C&L takes the culture of life pledge

Check out my new post at Jesus General: "That god-fearing patriot from Crooks and Liars has come up with a living will for stem cell research. I hope it catches on. Greater love hath no man than he lay down the life of his family for that of a gooey collection of protoplasm."

Stem Cell Research Living Will

Stem Cell Research Living Will

The Culture of Life Pledge

I hereby certify that neither I, nor any member of my family, including but not limited to: children, grandchildren, cats, dogs, etc. and any "after acquired" family will never, ever, under any circumstances (even with my fingers crossed) take or ingest any form of drug treatment or medical breakthroughs that are in any way associated with or connected to Stem Cell research. I am morally opposed to this type of medical malfeasance that our lord and Savior and Dr. Dobson most assuredly rebuke. I declare that I am of sound mind and body (as so it is hence with respect to the aforementioned family members) as we execute this irrevocable document and thusly said, this document shall not be challenged in a court of law. This is so despite the fact that I or said parties, would either now or in the future, be the beneficial recipient of such a repugnant life enhancing treatment . Only the Devil's greatest tool, i.e. "temptation" could lead us into sinful thoughts of partaking of this reprehensible policy.

____________________________
XXXXXXXX

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Rest of Family

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Pets

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Notary Public

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Witness

That beautiful, sunny, smiling face belongs to Jessica Bucher, a twelve year old middle school student in Northern California.

At a time when most parents are worried about their twelve year old's grades, or first forays with the opposite sex, or cell phone usage, Jessica's parents have a much more urgent goal: keeping Jessica alive and pain-free.

Jessica Bucher was diagnosed with a rare disease that is almost always fatal: juvenile onset Sandhoff Disease. Thankfully, Jessica has responded well to an experimental umbillical cord stem cell treatment, but not without saddling her parents with astronomic health care bills. Those bills are now threatening their home to foreclosure. It's every parent's Faustian nightmare: save your child and lose your home or save your home and watch your child die. Jessica's classmates have opted to run regular fundraisers to help offset these medical costs because we as a country offer no such safety net to the Buchers.

Likewise, Brian Holben of Chester, Virginia, has a similar dilemma and thankfully, a community willing to step in where the government won't:

Improve Your Game, a Richmond-based youth fitness and conditioning organization, will raise money for the Holben family with the first IYG Kid’s Fitness Challenge, which will be held Dec. 12 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Sports Center of Richmond.

Brian Holben, who lives in Chester with his wife, Sheila, and their three sons, Zachary, Tanner and Nash, was diagnosed with a brain tumor during the summer. Two of the family’s sons play on baseball teams sponsored by IYG, which also offers fitness training for kids, said Charlene Frostick, who owns IYG with her husband, Joe.

Brian Holben is responding well to treatment, but his recovery will be a long process and medical bills, which are not all covered by the family’s insurance, will continue to mount, she said.

The stories grow exponentially. PleaseCutTheCrap, from whom I read about Jessica and Brian, also mentions an uninsured Kansas teen who needs a heart transplant. Or the attorney I spoke to last month, afraid to go to the doctors to confirm the diabetes diagnosis he suspects, because he's sure he'll be dropped from his insurance, like one of his colleagues. At this point, he admits he's controlling it with diet and careful monitoring of his glucose levels, but for how long will that work?

This is America. The "shining city upon a hill whose beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere", but we can't offer our citizens something that every single other industrialized nation does: health care. And why? Because Holy Joe would rather Jessica and Brian and the others die than give any little bit to the Democratic Party.

And even more obscenely, the White House and the Senate leadership are okay with that, willing to capitulate to the resident tantrum thrower for the sake of passing a bill, no matter how it actually affects Americans.

What can Holy Joe say to the Buchers? How can Harry Reid and Rahm Emanuel face the Holbens? How can they justify mandates to that attorney when the insurance companies get all the benefits and little restrictions?

Joe Lieberman thinks nothing of damning Jessica Bucher and her parents to the hell of that existence of choosing between pain now or pain later. Worse, the Democratic leadership in both the White House and the Senate is letting him get away with it.

