Letters 3/30/06

March 29, 2006

Thoughts on the War
One of the speakers at the anti-war demonstration last Saturday, March 18 said that demonstrations alone will not be enough to end this war.
More than just an end to this war, I hope to see an end to all U.S. imperialist wars. The wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, and soon in Iran, maybe Syria, Venezuela, or North Korea are examples of our nation run amok. Fortunately, for the billions of poor around the world who suffer the consequences of our oppression, all empires fall. Usually from overextending themselves militarilly.
As painful as these wars are, once our government starts rounding up white middle class kids to fight their wars and when our dollar becomes as valuable as a hyper-inflated third world county currency, we may start seeing a homegrown insurgency here in the good old U.S.A. After all, isn’t that the real fear behind the need for a Patriot Act?
When the pain of imperialism finally comes home and starts to distract us from the Super Bowl, NASCAR and March Madness, then things may change, but probably not until then.

Randy Bond • Beulah

Follow the Golden Rule
Reading Vita Morse’s letter concerning the Whiting Hotel (Express, March 23) leaves me stunned. I think the Express should take up her challenge; write an article explaining why we “display our unfortunates right smack in the midst of downtown TC.”
I suppose moving the Goodwill “situation” out of public view will hide the problem of homelessness and allow us to shop with a clear conscience. We won’t have to wonder why more than half of approximately 66,051 homeless individuals will go without shelter tonight in Michigan, or the circumstances that push people like the resident of the Whiting to suicide.
Heavens, why expose ourselves to such an ugly reality when we can watch it on TV in the safety of our homes after wearing ourselves out with a day of shopping? I’m not afraid to go downtown. Neither are my daughters. I’m proud to say they even give spare change on occasion. They were raised to follow the Golden Rule.

Karen Malofy • via email

Republican store
To paraphrase an old Tennessee Ernie Ford song,”The Republicans had 16 years and what did we get, another day older and deeper in debt. Saint Peter don’t you call me cause I can’t go. I owe my soul to the Republican store.”
It is time to close the Republican store. It is time to tell the Michigan Republican leadership that when they decided to support a billionaire who had used his vast wealth to smear other Republicans in the 2004 elections, who bought the 2006 Republican gubernatorial nomination by threatening to bury his opposition in cash and who was responsible for sending over a thousand jobs to China, that we do not want a government that has been bought and paid for.
Let’s close that Republican store for good and send DeVos, Camp, Rogers, Delay and Abramoff home or to prison or wherever they belong.
Be emphatic! Vote Democratic!

Thomas Ford • Owosso

Three years of war
As we reach the three-year anniversary of the pre-emptive strike in Iraq with over 2,300 of our soldiers and countless Iraqis dead, one thing is clear -- not only is mission not accompished, mission is FUBAR.
The President needs to plan an exit strategy from this disastrous war instead of trying to justify it. Congress needs to insist on a plan to bring our troops home.

Mary Eliowitz • Maple City

Stem cell research
Last June, Rep. Andrew Meisner, D-Ferndale proposed legislation allowing embryonic stem cell research and somatic cell nuclear transfer and increasing the sentence for human cloning to a 15 years. When Governor Granholm expressed her support for the bill, the debate surrounding stem cell research again came into the forefront of Michigan politics. Michiganders should follow Meisner and Granholm’s lead by not letting the religious beliefs of individuals hinder the future of science in Michigan and the lives of many with debilitating diseases.
Many are opposed to stem cell research, claiming that it destroys human life by using human embryos as a source for stem cells. Although this is a perfectly legitimate personal conviction to have, public health policy should not allow itself to be governed by personal religious views. Not all scientists agree on the exact moment when an embryo’s life actually begins, some say it begins at implantation, others say that it isn’t until the development of a nervous system, but it is generally accepted that the moment is not at conception. Public policy regarding science must be guided by members of the scientific and civic community; it should not be dominated by members of the religious community. This is not to say that religious views are not valid, but they belong in religious and philosophical debate, not in the realm of political decisions that could affect many who may not share these same views.
Using adult stem cells is an option that would not result in any embryonic death regardless of how one wants to define it. Adult stem cells, however, cannot remain undifferentiated indefinitely as embryonic stem cells can. Using adult stem cells is a good “second best” alternative, but only embryonic stem cells present scientists with the greatest materials for medical discovery.
Current state law allows researchers to use only adult stem cells or already cultivated stem cell lines from other states with less strict regulations. These restrictions are both harming patients who could benefit from stem cell research and putting Michigan at a scientific disadvantage compared to the rest of the country.
The University of Michigan has been a leader in stem cell research despite the restrictions put upon it, but there is a danger that the brightest researchers in this field may decide to leave Michigan for a place more conducive to research if current legislation remains the same.

Claire Posner • Suttons Bay