| Issue | President Bush | Senator Kerry |
| Passage of a Federal Marriage Protection Amendment | Supports | Opposes |
| Permanent Extension of the $1,000 Per-Child Tax Credit | Supports | Opposes |
| Educational Choice for Parents (School Vouchers) | Supports | Opposes |
| Unrestricted Abortion on Demand | Opposes | No Response |
| Federal Funding for Faith-Based Charitable Organizations | Supports | No Response |
| Permanent Elimination of the “Marriage Penalty†Tax | Supports | Opposes |
| Permananet Elimination of the Death (Inheritance) Tax | Supports | Opposes |
| Partial Birth Abortion Ban | Supports | Opposes |
| Public Financing of Abortions | Opposes | Supports |
| Adoption of Children by Homosexuals | Opposes | No Response |
| Placing US Troops under UN Control | Opposes | No Reponse (but you’ve heard his speeches) |
| Affirmative Action Programs that Promote Preferential Treatment | Opposes | Supports |
| Allowing Younger Workers to Invest a Portion of Their Social Security Tax in a Private Account | Supports | Opposes |
| Unborn Victims of Violence Act | Supports | Opposes |
| Appointing Pro-Life Judges | Supports | Opposes |
| Prohibiting Distributing “Morning After†Pills to Children in Schools | Supports | Opposes |
| Requring Parental Notification for a Minor Daugher’s Abortion | Supports | Opposes |
Why President Bush Is Opposed to Federal Spending on Stem Cell Research
This weekend, for the first time ever, I actually heard a newscast (a Webcast, actually) that included the words, “the destruction of embryos,†in conjunction with President Bush’s stance on Federal funding of stem cell reseach.
On October 21, I had the privilege of attending a lecture by Lisa Boucher Clark, Ph.D., from the University of New Hampshire, entitled “Stem Cells and Cloning: The Perils and the Promise.†The issue was fascinating, and Dr. Clark presented this extremely controversial topic in a factual context, attempting to avoid editorializing or taking a side on the issues, and, in general, succeeding in doing so. (The topic needs a BLOG entry of its own; despite Dr. Clark’s efforts, there were outbursts and arguments that erupted from the audience.) One of the things she discussed is the promise of using stem cells in therapeutic medicine. For example, we are nearing the technological point at which it would be possible to combine somatic cell nuclear transfer (cloning) with stem cell harvesting to produce stem cells that would later be coaxed to differentiate into heart cells—or just about any other tissue—that perfectly match the donor-recipient to replace damaged heart muscle. (This is something of an oversimplification: Although the basic technologies have already been proven, they are not yet very reliable, and to date, SCNT has not been successful with human cells.)
This is the promise of cloning and stem cell research. But it comes at a price. Assuming the SCNT procedure works, the stem cells produced would be removed from an embryo at its blastocyst stage, thus killing the developing embryo. Those stem cells could then be cultured into entire cell lines. Note that current stem cell lines are produced using discarded embryos from in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics, not from cloning via SCNT.
Our President does not want to give federal money toward stem cell research that destroys embryos. He has allowed for federal funding for stem cell research in cultured stem cell lines that are already in existence, and has done nothing to prohibit or outlaw privately-funded stem cell research. He is not trying to stop the progress of science in a potentially helpful area. He is living up to his beliefs, and his promises, by not putting tax dollars to use in killing the unborn.
The media have done a poor job of presenting the technology and the subject matter as it actually exists, although it is not entirely their fault. Former President Reagan’s son Ron is an outspoken advocate of stem cell research, but he carefully avoids talking about the fact that embryos are destroyed in the current process. More proponents of embryonic stem cell research should come clean on what the full implications of such research are.
David and Salvation
On October 12, I was standing in the living room when David came upstairs after he got changed into his play clothes after school. He says to me, “I want to ask Jesus to be my Savior.” It took just a moment to register, but what a joy it was to hear those words come out of his mouth. So we went off to my room together and I asked him many questions about why he wanted to do that and shared verses with him as well.
After all that was said and done, he understood why he needed to be saved and wanted to do it right away. How awesome that was.
As I shared scripture with him, he would reach over and give me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. It was so very precious and special. David prayed and got saved that afternoon.
The next day he asked about baptism, we haven't gotten into that yet though.
Another wonderful thing is that David's best friend is named David (who was born just 2 days before him), talked to his mother that same evening and he too got saved. Neither boy knew of this happening for both David's mom and I gave testimony at church about what took place with our children. Some time on Thursday, Cindy LaVoie told her son David his friend David got saved, too, the other day. His eyes got wide and bright and he just had this great big smile on his face. I also told David what took place with his friend and his reaction was nearly the same. God is awesome!!! Praise Him for the salvation of these little ones.