The Brad Blog: 'Biased thermometers' to blame for global warming data, according to former Limbaugh producer

PERRspectives: Notorious hothead McCain now "madder than I've ever been"

The Impolitic: Libby's got links...

the talking dog: And now for something completely different

William K. Wolfrum Chronicles: I trust readers will forgive the overt nepotism

HOLY CRAP: All in The Family'...Christian Cowards...I preferred the holy blessing of the Christ-Cheeto and I didn't have to stare at the sun...Stem-Cell Advance...Pat Robertson on Karate...Our own Ahmedinijad...Socialism in the Bible...Uganda's Hollywood Christian Consul...Purpose Driven Heresy...Purpose Driven Murder...Jesus' General is always good

...are technically still in process, but let's hear it for Pelosi and Hoyer plowing through the agenda they promised:

Ethics Reform

Minimum Wage

9/11 Panel Recommendations

Stem Cell Research

Medicare

I'm a little disappointed that the Senate hasn't been as aggressive--their version of ethics reform is little more than window dressing. I do think that this flurry of activity after the "Do-Nothing" 109th Congress should make the White House very nervous when they start settling into hearings for accountability on a variety of issues.

What do you think should be Agenda Item #1 at the conclusion of the promised 100 Hour Legislation?

PFAW suggests Election Reform.

Yahoo News:

Stem cell injections worked remarkably well at easing symptoms of muscular dystrophy in a group of golden retrievers, a result that experts call a significant step toward treating people.
[..]Sharon Hesterlee, vice president of translational research at the Muscular Dystrophy Association, [..] stressed that it's not yet clear whether such a treatment would work in people, but said she had "cautious optimism" about it.
Two dogs that were severely disabled by the disease were able to walk faster and even jump after the treatments.

The study was published online Wednesday by the journal Nature. It used stem cells taken from the affected dogs or other dogs, rather than from embryos. For human use, the idea of using such "adult" stem cells from humans would avoid the controversial method of destroying human embryos to obtain stem cells. Read on...

As someone who has watched up close the ravaging effects of both Parkinson's and Alzheimer's in family members, I'm hopeful that we as a nation can move towards embracing scientific advancement and achievement, rather than distorting news like this with superstition and misinformation.

With Laura Bush calling John Kerry's stance on stem cell research ridiculous, and Teresa Kerry yelling four more years of hell, I see a great Celebrity Boxing match brewing between the two shortly before the October debates. Leave it to FOX to steal the idea and try to set up a bout between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Ann Coulter.

Bush went five and a half years without vetoing a single piece of legislation, but he broke his streak today, rejecting the bi-partisan stem-cell research that enjoys broad support among lawmakers and the public. Apparently, the president was a little embarrassed about it -- he blocked media access.

It was an expected, albeit disappointing, outcome. Bush addressed a friendly audience in the East Room this afternoon after vetoing the bill where he rehashed a series of tired arguments, many of them patently false.

As for GOP efficiency, Republicans created a strategy to go through the entire process extremely quickly -- Senate vote Tuesday, Bush veto Wednesday -- in the hopes that voters will forget by November.

Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), a leading sponsor of the "Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, explained, "H.R. 810 would have corrected the President’s short-sighted policy by allowing this important research to move forward under ethical constraints. This research holds so much promise to solving diseases that affect more than 110 million Americans. Vetoing this bill is one of the greatest mistakes of his Presidency."

-- Guest Post by Steve Benen, The Carpetbagger Report

Mike's Blog Round Up

Talk To Action: In Texas, rich men who hand money out by the bucketload are using their wealth to buy a state government that looks like their vision of the promised land. Then there are these corporately financed, anti-labor ads. Working Americans are being trampled be Bu$hCo paymasters.

Just Think: Meet America's most influencial stem cell scientists

Donkephant: You might be a terrorist if... weighed in immediately. Putting things in the proper perspective, Mad Kane writes:

Are Bill and Hill still having sex?
By that question, the Times seems perplexed.
Major issues don't matter.
No substance, just chatter,
In Dems-smearing Times tabloid text.

Stop Dem Cloning Now!

I've discovered the real plot behind Stem Cell research. Jesus General has a new letter of support for Sen. Brownback.

A new blog has been set up here.