X-Message-Number: 22821
Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2003 12:52:08 -0500
From: 
Subject: Re: Parody Cryonics TV Commercial

Re: John Krug's message below
From Steve Bridge


John suggests that the concept of neurosuspension scares people so much that it 
might threaten the existence of cryonics through governmental interference.  
Oddly, with some regulatory agencies in the past experience of Alcor, the 
opposite has been true.  They only wanted to regulate the handling of whole 
bodies.  Both in California and Arizona, the state health departments considered
preserved heads or brains to be merely "organs" or "tissue samples", so long as
the majority of the body was cremated or otherwise interred according to 
standard practices.  It shows how important the government thinks your brains 
are.


We had no problems with any governmental agencies in moving the neuropatients to
Arizona.  The only paperwork and governmental hassle we had to endure were over
the whole bodies.


That is not to say that some reporters and governmental officials do not freak 
out over the more "colorful" concept of neurosuspension, sensible as it might 
seem when patiently explained.  Of course they do and we have to take that into 
account.  However, I do not think that abandoning neurosuspension as an option 
and focusing only on whole bodies will much reduce, if at all, attempts to 
regulate or prevent cryonics.


Newcomers to the concept of neurosuspension might wish to check out discussions 
on Alcor's web site (http://www.alcor.org), including a 1995 article by me at  
http://www.alcor.org/Library/html/neuropreservationoption.html

Some of the details have changed but the basics are still applicable, I think.

Steve Bridge
Former Alcor President 1993-1997
Writing for himself and not for Alcor

*********************
Message #22815
>From:  (John Krug)
>Date: Sun, 9 Nov 2003 18:02:39 -0800 (PST)
>Subject: Parody Cryonics TV Commercial
>
>Hi:
>     I was wasting time channel surfing for something good to watch on
>tv last night.
>"Saturday Night Live",  a well known comedy show, was on, so I decided
>to tune in for a look... Then came on one of the parody commercials the
>show is known for.  It starts out with a few testimonials from people
>who have found the "cure" for their various minor problems such as
>baldness, skin wrinkles, etc... Then it goes on with a narration saying
>something like "it may take 100 years 
>but "Cryogenix" is for you.  They show a graphic of a transparent human
>body, and superimpose the image of a whole body dewar.   This done,
>next, the head is shown being suddenly and roughly removed via the
>animation and put into a smaller unit...The voice over comes on and
>says:  "If it's good enough for Ted Williams, it's good enough for
>me"...I think this all was meant to be dark humor that SNL presents
>often.  I think the neuro option has backfired on cryonics...If I had
>any powers of persuasion, I'd suggest that the practice be stopped.
>Otherwise, I hope it's not too late and the powers that be will still
>allow legal and secure whole body cryonic suspensions in the U.S.  I
>don't want libertarian philosophers to instigate absolutely certain
>death on us all...My two cents.... Best Regards!  John B. Krug  

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