[ExI] $25,000 Matching Grant Fund Drive

[Samantha Atkins]

On Dec 18, 2007, at 10:26 PM, James Clement wrote:

> Samantha asked the following two questions:
>
> 1)  What well funded opposition is that, the so-called "bio- 
> ethicists" and
> their ilk?
>
> Among others (annual budget in parenthesis): Center for Bioethics  
> and Human
> Dignity: $751,000 (2006); Center for Bioethics and Culture: $117,000  
> (2006);
> Center for Genetics and Society: $923,000 (2006); Ethics and Public  
> Policy
> Center (publishes New Atlantis): $1,900,000 (2006), and Discovery  
> Institute:
> $3,000,000 (2006)
>
> 2)  When WTA stops preaching socialism as the one true way toward an  
> ethical
> transhumanist future I may donate.  Have there been developments in  
> that
> direction?
>
> As of the 2005 Survey (we're doing a new survey right now), 22% of  
> the WTA
> members were Libertarian, 39% were socialist, and 16% were Other.   
> The WTA
> has no official position regarding economic/political ideology - and
> individual Board members do not speak for the organization as a whole.

Official or not it was a very strong spin for much of its life.  More  
than spin there was an active hounding and denigration of those who  
thought differently.  The stats have been the same among the members  
for years but that does not mean the organization has been politically  
relatively neutral or balanced or even respectful of different  
political views.

>  If you want the WTA to represent YOUR views, the best way is to  
> become a paid,
> participating member and vote in the Board Members of your choice.   
> However,
> I'd like to think that we can all work together to spread our  
> Transhumanist
> memes and learn to live with our differences.

I would like to think that too but that is not quite what I have seen  
to date.

- samantha