Without Feathers

I’ve been hearing for the last seven and a half years that President George W. Bush “banned” human Embryonic Stem Cell (hESC — the preferred abbreviation) research late in 2001.  Now I find this article from Reuters reporting on “the world’s first study of human embryonic stem cell therapy[.]“  How could that have happened if Bush had banned it?  Well, as it turns out, everyone who’s been saying that Bush banned hESC research has been — how can I put this diplomatically — um, lying.  That’s a damn lot of liars — no, I’m not giving anyone (Except President Obama, to whom I pledged to give) the benefit of the doubt on this one.  Anyone who said that President Bush banned hESC research is a damned liar.

In any event, this is good news and should be hailed as such — I just wish that Reuters hadn’t gone and spoiled my good mood by taking one more dig at W with this little bit of dishonesty: “Former President George W. Bush had been at odds with Congress, researchers and advocates for years over the issue and by executive order restricted federal funding of work involving human embryonic stem cells.”  No, he didn’t restrict federal funding by executive order. 

What he did, by executive order, was lift the total ban on federal funding put in place by President William Jefferson Clinton in 1998.  It was Bill Clinton who stood athwart science and said NO, nada, not one cent of federal money to go to hESC. Clinton’s stated reason: The Dickey ammendment prohibited it.But President Bush thought otherwise and found that funding could be offered, albeit, with limitations on what hESC material could be used. 

Restrictions, you say?  Limitations? How can science function in the straight-jacket of restrictions on funding?  Well, as a matter of fact, not one penny of federal science funds is dispersed without cables attached to it, let alone strings. 

That’s just the way federal funding works: You want federal dough?  You toe the federal line.  Ever has it been such and ever shall it be.  Don’t believe me?  If Bush was able to impose restrictions with the flourish of a pen on an executive order; Why can’t The One simply undo that restriction with just another flourish?  The reason: Because, as you well know, Bush didn’t impose restrictions on hESC research, he loosened restrictions of federal funding on such.  And, of course, for any president, there will be a significant political price to pay with a radical change in policy on this issue.

So, how did Geron Corporation accomplish this breakthrough in the face of the overwhelming impedement of no federal funding? “Geron and some other companies have been pursuing the goal without the use of federal funds.”  That’s right: They used private money.

Daily Tech reports: Alaskan Glaciers Grow for First Time in 250 years.

I’m confused.  I had understood that global warming was recent and getting worse each and every year.

Now I’m given to understand that Alaskan glaciers have been receding since before the industrial revolution, except this year has been so cold that they’re expanding again.

Doesn’t that go against the irrefutable scientific consensus on man-made climate change?  Yes, yes, I know: year-to-year variability will result in some anomalous situations and global warming doesn’t mean that every year is incrementally warmer than the previous year.

We’re not talking about a little more or a little less snowfall here.  From the article:

One of the largest areas of shrinkage has been at the national park of Glacier Bay. When Alexei Ilich Chirikof first arrived in 1741, the bay didn’t exist at all — only a solid wall of ice. From that time until the early 1900s, the ice retreated some 50 miles, to form the bay and surrounding area.

It’s not just that this year was so very much colder than last year, it’s that this appears to demonstrate that the planet has been getting steadily warmer since before humans could possibly have been putting a significant amount of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.  Is it possible that global warming is a natural phenomenon that scarcely notices the contributions of humans?

The Boston Globe published a series of excellent solar images yesterday which are just too cool to ignore.  For Example: