Faux Fox?

I hadn't planned on commenting on the Michael J Fox ad but the more I read and think about it, the more irritated I become.

Democrats have become masters at exploiting other peoples miseries to further their own agenda. Their are a million examples of this the most recent being John Edwards inferring that Republican policies would keep people like Christopher Reed in a wheelchair. These claims all have one thing in common, they are as intellectually dishonest as they are self righteous.

Embryonic stem cell research is anything but a proven science. Intitial results have proven far more unsuccessful than the Strategic Defense Initiative program ever was yet the press has long ago deemed Star Wars a failure. One thing that has been proven, Embryonic Stem Cells produce tumors in almost all test subjects (mice) whereas adult stem cells do not. There are currently 72 therapies showing demonstrable human benefits using adult stem cells and how many using embryonic stem cells? You got it, nil. Far from even modestly workable let alone a cure all spokeman like Fox unabashadely proclaim this research the Holy Grail of curative potential.

The misinformation I can tolerate what I can't abide is the hyper drama created by Fox going off his meds. This is the heighth of dishonesty because it creates a false premise. It is the willful practice of creating a misleading caricature of oneself. If he could not take the medication for a legitimate reason that would be one thing but that's not the case. He is intentially refusing his medication to make himself look as bad as possible to further his argument. I have seen video of him from last week and his tremors are VASTLY more controlled than he would lead us to believe.

Should a diabetic go off insulin, a schizofrenic off lithium or should an alchoholic polish off half a liter a of Vodka to draw attention to their plight?

I have a great deal of sympathy for Michael J Fox as I do for anyone who battles a debilitating disease. What I do not sympathize with is exploitation of either self or otherwise as a means to manipulate public opinion. Save the theatrics for Hollywood Mr. Fox, when shaving it makes looking at the fellow looking back at you a whole lot easier.

Update: For those who believe that MJF would never go off his meds to enhance the dramatic effect here is a quote taken directly from his book:

I had made a deliberate choice to appear before the subcommittee without medication. It seemed to me that this occasion demanded that my testimony about the effects of the disease, and the urgency we as a community were feeling, be seen as well as heard. For people who had never observed me in this kind of shape, the transformation must have been startling.

If he did it then certainly he's capable of doing it now.