Dear Friend, I'm sending you this EARLY EDITION of InfoQuest* because its news is TIME SENSITIVE! The Human Cloning Ban vote is this Thursday! Learn how a TV show and network is TOTALLY Biased for cloning! Who's using the GPS in your car and cell phone? Your family's money is going to Terrorists?! Most editions of InfoQuest* contain "Related Article" links for your reference. I encourage you to visit these articles either as you read each edition, or over the week (which is why IQ* is a weekly periodical!). CONTENTS: (1) Human Cloning Vote This Thursday (2/27/2003) (2) "Smallville" Promotes Human Cloning Tonight! (3) Global Positioning Systems and YOU (4) YOUR Money Sent To Terrorists?! ==================== (1) Human Cloning Vote This Thursday (2/27/2003) AFA Action Alert! http://www.afa.net/activism/IssueArchive.asp February 25, 2003 House vote on Human Cloning ban this Thursday On Thursday, February 27, the House of Representatives will choose between the Human Cloning Prohibition Act (H.R. 534), authored by Congressmen Weldon and Stupak, and a radically different -- indeed, antithetical -- substitute amendment to be offered by Congressman Greenwood [Greenwood represents Bucks County, Pennsylvania District 8]. The Weldon-Stupak bill (H.R. 534), which American Family Association (AFA) supports, would ban any use of cloning to create human embryos. In contrast, the Greenwood Substitute would permit (indeed, would encourage) the creation of any number of human embryos by cloning for the purpose of harvesting their parts. The substitute even leaves open the door -- as artificial womb technology advances -- to growing cloned humans to later stages of fetal development for the harvesting of their tissues and organs, as has already been done with cloned cows and mice. Because enactment of the Greenwood policy would be a giant step in the pro-cloning direction, AFA strongly urges a "no" vote on the Greenwood Substitute. It would give the green light to what President Bush called human "embryo farms." Supporters of the Greenwood Substitute assert that it would "ban reproductive cloning," but this claim is highly misleading, because the Greenwood Substitute does not restrict the actual act of human cloning -- the use of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) to create human embryos. Rather, the Greenwood Substitute would seek to impede the initiation of a pregnancy. Thus, the Greenwood Substitute bans not human cloning, but the survival of human clones, which is a very different matter. ACTION NEEDED A vote on banning human cloning is expected this Thursday! Please urge pro-life friends and family to contact their Representatives immediately and encourage them to support H.R. 534, the Weldon-Stupak bill that bans all human cloning, and to oppose the Greenwood Substitute. Make sure your Representatives understand you want them to support ONLY the Weldon-Stupak ban, because the Greenwood Substitute does not truly ban human cloning. You can reach the capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask for any Representative. With the importance of this debate, it is likely this line will be busy. Click here to find your Representative. http://users.netreach.net/InfoQuest/government.htm#CONGRESS ==================== ==================== (2) "Smallville" Promotes Human Cloning Tonight! BreakPoint with Charles Colson http://www.BreakPoint.org Commentary #030225 - 02/25/2003 Cloning Superman Are We Sweeping Away Human Dignity? Tonight's [2/25/03] episode of the TV series "Smallville," the latest take on the Superman story, features an appearance by actor Christopher Reeve, who played the "Man of Steel" in the movies. The WB network is heavily promoting Reeve's appearance in hopes of increasing ratings during the February "sweeps." But the network isn't alone in having an agenda. Reeve's appearance seems curiously timed. Could it be to influence the outcome of Congress's vote on human cloning, scheduled for this week? At the end of the program, you see, the WB network will air a promotional spot for the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation. Reeve started the Foundation after he was paralyzed in a 1995 horse-riding accident. It supports his aggressive advocacy of medical research to cure spinal disorders using embryonic stem cells. In the promotional spot, Reeve and actor Tom Welling, who plays the young Clark Kent, urge viewers to visit the foundation's website. Visitors will be told to "take action now." Action on what? It is to call congressmen and tell them to "stop the assault on medical progress" by voting against H.R. 534, the Human Cloning Prohibition Act. This bill, sponsored by Rep. Dave Weldon of Florida, would ban all human cloning. But visitors to Reeve's website are told that the bill would "dash the hopes of millions of Americans suffering from deadly and debilitating diseases." Visitors are told they should support a bill that would ban "reproductive cloning" while permitting "therapeutic cloning." As Reeve puts it, "Ban human cloning, but don't ban hope." Reeve believes that his ethics are part of the great humanitarian crusade - the alleviation of human suffering. But Reeve is willing that whatever progress might be made by embryonic stem cell research - and there has been none so far - be purchased at the price of human dignity. You see, there is no difference between creating life to implant it in the womb - reproductive cloning - and creating