All You Need Is Jesus (So I Need the Light Saber)
[david]David, who turned 5 the day we moved in January, re-discovered my light saber keychain, that came as a promo with Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast. He has been trying, unsuccessfully, to get me to give it to him for a couple of weeks. The other day he found an angle that he was sure would work.
“Dad, when you’re saved, all you need is Jesus, right?†I looked at his face, and noticed that he had an odd-but-very-cute, somewhat droll smile that I’ve seen before, usually when he thinks he’s figured out a way to get more allowance money.
As he’d been pestering me for several days about the keychain, and I was in its general vicinity, it only took me a few seconds to see where he was going with this. “So,†I said, “you are saying that I only need Jesus, and I don’t need the light saber, so I should give it to you!†His smile broadened, as he was obviously pleased that I saw things his way. “Unfortunately, even though I don’t need the light saber, I still want the light saber, so you can’t have it.†(Plus he has broken it twice.)
Maybe I’ll get him one for Christmas. Of course, he’s already asking for Christmas gifts early (wanting me to order them online immediately), specifically two Lego Spider-Man sets.
Lessons in Rocketeering
[doug]This should also satisfy those of you who want pictures of our new house.(Well, not really, but there’s a picture of part of one room.) If you are planning to sell your house, then Sell your house quickly with Bonnie Buys Houses Fast which will help you in selling your property quickly and at good rates.
Phil Luchon gave “The Boys†(which includes me) an Estes complete model rocket kit for Christmas. We got permission from Pastor Miller to use the church ball field for launching (try that in Brockton!), and got two flights up on Saturday. The first photo above shows David when it was his turn to launch. John missed out until the next day due to what I thought was bad batteries, but turned out to be a dud engine. So, I bought fresh batteries, and some extra rocket engines, and we planned to have another try at it on Sunday.
Sunday included the regular church service, a pot luck feast (dinner is too small a term for it), and an early afternoon service. We had a guest speaker, a pastor from Arkansas who is being interviewed to become principal for the Christian School. There was a lot of teasing about the weather and his accent—Pastor Miller has a great sense of humor, and both services were a lot of fun, while being spiritually fulfilling as well. Bryan Harrington may be interested to learn that his Temperature Conversion Chart got read from the pulpit.
After the afternoon service, we went back out to launch the rocket again. After discovering that the engine, not the ignitor or batteries were to blame, John got as near flawless a launch off as we’d seen so far. Then I decided to put in a size B engine….
The flight was spectacular. The B engine took off with enough power to send the rocket at least a couple of hundred feet into the air (we haven’t done the triganometry on any of our flights yet), leaving us cheering, “Wow!†and gazing awestruck at the power demonstrated by the rocket’s flight. (The blast was hot enough to mis-shape the steel splash plate where the engine fired.)
Unfortunately, the chute deployed at an altitude high enough to carry the rocket about 100 feet downwind, just enough to get tangled in the top of a tree at the edge of the church property. Despite John’s bravery (see the second image above), he couldn’t get a decent grip on the branch it was on, so the nose cone and parachute are still up in the tree, until we return with some rope or a saw. Thankfully, we shook the body of the rocket (which is not weather-resistant) loose, and that is safely at home.
That evening the church hosted a SuperBowl get-together, at which I dropped John off, while David, Isaac, and I built with Lego. (See the third photo above.) You can see that our new family room has more than enough space to spread the Lego boxes out while we build. The pinball machine and pellet stove are in the background, as are sundry other items that have yet to be unpacked. Nichelle is going to kill me when she sees which photo I’ve posted, but the fun is worth it.
While I was at it, I put up a newer photo of Naomi, for her many fans.
“Ordinary Greatnessâ€â€”Remembering My Father
This morning my mother called to tell us that my father, Paul John Wilcox, Jr., passed on to be with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, around midnight last night.
Dad was 80 years old, and suffered from both emphysema and congestive heart failure. Although his health had been slowly declining for the past few years, with some ups and downs, a couple of weeks ago he took a sudden and significant turn for the worse.
My father was a good man—not the kind of man to garner fame or wealth—but a good man along the way everyone thinks of George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life.
Thanks to their local hospice organization, Dad was able to spend his last days at home, with Mom nearby, and with many friends able to visit. In his last lucid moments (maybe a week ago), he remarked that he was glad to be at home, rather than in a hospital.
Dad has shown remarkable grace through all this, and it was always encouraging to talk with him. His decline in health was probably harder on Mom than on him.
Dad knew his destination was Heaven—not because he was a good man, because no one is good enough to meet God’s standard (this is repeated throughout the Old and New Testaments)—but through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Redeemer. (If you’re interested in learning more about why we believe this, this Web site has a very well-documented, Scriptural presentation of the Gospel which is fundamental to our beliefs.)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
—John 3:16
In the end, Dad was at peace, and completely ready to go to his eternal home.
