Taking Jon Seriously: Part 2

For all of his silliness, Jon Stewart's comment on Bush's inconsistent morality is spot on. If one takes Bush's core argument for banning stem cell harvesting, it is essentially about protecting human life which is incapable of protecting itself. As the US champion executioner, Bush does not mind killing those who are guilty of crimes; as with his dismissal of abortions, the morality for stem cell protection rests on two pillars: 1) They are integral to human life and 2) They need the government to defend them, since they cannot defend themselves.

Civilians are also incapable of protecting themselves; they are also innocent. Unlike stem cells, there is no dispute about whether civilians consitute life. To be consistent Bush should take an equally strong stance on civilian casualties as he does on stem cells.

As some without a christian morality I make different arguments on both of these issues.