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Then maybe funding for valuable projects like stem cell research wouldn't be stuck in the quagmire of these Republican lies and hypocrasies?
do you think stem cell research will help in the search for a cure to HIV/AIDS? I'm a 28 year survivor and would like to see my grandchildren.
Tell us what you know about Jared Polis. I'm happy to see that he'll soon be representing Boulder but I'm curious what you think of him. Give your honest thoughts, we can take it.
Also, I'm interested in your opinion on the way protesters might be treated at the convention. I have railed on this blog for years about how President Clinton and our government shamed themselves at WTO in 1999. Is Denver going to be different?
As the Dean of Colorado's Congressional delegation, it will be my job to help Jared through the November election and then to secure him good committee assignments and help orient him to the Democratic Caucus. I know he will be a valuable member.
About the protests at the Convention, I am a strong believer in freedom of speech. I was appalled by the "cages" at the Boston Convention and have urged the Denver mayor and security forces to allow as much free expression as possible, while of course, guaranteeing the security of the event.
As far as the protests go, it is never good when "security forces" attack law abiding citizens. It's good to hear Denver knows this. Thanks again for doing this.
WHY are the Dems caving in AGAIN?
you put up a simple rebuttal -- IT WON'T HELP IN THE SHORT TERM IF AT ALL.
you run a commercial with video of John McCain telling a tour stop that the idea is mainly psychological.
when are the Dems ever going to learn??
we running out of time of losing this presidential election as well as
this country.
Will not only stem cell research, but scientific research across the board, be a key part of Prime Time speeches during the convention? It seems that it needs to be an issue that's front and center along with the economy and the war and the environment. In fact, I believe they are all interrelated, more scientific research can lead to new industries, more jobs, etc. I believe the American public is confused a lot of the time about the whole stemcell debate and someone needs to put it out there in front, with real life examples of what research has done for us and more importantly what it CAN do in the future...
Again, thank you for your time...
for taking the time to do this.
sorry, that it was not with my original post.
I’m interested in the issue of birth control. In the book, you describe the debate about expanding insurance coverage for birth control - an issue that has recently come up in the presidential race. It sounded like Rep. Chris Smith and some of his right wing colleagues really would just prefer to ban birth control. Are there people on Capitol hill who would ban access to contraception?
As I say in the forward to the book, I have concluded that many powerful politicians want to ban birth control altogether and think we should have some sort of Christian nation (according to their views) where people should be abstinent until marriage, and then only have sex for procreation. I have not arrived at these conclusions lightly.
Again, thanks.
Also, the funding I am talking about is federal funding for international programs like the Ugandan ABC program. That effort reversed HIV/AIDS in that country--abstinence, be faithful, and CONDOMS. The US just unilaterally said we would not fund that third prong and so the program didn't work.
In countries and populations with high HIV/AIDS rates we need to have science-based public health programs.
If people realized this, I can't imagine they would want to vote for John McCain. With his Supreme Court appointments, he could set us back 50 years on reproductive rights!!!
Instead:
What do you think about the (broader than "safe, legal, rare") draft Dem Platform plank on abortion?
My co-chair, Congresswoman Louise Slaughter and I, are sponsoring comprehensive pregnancy prevention legislation we hope to pass in the next Congress.
That's why I wrote this book: to blow the cover off all these policies and urge voters to examine politicians' voting records carefully on a whole host of issues, not just fringe wedge issues.
It is a call to action in the November elections. After 8 years of the Bush White House and 6 years of Republican control of Congress before that, we need to start making proactive policy, not battling to keep the little ground we have.
Sadly, we also have 20-30 Democrats who vote the wrong way on most of these issues. Some of them do so from personal conviction, but some also vote politically. There are some from really tough districts who always vote the right way. It makes for exciting vote counting on these hard issues.
It would go a long way to shoring up both Republicans and Democrats in these tough districts if they heard from the vast majority of their constituents who are pro-science. Instead, all they hear from is the National Right to Life Committee and other right-wing groups so the path of least resistance is voting against these policies. If the vast majority would pay attention to these sensitive issues, it would give politicians pause and maybe get us better public policy.
Thanks for joining me in this chat today. I hope you have a chance to look at the book and get inspired to hold politicians accountable as the election approaches. Look for me at the Convention!!
Best regards, Diana
It's really important to me personally as I worked to support a science program in higher education for much of my professional life, and I saw firsthand how important the research was, and how tough it became when research funding was cut, and what was left came with more and more strings attached.
From lowered expectations in grade school, to fewer good teachers and classes in higher grades all the way through college... through bad or nonexistent science reporting... to the general disrespect scientists now get... to the way the religionists have muddied the waters about science... it's a mess. And it has very real, very dire consequences for the strength of our nation.
The best new jobs, the best new technologies, the best weapons for defense, cures for diseases... so much depends on having strong science education and an infrastructure that supports scientific research. If we don't fix this problem, and soon, our country will definitely fall behind other nations in several ways.
To date, the man has offered up nothing but civil rights erosions and taking care of Big Money. If nothing else, what could anyone possibly find GOOD in George Bush after Katrina?
The man has no fear of God whatsoever.
Oh never mind.
We also need to do more of these chats. We're going to talk to a couple of congressional candidates about joining us, too.