No More Mr. Nice Guy!

The Vast Pro-Cure Conspiracy

Liberal blogs are buzzing over an article by Jonathan Alter of Newsweek. Alter writes that repug posturing against stem cell research could be their undoing. More and more ordinary Americans are noticing how Junior & co. are so beholden to the extreme religious right that they are putting the brakes on science that could cure the suffering of countless people - our parents, children, friends, neighbors. "Only Bush bitter-enders and the pope are in the perverse position of valuing the life of an ailing human being less than that of a tiny clump of cells no bigger than the period at the end of this sentence."

Alter also writes: "Look for smart Democrats to run ads with relatives of the afflicted ('My sister has Parkinson's,' 'My father has Alzheimer's') pointing out that Congressman X is so extreme, he voted against a bill supported by many Republicans to begin curing these diseases." Alas, Dems are too wimpy and spineless to adopt such a tactic; they consider it "negative" and prefer to play nice in the naive expectation that the Repugs will reciprocate. Then they react with innocent astonishment when the GOP kicks them in the face yet again.

So it's up to us, the broader reality-based community, to spread the meme. We are the Pro-Cure Movement! I must say I'm not 100% happy with that title. It cedes the "pro-life" moniker to the religious nuts, and tacitly capitulates the very questionable assertion that embryonic stem cell research is morally equivalent to abortion. The reality is that nothing is more pro-life in the genuine sense than medical research that could potentially cure or alleviate a vast array of diseases.

But in our sound-bite era, "Pro-Cure" is as good a soundbite as any, and puts the onus on the RRR to explain why they are pro-disease. Let's pile the pressure on! If you have a blog, help yourself to the large icon above or the smaller one below, and put it on your blog. Invite your readers to do the same. I think "Pro-Cure" has the potential to resonate with the public in a way that "Reality-based community" never did.

Let's get the message out there!