The One Where I Talk About The President and Stem Cells

I was just reading Webslog (the blogger I've known the longest) and his post is so clever and well written, I'm still not sure if he's talking favorably about our President or not. (I will not slap your ass and call you "Skippy" however, I just might've in 1985) At any rate, it reminded me of a thought I've had all day.

I envy these bloggers that can talk so intelligently about politics and the state of things. I read them daily in hopes I shall grow more brains in this area, both the Lefties and Righties. I guess the fact that I'm a card carrying Southern Bapt-tiste automatically throws me on the Right team in most people's eyes anyway and that's alright. I love Jesus, even though I say "shit" here and there. Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell embarrass me sometimes. Sometimes I wish they'd just jump on over to another denomination.

For anybody that gives a rip...here's how I feel about stem cells and what not:

I don't like abortion. I don't think it's a good idea and it certainly shouldn't be used for birth control. I believe that as soon as the sperm and egg say howdy, it's a person. Why? Cause Jeremiah 1:5 says that God knows us before we're ever in our mother's wombs. (However, I HATE the word "womb" and I hope I'm never called on to say it, say, outloud) That said, I think they need to keep abortions legal.

Had I gotten myself in the Family Way before I was a married woman (and praise be it didn't happen 'cause it sure could've) I don't know that as a teen, I could've gone to my parents and said "I'm pregnant." Even now, the thought of facing the Wrath of Barb makes me shudder. She wouldn't have gone ballistic, she just would've given me a blank, cold stare and not spoken to me for months. Thanks to The Barb, I'm still somewhat scared of my own shadow. I have a hard time consuming any sort of alcoholic beverage because I was taught, to borrow words from the Martini Ministry, that I would spontaneously combust upon ingestion of Bud Light. I still have to fight hearing my mother's voice in my head of doom and gloom, fear of living even now. At 16 or 17, I thought she was right about everything because she was my mother. I know better now but boy, at that time, I couldn't have faced her.

I like to think I'm raising my own daughter in a more communicative environment regarding such things and hope should she ever find herself in an impregnated state, that she could come to me and we'd deal with it. If she didn't feel she could cope with telling me and facing it that way and she chose to terminate the pregnancy, I would understand. It would make me sad, but, I'd understand. I would hope that there was a legal and more importantly, a safe way for her to deal with it. The thought of my beautiful baby girl having to go to some filthy place is more than I can even bear to think about, even hypothetically. Keep it legal. (You will never see me marching for abortion nor will you see me encouraging people to blow up an abortion clinic either)

This stem cell brouhaha....if they're cast offs from failed invitros gone bad, dang it, use them! I don't know how I feel about them creating embryos for that purpose but as Mr. Smiff keeps hollering at the tv, everytime it's talked negatively about, what if it were MY kid that needed it? I'm inclined to think I'd say "Screw that...give them live embryos, if that'll keep them alive." We're sorta selfish that way.

The thought that's been trailing in my head all day and I haven't heard it come up with the Talking Heads on the news (Mr. Smiff and Boy #1 are into some serious news watching, both the CNN and Fox variety with a little MSNBC thrown in for good measure)....Mr. Smiff always says to the tv (like it's going to give him a perfectly audible answer) when Bush talks about stem cells, "Wait til it's your kid."

Now, Bush had a sister, Robin, who died of leukemia when she was about 3. When this happened, the elder Bushes were somewhere around my age, not the bajillionaires they became later, but, both of thems Daddy's had lots of money. Barbara said herself in her autobiography that Robin got the very best care and treatment that was available at the time. Is our President trying to say that if stem cells would've been around at the time, and possibly could've been used to save his sister, that his parents (or had it been up to him) not have jumped all over that to save Robin? I doubt it.

Hell, I don't even know if stem cells can help Leukemia patients. I'm just surprised that none of the reporters have axt him that straight out. If say Jenna, during one of her drunken party binges, staggering around, fell out of a 3rd story window, paralyzing her, George would not want them to do everything they could do to get her walking again. The doctors say "A stem cell thing would fix her" I mean...honestly....would he say "Ethically, it's not good strategery?"

I probably shouldn't even be allowed to blog anything remotely political, especially at 11:40 at night. I'm not intelligent enough in daylight hours to ask such a question. I sure don't want to argue with nobody, especially Aunt B, Katherine Coble and Sarcastro. They would eat me for supper. Just that this thought has been in my head for a couple days now.