Posted on 07/28/2005 1:14:30 PM PDT by joem15
MADISON - Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle's top aide had hundreds of used hypodermic needles delivered to Assembly Speaker John Gard's Capitol office on behalf of a woman protesting the legislator's stance on stem cell research.
Gard's staff immediately called police about Liz Kastner of Fish Creek, who said she asked the governor earlier in July to deliver the needles to Gard for publicity, according to police reports. Investigators warned her not to do it again.
She told police her daughter, Isabel, suffers from diabetes. She was angry at Gard, R-Peshtigo, because the Assembly passed a bill that bans therapeutic cloning, which creates human embryos for stem cell research.
Kastner said the ban would devastate stem cell research and rob her daughter of a possible cure for diabetes.
"Obviously, I have a profound problem with that," Kastner told The Associated Press. "I wanted him to see up close and personal what these needles look like."
Gard's staff said they feared the needles might have been contaminated with diseases.
"It was unpleasant and unnecessary," said Gard policy analyst Jeff Schoenfeldt.
The needles, which were delivered July 19, were sheathed and posed no threat, Doyle spokesman Dan Leistikow said. Gard should listen to people, not call the police on them, he said.
"A lot of people can't afford to come to Madison. But that doesn't mean their views should be ignored in the Capitol. We certainly shouldn't be calling the police against people who have a viewpoint that they want to express. Here's a woman whose child has juvenile diabetes," Leistikow said.
Kastner, a member of the Door County Democratic Party, said her 12-year-old daughter, Isabel, uses four needles a day to inject insulin. She collected a year's worth of used needles -- 1,460 of them -- put them in a grocery bag and gave them to one of Doyle's aides when the governor appeared in Baileys Harbor in Door County July 14.
"Please, publicly deliver them to Mr. Gard as a reminder of what is truly needed to fight for life -- the life of my beautiful, living, breathing child," Kastner wrote to Doyle in a letter.
Doyle knew his staff had received the bag, Leistikow said, but didn't order its delivery to Gard. Chief-of-staff Susan Goodwin made that decision five days later, he said.
"In light of everything this woman and her daughter had been through, we didn't think it was the right thing to turn her down," Leistikow said.
According to police reports, Schoenfeldt called Capitol Police and had them remove the needles from Gard's office. Officer James Brooks called Kastner, who asked him to send officers to arrest her so she could get more publicity, the reports said.
The needles weren't contaminated, Kastner said. Isabel has no communicable diseases, she said.
Gard declined to press charges but questioned how Doyle's security detail would allow the governor or his staff to take needles from someone. Brooks said he spoke with Doyle's bodyguard, who said he saw the bag of needles near the podium where Doyle spoke but didn't see anyone pick it up.
Gard spokesman Bob Delaporte said Doyle should have been more responsible and simply told Kastner he would pass along her concerns, not transport biowaste from Door County to Madison.
Politicians do not like to be needled.
This has GOT to be against the law.
There must be some infectious waste disposal code that prohibits doing this. I hope they find it and nail her.
Great security what if the needles were full of anthrax or something
"Please create more children and slaughter them so my kid's quality of life will improve" the letter continued, "Kill as many as it takes."
aren't used hypos considered bio-hazardous material?
But they were put in a grocery bag. Who could get hurt from that?? /s
yes
Woman Who Gave Needles to Doyle Has Open Criminal Case
From Sykes Writes, a Milwaukee radio talk show host's blog:
**UPDATE***
Kevin, at Lakeshore Laments performs a flagrant act of googling to find out more behind the needle-lady. Not exactly a disinterested bystander:
I found a treasure trove.
Here she is a Great Lakes Regional Coordinator of the Progressive Democrats of America for their annual summit in January.
Here she is a urging the creation of the position of County Executive for Door County in 2003.
Here she is quoted in the Green Bay Press-Gazette about the 2004 candidate Democrats ran against Bies.
Here she is used as an example by Senator Russ Feingold in his 2004 speech at the Wisconsin State Democratic Party Convention.
Her daughters clone would also have diabetes.
