Live Forever or Die Trying The History and Politics of Life Extension

Initially, I had intended to write this book in the summer of 2006. At that time, my involvement in the Life Extension Movement was growing, my enthusiasm was palpable; trusted friends and colleagues urged me to undertake the project, noting that it would give momentum to a nascent movement that was a mere blip on the political radar screen and bring needed attention to an issue that many thought might never be discussed seriously in a society that considers death an unpleasant but inevitable reality.

Even though I agreed with this analysis, I managed to avoid any serious attempt to start a far-reaching debate on the political, social, and economic consequences of radically extending one's life into the future. After all, I thought, the technology in this field is still at a nascent stage, antiaging research receives few government grants, controversy abounds in the scientific community as to the mere possibility of indefinite life extension; most elected officials are clueless about it and even a majority of the President's Council on Bioethics is hostile to the idea.

But that being said, I never was one to back down from a good fight. I had read much of the scientific work undertaken by a multitude of scientists determined to understand how and why human beings slowly age, and how we can reverse our demise and extend our lives indefinitely. I disagreed with the naysayers who pompously declare that prolonging life will ruin the environment, cause overpopulation, promote wars over scarce resources, as well as those narrow-minded, quasi-pundits who embraced a number of bogus charges and half-truths intended to impede further research into the causes of the terminal disease of aging.

I had more than enough evidence to confront the critics, but for some unknown reason, I lost the internal primal spark necessary to fight back.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Tom Mooney has an eclectic background: from student activist to elected official, from columnist to wellknown criminal defense attorney, and presently the Executive Director of the Coalition to Extend Life, the largest political organization working to bring about a "war on aging." He attended the University of Pennsylvania and Catholic University Law School. In 1971, Mr. Mooney was elected Vice President of the United States National Student Association in Washington, D.C. He then completed law school and started his own law firm which he later gave to his son Tom. For fifteen years, Mr. Mooney was a columnist for The Journal papers, writing on a wide variety of topics but with an emphasis on politics. In 1978, he was elected as a member of the Maryland General Assembly and was reelected in 1982. He served on the Ways and Means Committee, helping to oversee the state's budget and taxation policies. In 1986, he ran for governor of the state. He won the primary election but lost the general election and returned to practicing law. After deciding that a "war on aging" needed political support as well as medical and scientific involvement, Mr. Mooney started the Coalition to Extend Life in Washington, D.C. He is committed to pursuing life extension for all and works diligently to promote a "war on aging." Mr. Mooney lives in College Park, Maryland, has four children and six grandchildren. He has received many awards and acknowledgements from former Presidents,Governors,and other prominent individuals and organizations in American society. Mr. Mooney is an avid runner, who has competed in marathons and an dedicated cyclist who attempts to live his life "as green as possible."