THE HANDSTAND

JULY 2004

I Am A Stem Cell and I m Mad As Hell
By James Boyne
 
 
I am a stem cell and I m mad as hell.
 
Since when did I give up my right to speak and be heard, to President Bush and the conservative, right wing, Republicans?  Since when did I, a living, breathing (almost), thinking (almost), fully functioning stem cell give President Bush the right to speak for me and determine my fate. Never.
 
I am a stem cell and I m mad as hell.
 
I may only be two or three cells or so but I have a mind of my own and I can think for myself. I certainly don t need politics to have to worry about. I have enough problems. I m a stem cell.
 
My fate is MY fate. If I can help someone out by sacrificing my existence, that's my business. If someone needs to perform research on me for the benefit of mankind, I can t think of a higher calling. If I can be of help to the sick, the injured, the old, the dying, then I will gladly help in any way I can. That s what I am here for. I don t need politicians to step in and interfere with God s plan. God s plan was for humans to discover the miracle of stem cells so they could help solve the world s problems.
 
I am a stem cell and I am mad as hell.
 
I have the potential to rid mankind of almost every disease known to mankind. Alzheimer s. Parkinson s. Cerebral Palsy. AIDS. Paralysis. Depression.
 
I was sent here to help, like Jesus Christ himself. I am here to sacrifice for the benefit of all mankind, but you people are trying my patience now that I have been discovered. I m mad as hell.
 
I may only be two or three cells, barely an embryo. Yes, left alone I might develop into a fully functioning human being. Big deal. Sixty million fully functioning human beings were killed, murdered and incinerated in your World War II. What the hell are you worried about me for? I am only a few cells big. You claim that you are concerned about the sanctity of life when 100 million people have been killed in wars since the year 1900. I m just a damn stem cell. I was sent here to help you. Use me. Don t you get it?
 
I m a stem cell. Stem cells aren t suppose to get mad but I am mad as hell. I m here to change the course of human history and you people won t even let me help. If I talk to God about you people and HE finds out that you people aren t using me for science and research to cure the world of sickness, disease, and despair, HE is going to be royally pissed off.
 
Where does President Bush and his so called right wing, conservative,  Christian  coalition get off interfering with God s plan. Don t you people realize that God doesn t care about your continual bickering about pro life/ pro choice; cloning, and yes, now, stem cells. He wants to know that the hell happened to the 100 million killed in wars since 1900.
 
What are you people worried about? Is your pharmaceutical and health insurance industry worried that I may cure so many diseases, injuries, and human maladies that they would virtually go out of business? Is this all about money? Or morality? Don t you people get it?
 
I m a stem cell and I m just sitting around here waiting to solve problems for you. Big problems. You finally discovered me. Maybe, just in the nick of time. Now, use me. It s no big thing. I m only a few cells into humanness, so to speak. I m not even as big as a midget, ha, ha. Yes, I have a sense of humor, not like some of you  wet blankets . Hey, I am even the key to solving dwarfism, blindness, deafness, multiple sclerosis, brain damage, the regeneration of limbs, unrelenting physical pain, and old age itself.
 
I am a stem cell but I am getting mad as hell.
 
What are you worried about? You kill each other by the millions. You slaughter my animal friends by the hundreds of millions for food and fur. And you claim you are concerned about me, a little old stem cell, just a few cells into life. Give me a break! What a bunch of hypocrites.
 
What are you worried about, that you will actually solve all these problems that I can help you with? I am only a few cells big. Yes, I am life. So is every cell in your entire body. So is every molecule. So is every atom. How far do you want to carry this logic? I m here to help you. And I am just one stem cell. There are millions of us stem cells just sitting around who wouldn t make it anyway, just waiting to help you out.
 
Most of the other stem cells I know kind of  go with the flow , so to speak. They know that sooner or later you people will catch on. I m going to get in trouble for even speaking out like this. But ..
 
I m a stem cell and I m mad as hell.
 
James Boyne
dboyne@aol.com