Politics Blogging

This post is all political. You've been warned.

First topic: Stem Cells.

Ok, so anti-abortion folks are screaming about stem cell research because they seem to think that in order to do any research whatsoever with stem cells, millions of embryos must be harvested. This is wrong. Plain and simple, those folks are idiots.

It takes ONE embryo to establish a stem cell line. Once a stem cell line is established, there is no need for any further cells. It divides on its own and provides enough material for scientists to conduct all their research. Unless the line is somehow contaminated, it can go on being used in a lab forever. And, while multiple lines are needed, the need doesn't even add up to "hundreds", much less "millions".

But what really burns me up is that the same people who are horrified that one embryo might possibly be destroyed for the sake of research routinely approve of embryos being destroyed during fertility treatments, and just as many being "discarded" because they aren't needed anymore. If all the embryos that have already been destroyed because they were no longer needed for fertility treatments had instead become stem cell lines, there would be plenty of stem cell lines for scientists to work on for the next few generations, or until a better method is discovered. And that's just the embryos that weren't needed, that were "discarded".

Even successful fertility treatments involve the destruction of multiple embryos. If you are truly anti-abortion and believe that life begins at conception, then you should also be anti-fertility treatments. But I've yet to see anti-abortion protesters outside a fertility clinic demanding that treatments be stopped because embryos are destroyed during the process. Apparently the possibility of one child being born is worth the "death" of multiple embryos... but the "death" of one embryo is NOT worth the possible benefits to millions of people who are suffering from diseases that stem cell research might be able to cure.

Until I see folks who condemn stem cell research condemning fertility treatments just as loudly and angrily, I will consider anti-stem cell protesters to be ignorant and hateful scumbags who are protesting because they are too stupid to do their research.

And if there are any people who are protesting both: good on them. I disagree with 'em, but at least they aren't hypocrites.

Second topic: Intelligent Design

I have no problem with "intelligent design". In fact, I believe in a form of the idea myself. And I also have no problem with children being taught "intelligent design". In fact, I strongly encourage parents to make sure their children get taught whatever form of "intelligent design" they most believe in... in church, where it belongs. As ID has no basis in science, and doesn't use any part of the scientific method, it doesn't belong in a science class.

I saw an absolutely ludicrous letter in the Seattle Times that stated, in an attempt to discredit evolution, that "evolutionary theory has always adapted to survive when evidence seemed to go against it." WHICH IS THE WHOLE POINT OF THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD. It's very clear to me that the letter writer either never took a science class, or never bothered to understand what he was being taught. When theories are disproven, then new aspects or new theories are proposed, and the whole concept changes to adapt to the facts on the ground.

Intelligent Design is based in faith, and therefore has no facts on the ground to help prove or disprove it, or to alter it into a better "theory". It is not at all scientific, and should never be taught alongside science. I have no problem with it being given the same standing as science, but that's a job for the PARENTS to do, based entirely on their own belief system. It is not something that any school should be required to teach. It is a job for the church of the parents' choice, or the parents themselves.

Forcing schools to teach ID is NOT "exposing children to different ideas", it is establishing a religion within the classroom by word of law... something that is expressly forbidden in the United States Constitution. In other words: It's illegal. There are appropriate forums to teach children about "intelligent design". Public schools are not one of them.

Last topic: Iraq

I could harp all day about how that traitor in the White House lied us into the war, but that won't stop the war. Unsurprisingly, more and more people are finally waking up to the fact that the neo-cons lied, and sometimes it even looks like Republicans might take back their party from the rethuglicans who are currently in control. But, while impeaching the traitor and putting him and all his cronies in prison where they should rot for the rest of their lives would be a good first step to getting us out of Iraq, it's not going to happen soon. Things are becoming worse and worse in Iraq, and someone should take immediate action to fix the problems that incompetent leadership has caused.

Number one: kick every money-grubbing US company out of Iraq and give the jobs to Iraqis instead of American "contractors". Iraqis are smart and highly trained people who deserve a chance to rebuild their own country. But the money we are sending to Iraq is going right into the pockets of our president's corporate friends, and the Iraqis are seeing only a tiny portion of it going to actually help them. Unemployment is rampant, causing further strife and giving the "insurgents" plenty of recruits.

Number two: open up all the prisons to the International Red Cross, and make absolutely sure every single prisoner is being treated in accordance with the Geneva Conventions. If abuse is discovered, punish the perpetrators, their superior officers, and on up the line. Demote anyone in the chain of command who was involved in abuse, even if it was just to turn a blind eye to it. We're supposed to be better than that. Torture DOES NOT WORK. It should never be used by Americans, or any civilized people.

Number three: decide on the criteria for the withdrawal of the troops, then advertise the heck out of it. I don't think a timetable is worth anything in this case, but telling the Iraqis that, say, "when there are x number of Iraqi police who pass some sort of test and the Iraqi consitution is approved by the majority and x percent of the infrastructure is rebuilt and protected, then we'll pull out x percent of our troops" might help. Then, of course, stick with the promise. Sadly, the Iraqis have absolutely no reason to trust our leaders at the moment, but if we start to make small goals and keep them, maybe we'll eventually re-earn some trust.

Number four: apologize. We, as a nation, committed a crime by invading Iraq. While we got rid of Saddam, we have also committed terrible atrocities - perhaps more than Saddam would have done in the same period of time. We've killed and tortured innocents. We've turned Iraq into a training ground for terrorists. The toll on the population of Iraq has been brutal, and it was also completely unnecessary. There were no "weapons of mass destruction". There were never any. Bush and his buddies LIED. As a country, we owe Iraq an apology, and we owe it to the people of Iraq to work as hard as possible to get them back to where they were before we invaded. And perhaps if we could drop our arrogant facade for awhile and admit we were had by a group of scam artists from Texas, we might retrieve some of the sympathy from the rest of the world that we are going to desperatately need as the battle against terrorism continues.

There are many other things we can do, and I'm sure my ideas aren't the best ones out there. But I'm seeing lots of criticism and very little suggestions, so this is my two cents worth on the suggestion side of things. I'm sick of seeing my country ruined by corruption, greed, and arrogance. I only pray that the majority of the people wake up to the utter devastation the Texan traitor has caused and we can get rid of him and his minions before they completely destroy our country.

END POLITICS