Even though we will join him someday, we miss him greatly, and today has been a very sad parting. Other than knowing Dad is in Heaven, I take consolation that Dad was able to die at home, lived a full and mostly healthy life, knew how much he was loved, that all of us (I have four sisters and two brothers) were able to see him within the past year, and that my last (and recent) words spoken to him were, “I love you, Dad.â€
I realize I haven’t elaborated on my topic much at all; I will share more of my memories and details of Dad’s life later. Right now I’m very tired.
Please feel free to post your own comments.
Wild News from The Casa Del Menor Vida Nueva
)
We just received this message from Eldon and Connie Tudor, the missionaries who operate the Children’s home which our church has helped build, and to which most of our summer missions trips have taken us:
Dear Praying Friends,
PRAY! PRAY! PRAY!
Last night the police here in Constitución brought us 6 Oaxaca (pronounced wah-ha-cuh) children because the mother has been murdered and the police think the father did it. We bedded them down on mats in the living room floor. This morning the police brought us 4 more children as they think the father of these children helped in the murder of the woman.
The body of the murdered woman had been (as it looks now) hanged, then taken over across the road and thrown in the garbage dump. She has been there for 3 to 4 days, and the coyotes and other animals have been eating on her. When the body was found, they thought it was a boy at first.
The children think their mother has gone back to a town to visit relatives.
This morning the first thing to do was to feed them, and next we are going to have to delouse them.
All that they are used to eating is chiles and tortillas; they range in age from 13 down to 3 years.
We are sending a picture of them. Since the police brought them here, we do not know if the Mexican
child welfare will help us or not. We do not know what is going to happen when they find out that their mother is dead. One 12-year-old boy and one of the older girls say they are married, but they have not been together yet, the parents arranged the marriage, as it is a custom of their Indian tribe.Right now, what we need the most is prayers!! We do not have enough beds, the children are all very dirty and need bathing, plus we are all concerned about getting the bugs
too!We will keep you posted, just PLEASE PRAY!!!!!!!!
Eldon and Connie
Not Enough Vitamin N*
This from Reuters (I’m duplicating the article below, because they don’t maintain links past a month or two.)
Today’s Toddlers Act Like Teens?
Thu November 6, 2003 07:47 AM ET
By Matthew Jones
LONDON (Reuters) – Kids today. They waste hours in front of the TV and get their parents to spend money on designer clothes and haircuts. And they're not even three years old!
A new survey in Britain says toddlers are increasingly leading a lifestyle once associated only with moody adolescents.
“Today’s toddlers act like little teenagers—they've been there, done it and got the T-shirt—but they miss out on good old-fashioned, imaginative fun,†said Karen Pasquali Jones, editor of Mother and Baby magazine, which commissioned the survey.
The survey showed that by age three, 42 percent of youngsters have a television in their own room and 50 percent have a CD player. The average toddler spends more than two hours a day watching TV.
Two thirds of mothers said they bought designer clothes for their toddlers, while 86 percent spent more on their child's clothes than they did on their own. More than a quarter of the little consumers “choose their own haircut.â€
Tots have sophisticated taste—61 percent will eat Italian food and 51 percent will eat Indian or Chinese food, though only three percent like sushi.
But parents of previous generations will not be surprised to learn that mothers still describe mealtimes as “nightmares,†with three-quarters of toddlers refusing to eat and over half opting to throw their food rather than swallow.
Three-quarters of mothers say their children’s behavior has affected their relationship with their partners and just under half declared it has “wrecked†their sex lives.
© Reuters 2003. All Rights Reserved.
*The term vitamin N, was, as far as I know, coined by Dr. James Dobson, the well-known conservative child psychologist. Children need to be told “no†on occasion.
Oh, That Lord!
This Is a bit dated, but yesterday’s post about David brought this to mind:
[david]From July 2002: All our children are big fans of J.R.R. Tolkien's works, but we hadn't realized what a large impact the recent DVD release of The Fellowship of the Ring had on our youngest son David, who is 3½ years old.
While supervising a group of children, one of our fellow church members asked him, “Are you thankful for the Lord?†He stopped what he was doing, looked up in careful contemplation, and then asked her, “The Lord of the Rings?â€
Greetings from Mexico!
[doug]I’ve been much too busy to keep the BLOG (or even the Mexico site) updated while in Mexico, although there is dial-up access – other things seem much more important.
Of course, the hard part is being so far away from Nichelle, but I had been homesick for Mexico for a couple of months.
I will post details of our missions trip soon, but one funny thing that has happened is that two girls have started fighting over our son John [john inline], just from seeing his picture. ¡Valgame Dios!
For Nichelle: LYMZ, TDS.