Wednesday

Chicago Trib: Karl Rove lied about stem cell research
by John in DC - 7/19/2006 07:29:00 PM

No one could have ever imagined that the Bush White House would lie in order to convince the American public to support an unpopular decision.From the Chicago Tribune:

When White House political adviser Karl Rove signaled last week that President Bush planned to veto the stem cell bill being considered by the Senate, the reasons he gave went beyond the president's moral qualms with research on human embryos.In fact, Rove waded into deeply contentious scientific territory, telling the Denver Post's editorial board that researchers have found "far more promise from adult stem cells than from embryonic stem cells."....But Rove's negative appraisal of embryonic stem cell research--echoed by many opponents of funding for such research--is inaccurate, according to most stem cell research scientists, including a dozen contacted for this story.The field of stem cell medicine is too young and unproven to make such judgments, experts say. Many of those researchers either specialize in adult stem cells or share Bush's moral reservations about embryonic stem cells."[Rove's] statement is just not true," said Dr. Michael Clarke, associate director of the stem cell institute at Stanford University, who in 2003 published the first study showing how adult stem cells replenish themselves.If opponents of embryonic stem cell research object on moral grounds, "I'm willing to live with that," Clarke said, though he disagrees. But, he said, "I'm not willing to live with statements that are misleading."Dr. Markus Grompe, director of the stem cell center at the Oregon Health and Science University, is a Catholic who objects to research involving the destruction of embryos and is seeking alternative ways of making stem cells. But Grompe said there is "no factual basis to compare the promise" of adult stem cells and cells taken from embryos.Grompe said, "I think it's a problem when [opponents of embryonic research] make a scientific argument as opposed to stating the real reason they are opposed--which is [that] it's a moral, ethical problem."

Bush vetoes stem cell bill, blah blah blah by John in DC - 7/19/2006 05:53:00 PM
We knew he was going to do it, he did it for political reasons only - to suck up to the Jerry Falwell wing of the Republican party - so honestly, who cares? Yes, George Bush yet again adopted a political agenda that is hurting people, and he's doing it for all the wrong reasons - basically, he's doing it for a lie. His own lie, pretending he actually believes in the fundy agenda (which he does not), and the lie that such research isn't really necessary, which of course it is.So forget him. All Bush wants to do is draw the attention away from the disaster he's made of our country and the world. So let's get back to that disaster with Murray Waas' latest - a further look at George Bush having obstructed his own administration's investigation into Bush's unwarranted domestic spying on American citizens.

ACLU says Bush may be spying on three more financial services companies by John in DC - 7/19/2006 03:27:00 PM

Gee, what a surprise. And let me just ask, on whose blog did you hear the names of these companies only a few weeks ago...

The New York-based American Civil Liberties Union has fired another salvo in its ongoing battle with the Bush Administration over domestic surveillance, all but accusing the Administration of spying on three additional financial service systems.According to a release, "ACLU research indicates" that the three named systems are "likely targets." The group said Wednesday they had filed new requests under the Freedom of Information Act to ascertain whether the systems were being surveilled.The three systems are:Bolero: The Bill of Lading Electronic Registry Organization is an electronic exchange of trade for documents such as bills of lading (descriptions of shipped goods that control ownership of property when it is in transit). Owned in part by SWIFT, Bolero counts many of the world's largest corporations as customers.CHIPS: The Clearing House Interbank Payment System, another financial transfer service, is privately owned by the New York Clearing House Association. It primarily handles international funds transfers denominated in U.S. dollars for banks and their large customer transactions. Customers include most of the major U.S. banks.Fedwire: A wire transfer service run by the Federal Reserve, Fedwire allows U.S. banks to transfer funds to other participants on behalf of each other and their customers.

Foreign companies are buying US roads and bridges by John in DC - 7/19/2006 02:19:00 PM

Very weird. Not sure how I feel about this.
Last year, the city sold a 99-year lease on the eight-mile Chicago Skyway for $1.83 billion. The buyer was the same consortium that leased the Indiana Toll Road -- Macquarie Infrastructure Group of Sydney, Australia, and Cintra Concesiones de Infraestructuras de Transporte of Madrid, Spain.Chicago used the money to pay off debt and fund road projects. Skyway tolls rose 50 cents, to $2.50; By 2017, they will reach $5.