Justin Higgin’s Latest Whopper

Poor, poor Justin Higgins. It’s not enough that he has proclaimed that murder is patriotic, finds forgery humorous, and mindlessly repeats any wingnut lie about 9/11 he hears. No, he seems to have developed into a full-blown pathological liar.

Justin decided to apply his patented mix of ignorance and dishonesty to the controversial topic of embryonic stem cell research. George W. Bush recently vetoed a bill that would have permitted federal dollars to be used for embryonic stem cell research.

After I ridiculed Justin for declaring as worthless a line of research that has been underway for a mere nine years, he decided it was time to haul out the Big Lie:

Transplanting embryonic stem cells has resulted in cancer in a lot of folks…

‘Scuse me while I wipe the tears from my eyes. This is really hilarious stuff, a real knee-slapper! For “a lot of folks” to have contracted cancer from embryonic stem cell transplants, there would actually have to have been some human trials of embryonic stem cell transplants. Alas, this is not the case:

• Concerned Women for America – Talking Points: Amniotic Stem Cell Research: “Previous emphasis has been on embryonic stem cell research – yet there are no clinical trials anywhere in the world where embryonic stem cells are being used in patients.”
• WorldNetDaily: The hidden agenda behind stem cell debate: “There are no approved treatments using embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cells have proven so unstable, there are no ESC treatments that have been approved for human trials.”

• Physicians For Life – March 2006: Stem Cell & Cloning Research: “To date, no clinical trials for embryonic stem cell research have been performed on humans, as no proof of their benefit has been discovered.”

  I’ve challenged Justin to back up his claim with facts. He posted links to a few articles — not one of which documents any human clinical trials of embryonic stem cell transplants. Naturally, when he found that I wasn’t going to accept his fantasy, he started deleting my comments. Here’s a mirror of the latest; I intend to re-post it periodically,. When Justin deletes it, it will be further proof of his intellectual cowardice.

  In an email exchange with me yesterday, Justin whined:

  You don’t argue principles, ever. I’m done arguing over words and phrases, and instead choose to argue ideas and their validity. My ideas are valid.

  There is an important principle here, one that Justin neither understands nor practices: honesty. Justin hasn’t yet learned that if he wishes to be taken seriously in the adult world, he has to take responsibility for telling the truth. If he is challenged to back up his claims, he needs to respond with facts instead of bluster. Ideas cannot be valid if they are based on ignorance and lies. And valid ideas can be defended against challenges. Justin deletes comments that challenge his ideas because he knows he cannot defend those ideas.

  Frankly, it seems doubtful that Justin Higgins will ever understand the principle of honesty. He’s going to have a very difficult life unless he can conquer his habit of making wild claims and responding with lies when he’s called on them.

  UPDATE 06/26/07 2:14 PM EDT: Justin has posted a correction to his claim:

  Update: Embryonic stem cells haven’t caused cancer in lots of folks, as I first claimed, but in clinical tests in rats and other lab animals.

  This after insisting that the articles he linked to proved that embryonic stem cell transplants had already been tested on human patients, and that said patients had developed cancer as a result. Justin Higgins, it seems, cannot tell the difference between “rats and other lab animals” and human beings.