Nikola Drobac – 8/19/07

This page was last updated on August 28, 2007.

Playing God; Nikola (Nick) Drobac; Beaver County Times; August 19, 2007.

This is at least the 26^th anti-Bush and/or anti-Republican rant Mr. Drobac has written since July 1, 2004. In a letter entitled “GOP messing things up” (October 29, 2002), Mr. Drobac expressed a wish to be able to laugh as all Republicans face financial ruin in retirement, calling them fools because they may have more confidence in themselves than in government bureaucrats and politicians.

According to his website, Mr. Drobac attended CCBC, Pitt, and USC.

As you read this letter, keep in mind Mr. Drobac describes himself as a current/former “high school accounting and business teacher.” Does anyone doubt the BS he writes in letters like this also finds its way into Mr. Drobac’s classes?

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“Life is simple, people make it complicated. Republicans make it impossible.

“It’s illegal to buy, possess, use and/or sell illegal drugs and/or drug paraphernalia.

“If the Republicans wanted to be consistent, they might want to apply this rationale to human embryos/stem cell research.”

[RWC] As a reminder, an embryo is a fertilized egg. Therefore, conception has taken place. I apologize for appearing to talk down to readers, but I felt compelled to make this clarification because I saw a TV news talking head covering the issue actually display surprise when she was told an embryo was a fertilized egg.

“Presently, Republicans are saying that it is immoral to destroy human embryos. When the human embryos are destroyed, Republicans contend that scientists are playing God and destroying life.”

[RWC] Let’s be more inclusive. Republicans tend to oppose destroying innocent life. This includes abortion, but you’ll note Mr. Drobac didn’t mention abortion. You can guess why.

“I think the Republican argument would hold more water if they would support a law that would make it illegal to create, store and use human embryos or any of its parts.

“If it’s immoral to play God by destroying life, is it not immoral and unethical to play God by creating life? When creating embryos, scientists are actually playing God by creating life. If scientists were not permitted to create human embryos, then there would be no human embryos to destroy. Problem solved. Simple.”

[RWC] Actually, opposition to taxpayer funding of embryonic stem cell research is not quite as simple as Mr. Drobac would have us believe.

Most lab-generated human embryos are created in an attempt to get a woman pregnant. In other words, most embryos are created in an attempt to produce a living human being. In the process, not all embryos are implanted in a woman’s womb and are eventually destroyed. I’m not an expert in this field, so I won’t try to explain the reasons why this is sometimes necessary. The key point to remember is the purpose of the embryos, to create a human being that could not be conceived otherwise.

If it could be guaranteed that only human embryos “left over” from legitimate efforts to get a woman pregnant (and would otherwise be destroyed) would be used for embryonic stem cell research, I would not have a problem with it. Where I have a problem is when embryos are created solely for the purpose of being destroyed for research. Creating life only to destroy it for research just seems wrong.

Finally, Mr. Drobac appears to ignore the efforts of evil Republicans (and Democrats, independents, etc.) to establish programs by which “left over” embryos could be “adopted” and used by couples that could not otherwise have children. That’s completely consistent with not wanting embryos destroyed.

There’s one last point. Using Mr. Drobac’s “logic,” natural embryo creation would also be immoral because not all embryos survive. For many reasons, some embryos do not implant in the womb. Further down the timeline, not all implanted embryos survive to birth for all kinds of reasons.

“Someone needs to keep a list of names of all the Republicans against stem cell research.”

[RWC] You’ll note not once does the letter use the term “embryonic stem cell.” Mr. Drobac uses a common tactic and implies people who oppose embryonic stem cell research oppose all stem cell research. While it’s true some – but not all – Republicans – as well as some Democrats, independents, etc. – oppose embryonic stem cell research, I haven’t heard of anyone opposed to non-embryonic stem cell research. Since the 2002 budget, the feds spent about $3 billion on all stem cell research, and about $130 million on research into existing stem cell lines from embryos destroyed before mid-2001. During this period we’ve had a Republican president and for most of the time Republicans held the majority in Congress. That pretty much kills Mr. Drobac’s position that Republicans oppose stem cell research. As a reminder, there are no prohibitions on private funding of embryonic stem cell research and some states provide funding for embryonic stem cell research.

FYI, Democrat President Bill Clinton signed the original prohibition on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research into law (Public Law 104-99, Sec. 128) for the 1996 fiscal year budget and approved the provision for all of his subsequent budgets. Though vetoed by President Bush, in 2006 a Republican-majority Congress led by the Senate Republican majority leader passed a bill that would have eased restrictions on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. Mr. Drobac likely doesn’t want us to remember/know these facts because they make it tougher to make embryonic stem cell research a Democrat vs. Republican issue.

“Then, when scientists using stem cell research find a cure for cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and a host of other human ailments, those Republicans who opposed such research would be denied the benefits of such research.

“I know this is a sin, but some day in the future, I would love to be the one to look a Republican in the eye and say, ‘Stem cell research has found a cure for your illness. However, due to your previously documented stupidity, your access to such treatment had been denied. It’s time for you to meet your maker.’ Would I be playing God?”

[RWC] At least Mr. Drobac is consistent over the years in wishing misery on those with whom he disagrees. As noted above, about five years ago Mr. Drobac expressed a wish to be able to laugh as all Republicans faced financial ruin in retirement, calling them fools because they may have more confidence in themselves than in government bureaucrats and politicians.

Remember, these words came from a person who a mere 11 days ago (“Teach students capitalism,” 8/8/07) told us he is/was “a high school accounting and business teacher.” I don’t have kids, but if I did I wouldn’t want this guy teaching them. As I noted above, for someone as vitriolic as Mr. Drobac, does anyone doubt his mean-spirited positions don’t find their way into his classroom?

I really don’t get Mr. Drobac’s mean-spirited attitude. As much as I disagree with Mr. Drobac’s positions, I would never wish him ill just because he and I disagree.

“Historically, right-winged, Christian coalition, know-nothing Republicans have impeded scientific progress only to benefit from such progress at a later date and time.”

[RWC] Note Mr. Drobac provided no details to back up his assertion that “[h]istorically, right-winged, Christian coalition, know-nothing Republicans have impeded scientific progress …” Why not?