Free Republic

Memo to Alexandra Kerry: Next Time Try Underwear! Those Kerry daughters! What will they do next to help their dad’s campaign? Back in March, 27-year-old Vanessa Kerry, weighing in on foreign policy, opined out of nowhere that George W. Bush had orchestrated the ouster of Haitian former president/Marxist dictator Jean-Bertrande Aristide. (Her father loyally backed her up, saying he’d heard the same thing from "a very close friend in Massachusetts who talked directly to people who have made that allegation." Oh really? Only double hearsay, as The Free Republic noted.) Vanessa, by the way, is in charge of the "youthquake"...

Texas Medical Association votes to abandon medical ethics tradition Press Release from Texas Physicians Resource Council http://www.texasphysicians.org/ On May 14, 2004, the House of Delegates of the Texas Medical Association, in a misplaced enthusiasm for medical research abandoned 2500 years of physician ethics and our traditional charge to "First, do no harm." Ignoring the very real and present results of adult and umbilical cord stem cell research in favor of an exaggerated and hypothetical future potential of embryonic stem cells and cloning, the House of Delegates approved a policy supporting "biomedical research on multipotent stem cells (including embryonic, adult, and...

News-Medical.net Injections of adult stem cells could repair hearts Posted By: News-Medical in Medical Science News Published: Monday, 26-Apr-2004 Printer Friendly Email to a Friend Injections of adult stem cells into damaged heart tissue significantly improved heart function in patients with severe congestive heart failure, according to results of the first prospective randomized trial of the experimental therapy presented today at the American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Amit Patel, M.D., from the Division of Cardiac Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and a faculty member of the university's McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and colleagues from the...

Columns - April 25, 2004 Bernadette Malone: Marching on the wrong side of history By BERNADETTE MALONE TODAY THOUSANDS of women are going to march on Washington to defend their right to abortion, and to protest the anti-abortion President currently in the White House. “Just lay off women’s rights,” says Feminist Majority president Eleanor Smeal, one of the march’s sponsors. The sponsors are hoping for a big crowd of 750,000 people. It could be historic. But years from now, on which side of history will these well-meaning women be? What if it turns out they’re wrong? What if, after a...

Recommendation on Cloning, Embryonic Stem Cell Research, and Human Genome Manipulation. We believe that all human beings have the right to life and that no discrimination can be made between which human lives deserve legal protection from killing by others and which do not, except when it is necessary to save the life of one human being that is endangered by another. We believe that all embryos of human origin are members of the species Homo sapiens, that the embryo is a stage in the development of a member of the species rather than something that is “pre-human,” regardless of...

When Human Life Begins ABSTRACT. The American College of Pediatricians concurs with the body of scientific evidence that human life begins at conception—fertilization. This definition has been expounded since prior to Roe v. Wade, but was not made available to the US Supreme Court in 1973. Scientific and medical discoveries over the past three decades have only verified and solidified this age-old truth. At the completion of the process of fertilization, the human creature emerges as a whole, genetically distinct, individuated zygotic living human organism, a member of the species homo sapiens, needing only the proper environment in order to...

Feb. 20, 2004, 10:39AM Tomball baby one of nation's tiniest ever By ROSANNA RUIZ Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle RESOURCES • 'The Tiniest Babies' registry: Developed by the University of Iowa. Most parents consider the birth of their children a miracle. For the Walpoles, that may not be a stretch. The combined weight of Dodie and Vaughn Walpole's twin girls, born Feb. 11 about two months prematurely, was less than 4 pounds. Dodie Walpole, 29, gave birth by Caesarean section to Trinity and Kylie. Trinity weighed 2.8 pounds at birth, and Kylie was 12 ounces, making her one of the tiniest...

Death to pro-life! Ali Moossavi Vibe Editor Abortion is an important right, not only for women who seek to preserve their fundamental right to control their own bodies, but also for the rest of society, since reproductive freedom - like all freedoms - is fundamental to democracy itself. Yet, despite these and many more good reasons to maintain and expand access to reproductive health care (though some have been undermined by deceptive legislation over the years), there is one reason above all others: the Christian Right. So you can say last Thursday, there were literally thousands of excellent reasons for...

Mortal differences divide hospital and patient's family By Liz Kowalczyk, Globe Staff, 9/28/2003 During her first year as a hospital patient, Barbara Howe "talked" with doctors, nurses, and her three daughters by pointing to letters on an alphabet board. Later, when she could no longer move, she blinked her eyes to answer questions. Now, Howe, 78, is what doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital call "locked in," a person trapped inside a body that can't breathe on its own, eat, or even say when something hurts. Howe seems able to make only one tiny movement: opening her left eye wide. But...

Senator: Redistricting Should be Debated "On Senate Floor" LAST UPDATE: 9/5/2003 3:04:31 PM Posted By: Jim Forsyth (AUSTIN) -- One of the eleven Democratic Texas state senators who spent 34 days in New Mexico in an attempt to kill a Republican backed Congressional redistricting plan returned to the Capitol today, and vowed to continue the battle on the Senate floor. John Whitmire (D-Houston), the longest serving member of the Texas Senate, urged Governor Rick Perry not to call a third special session to discuss the issue, but he said if that happens, he will 'be present' in the Senate. Whitmire,...

