Posted on 07/13/2004 8:12:11 AM PDT by kattracks
Ron Reagan, Jr., admitted Monday night that embryonic stem cell research will probably be absolutely useless in the quest to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease - throwing cold water on the big media's campaign to sell the controversial science as medically effective in battling the affliction that killed Reagan's father."Alzheimer‘s is a disease, ironically, that probably won‘t be amenable to treatment through stem cell therapies," Reagan told MSBC's Chris Matthews. So why have he and his mother, former first lady Nancy Reagan, made stem cell research their cause celeb?
"For people to suggest that [Nancy Reagan] shouldn’t support this because it isn’t Alzheimer's . . that’s very small," a defensive-sounding Reagan responded.
He says he still backs the campaign for embryonic stem cell research because it might cure other diseases such as Parkinson's and diabetes.
But Reagan became the nation's foremost spokesman for stem cell research largely based on the notion that it might have saved the beloved fortieth president, something he now acknowledges isn't true.
The revelation could prove particularly embarrassing for the national press, which has printed hundreds of stories in recent days touting stem cell science as a cure for Alzheimer's.
Tuesday morning's New York Times report was typical:
"Scientists theorize that the cells, which give rise to all other cells and tissues in the body, could yield treatments for Parkinson's disease, diabetes and, perhaps, Alzheimer's disease, which former President Reagan had."
Monday night NBC's Kelly O'Donnell noted that, "John Kerry believes the work could lead to new cures for diseases like Alzheimer's."
But now that Mr. Reagan has contradicted the top Democrat, it's not clear whether Sen. Kerry will publicly acknowledge he and Reagan are at odds over the potential for stem cell research as a cure for Alzheimer's when Reagan addresses the Democratic convention at the end of this month.
Here's all they have so far at dems2004.org:
http://www.dems2004.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=luI2LaPYG&b=93006&ct=142436
I'm not sure I understand your post. Are you suggesting the kids are using their mom? Have they exploited her love for her husband to manipulate her on this issue and try to remake the "Reagan" image in opposition to their father's positions?
I know very little of what Ron P. & Patti have been up to in recent years. Michael's been a self-promoting, exploitative mouthpiece and Mo, who seemed to be the most decent and genuine of the tribe, unfortunately passed on.
"I'm not sure I understand your post. Are you suggesting the kids are using their mom? "
Thats exactly what I'm saying.
"I'm shocked he admitted it."
He hasnt learned how to LIE LIKE A LIBERAL yet...
If they want to be part of medical research, I think they should volunteer to take the place of a rat.
An interesting article I found recently:
Origins of the Current Policy
In accordance with the "Dickey Amendment," passed each year since 1995, research involving the destruction of human embryos cannot be funded with taxpayer dollars. This is not Bush's policy; it is the law of the land, passed annually by Congress and signed by both Presidents Clinton and Bush. This law does not ban embryo research, and it does not fund embryo research. It is a policy of public silence.
In 2000, the Clinton administration discovered a loophole that would allow the NIH to provide some federal funding for embryonic-stem-cell research without asking Congress to overturn the Dickey amendment. By law, the government could not fund research "in which" embryos were destroyed. But if the destruction itself were funded privately, the government could offer funds for subsequent research on embryonic-stem-cell lines derived from the destroyed embryos. In other words: A researcher could destroy endless numbers of embryos in his private lab, and then use the fruits of such destruction to get public funding. This would not violate the letter of the law, but surely the spirit.
When he took office in 2001, President Bush put implementation of the Clinton guidelines on hold. He wanted a way to support potentially promising research, but he also did not believe the federal government should create an ongoing incentive for the destruction of human embryos. On August 9, 2001, President Bush announced his new guidelines: federal funding for research using stem-cell lines that existed before the announcement, but not for those created after. In this way, federal money would not act as an incentive for destroying human embryos in the future, but stem cells derived from embryos already destroyed in the past could be used with federal money to explore the basic science.
This was the fundamental bargain of the policy: no limits on embryonic-stem-cell research in the private sector (unlike much of the world, which regulates this practice), but no public subsidies to encourage a limitless industry of embryo destruction.
Thank you for that. I wish the media would put it out there.
This crowd still hasn't figured out that President Bush isn't a "Jr".
Well of course it's no good for Alzheimers, but at least stem cell jam is tasty on crackers, right?
President Reagan lived to be 93 years old, which is considerably longer than the current average lifespan in America. Granted, the last ten years of his life were far from quality years, but even if a cure for Alzheimer's had been discovered, I'm not sure how much longer the family could reasonably have expected the guy to live.
However much longer that would have been, he would have been tearing into junior's politics, philosophy and religion.
Just a side note : I was surprised this morning on the Imus Show, to hear Orin Hatch (Mormon) state that after a year of research, he has decided to vote FOR Embryonic Stem Cell Research. Hmmmmmmmm.
I don't see room for Ron Reagan in there.
This is going to be such a joke. Half the speakers are vets. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but Kerry should really have more to run on than he got shot at on occasion for 4 months 30 years ago. The not-so-swiftboaters, Retired Marine Lt. Col. Steve Brozak of New Jersey (whoever that is, he's a marine and only a Lt. Col., I am not impressed). Mayor O'Malley of Baltimore will be speaking on Wednesday: "Mayor Martin O'Malley is more worried about President Bush's policies than he is about al-Qaida terrorists, and he's not reluctant to say so."
Two words: Freak Show.
ping
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