Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Bush Vetos Science

Bush makes first veto on stem cells | csmonitor.com

It's going to take so long to recover from this "presidency". I just have to shake my head in wonder.

"WASHINGTON - The 'veto bubble' has finally burst. Five-and-a-half years into his presidency, George W. Bush has ended his record stretch of bill-signings as he rejected legislation Wednesday that would expand federal funding of human embryonic stem-cell research.

Attempts in Congress to override the veto, which would require a two-thirds vote, were expected to fail.

Analysts agree that President Bush's veto was risky but unavoidable. Since the issue of stem-cell research arose early in his presidency, when Mr. Bush approved federal funding of preexisting stem-cell lines, he has remained adamant that no federal monies be used on newer cell colonies. The president believes the killing of human embryos, from which stem cells are harvested, is murder, says press secretary Tony Snow. "
O.k. here's the deal...actually, Dark Syde over at DKos makes it as plain as possible [with pictures].
One more time for those in the back row: On the left is a blastocyst from which embryonic stem cell lines are made. It's ten times smaller than the dot at the end of this sentence and contains roughly 100 cells. On the right is a human baby, one of many who's life might someday be saved or greatly enhanced by treatments developed from ESC research. Any questions?
BTW, that baby contains trillions of cell, not 100. But the 100 of the same types can turn into the 1,000,000,000,000(s) of many different types. The question is "how" and THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT!!1!

This, first, horrid, veto, comes from man that once called himself, and you should just shake your head in wonder here...a science president. It just boggles the mind and saddens the heart to think we are led by someone so far removed from the reality the rest of us experience.

UPDATE: Can you follow the logic here? From the WH spokesnut.
"The president believes strongly that for the purpose of research it's inappropriate for the federal government to finance something that many people consider murder," White House spokesman Tony Snow said Tuesday, addressing the legislation before the Senate.
"However," Mr. Snow didn't continue, "We think it would be wrong to prosecute people who try to have babies with the benefit of science and end up murdering 1,000 of embryos in the process. So murder away, just don't try to cure incurable diseases."

The logic is just...not..logic.

UPDATE2: This Fark comment captures the outrage precisely.
2006-07-19 03:15:42 PM Silellak

A lot of things Bush has done in the past have pissed me off - but this crosses the line.

From the CNN article: "...The measure, which the House of Representatives passed 238-194 in May, allows couples who have had embryos frozen for fertility treatments to donate them to researchers rather than let them be destroyed."

CNN Story

Seriously, how can anyone support this man? How can anyone believe it's the correct decision to tell couples they can't donate THEIR OWN FROZEN EMBRYOS CELLS for the benefit of all of mankind? He'd rather they be destroyed, than help people? What kind of sick monster takes their own perverted morality so far that the only time he takes a stand against a bill, in his ENTIRE PRESIDENCY, is to block research that could potentially save the lives of thousands and, over time, millions? Not to mention the other millions that wouldn't have to watch, helpless, while their loved suffer through, say, Alzheimer's or Parkinson's? They aren't murdering babies for this research, they're using FROZEN FARKING EMBRYOS THAT WOULD BE DESTROYED ANYWAY.

I'm so pissed I can't even think straight. I really hope those of you that voted for him are happy, because this Presidential veto is a direct result of that vote. Kerry may've been a dickhead too, but I can't imagine him causing the country as much damage as this single act of Bush's could potentially do.
UDPATE: C&L has TDS coverage, which is awesomer than sliced bread.

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