Posted on Wed, Sep. 03, 2003 Democrat wants hearing on redistricting impact on civil rights Associated Press WASHINGTON - A high-ranking Democrat and his colleagues have asked the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee to hold a hearing on the potential civil rights implications of redistricting legislation Republicans are pushing in Texas. Rep. John Conyers, ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, initiated the letter that was signed by eight other Democratic members of the committee and sent Wednesday afternoon to Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis. Democrats said the Republican congressional redistricting efforts in Texas make matters worse for minority communities that...

Jul. 29, 2003 Print This | Email This GAO, in a Report Suppressed by Democrats, Finds Increased Insurer Losses Behind Malpractice Crisis ROCKVILLE, Md., Jul. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- ROCKVILLE, Md., July 29 /PRNewswire/ -- In its report released July 28, the US General Accounting Office (GAO) completely substantiates the fact that increasing claim costs are the primary driver of the current medical liability insurance crisis. Dispelling the myths widely spread by trial lawyers and so- called consumer groups, such as the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, the GAO finds that medical malpractice insurers have not "experienced net losses on...

Many senators leaving NM Wary of new session, Democrats still staying away from home 08:56 PM CDT on Thursday, August 28, 2003 By GROMER JEFFERS JR. / The Dallas Morning News ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The 11 Democrats cooped up in an Albuquerque hotel boycotted themselves Thursday. The quorum-busting senators scattered throughout the country but didn't venture home to Texas. "It gives us an opportunity to relax and be out of the public eye," said Sen. Royce West of Dallas. "Sometimes you need a break from the rigors of all of this." The break for the Democrats comes after their first...

URL: http://www.caller.com/ccct/state_texas_news/article/0,1641,CCCT_876_2211049,00.html Lawmakers adjourn without redistricting bill By NATALIE GOTT Associated Press Writer August 26, 2003 AUSTIN- A second special legislative session that was brought to a standstill for 30 days when 11 Senate Democrats broke a quorum by fleeing to New Mexico ended Tuesday without passage of a congressional redistricting plan. The fight over control of the Texas congressional delegation seemed far from over, however. Republican Gov. Rick Perry said he will call another special session, though he would not say when. "When I call that session is strictly up to me, and I'll give the appropriate notice on...

Aug. 26, 2003, 11:59AM Valley at epicenter of debate on malpractice caps By JAMES PINKERTON RESOURCES • Proposition No. 12: Concerns civil lawsuits against doctors and health care providers, and other actions, authorizing the Legislature to determine limitations on noneconomic damages. • Texans Against Prop 12 • Yes on 12 • Save Texas Courts • All propositions in Spanish • ElectionCentral.com HIDALGO -- A tripling of Dr. Frances Mitchell's malpractice insurance premiums last September forced her to close her family practice, the only one in this small town on the banks of the Rio Grande. "It was extremely painful," recalls...

This Could Cost You an Arm and a Leg Exclusive commentary by Beverly B. Nuckols, MD Aug 19, 2003 Once again, a very small minority is pushing universal health care, after the style of the Canadian Medicare System, as reported in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in their August 13, 2003 issue. Everyone who does not want to receive the "benefits" of one size fits all medicine and healthcare must speak up, now. We’d better, because the leaders of medical organizations other than the AMA and the small group mentioned above are also pushing for “universal access,”...

Senate's prized civility under fire Bruises from redistricting battle will heal, some say; others see lasting damage By Ken Herman AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Monday, August 18, 2003 Eventually, one must assume, the Texas Senate will meet again. Unknown, however, is exactly what it will look and feel like when the 11 boycotting Democrats now based in Albuquerque, N.M., return to the floor after what has been three weeks of interstate unpleasantness. For generations, the 31-member chamber has prided itself on collegiality and, far more often than not, a brand of cordial bipartisanship foreign to the halls of the U.S. Congress. A...

Category: Metro & State Democrats betting on race card By W. Gardner Selby Express-News Austin Bureau Web Posted : 08/17/2003 12:00 AM ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Eleven Texas Democrats roosting here to stop Republican legislators from redrawing congressional districts describe themselves as stalwarts for minorities. Republicans call it "baloney," but starting in April, when GOP lawmakers in Austin announced they'd return to the drawing board to tinker with congressional districts settled by the courts in 2001, many Democrats have said the issue is all about race. The Democrats say they are fighting for 1.4 million Hispanic and African American residents now...

Exiles' leader doesn't shy from a challenge Van de Putte's tenacity earns praise from fellow Senate Democrats 08/11/2003 Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Sen. Leticia Van de Putte of San Antonio had just finished her second legislative session as a state senator when her Democratic colleagues chose her to lead their caucus. Less than two months later, she led 10 of those same lawmakers in a historic boycott of the Senate chamber in protest of a Republican effort to redraw the state's congressional districts. The boycott hits its two-week anniversary on Monday. "They are strong. They are strong," Ms. Van...

Thursday, August 7, 2003 10:18 pm Budget snafu threatens Valley school funding By Jennine Zeleznik Monitor Staff Writer jzeleznik@themonitor.com PHARR — A glitch in the state budget is threatening more than $700 million in education funding this month for Texas schools — many of which rely on Texas checks to make payroll. Although Gov. Rick Perry on Wednesday issued an executive order for the state to pay the $700 million on time, the comptroller is waiting for an opinion from the Attorney General before going forward with the payments. Because the Legislature is in special session — though lacking a...