Greetings from
The Publisher . . .
All the Why's, Do They Matter, and The Obvious Common Denominator
The advances in science these days, and the possibilities they bring us for overcoming a wide-range of life “conditions” that we put up with or take for granted, are phenomenal.
Need a new tooth? In England you can grow your own.
There are companies now that will freeze and save a baby's umbilical cord that is filled with blood and stem cells. One day those babies will be able to grow a new liver or arm, if needed.
Some day we will go to the lab and order what you need and the lab will grow it from our own stem cells. The possibilities for our future health are almost unbelievable and life-changing
During the Republican National Convention we might hear the President ease the restrictions and allow more research to be funded, but it's not likely. In contrast with the rest of modern world, our government is not spending very much on research. Maybe they think the tooth fairy will fix things.
California has a ballot proposition this election that would authorize an average of $295 million a year in state-backed bonds over ten years for stem cell research.
The Federal government authorized $25 million last year. Passing this would significantly accelerate research. The challenge is that the Federal House has introduced legislation to outlaw the funding and research. The Senate, right now, has the votes to stop that attempt. Electing new Senators could alter that outcome.
But why are we even having this conversation and others like it? Why do we have to hope that common sense prevails? Why do we have to hope that the humane approach prevails?
As we approach the Republican National Convention I am left with many “why's.” Why is this President still a candidate for reelection? Why hasn't he been impeached? Why haven't the Republican “powers that be” said “enough” and pushed him out? Don't they want a backable candidate?
Why do we have to fight for clean air? For clean public water we can actually drink (what a concept!)? Or for saving our natural resources? California is looking at requiring the installation of electricity generating solar panels on new homes. Why no Federal plan?
The California plan creates jobs. Did you hear that almost all of the jobs created during this Administration's tenure are jobs in foreign countries? (If you haven't noticed, you haven't called tech support lately.) There is something backward about a system that considers that a plus for our economy. It simply reflects that what seems to count is money, and when you remove the human factor it also becomes inhuman.
The Federal health care plan benefits drug companies, not those who need health care or drugs. The bill to “extend” overtime benefits to new Americans is a win for corporations in most States. Both are inhuman.
Looking internationally, what good reason do we have for alienating our allies and most of the world? According to the reports now, no reason.
The President has said he will do what the commanders in the field tell him to do. No plan, no timeline. He calls himself the war president, but that doesn't sound like what a commander-in-chief would say. Contrast that with President Truman and Gen. MacArthur.
Should we care whether it was Bush, Cheney or Rumsfeld that was responsible for the universal and inhumane way we treated prisoners? Or that no one is bothered enough to hold anyone accountable?
The report on prisoner abuse says that Bush Administration policy set the stage. Inhumane.
Now the 9/11 Commission has spoken. Our war against terrorism is increasing the threat of terrorism, and wreaks havoc on innocents thus breeding new terrorists. It's inhumane.
Why do we not protect potential terrorist targets in this country? Call out the National Guard! We're under attack. “Sorry, it's in Iraq .”
It should be obvious that the biggest threat to American security is the Bush Administration.
Even if you support the war, then you have to say the Administration was negligent because there was no plan and the troops were under-equipped. There was no strategy for, or definition of, winning and the burden of fighting is falling on the same people.
The money that is unaccounted for in Iraq is mind-boggling. There is a Constitutional requirement to account for it.
Do we need a study to tell us exactly where all the unaccounted billions have gone? Was it the VP's company (Halliburton) or Bush's father (Carlyle Group) that got the money? Or was it a large Bush political-contributor? We know Halliburton has taken $8 billion. Do we need to know the exact split before we throw up our arms and say “Enough is enough!”?
Many believe Bush's motivation to go to war was either sinister or that he was after Sadham or Iraq 's oil. Or did he simply miscalculate? Then again, what's the difference? Do we need to know or care?
Even forgetting the inhumanity of it all, what we already know is enough to recognize incompetence—no matter what direction you look—and that's grounds for impeachment. Deliberate or not, we end up in the same place, the results they produce shout incompetence. The Republicans deserve a viable candidate, not someone who could be impeached at any time and for multiple reasons.
What both parties have now are candidates not wishing to offend anyone. They are talking more about Swift boats and Vietnam than the current war. What are the chances that Bush even knew what a Swift boat was? Where is Kerry's courage now when we have so many unmentioned issues?
The very worst of this regime is that American citizens who want to demonstrate and show their opposition to anything Bush has done or not done risk a visit from the FBI. We all deserve better.
The time for change is now. The stories from Florida about who will be purged from the voter rolls next time, and stories exposing the vulnerability of electronic voting, have been going on for months. How we will vote in November may already be determined—or at least counted. How can we feel confident our votes will be counted after the way the nation has been manipulated? How do we know some crisis won't distract us at the last minute?
We don't need the media's apology for not investigating or verifying the false reasons we were given for invading Iraq . We need their current participation in showing how the Constitution is being violated.
Tell us if and how our votes will be counted. Tell us more about the President being on antidepressants for his depression and erratic behavior. Tell us how serious a problem it is. How does it affect his actions. Why isn't this well-known?
There are a few in the media who are totally predictable in their support of Bush and condemnation of Kerry. And probably the opposite is also true. Overall, though, the media needs to regain its independence, give up the self-pity and grow teeth.
Remove the clouds and the future's very bright. It's time for some new dreams.
Have a great month,
Steve Hays
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