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Yesterday, we asked you to contact your delegates and senators and urge them to support the three vital budget amendments that ban state funding for the partisan political organization Planned Parenthood, as well as the ones that ban embryonic stem cell research (which has not produced one medical advance) and elective abortions (Virginia funded 322 such abortions in 2006-2007). Today, we urge you to take action on the other side of the ledger.

While we want to hold government spending to essential core services that fit the proper role of government — and eliminate excessive spending, especially for nefarious groups and causes — we also must make clear to our representatives that we are over taxed. In their work to close the $4 billion state budget deficit, our senators and delegates must know that they cannot bridge that gap on the backs of families, individuals and businesses who are struggling in this very tough economy.

The truth of the matter is that we have a “spending surplus” — not a deficit from a lack of revenue. In fact, if lawmakers are so concerned about the deficit, they should look at themselves before they do the taxpayers. The General Assembly has doubled spending in the Virginia budget over the last 10 years, several times the rates of inflation and population growth combined! But those facts don’t get in the way of special interest, big-government lobbyists who, unfortunately, have a lot of influence at the capitol. They will use every weapon in their arsenal to jack up taxes to pay for their pet projects and programs.

One weapon is the myth that public education is getting cut to the bone and that tax increases are necessary “for the children.” However, spending on K-12 education in Virginia has increased by 60 percent over the last 10 years while enrollment in public schools has increased only 7.2 percent; and 60 percent of the budget is dedicated to education and health care. But the Senate (SB 30) and House (HB 30) budgets have $300 million and $76 million in tax and fee increases, respectively. When does it end?

The Senate budget increases the 911 “fee” on every cel phone and landline to pay for 911 centers. Two problems: The increased revenue won’t go to 911 centers and the “fee” as the Senate would have you believe, is defined as a tax in the Code of Virginia — and that’s just the beginning of what lawmakers want to do to you.

It’s time for lawmakers to do what Virginia families and job creators are doing — cut expenses! We can’t make money appear out of nowhere and the General Assembly shouldn’t try. Instead, it should tame its unabated appetite for hard-earned tax payer income.

Please contact your delegate and senator immediately and urge them to reject increased taxes and fees on Virginia families, individuals and businesses in the new budget .

If you know who they are, you can get their contact info here for delegates and here for senators. If you don’t know who your delegate and senator are, click here.

We are in the final week of the 2010 Virginia General Assembly session, and legislators now are making decisions regarding the state budget. It is critical that your delegate and senator hear from you concerning budget amendments defunding Planned Parenthood, elective abortions and embryonic stem cell research. They are scheduled to vote on the budget in the next few days!

In today’s financial climate, it is even more essential that these publicly unsupported issues causing the destruction of human life not be financially backed by a fiscally failing government. Here’s a rundown on three budget amendments:

Banning Planned Parenthood Funding: This amendment prohibits taxpayer funding of the radical pro-abortion group Planned Parenthood. In its last fiscal report, this organization reported a budget of over $1 billion! During this decade, Virginia taxpayers have sent nearly $500,000 to Planned Parenthood, one of the most partisan organizations in our nation. They do not need your money! And of course, Planned Parenthood is responsible for nearly a quarter of the abortions that take place in our nation. In fact, as the national abortion rate is declining, the number of abortions taking place in Planned Parenthood clinics continues to rise.

Banning Funding for Elective Abortions: Incredibly, in 2006 and 2007, Virginia tax dollars directly funded 322 abortions. The federal government requires states to subsidize abortions only when a Medicaid-eligible woman’s life is at risk or in the cases of rape and incest. In Virginia, we fund elective low-income abortions — a standard beyond what is required by the federal government.

Banning Funding for Embryonic Stem Cell Research: This amendment, patroned by Delegate Kirk Cox (R-66, Colonial Heights), prohibits taxpayer funding of research that requires the destruction of human embryos and is consistent with other amendments placed on legislation funding research in Virginia. Embryonic stem cell research has failed, while adult stem cell research has produced dozens of treatments and cures.

In past years, several Senate budget negotiators, in particular Senators Dick Saslaw (D-35, Springfield), Janet Howell (D-32, Reston) and Edd Houck (D-17, Spotsylvania), have refused to include similar amendments in the final budget. Incredibly, they have gone so far as to threaten to break off budget talks — threatening the entire state government and all its services — to keep the money flowing to Planned Parenthood and these other issues. They must be asked: When teachers and social services organizations are screaming because of budget “cuts,” how can they funnel money to partisan organizations and failed research?

Please contact your delegate and senator immediately and urge them to support budget amendments prohibiting taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood, embryonic stem cell research and elective abortions.

If you know who they are, you can get their contact info here for delegates and here for senators, or to look up Senators Saslaw, Howell and Houck. If you don’t know who your delegate and senator are, click here.

