Stem Cell Research

Wow! Another forward move by our President today as he signed the bill to further continue research on a highly controversial topic. The topic has been, like gay marriage, the money-making fear word used to give conservatives additional ways to create fear and make some money along the way.

People, what are we afraid of, really? Some say "the embryos that are 'killed' in the process" should not be made to begin with, therefore, we shouldn't do the research, therefore it's a moral issue. Is that too abbreviated? Did I jump too far ahead?

Hell, if it's a "moral issue" why send our troops overseas and lose even one of them? And you know, speaking of morality and so-called faith-based issues, when conservative Christians make statements about the stuff they fear, it is 1. a projection and 2. it always seems to be a black and white scenario. It's all gray.

About faith-based stuff....First of all, killing embryos as though it's right there with abortion. It's always weird to me when people who faith in their God and heaven and hell say it's a "moral issue." Break it down: When does the "soul" form? (Gee this is a lot of quotation marks, but I don't see a way around it.) If dead babies of any life-stage/progress go automatically to Heaven, you know, the place where God is...no more tears, no more pain, no more suffering place.....then what's the big deal?? We're talking about about embryos or even more-so, the research to give more actual living people H-O-P-E - hope for a better life. Those little life-bearing embryos are there for us.

As far as news items go, at least the gay marriage thing will be in the shadows while our focus is steered another direction by STEM CELL RESEARCH. Let's see...we can one day grow new kidneys, hearts or sheep....wait a second..we already grew a sheep. What do you say the odds are we already grew a few babies too? Albeit, highly secret clone babies but real babies nonetheless.

People, whether we vote for such a thing or not, it's happening in the private sector. We may not be able to, via government means, fund going to Mars either, but it will most likely happen in the private sector anyway.

Some preachers will keep you on the edge of your seat, creating things to be afraid of, while they take your money to give you some hope....while others give you hope reminding us that the God we somehow believe in, is always in charge.

Seriously, it never ceases to amaze how we come up with these fear-based issues, especially those that involve human progress and our planet's evolution. It galls me when the government, our government, uses our tax money to do things I completely disagree with. If I had my way, I'd say send me the check-box list of the ways you want to use my money and let me choose the ones I agree with. But fortunately, I guess we get a voice by who we vote for....at least when the polls are not miscounted. Don't get me started. As for this topic, I agree so do it. Use my money so we can all have a better chance for life or at least growing a kidney that someone else did NOT have to donate.

The best thing I heard this morning on CNN came from the woman who said (paraphrased) "....politicians are not the ones who should be telling the scientists what and how to research. We look to scientists to tell us when they ave a good idea of how to help humanity."

Post blogging blues

I am missing my blog community and just plain writing. The month of January I was sick with a chest cold....had it twice...and still I had lots of work, which is good.

I am delighted to have a new president and yet still amazed at how people are so accepting, even my Republican friends. I am also amazed at his use of the English language, his intellect and matter-of-fact way he has of handling anything. I know he's not perfect, but he is the complete opposite of what we had for eight years. The weird thing is, I got so used to watching Jon Stewart rip W, I'm afraid their comic material will be lacking for decent "slam content." There's always Steven Colbert Report, tho. Goody.

I've seen some cool new things on History and Science Channel...both coming up with new programs and continually updating their science data. I'm looking forward to a new show called "How The Earth Was Made." I've seen two versions of this before, but evidently they have enough material to have created a series. Cool.

Tonight I caught up with Smallville. (SPOILER ALERT) A classic comic villain "The Toyman" made his debut. Plus we got a lot of a shirtless, hunky Green Arrow in the hospital. And finally Lana has to leave again. All that eternal smooching and "I love yous" was starting to get to me again. Clark even bangs her at the beginning via sound effects through the wall. My "chick-flick loving" partner even said "ENOUGH ALREADY!" Agreed. Kristen is a fantastic actress, but sorry, I'm a superhero geek from the word "GO!" and I need me some super powers and costumed heroes...kissin' or not! Yeesh.

Meanwhile, at our company...that's the two of us.....we're creating a graphic Time Line showing overlapping Bible characters (some real, some fictional-since we're not literalists) along with world events and real people. It's very fun, for example, to see when the Polynesians first settled in Hawaii and other highlights of the 3rd Century. Can you say ka'mana'wanalaya?