X-Message-Number: 19030 From: Date: Tue, 7 May 2002 23:32:36 EDT Subject: Therapeutic Cloning Petition... CryoNet: www.franklinsociety.org I would suggest and recommend that everyone here on the CryoNet seriously consider signing this petition. (I will likely also fax a few letters tomorrow -- which is real easy and cheap to do via a URL to follow in this post.) I have been looking into the proposed bill a good bit over the last few days, and I completely agree with the text of this document. I wrote-up the following as a post for an online forum just now for some fellow real estate appraisers across the USA, and decided to included it here as well. ________________________________ Appraisers: I have signed the following online petition to Prevent the Congressional Ban of Therapeutic Cloning. It has nothing to do with cloning humans by any means. This proposed legislation means more to most Americans than they could possibly know. Your and your children's very future is being decided right now. However, if you have full faith in Jessie Helms, and particularly as your family's medical advisor, you need read no further. If not, it would make sense to read this full post, but the petition itself can be found here: www.franklinsociety.org There is not much time at all as the petition will be presented to Congress in the next few days, and it is going to be a close one (already passed the Senate -- which is not good news). I am late to hear about it myself, and then took a couple of days to investigate (while not knowing about the time urgency at that time) as I intended to recommend that others also participate. Yes, it means a whole lot to all of us. Supporters of the bill (i.e., Brownback-Landrieu bill, S. 1899) are badly misdirected, and appear happy to mislead. Again, the issues have nothing at all to do with the cloning of humans -- that is already against the law in the US. With therapeutic cloning, when you need a new heart or kidney in 20 years from now, you will not be waiting on a transplant, you will have a duplicate made for you from your own cells. It is happening. The passage of this bill will stop it in this country. After signing the petition, I received additional information in the form of an email with an attached downloadable file. The only way for me to get this file in your hands was to post it on the Web, so that is what I have done just now on a website of mine. It is concise and provides the major arguments for opposing the bill. Clicking the following hyperlink will take you right to this info: www.boardwatch.org/ActionAlert.htm . The Franklin Society website is also a good source, but that site is extensive and it is easy to get lost for hours with all the links including articles, testimony and other documentation. Upon signing, be forewarned, however: You will probably not be getting your invitation to Jessie's Christmas party this year. (On the other hand, since he is retiring this term, probably not too much lost.) Note on Mechanics of Signing: A question that I initially had was whether one's text in the "comments" section would appear on the petition? You will know what I am speaking of when you get there. The answer to this question is: No, it does not. I tested it. It is a place for your thoughts to the website organization. I understand many signers just leave it blank. This is history in the making in a way. This is a very small list. Currently less than 1,500 signers as it got started very late. My bet is those who sign will be proud to say they did in the not-so-distant future. Also, take a look at the people who have already signed --recognize anybody there? Regards, David C. Johnson, Raleigh (appraiser & biologist) Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=19030