I know, I know. Soylent Green isn't the same thing, because embryos aren't people.
This need not take very long.. Ethics Alarms hasn’t honored an incompetent public official for a while, and Oklahoma freshman Sen. Ralph Shortey (R) has pretty much begged for this. You see, Sen. Shortey, citing his own Internet research [oh-oh...], believes that there is a looming threat of food companies using ground-up aborted fetuses in their products, and thus has proposed a bill that decrees that…
“…No person or entity shall manufacture or knowingly sell food or any other product intended for human consumption which contains aborted human fetuses in the ingredients or which used aborted human fetuses in the research or development of any of the ingredients.“
Even though absolutely nobody else knows of any hint or rumor that Embryo Helper or anything similar is poised to hit the shelves, Sen. Shortey says that he introduced the bill as a warning to companies who might otherwise consider putting boxes of Fetus Frosted Flakes on Oklahoma breakfast tables, and to raise “public awareness.”
Let’s hope Shortey is successful, at least at raising public awareness that the man is an idiot, and can no more be trusted to determine public policy than my dog should be playing bassoon in the New York Philharmonic. Really…where do the political parties do their recruitment, anyway? How can they even locate people this unhinged from reality and their responsibilities? America is in need of innovative, well-executed measures to pull itself out of an epic funk, with crises in all directions, from the budget, to the infrastructure, to employment and housing, to education, immigration and the environment, and this maroon’s top priority is battling cannibalism?
Way to pick ’em, Republicans.
Ethics Alarms 
In relation to abortion discussion, I want to encourage people to stop calling the in-utero beings by the controversial terms “fetuses” or “babies.” I prefer the noncontroversial term “future witch doctor.”
Noted.
I shouldn’t post responses at 1 in the morning. It gets abstract.
Well there is this:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/nov/03/aborted-fetus-cells-used-in-anti-aging-products/?page=all
And they ARE tasty! I know anti-aging products are one of MY guilty pleasures.
I knew you had a secret to explain your vitality and ability to respond to comments at all hours.
Here’s the thing: I think we can all agree that we don’t *want* future witch doctor tissue to be used in our food products, right?
So why wait until someone has actually *done* it before we make a law?
Why must all lawmaking be reactive rather than proactive?
–Dwayne
I think their should be a law against spiderman. It should be illegal to swing from a human(ish) generated web. I’m sure we can all agree that we don’t want human(ish) people swinging dangerously through our cities. Let’s be proactive about this.
Law or no law, one working movie title will be, “Attack of the Shariachnids.”
I can’t wait for the London School of Economics to accuse students who link to the movie poster on facebook as shariachniphobic.
George W. Bush did want to ban human-animal hybrids.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2017818/Embryos-involving-genes-animals-mixed-humans-produced-secretively-past-years.html
If you can find a story headlined “150 Delicious Human Embryo Recipes in New Paula Deen Cook Book,” you win.
Makes sense. Dr. Moreau is British, isn’t he.
I couldn’t find the Paula Deen recipes. You win this thread, Jack. Next time, though…
This may be only the beginning of a whole new abortion war. I can see it coming now: a proposed Freedom of Access to Nutrition Act.
Or, Freedom of Utilitarian Consumption of Kids…
I don’t think you all are taking this seriously.
I don’t have the time to comment at length, but most of what I’ve read about this issue suggests that what this bill is really about is finding a deceptive way to shut down embryonic stem-cell research, as the product of such research–a pill, for example–would be a “product intended for human consumption” which would have been created by a process which which, at least arguably, “used aborted human fetuses in the research or development of any of the ingredients.” In which case Sen. Shortey is a dishonest and pusillanimous dirtbag, but not necessarily stupid.
Rick, I think you’re fighting two razors…Hanlon’s and Occam’s.
Which is more ridiculous, (1) that a person would believe, despite no evidence to back it up, that we may be eating aborted fetuses right now, or (2) that a person who is a member of a group that has been trying to get rid of abortion (both directly and indirectly) and embrionic stem cell research (directly) would try to do the latter indirectly?
It doesn’t muck with Hanlon, but Occam is with Rick.
I don’t think that matters though. When it comes to congressional representatives, I think Hanlon takes precidence.
Don’t underestimate stupid. Stupid kills more people a year than cancer and heart disease combined. (notwithstanding heart disease and cancer CAUSED by stupid.)
I don’t know, tgt. It’s about as inefficient and incompetent an anti-stem cell research provision as I can imagine—I’m not even sure the language could be judicially interpreted to apply to pills and medicine, which are certainly not “food.”. Your description of the his hypothetical rationale is unfairly rational-sounding.
It depends on the meaning of consumption. Consumption could mean just food, it could mean anything you ingest or it could even mean anything people buy (thus including anti-aging creams).
I think the following 2 of your statements are warring with each other.
It’s about as inefficient and incompetent an anti-stem cell research provision as I can imagine
Your description of the his hypothetical rationale is unfairly rational-sounding.
Despite the apparent contradiction, I agree with both. I could see Shortey writing inefficient and incompetent bills (incompetent is a given), and that granting him even the slightest amount of coherence is likely unwarranted.
Damn guess I cant open my Placenta Paella place there then.
Remember, that time, when Christopher Reeves was eating aborted fetuses and becoming super strong only to be foiled by Hack-man?
Oh wait….that was South Park.
Gee, you think the Senator watched South Park?
What does this mean for the practice of consuming placentas?
–Dwayne
I think this is most likely a Machiavellian attempt to shut down stem cell research and/or any potential benefits of stem cell research and/or yet another republicrat back-door plot against abortion. Still – the guy’s wasting valuable time/taxpayer money that should and needs to be spent on real, important issues facing our country. Too many of these bozos sponsor inane legislation and waste time and money doing it, with no accountability. Who’s really to blame? THE IDIOTS WHO CONTINUE TO VOTE THE INCOMPETENTS INTO OFFICE!