Potpourri 01/16/2008
 

I thought I'd take a potpourri approach to today's entry.  Instead of writing about the day (which has gone swimmingly--thanks for asking), I want to touch on four issues.

1.  Send in the clones.  The FDA (those wonderful people who gave the nod to Vioxx) have given their two thumbs up to meat and milk from cloned animals.  My knee jerk reaction is "eww."  But then I read the article instead of just the headline.  (In my spare time, I might get around to reading the study...but don't hold your breath.)

In the LA Times article, it becomes pretty clear that what will eventually hit the food chain will be the offspring of clones rather than cloned animals themselves.  That's a little more, ahem, palatable.  Especially when you consider that the study shows there to be no difference on any level (biological, nutritional, toxicological) between cloned meat and milk and the real McCoy.

Still, it's a bit worrisome that there won't be any labeling required by the FDA to identify cloned meats or milks.  Eww.

2.  Rock the Vote.  I have a new button on the side of my blog-->  See it there?  I've done my bit.  I've pundicated on presidential candidates (see below for more), reviewed issues and propositions, made recommendations.

Now it's your turn.  If you're not registered to vote, click here.  And do your part.

3. Theocracy anyone?  Oh that Huckabee.  What a kidder!  Do you know he actually said we should "amend the constitution to fit God's standards."  What?  He wasn't kidding?

Seriously.  Which standards are we talking about?  Do we stop (if one agrees with Huckabee) with saying marriage is only between Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve; with saying that women do not have the right to abortion?  Or do we go the whole schmear?  Stone adulterers.  Quit eating pork.  Make women cover their heads with scarves.

I think they're trying out theocracy in parts of the Muslim world.  Why don't we stick with democracy in America.

4.  How much is that doggie in the window?  Meet Charlie.  Hal offered Charlie to me as a crow deterrent.  I said no.  Now I'm reconsidering.

Who's a good boy, huh?

Hey...maybe if we clone Charlie?  Nah.

 


Comments

Kenneth R. Morefield

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:29:56

Laura, I did like the aside to the Huckabee story that Fred made at Slactivist, pointing out that Huckabee indirectly acknowledges that gay marriage is constitutional...after all, if we have to amend the constitution to make it fit God's standards, that means that we are acknowledging that it doesn't as currently written.

Ooops. I expect a clarification any day now, since most of the RNC rhetoric about the marriage amendment (or abortion and/or rights to privacy) are usually framed by suggesting that they (the conservatives) are trying to preserve (what they thought to be) the framer's original intent and the liberals are the ones trying to distort the constitution to make it fit their ideology.

 

Jill

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:38:46

Wow, that Charlie is one beautiful Golden Doodle!

 

Laura

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 16:07:56

Hey Ken,

I didn't make it slacktivist, just saw the Huckabee quote. Fred makes an excellent point.

I'd say, though, that conservatives are actually trying to DEFINE what the constitution says (sort of like fundies with the bible). They may call it preservation but it's really something more akin to dictating.

IMHO.

 

Laura

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 16:08:36

Welcome, Jill. Charlie's a doll!

 

Erik

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 10:51:08

1) Clones rock. This set of technologies has so many useful, beneficial applications looming at the horizon I get dizzy just thinking about it. And WHO CARES if they're clones? I've always been puzzled at the "yikes, a clone" response. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, my money is on the idea that it IS a duck, cloned or not. Like you could possibly tell a chicken is cloned when it's grilled on your salad!

And that doesn't touch the potential for cloning your own organs for organ replacement (see the research this week on researchers growing a mouse heart in a growth tank, sans mouse) or growing skin for burn victims, or increasing resistance to disease in farm animals, or...

2) Huckabee. Theology. The Constitution. Never the three should meet. One of the reasons (maybe one of the primary reasons) this democracy has worked at all is this Constitution that barriers church from state. Hello? Is this thing on? I don't care who you are or what you believe, don't even THINK about inserting it into our Constitution! Worship how, when, where you'd like (although if it begins to wreak havoc on other people, like human sacrifice or burning your capital city down after your leader does I'm forced to draw the line) but don't insist that I do the same. I continue to shake my head at conservatives of ANY faith that insist that the government MUST conform to their belief systems. That way lies madness....

3) Great dog.

Erik

 

Erik

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 10:53:06

Correction to item #2 in my last post - the word "dies" should replace "does" in the comment about burning capital cities down.

:)

Erik

 

Laura

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 16:21:00

Hey Erik!

1. I dunno. Just Ewww. I'll probably get over it but it does creep me out a bit to think about eating cloned stuff. Too much bad sci-fi?

2. Amen and Amen.

3. Charlie is a cutie, eh? Turns out the critter ridder's working tho so no need for him to come live with us. (Hal is relieved, I'm sure.)

 

Hal

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 17:01:52

I'm glad the critter ridder is working. I think Charlie was looking forward to a sleep over though.

 



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