Bush Admin stacking the deck

by Phantom Stranger 6 Replies latest social current

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  Phantom Stranger

  Bush Replaces Advisers on Cloning, Medical Issues

  1 hour, 14 minutes ago

  By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent

  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush ( news - web sites) reshuffled his advisory council on cloning and related medical issues on Friday, adding a prominent neurosurgeon known for his work on conjoined twins and two conservatives who have spoken out strongly against cloning.

  He replaced one of the most prominent scientists on his Council on Bioethics, cell biology expert Elizabeth Blackburn of the University of California San Francisco. The Australian- born Blackburn has spoken in favor of so-called therapeutic cloning in which cloning technology is used for medical and biological research.

  He also replaced William May, a prominent Christian bioethicist and a former president of the American Academy of Religion, now at the University of Virginia.

  The new members of the panel are Dr. Benjamin Carson of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, a pediatric neurologist; Peter Lawler, a government professor at Berry College in George; and Diana Schaub, a political scientist at Loyola College of Maryland.

  A White House spokeswoman said Blackburn's and May's terms had expired. "We decided to appoint other individuals at this point with different experience and expertise," she said.

  But supporters of therapeutic cloning said they were stunned by the move and said it showed the White House was not interested in hearing neutral scientific advice.

  "The American people deserve the right science, not right-wing ideology, on critical issues facing their health," Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy, a Democrat, said in a statement.

  "By firing two of the committee's most distinguished members, the administration is choosing once again the most divisive and ideological course, instead of seeking consensus."

  FRIDAY NIGHT DECISIONS

  Daniel Perry, executive director of the Alliance for Aging Research and president of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research, also expressed reservations.

  "We are concerned with this sort of Friday night late decision to replace what we know is at least one of the stronger voices on behalf of moving the research forward and replacing her with what appear to be more ideological soulmates who would reflexively oppose this research," Perry said in a telephone interview.

  Earlier this month 60 leading scientists and philosophers, including Nobel laureates, backed a Union of Concerned Scientists report that accused the Bush administration of distorting scientific advice to fit ideological goals.

  The White House denied this and said it was seeking a variety of opinions on medical and scientific subjects.

  At issue is the future of stem cell research, which seeks to harness the body's master cells to create new tissues to treat diabetes, Parkinson's, cancer and a range of other ills.

  One approach would use cloning technology to try to find ways to allow tailor-made treatments based on a patient's own cells. Bush opposes this and has severely limited the use of federal funds in such research.

  South Korean scientists announced earlier this month they had cloned human embryos and extracted from them stem cells for this very purpose, making clear they intend to continue with the research.
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  gitasatsangha

  Bush administration also nixed the Hubble Space Telescope reservicing mission for "Safety" reasons, even though there were folks in the astronaut corp volunteering for the mission, and it was already paid for.
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  logansrun

  bttt

  I don't care if you are in favor of pre-emptive military attacks or conservative economic policy, this alone should be serious enough not to vote for Bush.

  B.
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  Pleasuredome

  At issue is the future of stem cell research, which seeks to harness the body's master cells to create new tissues to treat diabetes, Parkinson's, cancer and a range of other ills.

  One approach would use cloning technology to try to find ways to allow tailor-made treatments based on a patient's own cells. Bush opposes this and has severely limited the use of federal funds in such research.

  of he course he opposes it, you dont think Bush wants the best for people do you? imagine all those people who would have been ill if it wasnt for this sort of medical advancement, not paying their hard earned money to the pharmaceutical industry.
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  grows1

  It's his board. He can choose to appoint anyone he wants to. That's the trouble with the federal gov taking and assuming power beyond what the Constitution allows. The decisions are hailed as forward thinking and progressive as long as YOUR (I'm talking about both sides here, no one in particular) presidential choice sits in the president's chair. When someone we don't like makes choices we don't agree with it becomes a problem. It was never a problem when "our" man wielded the scepter of power. Stacking the deck has occurred as long as politicians have been alive. And as long as we are willing to tolerate Constitutional abuses when it furthers OUR cause and not some one elses it will continue.
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  ThiChi

  ""Bush administration also nixed the Hubble Space Telescope reservicing mission for "Safety" reasons, even though there were folks in the astronaut corp volunteering for the mission, and it was already paid for. ""

  Bush can?t win. If the Damn thing blew up, it would be "his fault" right? He is wise to proceed on the side of caution....
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  Phantom Stranger

  Scientists: Stem cells may help cure baldness

  SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- Research showing that bald mice can grow hair after being implanted with a type of stem cell could lead to a cure for baldness, a group of scientists says.

  The project marks the first time that "blank slate" stem cells were able to induce hair growth, said Dr. George Cotsarelis, a University of Pennsylvania dermatologist and co-author of the study.

  The study was released this week on the Web site of the journal Nature Technology in advance of its April publication date.

  "We've shown for the first time these cells have the ability to generate hair when taken from one animal and put into another," Cotsarelis said in a telephone interview. "You can envision a process of isolating existing stem cells and re-implanting them in the areas where guys are bald."

  The study confirms what scientists suspected for years: hair follicles contain "blank slate" stem cells that give most humans a full head of hair for life.

  Although they are called stem cells, they differ from embryonic stem cells, the research on which has sparked a political debate because embryos are destroyed in the process. Embryonic stem cells are created in the first days after conception and give rise to the human body and its more than 200 different types of cells.

  Biologists who study hair because of its regenerative qualities said the new study is an important breakthrough. But they cautioned that a baldness cure is still some years away.

  "Like with any stem cells, the amount of information needed to get us from a stem to a fully developed organ is a lot," said Stanford University biologist Anthony Oro. "It will require a lot of things to go right and we are still along way off."

  Two drugs now on the market, known commercially as Rogaine and Propecia, were first designed to treat hypertension and enlarged prostates but later were discovered to have hair growth as a side effect. Each drug has about $100 million in sales annually.

  It's estimated that more than $1 billion is spent each year in the United States combatting baldness, mostly through hair transplants.