Thursday, July 20, 2006

They're Cellin', But I ain't Buyin'

So Dubya vetoed the Stem Cell Bill. I’ll admit that I didn’t do much research into the bill, however I’m not sure his priorities are in order.

He vetoed the bill based on morals.

The bill, from what I understand, concerns using embryos that are leftover from invitro fertilization; that is, they are no longer needed/wanted by the couples who’d been using them for invitro fertilization.

The choices after a couple decides they no longer want the stem cells are:
1. They can be stored for future use.
2. They can be donated for research.
3. They can be discarded, i.e. thrown away.

Bush and his backers see using embryonic stem cells for research as the killing of human life, yet they have no problem tossing the little buggers into the dumpster and sending them on a permanent field trip to Landfill Land.

If Shrub is hell bent on saving those cute little embryos from murder, shouldn’t he be cracking down on the invitro-fertilization industry and the couples who patronize that industry? I mean...they’re the ones committing the murder aren’t they?

I’m simply demanding (undoubtedly in vain) some consistency from our fearless leader.

++++++++++

Memory Du Jour:
Summer, 1991
I was being transferred from Massachusetts to Texas. The plan was for me to make a leisurely, two-day drive to Galveston to meet The Warden, her sister and her sister’s husband in La Marque, Texas on a Saturday night. We were going to a blues festival in Houston on Sunday.

My truck broke down in Waterbury, Connecticut on Thursday morning, only an hour or so after I’d hit the road. The mechanics, who turned out to be great guys, didn’t get the truck fixed until Friday at 1:00pm. I hit the road around 1:30pm. We pushed back the meeting up day to Sunday, the day of the festival, considering my late start.

And so I drove. I was on the road for a total of 36 hours, chugging coffee and chain smoking cigarettes. I had a radar detector and, at the insistence of my roommate in Mass., a CB radio. The combination of those two devices made me invincible on the road. I rolled into the Holiday Inn in La Marque at around 1:30 in the morning on Sunday. I checked in, unloaded a bunch of shit into the room, and crashed hard.

The Warden and everyone showed up at my room around noon, after which we went to drink beer and see some blues acts. It was awesome, even though I was in a fog the whole time.
We saw BB King, John Lee Hooker, Etta James, and The Fabulous Thunderbirds. They were all good, but I was really, really disappointed in the T-Birds. They were the headline act at a blues festival and didn’t play one fucking blues tune. The other bands smoked ‘em.

The drive to San Antonio after the concert was slow, and relaxing.

Quote of the Day:
"I think—tide turning—see, as I remember—I was raised in the desert, but tides kind of—it's easy to see a tide turn—did I say those words?" George W. Bush —Washington, D.C., June 14, 2006

Graphic Du Jour:
The Boy Fishing, Corpus Christi Bay, Labor Day 2005

8 comments:

Webmiztris said...

cool! I saw BB King in concert about 2 years ago. it was awesome, from what I can recall, which isn't much. ;)

Miss Cellania said...

I agree on the stem cells. I've read the same thought on a dozen blogs today. The majority of Americans are for using research-donated embryos for research into life-threatening diseases.

Boobless Brigade Master said...

I agree with the consistency issue. If you're not going to approve stem cell research, why are you legally permitting the following happen and further preventing these same diseases from having cures found??
http://www.rd.com/content/openContent.do;jsessionid=640792AE3957C7D3490C74F6CDB219D4.app2_rd2?contentId=28041

The_Gator said...

woohooo long road trips...it reminds me of the one im about to embark on....tonight...blah...im too sore from laying tile to go...

Smartass

We sing we dance we steal things said...

Stem cell research could actually cure a lot of things that the pharmaceutical companies would no longer get paid for. Shrub can't have that. It's kinda like why we can't manage to get any cars on the road that operate on anything better than gas after all these years.
I once watched some fisherman struggle for two hours to pull up a huge Stingray off the dock next to the marina in Corpus.

Anonymous said...

I agree with you - I didn't do much research into the bill either - but I think Shrub vetoed it so he could uphold his moral majority image (ya think?). What a laugh. Look up hypocrite in the dictionary and you will see a pic of old beady eyes sputtering nonsense to the world. Mouth gaping - clueless look on face.

Why does our "esteemed" leader keep insisting he was "raised in the desert"? Is he looking for sympathy? Or just attempting to explain once again why he is such a dumbard!

Great pic of the boy fishing.

Anonymous said...

I agree; the stem cell veto was ridiculous. If he were really "pro-life", then he would want to use the soon-to-be-discarded embryos to enhance and save the lives of those currently living, such as those with Parkinsons and Alzheimers.

Carlos said...

WebMiz: I hear ya. Between the lack of sleep and the beer, my memory is a little hazy too!

Miss Cellania: I just don’t get politicians. I hope we get Kinky Friedman (I) elected here as the next governor of Texas, and I hope it’s the beginning of a trend of non-traditional politicians making headway in our country. I’m so very sick of the status quo.

BBM: It really isn’t that difficult to be consistent. And, in the off chance that you’re called on an inconsistency, it’s always nice to own up to it and maybe ‘splain why the inconsistency.

Gator: Make sure to post about your trip..or lack thereof.

Y: Yes it could. I’ve read a good deal about all the stuff that research could cure. Bush was on TV the other day referring to the embryos as boys and girls. Wow….what’s next? Are they going to make male masturbation because of all the “boys and girls” being murdered? Say it ain’t so! What will I do in my spare time?

Sheila: You’re right…The “Esteemed Leader” is claiming desert residence to account for his baked fucking brain. Just a thought ;-)

Caryn: Hi, and thanks for stopping by. It really is discouraging. And what about the death penalty? What about the sanctity of human life? I mean those murderers were once “boys and girls” and maybe even have a chance at being reformed. I’m pro death penalty for cut and dry, no-question-about-it cases, but think if the prez is going to whine about the value of human life, he should also value the life of those put to death under his watch (as Gov. and Prez).