Overdue Links for February 6, 2011: FDA regulates stem cells as drugs; Obama ignores marijuana questions; Krugman pooh-poohs austerity; others....

"Hold it right there, mister. Are those stem cells 'safe and effective'?"

1. Alliance for Natural Health | FDA’s New Claim: “Your Body Is a Drug—and We Have the Authority to Regulate It!”

   Stem cells, like other medical products that are intended to treat, cure, or prevent disease, generally require FDA approval before they can be marketed. At this time, there are no licensed stem cell treatments.”

   The article links to the actual FDA opinion. Over/under: How many tens of thousands of people to you think will die unnecessarily while awaiting awaiting the FDA to approve this procedure?

2. Stossel | Who Owns Your Body? Part 2

   Death by bureaucracy.

3. CBS News | Marijuana questions dominate White House online chat

   How will Obama dance around it tonight? Let’s find out….

4. DRCNet | Obama Interview Ignores Marijuana Legalization Questions

   [I]t ought to be obvious to everyone that something is very wrong when this many people keep asking the same question and the president has nothing to say.

   Completely ignored this time. Not even laughed at. The amazing thing was that the top questions were all posted right under the video as it aired. The powers that be here did not even try to cover up the blaring silence.

5. NYTimes.com | The Austerity Debacle

   Paul Krugman here in full flower. Usually missing from these austerity-bashing editorials is some indication that the government either actually has, or can reasonably obtain, the money that they are supposed to spend to jump-start the economy. Where is this money cming from? I’m looking for something like this. The concern is usually dismissed, a la Kevin Drum, as a can that may be safely kicked down the road. I say, “No. Let’s talk about that ish right now!”

6. ‘Gasland’ Journalists Arrested At Hearing By Order Of House Republicans (UPDATES)

   Politically motivated expulsion of cameramen from a hearing room. Pretty lame.

7. Philadelphia Weekly | PA House Unanimously Declares 2012 “Year of the Bible”

   I hope this means we can forget about it by year’s end. Maybe 2013 will be the “Year of the Bhagavad Gītā”.

8. NPR | Off The Record: A Quest For De-Baptism In France

   Here in America, I’m pretty sure that the court would not touch a case like this due to Establishment Clause concerns. Personally, I would be satisfied with leaving a record that I was baptized as a baby, presumably without my consent, and that I had voluntarily chosen to leave the church. I ain’t in it to re-write my history and say that what had happened did not happen.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.