Pentagon Bankrolls Swedish Stem Cell Study

[Khephra]

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The Pentagon has granted $240,000 to a Swedish team for embryonic stem-cell research linked to Parkinson's disease, the researchers said on Wednesday, despite U.S. government limits on stem-cell research.
In a statement, Lund University in southern Sweden said the U.S. Department of Defense was supporting the Swedish Parkinson's study because the findings could be used to treat similar neurological illnesses caused by battlefield toxins.

The Swedish research, using human embryonic stem cells, will focus on ways to prompt the cells to develop into the type of nerve cells deficient in the brains of patients with Parkinson's. The disease causes tremors, muscle rigidity and slow movement in its sufferers and is currently incurable.

"The goal is to develop a line of human embryonic stem cells which can be transplanted to test animals with a disease resembling Parkinson's," said Patrik Brundin, the research team leader.

snip..............

President Bush has forbidden the use of federal funds to manipulate or create human embryos for research and limited scientific research to a few existing batches of cells taken from fertility clinic leftovers.

more.............

http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=4587648

[SoCalDem]

1. So now we are "outsourcing" government subsidies too

How special!! Our Tax money is being sent to Sweden because we have an IDIOT in the whitehouse who would rather deep-six our own scientists...but has the pentagon(wtf?) subsidize foreign science..

This defies logic.. but then we already knew that..


Pentagon funds seem to be the "catch all" ..Amazing how they cannot account for lots of money they "had".. What OTHER things are the funding that we don't know about yet??

[aquart]

7. Unbelievable.

Except in the Bush universe.

[donsu]

2. maybe they are using Pentagons missing trillions for this

Pentagon paying for stem cell research which is illegal here in US.

this does not compute

unless this is the back door way our Pharm corps are using to not get left behind in this medical issue that is bound to bring in tons of money.

[matcom]

3. WTF?????????

Boosh won't let OUR scientists help the world but WILL let the PENTAGON fund overseas studies????

:wtf:

[tlcandie]

4. * is going to break into a tizzy fit soon if peeps dun start following

his orders! Now the Pentagon is going against his decrees.. Another day another :wow:

[arcane1]

5. WTF is the PENTAGON doing in this???

Are they paying to research genetically-targeted bio-weapons?

[Hegemony Cricket]

6. Not likely...

...irony and hypcrisy aside...

The Pentagon pays a lot of money to veterans (even after Bush cut them) and long-term health problems like Parkinson's are heavy drains on already strained resources (once again, thanks to BushCo).

It's simply cost-effective to develop a solution.

Even if Mr. Chimp's Fightin' Jesus Science Brigade don't think so.

[arcane1]

9. "Mr. Chimp's Fightin' Jesus Science Brigade"

there goes my last sip of coffee :D

I do seem to recal JC preaching about the evils of stem cell research, now that you mention it :)

[NickB79]

22. LOL

"Now with Kung-Fu chopping action! Heee-yaaaa!"

[salin]

10. regardless of the sense it might make... isn't it 'illegal'

as the executive order prevented federal funds from being used in this way - and the Pentagon budget comes from... federal funds?

[RedEarth]

8. Oh my God...please don't let Pat Robertson, The Christian Coalition,

Jerry Falwell and the other right wing fanatics find out about this.....they'll go absolutely nuts.

[salin]

11. nah - they will be silent - pretend they don't see the story

they won't admit their "chosen" president and his "inspired" administration is behaving contrary to their wishes.

[RedEarth]

13. I was being facetious........

Bush would probably have to be a gay, serial rapist before they would question Bush on anything.

[salin]

14. sometimes I am a bit slow on the uptake

and I agree. Actually even then they would deny deny deny.. UNLESS it was caught on video tape - and then they would probably decry it as 'faked'.

[cclark401]

15. Someone needs to tell them

I listen to Dr. Dobson sometimes. This week he has been completely 'gaga' about shrubs feelings about stem cell research!!!!!

I'm planning on sending him a copy of this article simply to show him how much of a flip-flop shurb and his cronies are!

[keithyboy]

18. Another example of RW funddie hypocrisy.

How many other issues has this administration pulled the bait and switch sham on besides this and "no child left behind?"

[salin]

12. Question... so bush makes an executive order... is it law?

does this mean the pentagon is breaking the law? I don't think bush's exec order specified that fed funds were only prohibited from domestic research using stem cells.

Which begs another question... if it is "illegal"... what does that mean? Who is "held accountable" when a federal agency breaks the law?

[leesa]

16. Is this the same Pentagon that was broke and begging for

money awhile back? And the same one that lost a trillion dollars shortly before 9-11?
What devious weapon are they developing now??

[Chicago Democrat]

17. BUSH IS AN ASS

a total ass.

[keithyboy]

19. Now you know why the Pentagon budget should be cut!

How many other non-military items are they funding and hiding from the public? Maybe they are even buying condoms.

[SoCalDem]

20. We need to let all the fundies know that Bush put his

stamp of approval on FETUS RESEARCH, but he was too afraid to let them know it so he's diverting money that could go for armor for their sons/daughters..and he's giving THEIR TAX MONEY to FOREIGNERS :)


More than one way to spin this :)

[KDLarsen]

21. Hmm, is the Pentagon getting desperate..

.. and trying to get Ronnie Raygun back?

I mean, he was so nice to them in letting them spend money on just about useless things.