Annotations & Elucidations

Left Wing “Science”

Left-wing ideology masquerading as science has been in the news a lot this week, with word of the leaked East Anglia e-mails proving the climate change hoax. But one hoax that’s been around longer is that of embryonic stem cell research, which, according to the left, will provide miracle cures that will make the lame jump up and walk in an instant. However, there has not been one medical breakthrough from such research, while there have been hundreds from adult stem cell research. The difference between the climate alarmists and the culture of death crowd is that the latter actually has implemented its goals into policy, while Cap-and-Tax still has a way to go. This week, the National Institute for Health initiated the process for the destruction of embryos for (futile) research. There is coverage of it below in National News.

Also: Governor Tim Kaine demonizes the Tea Party movement, CBS corrupts Frosty The Snowman, a call for Al Gore to give back his Academy Award (because of the false information his movie was based on), the Manhattan Declaration is discussed, another misnamed Orwellian bill (this time to allow homosexuals a backdoor into the military), a 90-year-old Virginia World War II hero struggles to fly his flag, and an inopportune time for media-hungry President Obama to appear on the cover of Golf Digest.

News:

Kaine plans to extend health benefits to same-sex partners (Washington Post)

McDonnell adds five to administration’s team (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

McDonnell names four to state posts (Washington Times)

Deeds’ losing campaign ends up in the black, but just barely (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Kaine: Tea Party movement ‘devouring’ GOP (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot)

National:

New Stem Cell Lines Open To Research (New York Times)

Embryonic stem-cell funding — an incentive to kill (OneNewsNow.com)

Pro-life group faces Senate in uphill healthcare battle (OneNewsNow.com)

House establishes permanent ‘death tax’ branch (OneNewsNow.com)

Cornwall Alliance keeps climate change ‘folly’ in spotlight (OneNewsNow.com)

‘Honest and Open’ Act a misnomer (OneNewsNow.com)

Dems seeking compromise on public insurance option (AP/OneNewsNow.com)

Commentary:

Gore Hit ByAn Inconvenient Truth (Tasha Easterling/Rightly Concerned Blog)

When We Should Be Civilly Disobedient (Matt Friedeman/Rightly Concerned Blog)

90-Year-Old Vet Ordered to Remove Flagpole (Tasha Easterling/Rightly Concerned Blog)

Frosty Like You’ve Never Seen Him Before (Bryan Fischer/Focal Point, Rightly Concerned Blog)

Woods, Obama Make Golf Digest Cover (Matt Friedeman/Rightly Concerned Blog)

On this blog, we often extol the phenomenal scientific breakthroughs of adult stem cell research and the numerous significant medical and scientific advances that such research has achieved. We also plainly and frequently dismiss embryonic stem cell research because it has produced not one advancement nor demonstrated a method to improve any malady or condition. Rather, the destruction of embryos for research is a convenient excuse to expand the culture of death by destroying the beginning of life.

Until now . . . sort of. If you want to call it that — and it’s a radical feminist’s dream.

Some scientists in Britain (aren’t British scientists the ones who gave us Dolly, the first cloned sheep?) recently reported what they consider a breakthrough from embryonic stem cell research, although numerous doctors and scientists remain skeptical: They claim they can create sperm from embryos (see Baltimore Examiner). (Also, see this other bizarre project Brits are undertaking.) 

Even if truly possible, it’s at least 10 years away. But if it ever did come to pass, the reasoning goes, a woman can give up an embryo, have sperm extracted from it, and inseminated into her “partner,” and a lesbian couple can have a child biologically (revel in the hope at the Socialist Worker).

Perhaps better, a woman could impregnate herself with herself. Supposedly. So, then, what need for men? As this ABC News Nightline report flippantly states, men cause all the crime, wars and automobile accidents, so good riddance.

Congratulations, then, to the loon-lefties out there who “feel” (and don’t know) that embryonic stem cell research is the wave of the future — you’ve finally got your one scientific (extremely weird) “breakthrough” from embryonic stem cell research (if you can even call it that). We hope you are proud of the future it might bring.

Today’s news leads off with what will increasingly lead the news — the gubernatorial campaign. In this case, a Public Policy Poll, which tracked the Democrat primary, has all three GOP candidates ahead: Gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell and Lt. Governor Bill Bolling both are up by six points, while Attorney General candidate, Senator Ken Cuccinelli is up by seven. The Richmond Times-Dispatch and Washington Times both report. Elsewhere, somehow Sarah Palin has become an issue for McDonnell. Is Rod Blagojevich an issue for Creigh Deeds?

Today is another day where national issues and commentary are more plentiful than the state news. One report we’d like to draw your attention to has to do with the new NIH standards for embryonic stem cell research. OneNewsNow.com reports that the NIH ignored the 30,000 anti-stem cell public comments it received — out of 49,000 total — as it opened up the flood gates of embryo harvesting and sacrifice.

