There is no need to use stem cells derived from human embryos. Mr. Bush, the occupant of the White House, is using this mislead in an attempt to draw the Christian Right to the voting booths in his favor.

The mislead involved here, is that each of us produce our own stem cells throughout life. Your body uses them through out your life for repair projects as needed. A simple Google Search for "stem cell research" will show you some amazing things going on in this area.

It seems that there are stem cells in hair follicles that can differentiate into any of the structures of the hair and skin. These might be used for hair replacement and healing of burns and other wounds. In one experiment, stem cells from hair follicles were transplanted to hairless mice, and patches of hair appeared.

Stem cells have been found in bone marrow and muscles. They have even found neuronal stem cells. There is a recent story that did appear on major news sources about a man recently where his own bone marrow stem cells were used to grow him a new jaw bone. You will find the article easily on your search for how this was done.

Stems cells can be extracted also from umbilical cord blood. Since this is unneeded after birth, this is an ethically acceptable source of stem cells, and there is interesting research going on in this area. In one experiment, these stem cells have been given with Mannitol in an IV and the ravages of stroke greatly reduced.

Another new and very interesting source of your own stem cells is in your own fat. These are found between the fat storing fat cells and are abundant. In other tissues, the stem cells are less abundant and must be removed and cultured in a lab to get enough for any purpose. But they are so abundant in fat that this culturing is unnecessary.

And the amazing thing about these fat stem cells is that they seem to morph into bone, cartilage, skeletal muscle, blood vessel tissue and possibly heart muscle and nerve cells. Could Christopher Reeve's fat been used for his cure, had the technology been available at the time of his injury?

Now the big question. How does one get these stem cells your already own in your own body to become what you need? The answer may be fairly simple, put them where needed and they will get the message of what they should be from where they are injected. And they contain your own DNA, and therefore would not be rejected.

It is for this reason that I think that embryonic stem cells will not work very well. They won't match your DNA. It is true, that they can grow an organ, it has been done somewhere. I saw a bladder once, I think on TV, from embryonic cells. But what if I needed a bladder, I got one from embryonic cells and then my body destroyed it as foreign tissue, or I had to take some awful drugs to prevent rejection?

I will admit, I haven't a clue as to what was done to grow bladder tissues like I saw from embryonic stem cells, but I assume a similar thing could be done with my own cells. And just about anyone can spare a little of his or her own fat! Think of this possibility, that maybe your own fat alone (its stem cells) has everything that might be needed to fix a lot of you. I found what I read interesting to say the least.

So, please don't vote for Bush because of this one issue. He says life is of value, but has no problem bombing Iraq. It is my knowing that he had knowledge and complicity in 911. That was certainly most destructive of life.

And shame on John Kerry, when he says he is for embryonic stem cell research. He should be explaining the difference between embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells, your own.

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