I want to begin by extending kudos and thanks to my stem cell friend Don Reed, who didn’t allow this important data to go unnoticed.  A list of groups comprising the recorded Anti-Cures faction can be found in a Legislative Bulletin provided by Republican Study Committee chaired by Representative Jeb Hensnarling of Texas.  The list is unchanged since its original report in May of 2005.  Here’s the list:

National Right to Life Committee
US Conference of Catholic Bishops
Family Research Council
Christian Coalition
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In an interview with dLife founder Howard Steinberg, Pelosi says stem cell research supporters should "continue to create a drumbeat across America ……until the policy is changed."

The interview with Pelosi is available online and will be shown on a future episode of dLifeTV on CNBC (Sundays at 7:00pm ET). dLife is the only diabetes media and education network.

In the dLife interview, Pelosi says stem cell research "is not a partisan issue: Republicans and Democrats support embryonic stem cell research, just the president of the United States has not gotten to that place yet." But, she says, she, "has not given up on the president yet."

Pelosi strongly encouraged Americans to write the President with their own stories and explain how the passage of the bill will impact their families profoundly.  dLife has made this easy for viewers. Click on the "Send Your E-mail Now" button below the video at  www.dlife.com/pelosi, ….. type a personal letter to the President with your viewpoints on stem cell research, and dLife will compile the emails and hand-deliver them to Washington. Or send e-mails to: myopinion@dlife.com

Letters will be gathered among all organizations representing:

4 million paralysis folks
20.8 million people with diabetes
1.5 million cancer victims
24.7 miilion heart disease patients
4.5 million stroke survivors
46 million people (1 in 5 adults)  with arthritis
and millions of others with chronic and acute conditions including blindness and burn victims ( a frequent result from combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.)

We aim to get 1 million letters together before March 5th, when the Senate will be debating the House version of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act.

Folks, if I could scribble one unbreakable date into your calendar, (well, maybe not me personally, my handwriting being gently described as indecipherable)— it would be Friday, February 16^th. (go to www.cirm.ca.gov “upcoming events for more.”)

Please, please, please— if you support embryonic stem cell research, join us on Friday, February 16^th, at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel, near the San Francisco Airport. (Note: If you fly in, or take BART, there are shuttles from the airport to the Sheraton, so it is easy.)

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Intro by Faye: In Don’s excelent Daily Kos diary you’ll find the short list of 17 groups opposed to ESCR. Mostly conservative religious lobbying organizations, with the remainder essentially being anti-abortion groups. If you are looking for medical organizations, you’ll only find them in the approximately 600 group strong Pro-ESCR camp. Back to Don’s message:

Will the obstructionist forces prevail? Will the research be delayed, diminished, denied?

That is up to us.

Have you made your phone calls to the "Swingable Seven" Senators yet, asking them to be sure and support Senate Bill 5, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act?

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Last week governor Crist in Florida endeared himself with some 70% of Floridians, by announcing he had set aside 5 million per year in his state budget to fund ESCR. It was widely reported that Florida had joined, New Mexico and Iowa, by jumping on the Stem Cell Research bandwagon. Already New Jersey, California, Connecticut, Maryland and Illinois mandate state spending to support ESCR.

Asked how his populism on ESCR would fare when people don’t agree Crist had shrugged : "There’s controversy to everything". All was looking up on a bill reintroduced by Rep. Sands which called for $20 per year funding for ESCR.

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