In Britain, meanwhile, in an attempt to reduce Europe’s highest teenage pregnancy rate, the government went about teaching students how to use condoms, spending millions of pounds. Guess what? The rate doubled.

In other news worth your read, new documents link Supreme Court Justice nominee Sonia Sotomayor to a radical leftist agenda; a well-know black pastor says President Barack Obama has no “black experience to speak of;” and, thanks to a new ministry, military chaplains are able to get audio Gospels to our troops in the field. 

We’ve also included three Elijah Friedeman blog posts. None are long, but if you read only one, see the new television advertisemnt by Americans For Prosperity explaining the dangers of socialized medicine.

News:

Poll: McDonnell at 49% and Deeds at 43% (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Poll: McDonnell takes lead in Va. Race (Washington Times) 

Va.’s McDonnell ducks questions on Palin aid (Washington Times) 

Obama’s grass-roots network builds Va. staff to promote agenda (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Grogan will run against Loupassi (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

National News:

Public ignored; full steam ahead for embryonic sacrifice (OneNewsNow.com)

New documents connect Sotomayor to leftist agenda (AP/OneNewsNow.com)

Soldiers getting an earful of Jesus (OneNewsNow.com)

Pastor: Obama has no ‘black experience’ to speak of (OneNewsNow.com)

Commentary:

Britain Doubles Pregnancy Rates By Teaching Girls to Have Sex (American Family Association Blog)

Anti-nationalized health care ads released (Elijah Friedeman/American Family Association Blog)

The case against government run health care (Elijah Friedeman/American Family Association Blog)

Is the media starting to turn on Obama? (Elijah Friedeman/American Family Association Blog)

I promise, I don’t go looking for scientific and medical advancements from adult stem cells. But they happen so often these days, you can’t avoid them. On the other hand, you can search far and wide and not find one discovery from embryonic stem cell research.  

The latest example: Looking around the FRC Blog today for something else, I found this post from May 20 by David Prentice (the words in bold are a link to a Reuters article):

Scientists at University College-London report that they have engineered adult stem cells to seek out and destroy cancer cells in mice. Mesenchymal stem cells, a type of adult stem cell found in bone marrow and connective tissue, have been shown to be good vectors to carry factors to different parts of the body, as well as seek out cancer cells throughout the body. The research team, led by Dr. Michael Loebinger, altered these adult stem cells to express the cancer-killing protein TRAIL (TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand), which causes the death only of cancer cells. In the lab, the cells were able to find and kill cells from lung, squamous, breast, and cervical cancer. They also injected the cells into mice with breast tumors and showed they were able to safely kill the tumors but leave healthy tissue intact. Results were presented at the American Thoracic Society’s 105th International Conference in San Diego.

Many place hope in the fool’s gold that is embryonic stem cell research or worse — politicians who pander to the extreme-left-abortion-at-all-cost crowd. But any objective, common sense thinking American clearly can see where our scientific goals and priorities should truly be. Any other options are purely political and not based on science or ethics, or else — with all the dozens of dramatic discoveries through adult stem cells — why wouldn’t embryonic stem cell advocates throw in the towel by now?

On the day after his blowout Democrat primary victory, Senator Creigh Deeds (D-25, Bath) said one of the differences between himself and Republican opponent, former Attorney General Bob McDonnell, is embryonic stem cell research: Deeds is for it, McDonnell is against it.

Fair enough, senator. If you are for it, we invite you to reply, here, to this question:

If embryonic stem cell research is worthy of state funding, or any funding, it should produce results: Can you name just one successful medical/scientific breakthrough from embryonic stem cell research?

Furthermore, can you give a ballpark number on the actual, successful number of such breakthroughs from adult stem cell research?

Can you name two of the biggest, most prominent diseases that have perplexed scientists that now have been broken through because of adult stem cell research?

Finally, if you are going to “invest” our hard-earned tax money into something, shouldn’t it be proven to work? And if it has proven not to work, how does that make you a good steward of our Commonwealth?

(Answers here.)

That’s the way it sounds. The lefty news mag has gone off the liberal reservation this week with its cover story blasting liberal TV queen Oprah Winfrey for the guests she puts on her show that spout off about medicine, health and fitness, usually without an opposing view, no matter how “crazy” (Newsweek’s word) the advice given by said guests.

