Location, Location, Location

Little Green Footballs has a couple of interesting posts which shed some light on why the UNIFIL observer post in Lebanon was inadvertently bombed by the Israelis:

Canadian General: UN Observer Post Used By Hizballah
Hizballah Firing from Vicinity of UN Positions
Kofi Annan Could Have Ordered Peacekeepers to Leave

In short, if you hang around people who are playing with fire you're likely to get burned.

Lincoln On Stickin'

"It is not best to swap horses
while crossing the river."

Quotations at About.com

It's the Ethics (and the Money), Stupid

As anyone who has followed the Left-Stream Media coverage of the embryonic stem cell debate should know by now:

*** There is no such thing as adult stem cell and cord blood stem cell research nor are there actual benefits and treatments as a result of said non-existent research.

*** Millions will suffer and die if the Federal government does not sanction embryonic stem cell research.

*** President Bush is directly responsible for the suffering and death of Christopher Reeve (aka Superman).

In the real world, of course, none of those statements are true. However, it's difficult to find any objective and clear presentation of the facts regarding stem cell research in the Left-Stream Media.

Embryonic stem cell research has yet to result in any legitimate treatment. Meanwhile, adult and cord blood stem cell research have already resulted in a number of treatments. Even so, the successes of these treatments has been largely ignored or overshadowed by the debate over an unproven avenue of research. Why is that? The cliche one often hears is, "Follow the money." I believe that that is ultimately the case with respect to embryonic stem cell research as well. However, we must first, "Follow the ethics."

On July 19, 2006 Jim Lehrer, anchor of PBS's Newshour with Jim Lehrer, interviewed NewsHour Health Correspondent Susan Dentzer in the wake of President Bush's veto of the embryonic stem-cell bill. I found the following exchange to be quite interesting:

JIM LEHRER: Now, the importance that many scientists put on this bill, on the expansion of federal funding, what was it -- was it just about money, or was there more involved than that?

SUSAN DENTZER: Not technically about money, because of course this bill would have carried no additional appropriations of federal dollars. And in fact, the National Institutes of Health budget is, if anything, shrinking at the moment, so the question about how much funding will be available over time is on the table.

But essentially it would have just made it much, much easier for people to get new human embryonic stem cells to work with. And more important, I think some people believe is (sic) it would have removed a little bit of the ethical cloud that hangs over this research.

Some institutions appear to have hung back even to apply for federal funds just out of a concern that they might alienate alumni, for example. There's a concern that, in the private investment world, investors are skittish about investing in this, so that biotech companies that want to do this would have trouble raising money.

So that's been a hope that you could over time dissipate this ethical cloud and basically create much more interest in a very important area of research.(Emphasis added)

Read the entire transcript or watch the video at PBS.org.

Make no mistake. There is an ongoing effort, wittingly or unwittingly, to break down the moral barriers that have, for the most part, separated us from the beasts. Once we begin treating the human embryo as a commodity, we will be just that much closer to the worlds depicted in Soylent Green and The Island - and I don't believe that to be an exaggeration.

I do think that there are many supporters of embryonic stem cell research who are not malevolent, but sincerely think that ESCR is the answer, regardless of its failures thus far. Although they are sincere, they are sincerely wrong and even short sighted on this issue. Sure, there may be some short term gain (however unlikely) from ESCR, but at what cost to ourselves, our society and to humanity.

Lincoln on Principles

"Important principles may,
and must, be inflexible."

Quotations at About.com

$200 and a Couple of Lies

Matt Entenza, the Democrat candidate for the office of Minnesota State Attorney General, has found out it only cost $200.00 to end his political career. That was what he paid a Chicago-based opposition research firm to investigate current AG Mike Hatch. Earlier today, Entenza, who had been considered the odds-on favorite for the party nod, withdrew from the AG race. The Minneapolis Star Tribune has the story HERE.

Just for fun, let's play find the typo in the MnStrib story:

Buffeted by questions about his credibility and by controversy over his wife's multimillion-dollar stock options from a health-care company, DFL endorsee Matt Entenza dropped out of the race for state attorney general Tuesday.

The announcement, less than six hours before the deadline for filing for office, sent shock waves across the state's political landscape. And it threatened to created a multi-candidate, topsy-turvy internal DFL battle for a nomination that Entenza had locked up.

(Hint: Relax. Don't be so tense.)

In These Anxious Times...

Cast your cares on the LORD
and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous fall.
~ Psalm 55:22 ~


Trouble and distress have come upon me,
but your commands are my delight.

~ Psalm 119:143 ~


Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble,
whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—
think about such things.

~ Philippians 4:6-8 ~

Lincoln On Being Right

"I shall try to correct errors when shown
to be errors, and I shall adopt new views so
fast as they shall appear to be true views."

Quotations at About.com

Annie Get Your Gun

Mike S. Adams has provided a little advice over at Townhall.com for those law-abiding citizens interested in purchasing a handgun:

How to buy a semi-automatic handgun

How to buy the right revolver

Fixing the Leaky Faucet?

Reuters reports that Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-MI), chairman of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, has said...

The Bush administration is preparing a crackdown on intelligence leaks to the media and will try to pursue prosecutions in some recent cases...

This is promising news. However, I'm not going to get the tar and feathers ready until I see an indictment or two.

Lincoln On Being Two-Faced

"If I were two-faced,
would I be wearing this one?"

AmusingQuotes.com

Kyoto End Run By Environmentalists

Unable to convince the majority of the American people or Congress to destroy our economy by signing on to the ill-conceived Kyoto Protocol, the extreme Greens are trying to get the courts to force the EPA to regulate carbon dioxide. The Supreme Court of the United States has agreed to hear the case. Will SCOTUS make the right decision? Don't hold your breath. (Pun intended, of course.)

NY & GA Supremes Get It Right

The Georgia Supreme Court overruled the a state trial court judge who had declared unlawful a Defense of Marriage amendment to the Georgia Constitution. The ruling upheld the right of the People, through their elected representatives, to keep the traditional defination of marriage intact.

In a related story, the New York Court of Appeals has rejected an attempt to use the courts in order to redefine marriage. The NY High Court agreed that the elected representatives of the People should define marriage.

Read the stories HERE and HERE.

Lincoln On Living

"And in the end it's not the years in your
life that count. It's the life in your years."

AmusingQuotes.com

My 4th of July Post

In lieu of a "real" post for the July 4th holiday, I'll just suggest checking out a couple of posts by SBC Blog For Truth:

The Price of Our Freedom -- the Signers Sacrifice
The Meaning of the Folds of Our Grand Old Flag

Enron's Kenneth Lay Avoids Prison

... the hard way, that is. According to the Mesa County Coroner, the now infamous Enron founder died from heart disease. As I was listening to the WCCO Radio Morning Show (it was the only station I could find!) the host announced the breaking news of Mr. Lay's demise. Within only a few seconds of making the announcement, the Morning Show host actually brought up the idea that President Bush's "people" must have gotten to Lay so he couldn't "spill the beans". Perhaps it was a tongue-in-cheek comment. Maybe I should give them the benefit of the doubt. Nah!