It took a few days, but I think that I'm finally cooled off enough to discuss the stupidity that is OGL's veto of the stem cell bill. What this man has done has not only put another speed bump into medical progress, but has possibly put many of my colleagues' research projects at risk. Yes, that's right - my colleagues. I guess it's time the cat comes out of the bag. I am, by education, a behavioral neuroscientist and my passion is the study of neurodegenerative disease. I am, by trade, a biomedical researcher and I once studied these diseases in animal models. I have seen stem cells work miracles like nothing else. I have seen mice grow new brain cells after developing symptoms of Huntington's disease and I have seen rats walk again after developing the muscle freezing from Parkinson's. I have worked (albeit briefly) with the great Dr. James Thomson (the godfather of stem cell research) and he is truly a genius. The sad part is that even back in 2001 we knew that there would be trouble in the budding paradise that was the promise of stem cell research. Behold! Time magazine - August 20, 2001:

We were PROUD dammit! And how could we not be? We were on an amazing path of discovery with Jaime Thomson at the helm. Then the dark days came when OGL announced that we could not produce any more stem cell lines and that funding would be limited for those lines we already had. At that time there were only 60 in the entire research nation; a majority of which were not usable for human research trails because they were grown on animal tissues. With this latest blow, OGL continues to put medical advancement at risk. For the last few years, biomedical research dollars have been more difficult to obtain (unless you're willing to study anthrax and/or bioterrorism) and the National Institutes of Health's budget has taken a hit year after year because it has been placed on the DEFENSE bill. That's right boys and girls - the heart and soul of the USA's medical research has to sit fourth fiddle to Georgey boy's war games. For instance, a technician in Dr. Thomson's laboratory makes a whopping $26,000 [gross] a year because that's all the FOUNDER of stem cell research can afford to shell out of his budget. And people wonder why I want to toss it all and go to veterinary school. Well, there you have it - I fear that there may come a time when what I do will no longer be valid because the 'high and mighty' will have come to save we sinners from the fire. What do I want to say to these people? I say this: If you ever have the opportunity to feel the pain of a debilitating disease such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's or ALS, then I do wonder if you'll think that those 'precious' cells are better off in the trash than in the safe hands of our nation's highest minds.