However, there’s always a however, and we’re pleased to report that Newsweek did make an exception:

“Two of her longest-serving resident experts, Dr. Mehmet Oz and trainer Bob Greene, routinely offer sound, high-quality advice to Oprah and her audience on how to lose weight and improve overall health. …” 

Remember Dr. Oz? He’s the one who shocked Oprah and Michael J. Fox (see here!) with the good news that Parkinson’s Disease, from which Fox suffers, will be cured in 10 years or less — but with adult stem cells, not embryonic stem cells. Fox has so adamantly campaigned for embryonic stem cell research and public funding — as the only way to cure a myriad of perplexing diseases and ailments — in Congress, in various states and for candidates who support such funding. His and Oprah’s reactions that day to Dr. Oz’s presentation were priceless.

It’s nice to know, however unwittingly, that Newsweek has jumped on the pro-life bandwagon. Of course, while probably it would go to great lengths to protest otherwise, it can’t offer Dr. Oz its stamp of approval, then say he’s lost the plot on perhaps the seminal medical science issue of the day.

We always look to add blogs worth reading to our blog roll. There are so many of them now, it’s hard to keep up. But when new ones come to our attention, or ones that somehow slipped through the cracks are suddenly remembered, we not only add them, but give them a recommendation. So, we’re glad to point out some new additions to our blog roll, that we either recently added, or added a while ago but forgot to mention at the time.

One is Political Christian, a fairly new blog, by our friend Larry Miller. He’s also got an entire Web site linked to the blog which is a virtual resource center for information and citizen action. Another is VA Social Conservative, from Willie Deutsch, a 20-something, who proves there is a thriving youth social conservative movement in the blogosphere as well as in boots-on-the-ground political activism. 

We also added the Web site of the Virginia Catholic Conference, an organization that often is our only ally in the General Assembly as we fight to preserve innocent, unborn life. Its leadership in keeping state funds from finding their way to the hoax that is embryonic stem cell research is unparalleled. 

The Virginia News Platoon is a fairly new conservative news source and content provider, where Krystle Weeks of Crystal Clear Conservative is the Virginia News Editor. This site keeps you up-to-date on the latest Virginia news as well as what’s up at Virginia’s leading conservative blogs.

Finally, but certainly not least, we highly recommend Virginia Tomorrow, another fairly new blog, but not by any neophyte or couch potato critic. Virginia Tomorrow is the creation of Dr. Bob Holsworth, one of the most insightful and fair political commentators in Virginia, or the country for that matter. Quoted far and wide on all matters political, he now has this platform to promulgate his points. He is more than willing to speak to any group and supply his observations, including a couple of presentations at Family Foundation functions. I have seen him at several other events, and he remains even keel for every audience, not matter its slant. “Dr. Bob” is one of the good, fair guys. We hope you visit his site, and the others mentioned here, often.

In what had to be the most full-of-chutzpah-statement from a president since we don’t know when, Barack Obama yesterday said he wanted to “Take the politics out of science” in lifting the executive order banning federal funding on embryonic stem cell research. What a hoot! 

He also said we have to pursue science, even when it’s “inconvenient.” Destruction of life? Doesn’t get as inconvenient as that. But push on, he said. Keep destroying those embryos even though not one medical breakthrough, despite governments around the world pouring money into it, has ever come of from it.

Contrary to what he said, he had only one reason for lifting the ban: politics! We can’t say it was a payoff to the abortion lobby because he’s an abortion-on-demand true believer, but political it was, pure and simple. 

Maybe he was “tired” as his advisors always seem to say when he goofs —whether its when he says we have 57 states or in dissing Great Britain’s Prime Minister Gordon Brown (see The Telegraph here) (but not tired enough to play basketball every day), but somehow the president didn’t see the news of another stunning breakthrough with adult stem cells.

This time, researchers have reversed symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis and, in some cases “people had complete disappearance of all symptoms,” according to the researchers. It hits home to Virginia as one who experienced that complete reversal was Edwin McClure, a 24-year-old VCU graduate student. Ironically, this phenomenal discovery was made in Chicago, the president’s home town, but perhaps he was too tired to notice.

Read more about this remarkable discovery from Bloomberg News (click here) as well as another major breakthrough we wrote about earlier where a woman had her windpipe reattached through adult stem cell therapy. But don’t look for those three words — adult stem cells — because the Mainstream Media won’t use them since it wants everyone to believe stem cells are stem cells. So does the president. But they aren’t.

Except for one major exception: As we wrote last week, adult stem cells now can be manipulated into functioning as embryonic stem cells (here)and can be done so without destroying embryos. Guess the president slept through those those headlines, too. So embryonic stem cells don’t work and if they do, there’s another way to create them than to destroy embryos. If there’s one thing people can unite behind, it’s not wasting millions of dollars on something that doesn’t work, much less something that can be done without causing controversy.

But that’s not the path chosen by the president. Whether his excuse is fatigue or something more plausible, it doesn’t excuse him from his irresponsible act yesterday. Instead of avoiding divisions, he, for political reasons, opened them up. Some move by someone who pledged to end such politics.