I propose “1984,” as per one suggestion above, also parts of “The Dispossessed” by Ursula LeGuin, and great swaths of my current favorite, “The Shock Doctrine” by Naomi Klein.

—————
Kill your TV, and free your mind.

I agree. Lets end abortion so we can get on with other issues. Just to see what plays out. I would like to end abortion just to end the debate. What would all these morons do next if abortion was ended?

The reason they do not want stem cell research being done is simple. It has nothing to do with ethics. The research in stem cells will provide cures to diseases that kill people and allow people to live longer, and who will be a costly burden on society for longer, and consume more resources. They do not want to increase longevity in the general population (except for themselves), indeed, many of them see the critters as a virus, consuming finite resources and endangering Mother Earth. They see a need to reduce populations by 80-90% at some point. Once that is done they can focus on extending longevity.

Eugenics was funded by the Tax Free Foundations (Rockefeller, Varnegie, Harriman) in the early 20th century, and are those behind the Globalzation movement. The concern is that the human evolution has been held back in modern civilization. Population reduction through genocide and sterilization, abortion (for all the lip service, abortions continue business as usual) and birth control, and selective genetic breeding (as in the Brave New World) are seen as tools to get us back on track. Those efforts to get girls vaccinated with a HPV vaccine before puberty and make it mandatory are very suspicous, and may be related to this (or not). But the potential cost seems to far outweigh the benefit, and it is not consistent with their policies of abstinence vs safe sex, so I am suspicous.

What was going through GWB’s mind at the time when he created the ban? “Breath in, breath out” perhaps?

I DON’T THINK SO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://beyond-school.org/2007/12/25/truly-critical-thinking-about-science-religion-and-goodness/

And when.

That should spread a chill over the room and joy over the land.

Comment by eve
EXCELLENT POINT!

I can’t imagine worse criteria for a decision on a scientific issue.

BTW, “embryonic stem cells, are no more “human life” than a brain tumor.

Anyhow the whole issue of abortion is one that republicans do not want to ever go away. Their whole strategy is to segment the market and capture each segment. They want voter A to believe that abortion is the main issue that candidate 1 believes in and that candidate 1 is better for them than candidate 2. Meanwhile they also go after candidate 2 and convince him that gun control is the main issue that candidate 1 believes in and that candidate 1 is more in tune with voter 2’s views than candidate b…etc… Cover a whole bunch of issues and you have the market effectively segmented. Segmenting ha worked wonders for the republicans it gets them large numbers of single issue voters who side with them on their one hot button issue when that voter probably has no otter reason to vote republican other than the issue at hand. This strategy wins them elections.

And winning elections is why they can not and will not let any segment be tampered with. Think about this, the republicans effectively made torture the law of the land. They have effectively removed the right to a trial should the president designate the charged as a terrorist. They have effectively neutered the fourth amendment. They have been able to do these things with a compliant congress, a willing president and a media machine that sells the story as they present it. They have done all of this and have made no moves toward abortion? Heck they could have passed laws easily yet they CHOOSE not to because they need to keep that market segment alive and need the issue available for future race.

But beyond that and getting back to the topic, I don’t care what your political stripes are when I say this…it should scare the crap out of every American out there that the president made a decision based on a fictional novel written 70 years ago. And made that decision when passages from the book were read to him out of context without him knowing the whole story.

Comment by CaptainMantastic — December 27, 2007 @ 10:51 am

I really disagree with this statement. Until you have sex education that actively considers the emotional needs of the female students, you’re only training the females to be the objects of the male students’ desires. It’s about much more that the correct names of the parts and how to put a condom on a banana.

From

http://www.citizenlink.org/FOSI/abstinence/A000002153.cfm

Myth:
Condom-based education (also known as comprehensive sex education) plus abstinence education addresses all students’ needs.

Truth:

* In other areas of health education as well as abstinence, the highest health standard is communicated (i.e. alcohol, drugs, cigarette use, weapon carrying, etc.) The healthiest choice for school-age youth is to remain sexually abstinent.
* Children need directive education – education that points them to a specific outcome. If sexuality education is taught in a condom – plus – abstinence format, the message is mixed and nondirective. Students are left confused as to the best health choice.
* Teaching students how to reduce inherent risks of sexual activity by emphasizing condom usage fails to integrate the highest health education standard. Eliminating inherent sexual activity risks by teaching abstinence from such activity is teaching according to the highest standard. All youth deserve the best.