Absolutely. When you see a used needle, assume the worst. Don't go near it. Call someone who know how to deal with this stuff.
The lady is obviously ignorant about stem cell research. Or maybe she just chose not to talk about adult stem cells and those from umbilical cord blood.
Harvard researcher Dr. Denise Faustman thinks she can cure type 1 (or juvenile) diabetes. She's done it in mice and wants to try it on humans. She's gotten financial backing from the Lee Iacocca Foundation and other groups, but needs millions more. But she isn't going to get it from the world's largest diabetes foundation, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRF), for reasons having little to do with the potential of her work.....
In my view this is the most promising research currently and certainly worth pursuing," says Larry Raff, President of the Autoimmune Disease Research Foundation. Scientists I interviewed, such as University of Kansas stem cell researcher Linda Mitchell, agreed. Raff is particularly excited because so many autoimmune illnesses other than diabetes may be treated or cured with Faustman's method.
Aside from her prestigious academic position, Faustman's credentials are impeccable. She has authored or co-authored over 100 published papers, reviewed JDRF grant requests, and chairs the board of the Society for Women's Health Research
Yet the JDRF, which awarded at least $85 million in grants last year and has funded three-fourths of the Edmonton surgeries, won't give Faustman a penny. It has rejected her clinical trial applications three times. I asked why but JDRF representatives refused to be interviewed, specifically citing my writings on the benefits of adult stem cells.
That's not particularly surprising, considering JDRF seemingly cares more about ESC research lobbying than it does diabetes...This antithesis to non-embryonic stem cells also appears to explain Faustman's rejections. If the cure uses adult stem cells, apparently JDRF doesn't want one. But you can support Faustman's work through www.joinleenow.com, www.cureautoimmunity.org, or www.reachforthecure.org.
In a recent TV commercial, JDRF International Chairwoman Mary Tyler Moore proclaimed, "We are so close to finding a cure." "We" aren't, Ms. Moore. But Faustman may well be.
Michael Fumento is the author of numerous books. His book, “BioEvolution: How Biotechnology Is Changing Our World,” was published in 2003 by Encounter Books.
oops I forgot the link.
http://www.nrlc.org/News_and_Views/March05/nv031005.html
Call you local diabetic. Too bad she didn't clip the needles before deciding on this pathetic protest. Instead of gaining a sympathetic hearing, she's defined herself as a wacko. I'm a type 1, and we are very well aware that we have a duty to protect the public from needle sticks when we dispose of our syringes.
Stem Cells Restore Egg Production in Mouse Ovaries (Sorry Abortionists, it's adult stem cells)
Forbes.Com ^ | 07/28/2005 | Robert Preidt
Posted on 07/28/2005 5:14:47 PM CDT by Odyssey-x
THURSDAY, July 28 (HealthDay News) -- Stem cells found in bone marrow and blood can help depleted adult mouse ovaries replenish their supplies of egg cells within a few weeks, according to a new study.
The finding could have important implications for research into human fertility, researchers report.
Investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School say the findings contradict the long-held belief that female mice generate their egg cells only once -- during fetal development -- and are born with a finite supply of eggs that declines as the mice age.
Instead, the study suggests an unexpected source for progenitor cells that can prompt new egg cell production.
The study is "really revolutionizing how we think about female reproductive function," researcher Jonathan Tilly said in a prepared statement. His team reported the findings in this week's issue of Cell.
The findings offer an important first step in research into whether these bone marrow and blood stem cells could potentially be used to restore fertility in humans. The study results could also lead to future investigation into whether restoration of ovaries could delay the hormonal effects of menopause and provide an alternative to hormone replacement therapy.
The researchers added that they would like to study whether these stem cells could be used to create eggs in the laboratory and provide a new source of eggs for therapeutic cloning.
More information
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine has information about infertility.
Needless to say, Doyle's a lowlife and this doesn't surprise me at all, coming from someone who bribed the mentally-ill to obtain votes.
Unfortunately, Wisconsin is controlled by Dane and Milwaukee counties, the two counties with the largest populations.
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