From Amendment 2

Patricia Heaton looks right into the camera and says that the amendment makes it a constitutional right to buy and sell human eggs for stem cell research. Now, NPH is just reading through the text of the amendment for the first time, and we've found this: "(4) No person may, for valuable consideration, purchase or sell human
blastocysts or eggs for stem cell research or stem cell therapies and
cures."

The "no on 2" campaign has the website, "nocloning.org." Yet, again reading the amendment for the first time, it says this: "(1) No person may clone or attempt to clone a human being." That's right at the beginning of the amendment. It later defines "cloning": (2) “Clone or attempt to clone a human being” means to implant in a
uterus or attempt to implant in a uterus anything other than the
product of fertilization of an egg of a human female by a sperm of a
human male for the purpose of initiating a pregnancy that could result
in the creation of a human fetus, or the birth of a human being."

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Fact Check on The Missouri Senate Race

Before Michael J. Fox and Kurt Warner weighed in on Amendment 2, there were the Talent campaign's own ads. At first, his ads were clever and effective, relying on images of Talent himself rattling off his Senate accomplishments before exclaiming, "I have to get back to work!" But then the ads went the way of, well, political ads. The campaign rolled out a series of ads attacking Claire McCaskill's record as auditor, trying to associate poor conditions in nursing homes (notice the flashing phrase, "sexual assault" next to the face of a senior citizen), and using nefarious newspaper quotations to do so.

Factcheck.org has picked the ads apart and figured out that what the ads are doing is not quoting the newspapers, but quoting McCaskill opponents as quoted in the newspaper, then attributing the quote to the paper itself. For example, from the factcheck article:
 

"Exaggerating" state audits .
This quote is used five times in the four ads. Only once is the date
given: July 17, 2004. The article is a profile of McCaskill, and
contains the sentence: "Critics accuse McCaskill of sometimes
exaggerating her audit results." The ad falsely implies that the words
are the newspaper's judgment of McCaskill, rather than unnamed
"critics." The article goes on to quote one of those critics, her
political opponent Maxwell."

Nice. I can't wait for this thing to be over.

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Response Ad to Michael J. Fox

This is the ad that ran during the world series last night, featureing two entertainers and three professional athletes connected to Missouri.

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Michael J. Fox ad

Michael J. Fox

A couple of ads are running in Missouri on the proposed ballot measure known as Amendment 2. The measure has to do with stem cell research. What's remarkable about these ads is their stripped-down, gritty character, from Michael J. Fox's unedited endorsement of Claire McCaskill for her support of stem cell research, to entertainers and athletes staring into handheld cameras to oppose it. Both ads are enjoying serious run on the blogosphere, which is, of course, what they were meant to do. It's political advertising at its best. Or worst.

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I Know That Train

CNN is reporting this morning that a French passenger train collieded with a freight train this morning, killing 10 people and injuring scores of others. The crash occured in the northeastern part of the country, on the line connecting Luxembourg and the French city of Thionville.

NPH's wife grew up only miles from Thionville, and her best friend still lives there. NPH has been there and has ridden that train. Twice.

Our hearts go out to everyone involved.

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