Myth:
Abstinence education is all about shame and guilt.

Truth:

* The emotional consequences of sexual activity outside a marital relationship are a reality. All high-risk behaviors, such as illegal drug use, involve emotional consequences. When an individual reconsiders his/her dangerous habits during a drug education class, the curriculum is not blamed for teaching shame and guilt. This indeed may be a student’s emotional response. However, lesson content of any health education curricula, including abstinence education, avoid the intent of eliciting shame and guilt.
* Most sexually active teens wish they had waited longer to have sex.2 Youth may have varied feelings during instructional class periods. When it comes to communicating health standards, educators do not adjust to the lowest common denominators according to potential feelings that may be engendered within select youth. The focus is what is in his/her best health interest.

* Sexually active youth may have uncomfortable feelings. Those feelings can be strong motivating factors to explore healthier mindsets and ensuing behavioral changes.

Much more at the link.

Caution: This link is to a “Focus on the Family” web site.

Comment by O. Bigfoot — December 27, 2007 @ 10:14 am

But you two don’t have any children. Is she infertile so it’s not an issue?

Okay, let’s summarize, shall we:

Researching TISSUES to possibly help humans with disease: BAD
Simulating drowning to “acquire” information (in violation of the Geneva Convention): GOOD

What a bizzaro world you Bushites live in!

The issue of abortions is not an easy one. Most issues are not, there are many gray areas (though many are simple, like that all people should have the ability to obtain and access to the same medical treatment regardless of their position in society. That is a clear human rights and moral issue, much like habeas corpus and torture, but I digress). When life begins is a very cultural issue (not a scientific issue, well not really because how do you define life? Is a prion a life form, its jsut a protien but they do transmit diseases and replicate, but again I digress.) Many cultures, like the Navajo believe that the spirit enters the baby when the baby first laughs. The belief that life begins at conception is a belief that is strongly held by many Christians and others, but not a belief that is either right or wrong. Beliefs and cultures evolve and thinking changes, in a 100 years whose to say that belief is still held (or that is isn’t for that matter). I for one do not agree with abortion (in most cases). I think abortion as a form of birth control is disgusting. I however, am in favor or a woman’s right to choose. Yes you can think abortions are wrong (in most cases) and still be in favor of a woman’s right to choose. I think there is a difference between a baby (a person with fully developed nervous system) and a fetus. When is the line drawn, I don’t know, maybe that is a line that shouldn’t be drawn. But to say that a woman who has an abortion is the same as a murderer. Or that having an abortion is that same as a person who beats and kills there baby (which happens all the time) or one that wraps there baby up and throws it in a dumpster to die is absurd.

The number of abortions should be reduced. This can be done by actual sex education (as opposed to abstinence only sex education), making birth control (condoms and contraceptives) available, making adoption more affordable, making it so babies can be dropped off at hospitals with no questions asked, universal healthcare (so woman can get birth control, proper care when they are pregnant), education (people in low-poverty areas that receive poor educations, since education is not equal just like healthcare, are more likely to get pregnant at a young age, not be able to support their children, have fathers that are not around) etc etc.

Sorry for the long post, but this will likely be my last one since the childish bickering that goes on here (from both sides of an issue) is beneath me.

You suck.

Thembi is a teenaged prostitute. She has been in and out of juvenile prisons all of her childhood, she is suffering from AIDS, and her boyfriend has done a runner on her leaving her pregnant and desperate.

She goes through with the pregnancy, and the child is born HIV positive.

Without adequate medical care the child will die before the age of ten. It will likely never reach its majority even with medical care, though its life will be greatly extended.

You are in a position where you are presented with a choice: Either you could lobby government to provide medical care for the child out of your taxes, or you could leave it up to Thembi to deal with on her own. Remember, Thembi is a teenaged prostitute with AIDS who has been in and out of juvenile prisons all of her life and who doesn’t even have a steady boyfriend.

What is your decision?