life to destroy it in medical research - what Reeve calls "therapeutic cloning." Both create life - in the case of "therapeutic cloning," to kill the human embryos, a heinous act. That's why I believe human cloning presents an even greater threat to human dignity than abortion. And sadly, just as many Christians were asleep when Roe v. Wade was decided, many seem to be blissfully unaware of the deadly evils of cloning. Christians must be as committed to human dignity as Reeve is to his cause. We must provide alternatives to the emotionally appealing arguments made by Reeve and others. This means becoming educated ourselves and then teaching our neighbors that, notwithstanding what they see on TV tonight or hear from the multi-billion dollar biotech industry, embryonic stem cell research offers neither medical progress nor hope, and it is morally repugnant. Over the next few days, I'll tell you why our opponents make false distinctions between reproductive and "therapeutic" cloning, and how you can counter their case with secular answers. I'll also tell you why you should be calling your congressman to support the Weldon bill (H.R. 534). Our culture is poised before a fateful line in the sand. The way to prevent crossing it is to help our neighbors understand what's at stake. Otherwise in the February television sweeps, it is human dignity that will be swept away. CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES: http://users.netreach.net/InfoQuest/government.htm#CONGRESS *** Related Articles: http://thenewamerican.com/tna/2003/01-13-2003/vo19no01_clone.htm (You may have to copy/paste this URL into your browser bar.) http://www.breakpoint.org/Breakpoint/ChannelRoot/TopicsGroup/BioethicsAndLif eIssues/ http://thenewamerican.com/tna/2003/01-13-2003/vo19no01_bush.htm ==================== ==================== (3) Global Positioning Systems and YOU Feb. 22, 2003, 10:01PM GPS devices increasingly are used to spy on people By FRANK JAMES Chicago Tribune http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/nation/1789996 WASHINGTON -- While GPS technology that uses satellites has been a boon to millions who don't want to get lost, others increasingly are turning to the same technology to track people and keep an eye on them. Spouses who believe mates are having affairs, employers who suspect workers are misusing company vehicles or parents who wonder if their children are where they are supposed to be are among those using devices tied to the global positioning system of satellites. At Washington's WJLA-TV, employees say officials at the station have abused the technology. Last year, management installed tracking devices in station vehicles -- cars and trucks that news crewmembers are permitted to take home. Officials at the station, an ABC affiliate, have said the devices are to let editors know where vehicles are for newsgathering purposes so that the closest crew can be dispatched. But employees said the devices have been used to monitor them. As one cameraman drove along a highway, a manager phoned to tell him to stop driving so fast. Company officials confronted another cameraman, wanting to know why the company car was driven on the employee's day off. "You have managers who call you and say, `Why have you stopped here, why did you stop there?' " said a news cameraman who asked not to be identified. "You're like, `I had to go to the bathroom,' or `I had to get something to eat.' " The station's general manager, Chris Pike, didn't return several calls for comment. While such GPS tracking is legal, the trend has contributed to the looming sense that the United States is increasingly a surveillance society, especially in the wake of stepped-up, terrorism-related security. The tracking also has created a backlash, with some subjects of electronic tracking seeking to thwart the technology. "Location tracking can be a considerably significant invasion of privacy," said Lee Tien, senior counsel for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a San Francisco-based organization concerned with civil liberties and technology issues. "Who has access to that information?" he asked. "Under what circumstances? A lot of people don't think about what it means for your employer to be able to know where you go throughout your day. Or an insurance company." The satellite technology used for tracking relies on the same network widely used for navigation. GPS navigation is what allows U.S. cruise missiles to explode on, or within feet of, selected targets. Recovery workers marked the location of space shuttle Columbia debris with GPS devices. Many rental cars now come with GPS displays that let customers find addresses in unfamiliar cities. Meanwhile, Oregon is considering the feasibility of installing GPS technology in the cars of its residents to record how many in-state miles they drive as the state considers imposing car-related taxes based on road-mileage-driven versus fuel purchased. GPS may have even figured in one of the most notorious crime sprees in recent U.S. history. Last year, when the Washington-area sniper suspects were arrested, a GPS device was among the items found in their possession. Investigators speculate it might have helped them evade police dragnets by taking side streets instead of major roads. A network of 24 geo-stationary satellites broadcasts signals received by GPS devices. Using triangulation, the satellites help the devices gain a fix on their location anywhere