Wasting Away in Margaritaville

Last week, one of my ‘friends’ on facebook announced that he is moving to Margaritaville if Senator Barack Obama is elected. I say friends loosely since the strange reality on facebook is you can be friends with people you’ve never met, who live in places you’ve never been to, and who often hold wildly different beliefs. But, I took his point. If things don’t go as he wants, he thinks moving away might be a good strategy. Maybe he is just having some fun or trying to start a movement or just stamping his feet, similarly to when Hollywood elites threaten to move to Canada if their guy loses and they don’t get what they want. At the time of this writing, nearly 200 people are joining him in the mass exodus to “the tropics somewhere between the Port of Indecision and Southeast of Disorder, but no parallels of latitude or longitude mark the spot exactly. Palm trees provide the camouflage. Ocean breezes bring the seaplanes and sailboats, tourists and travelers.” Some days, I confess, this sounds appealing.

For the record, the CBC is not a (c)4 non-profit, and thus we are unable to endorse a candidate, campaign for anyone running for an elected position, or tell you who to vote for. But, we would be na? and remiss not to be planning and strategizing now for what happens after November 4 th .

What if John McCain is elected OR Barack Obama is elected? What will these two administrations mean for the efforts here at CBC Central? There are key differences between each of the candidate’s platforms as it relates to the CBC mission.

One candidate has made some nervous since his pro-life credentials are not pristine as they relate to embryonic stem cell research , and the other candidate has made some nervous since his pro-life credentials have been considered not to be really pro-life at all. Both candidates state they do not support the creation of embryos for the sole purpose of destroying them. That’s a federal law I’d like to see passed!

However, neither candidate has good bona fides on embryonic stem cell research. Regarding cloning , McCain supports a total ban on human cloning and Obama is against “human” cloning but perhaps supports “therapeutic” cloning. In CBC speak , those terms are the same.

On the Barack Obama website , (I thought it was curious to find his position on stem cell research under “women’s issues”), his position states he believes:

we owe it to the American public to explore the potential of stem cells to treat the millions of people suffering from debilitating and life-threatening diseases. Obama is a co-sponsor of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007, which would allow research of human embryonic stem cells derived from embryos donated (with consent) from in vitro fertilization clinics. These embryos must be deemed in excess and created based solely for the purpose of fertility treatment.

On the John McCain website , under the heading “Human Dignity and the Sanctity of Life,” excerpts from his position state:

Stem cell research offers tremendous hope for those suffering from a variety of deadly diseases – hope for both cures and life-extending treatments. However, the compassion to relieve suffering and to cure deadly disease cannot erode moral and ethical principles.

John McCain opposes the intentional creation of human embryos for research purposes. To that end, Senator McCain voted to ban the practice of “fetal farming,” making it a federal crime for researchers to use cells or fetal tissue from an embryo created for research purposes. Furthermore, he voted to ban attempts to use or obtain human cells gestated in animals. Finally, John McCain strongly opposes human cloning and voted to ban the practice, and any related experimentation, under federal law.

John McCain will strongly support funding for promising research programs, including amniotic fluid and adult stem cell research and other types of scientific study that do not involve the use of human embryos.

Where federal funds are used for stem cell research, clear lines should be drawn that reflect a refusal to sacrifice moral values and ethical principles for the sake of scientific progress, and that any such research should be subject to strict federal guidelines.

Neither has a position on Physician Assisted Suicide. The only comment on this matter I found was in a response to a question in an interview with Barack Obama:

Q: A couple of other issues of interest to Oregonians involve initiatives passed by the voters that have come into conflict with the federal government: physician-assisted suicide.

A: I am in favor of palliative medicine in circumstances where someone is terminally ill. … I’m mindful of the legitimate interests of states to prevent a slide from palliative treatments into euthanasia. On the other hand, I think that the people of Oregon did a service for the country in recognizing that as the population gets older we’ve got to think about issues of end-of-life care. …

Hmmm . . . I wonder what that means?!

So, have no fear. CBC will not be moving away to Margaritaville. We resolve to be here November 5 th and anticipate there will be much work for us to do. Please DO consider a gift today . The recent economic crisis has hit our efforts doubly hard with donations down dramatically. We know people are stretched! Any gift, large or small, will be put toward our important work.