meant it then, and that's why it means it today. It means just what all those people North of the Red River accuse us of thinking it means. It means there's no mountain that we can't climb. It means that we can swim the Gulf in the winter. It means that Earl Campbell ran harder and Houston is bigger and Dallas is richer and Alpine is hotter and Stevie Ray was smoother and God vacations in Texas. It means that come Hell or high water, when the chips are down and the Good Lord is watching, we're Texans by damned, and just like in 1836, that counts for something. So for today at least, when your chance comes around, go out and prove it. It's true because we believe it's true. If you are sitting wondering what the Hell I'm talking about, this ain't for you. But if the first thing you are going to do when the Good Lord calls your number is find the men who sat in that tiny mission in San Antonio and shake their hands, then you're the reason I wrote this tonight, and this is for you. So until next time you hear from me, God Bless and Happy Texas Independence Day. Bum Phillips