TVSquad

That was oddest Albertsons commercial I've ever seen.

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Interestingly, I've read one source that claims that Mr. Fox's symptoms are those of the medication, and that without it he would be unable to function at all. You can find the details in this piece at The New Republic, which I discovered via Talking Points Memo.

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The intent in Fox' ad was to appeal to voters on an emotional level, because his position was not supported by the facts, Heaton's is. I disagree with Rush's assertion that Fox was duped...he knew what he was doing.

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A couple of things. Fox implies Talent as opposed to McCaskill, does not share his hope for a cure. And not supporting federal funcing of embryonic stem cell research is a far cry from opposing stem cell research. You can't just lump all that together if you want to be honest.

I can understand people's frustration, but there is nothing illegal or close to restricted about embryonic stem cell research. A lot of people see this as murder, and forcing them to pay for this research is just wrong.

As for Rush, he was correct. Fox was off his medication. That's Fox's prerogative, and nothing wrong with that, but I don't see the big deal with pointing it out. He was definitely doing it for dramatic value, I don't see the big taboo.

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Isn't Michael J. Fox Canadian?

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Yeah, Fox wasn't off his medication. He was on it and his appearance was a side effect of the medication: http://cbs2chicago.com/local/local_story_297190206.html

And bravo to rich people, like Patricia Heaton, who claim to know the psyche of lower income people. She's right: poor people will do ANYTHING for money, and they're especially seduced by dangerous medical procedures. Way to go, Patty!

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As the sister of a deceased brother who died of a brain disease, I feel so much sympathy and hope for Michael J. Fox. I must say, however, that people should have the right to disagree with his opinions without being criticized as cruel if they do it in a respectful way. His commercial bothered me because I know some of his statements (or omissions of specifics) were wrong. Right now there are over 70 therapies using adult stem cell protocols while there are 0 using embryonic stem cells. No embryonic stem cell therapies have been used in humans yet because they are so unstable in animal subjects...just this week a study showed they can cause brain tumors in rats. Despite this, embryonic stem cell research is allowed to be funded privately and at the state level. Federal funding has been limited to the stem cell lines currently in research. I'm just afraid that Michael is giving the impression to the uninformed that these politicians he opposes are against all stem cell research which just is not true. I love the guy and hope we find a cure for his disease and many others, but I have to respectfully disagree with his opinion.

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Some smart people interested in facts (as opposed to supposition), did some research. Here's what Talking Points Memo (http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/010550.php) found on The New Republic political blog "The Plank" (http://www.tnr.com/blog/theplank?pid=51219) after a little searching:

"Fortunately, I have access to this thing called the Internet and this nifty search engine called Google. A few clicks led me to William J. Weiner M.D., professor and chairman of the department of neurology at the University of Maryland Medical Center. He's also director of the Parkinson's clinic there.

"Even better, it turns out Dr. Weiner has a phone. When I reached him, he said he'd seen the ad earlier in the day and was fairly surprised to hear about Limbaugh's reaction. Here's why:

"What you are seeing on the video is side effects of the medication. He has to take that medication to sit there and talk to you like that. ... He's not over-dramatizing. ... [Limbaugh] is revealing his ignorance of Parkinson's disease, because people with Parkinson's don't look like that at all when they're not taking their medication. They look stiff, and frozen, and don't move at all. ... People with Parkinson's, when they've had the disease for awhile, are in this bind, where if they don't take any medication, they can be stiff and hardly able to talk. And if they do take their medication, so they can talk, they get all of this movement, like what you see in the ad."

I always prefer facts myself...

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I am wondering if Fox is just stumping for democrats or for any candidate that suports embryonic stem cell research. I ask this because, Ben Cardin, whom he did the ad for, not only voted against such research, but also voted against the type of embryonic research that did NOT destroy the embryo. His opponent, Michael Steele, supports it only if the embryo is not destroyed.

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The bill Congressman Cardin voted against was a bad bill for supporters of embronic stem cell research. The bill, sponsored by Rick Santorem (R-PA) would have banned embryonic stem cell use until all other possible sources of pluripotent stem cells are exhausted. Cardin voted against this.

Think of it this way. Cardin favors further resarch into hybrid cars. Santorum and Co. sponsor a bill saying "Sure, we could look into hybrid cars, but that's against the bible. Instead let's investigate flying cars powered by Mr. Fusion devices and outlaw hybrid cars in the meantime." When Cardin votes against the Flying Nuclear Cars Act, the GOP can say "Cardin voted AGAINST alternative fuel technology!"

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perhaps patricia heaton should stick to doing what she does best. those damn tacky albertsons commercials.

I am really sick and tired of so called religious right people dictating how they feel their God should influence science and technology. If any good comes out of stem cell research and you and your family could benefit from it in the future - don't accept the help because it would be hypocritical.

p.s. Your God created this world in six days is about as likely as a virgin giving birth. that theory alone should justify sex educatiion and birth control.

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Its not about stem cell research. Everyone supports that (except the Amish). Its about paying pregnant women for their embryos when the science shows that adult and cord blood stem cells are just a useful. And its about cloning. Fox should be ashamed for lying to people like that.

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Nice analogy, as a matter of fact, the demoocrats use similar half truths against republicans when they use soounbites saying they are against stem cell research, when he fact remains that they are for ALL types of valid research except the kind that destroys embryo's.

This bill was about funding certain types of stem cell research with the exception of the kind that destroys the embryo. So Cardin voted against it. As it stood there was no funding on embryo's prior to this bill. Now it was a compromise, but still a step forward to what was funded prior to the vote.

There could always be a future bill written to allow the procedure that destroys the embryo, but Cardin voted to throw the baby out with the bathwater(no pun intended). As a matter of fact, the Senate voted 100-0 in support of the bill, so it received bi partisan support.

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its about experimentation and supply. You want to dig into adults all the time? The cost would be exorbitant.

And the reasoning that because adult stem cells are used way more than embryonic is bogus. The government actively discourages embryonic research. So how is the science going to advance? Sure, you can say, if it works private companies would've fund it themselves. Well, who wants to fund something that the government doesnt like? Who wants to pour money into something the government might outlaw in the future?

And you're saying that Cardin should accept a bad bill and hope that the future will correct it? What kind of thinking is that?

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"and you're saying that Cardin should accept a bad bill and hope that the future will correct it? What kind of thinking is that?"

Who says the the bill was bad? It was allowing funding for stem cell research on embryos, just not where they procedure knowingly would destroy the embryo. It would be valid research funded where it had previously received no funding.

Cardin decided to play politics and went with an all or nothing mentality. I ask you what thinking is that?

It is like a starving person refusing a chicken dinner because he is holding out for filet mignon.

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"A lot of people see this as murder, and forcing them to pay for this research is just wrong."

Hmm. This war in Iraq has resulted in the deaths of nearly 3,000 of our young people and untold thousands of Iraqis. I think that forcing me to pay for this war is just wrong.

Hardly a sufficient argument, in my opinion. Government is constantly asked to fund or support projects which part of the citizenry doesn't agree with.

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All the witch burners who want to restrain science have more compassion for a bunch of cells in a petrie dish than for a dying child.

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And we're supposed to take comments seriously from hate-filled minds that spew unimformed, prejudicial garbage? Bashing someone's religion doesn't earn you the right to be heard and respected.
Take a lesson from Dee in post #7. That's the way to get your point acrossed.

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Patricia - how could you line yourself up with these people for that cause. Shame shame - 15 years Kurt? the life you save could be your childrens

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15 years before Cures kurt - the life you save could be your childs. patricia - shame on you

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