ping to above article
It amazes me still, the power the media has to frame a debate by virtue of what it does or does not tell.
There should be a stem-cell debate, but it's being prevented.
This would not be an issue for most scientists if it weren't for the religious right's other assaults on science, principally its aggressive promotion of Young-Earth Creationism. Stem-cell research is messy, and regardless of what Fumento says, use of any kind of stem cells in therapy is barely beyond the voodoo stage; we just don't know enough about human cells and cell-cell interactions to make this area of medicine scientific. However, since the battle lines have been drawn, with embryonic stem cells on the side of science, you have 90% of scientists, most of whom know little about stem cells and care less, opposed to you.
On the other hand, since I'm opposed to most of what the RR stands for (though I happen to be in agreement on embryonic stem cells), I'm happy you don't know how to pick your battles.