Catholic Church, Ahmanson oppose stem cell measure

[Khephra]

Catholic Church, Ahmanson oppose stem cell measure

PAUL ELIAS

Associated Press


SAN FRANCISCO - The Roman Catholic Church and the wealthy evangelical Christian Howard Ahmanson Jr. have emerged as the biggest financial backers of the campaign against a California ballot measure that would fund stem cell research and cloning projects in the state.

Each contributed $50,000 this week to separate campaign groups, which have raised a combined $115,000 to oppose the measure, which is listed on the Nov. 2 ballot as Proposition 71. The measure would have the state borrow $3 billion to pay for the controversial research that scientists say is being hindered by the Bush administration.

Meanwhile, proposition supporters have amassed about $12 million, including a contribution Wednesday of 22,400 shares of Amgen Inc. worth more than $1.3 million. The contribution was made by wealthy venture capitalist William Bowes Jr., the founding chairman of biotechnology giant Amgen.

Bowes didn't return a telephone call Thursday.

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/business/9566745.htm

[Joanne98]

1. Ahmanson involved in e-voting scandal

His day is coming.

Incestuous relationships

Increasingly, investigative writers seeking an explanation have looked to Diebold’s history for clues. The electronic voting industry is dominated by only a few corporations – Diebold, Election Systems & Software (ES&S) and Sequoia. Diebold and ES&S combined count an estimated 80% of U.S. black box electronic votes.

In the early 1980s, brothers Bob and Todd Urosevich founded ES&S’s originator, Data Mark. The brothers Urosevich obtained financing from the far-Right Ahmanson family in 1984, which purchased a 68% ownership stake, according to the Omaha World Herald. After brothers William and Robert Ahmanson infused Data Mark with new capital, the name was changed to American Information Systems (AIS). California newspapers have long documented the Ahmanson family’s ties to right-wing evangelical Christian and Republican circles.

In 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported, “. . . primarily funded by evangelical Christians – particularly the wealthy Ahmanson family of Irvine – the institute’s $1-million annual program has produced 25 books, a stream of conferences and more than 100 fellowships for doctoral and postdoctoral research.” The chief philanthropists of the Discovery Institute, that pushes creationist science and education in California, are Howard and Roberta Ahmanson.

According to Group Watch, in the 1980s Howard F. Ahmanson, Jr. was a member of the highly secretive far-Right Council for National Policy, an organization that included Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North, Major General John K. Singlaub and other Iran-Contra scandal notables, as well as former Klan members like Richard Shoff. Ahmanson, heir to a savings and loan fortune, is little reported on in the mainstream U.S. press. But, English papers like The Independent are a bit more forthcoming on Ahmanson’s politics.


http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0225-05.htm