Shots Across The Bow

Setting the Record Straight

The Kerry campaign must sense that it is in deep trouble, since John Kerry is out campaigning on what can only be characterized as outright lies.

1. President Bush has banned embryonic stem cell(ESC) research. This is absolutely untrue. In fact, this is so wrong it can't even be considered a distortion, but is a bare faced lie.

   Let's set the record straight. On August 10th of 2001, President Bush issued an executive order that for the first time authorized federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, but only on 78 existing lines of stem cells. Until he issued that order, there was no federal funding of embryonic stem cell research.

   None.

   Not only did he not ban the research, he initiated funding for it. And if researchers aren't satisfied with the pre-existing lines, they are welcome to produce new lines, but with private funding. If ESC are as promising as Kerry/Edwards claim, then surely the big drug companies will be falling all over themselves to realize those promises, and the profits that go along with them.

2. ESC are a sure fire cure and the best avenue for treating a myriad of conditions from Alzheimers to spinal cord injuries.
   Since Kerry/Edwards are lawyers, not doctors, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on this one and call it a misunderstanding.

   Let's set the record straight. To date there are no successful therapies based on ESC, and the most optimistic researches say we are decades away from any any therapies. In the one clinical trial using ESCs for Parkinsons patients, the results were a worsening of the patients' conditions, including one death.

   ESC adaptibility and flexibility come at a price. They are hard to control, and quite often result in cancers in test animals as they grow out of control. There are other therapies that hold much more promise for the future of Alzheimer treatment and spinal cord repair.

   Ironically, adult stem cell(ASC) therapies do exist, and have a proven track record at helping the body heal itself. Additionally, ASC therapies can be autologous, negating any rejection issues, and neatly sidestepping the entire issue of distroying an embryo.

3. If you elect President Bush, you increase the chance of a draft.
   Well, either Kerry is lying, or he's calling the President a liar. In both of the last two debates, President Bush stated flatly that there would be no draft while he's President.

   Let's set the record straight. There was a bill introduced into the Senate to reinstate the draft. It was co-authored by two Democratic Senators as a stunt. When it came to the floor for a vote, even they didn't vote for it. There are not now, nor have there been any announced plans to reinstate the draft, and in fact, every official associated with the Selective Service System from the President on down has stated that there will be no draft.

   Having settled that, I do want to take the opportunity to once again point out that, as Sen Kerry says, our military is stretched thin right now. Does it bother anyone else that we have to stretch to the limit to take out a third rate military power? Apparently it does bother Sen. Kerry, because he has a plan to ease that by expanding the Army by two more divisions.

   I wonder where he plans to find the bodies to fill those slots...