on Earth. While the navigational functions of GPS have caused little or no clamor, tracking has caused a stir. The devices can not only indicate direction but the speed at which a vehicle or person is moving and the precise address they have visited. Some tracking is meant to protect the vulnerable. Wherify Wireless Inc., for example, makes a high-tech bracelet containing a GPS device and tiny wireless phone that can be placed on the wrists of children or Alzheimer's patients to help locate them if they get lost. Some companies offer tracking technology to the anxious parents of teenage drivers so they can know not only where their children are going but how fast they were driving. The devices cost about $400. "If you look at our (tracking) technology, it way overweighs the bad that people can do with it," said Timothy Neher, founder and president of the company. Neher got the idea for the devices after a scary moment during a zoo visit when he was momentarily separated from two young relatives in his care. Trucking firms have used GPS tracking for years to keep tabs on their drivers and shipments. But concerns about the potential use of the data for discipline purposes caused the Teamsters union to include specific language prohibiting such use in the contract it reached with United Parcel Service last August. *** Related Article: http://users.netreach.net/InfoQuest/Support_Police.htm#IAO_Terror ==================== ==================== (4) YOUR Money Sent To Terrorists?! Buying 'Friends' With Foreign Aid by Rep. Ron Paul, MD February 25, 2003 http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul78.html With an American invasion of Iraq imminent, nations in the region are increasingly worried about the political, social, and economic consequences of a second Gulf war. Not surprisingly, Jordan, Israel, Kuwait, and Turkey are demanding more money from the U.S. to offset the costs, economic and otherwise, of such a war. Other Middle East countries are sure to follow. Yet the more foreign aid we send to the Middle East, the more hopelessly entangled we become in the intractable conflicts that define it. Worse yet, the practice of buying friends casts very serious doubt on the lofty claims that we are promoting democracy. If our plans for Iraq will bring peace and stability to the region, why do we have to buy off the Middle East governments that stand to benefit? The truth is that those governments, even our ostensible allies, have very serious doubts about the wisdom of our proposed invasion of Iraq. Money - lots of it - makes them more amenable to our cause. Turkey in particular has shown incredible gall in demanding billions for its cooperation with our war efforts. Turkey shares a border with northern Iraq, and its air bases could serve as an important staging area for American forces. Yet Turkey is demanding a whopping $30 billion in exchange for its support of the war and use of its airfields. Unfortunately, the administration appears ready to accept this blackmail if a slightly lower dollar amount can be negotiated. This blatant shakedown gives new meaning to the term "ally." In World War II, our allies were just that - nations willing to share the costs and risks, even the lives of their soldiers - to fight a war against common enemies. Today, our phony allies are bought and paid for with billions of your tax dollars, but prove less than trustworthy when trouble arises. Turkey wants more than our money, however. It also wants to control the Kurdish population in northern Iraq. The Kurds in both Iraq and Turkey desire an independent Kurdish state, which the Turkish government fiercely resists. Turkish officials want an agreement that will allow thousands of their soldiers to advance into Kurdish northern Iraq on the heels of American forces. This would be a shameful insult to the Kurdish people, who at least have been consistent foes of Saddam Hussein. The billions we will give Turkey are just the tip of the iceberg. The foreign aid feeding frenzy will only intensify as America expands its role as world policeman. Already it is routine for some nations to send negotiating teams to Washington during the appropriations process, intent on securing the foreign aid loot to which they feel so entitled. Just as hordes of domestic lobbyists roam the halls of Congress seeking federal money for every conceivable special interest, we should expect foreign lobbyists to increasingly look for money from American taxpayers. In the new era of American empire, foreign aid spending serves as the carrot. Iraq will get the stick, at least at first. Once we occupy it, of course, we will spend billions there as well. Foreign aid is not only unconstitutional, but also exceedingly unwise. It creates the worst kind of entangling alliances that President Washington warned about. It doesn't buy us any real allies, but instead encourages false friendships, dependency, and a sense of entitlement among the recipients. It also causes resentment among nations that receive none, or less than they feel they deserve. Above all, however, it is simply unconscionable to tax American citizens and send their money overseas. We have enough problems of our own here at home, and those dollars should be returned to taxpayers or spent on legitimate constitutional activities. Dr. Ron Paul is a Republican member of Congress from Texas. *** Related Article: http://www.thenewamerican.com/tna/2003/02-24-2003/vo19no04_korea.htm