Q: What is the difference between Christopher Reeve and Terri Schiavo?
A: Christopher could not breate on his own in addition to not being able to eat.
Some therapists believe they can have Terri Schiavo walking with the aid of a walker within a year if she is given meaningful therapy. Why has her "husband" denied her this treatment? There is even a new affidavit from a nurse at the hospice that hosts Terri. It states that the nurse did in fact spoon feed Terri from time to time. This means she could be fed normally IF MICHAEL SCHIAVO WOULD ALLOW IT.
It seems to me, that Terri's family should be making the decisions for her. Her husband is no more family than an ex-boyfriend would be. Would you trust all of your ex-boyfriends/girlfriends with making decisions about your life?
Michael Schiavo has already moved on in his life. He has a mistress and two children. He does not act as a husband to Terri. If a small corporation does not act as a corporation the owner is held liable on a personal basis in most states. Going on that precedent, he should no longer be making life or death decisions in this case because in daily life he has not acted as her husband for years. If he respects his marriage so much that he has children with another woman, why should we respect his marriage?
This devil has even denied members of Terri's family the courtesy of visitation with Terri in what could be her final hours. He is truly an evil man who is trying to commit murder with court approval. Michael Schiavo and the judge in this case should both be immediately tried for murder. They are denying her every honest attempt for recovery, stacking the deck against her. Therapy? DENIED, Sunlight? DENIED, music? DENIED, brushing of teeth? DENIED! The list goes on.
But the big picture is whether we want to be a society of life or a society of death. As a society of death we are no better than Islamic Terrorists. As a society we have nothing to benefit from the death if innocent people, we have everything to gain from the life of people who show promise. Terri Schiavo shows promise. Terri has never even had a CT scan or a complete physical evaluation before it was determined she was in a "vegetative state". By the way there are many doctors who claim that she is not in that condition. What is sad is that there are others who have similar situations to Terri's. They just don't get the publicity.
Kudo's go out to most of the members of Congress and especially to President Bush. How many people in the world in the position he is in would leave their own home in the middle of the night to take action to save one person's life. That is true humanity. That is what he meant by the phrase compassionate conservatism during his first campaign. He is truly a man of great virtue, a man of great character, and a man who knows how to lead based on those qualities. I pray we will someday start to elect great statesmen instead of politicians, nut that's a different subject for a different post.
For the record: I am for limited government. Most true conservatives are. But this is a special case where there is possibly an out of control judiciary. This is part of the checks and balances of the system. When the laws are interpreted by the judicial branch of government in a way the legislative branch does not like they can pass a new law. Then once a lawsuit is brought up contesting the new law, the judical must rule it to be unconstitutional. Sounds political....that's because it is. But this is also another post.
11 comments:
Lies, And The Lying Liars Who Tell Them.
Congrats HB, you've now totally discredited yourself as a semi-reasonable voice from the whacked-out right.
Terry is in a vegetative stage, just like she has been the past 15 years. This case has been brought before 19 different judges. The courts have ruled in favor of Terry's husband.
You're personal attack on Michael Schiavo is embarrassing. Almost as embarrassing as Tom DeLay's posturing on this case, and the illegal action taken by congress, signed in to law by the tyrant Bush.
A horrible precedent has been set with this politically inspired action. And don't even bother arguing this isn't politically inspired, the RNC memo that ABC reported over the weekend, which listed how important politically this issue is, and how it will benefit them in the 2006 elections.
You and the party line you toe is anti-American and antidemocratic. Your support of such blatant government interference on a family issue is discrediting to you or any semi reasonable position you may argue or believe in.
If you were sincere about this position that you are arguing, you would be spending as much time on "Baby Sun" who just last week, had his plug pulled by a hospital in Houston, TX, against the will of the mother.
But wait, how can the hospital get away with doing that? Well, of course, Bush Crime Family Cappo, George W. signed into law legislation in 1999, while TX Governor, that allows hospitals to pull the plug on patients, without consent of the family, spouse, or anyone else. Unless of course the insurance company foots the bill, then said patient can remain alive.
Where's your outrage on these matter? There's no outrage unless the fax from Karl Rove each morning says be outraged. Embarrassing!
According to you, "Terri's family should be making the decisions for her. Her husband is no more family than an ex-boyfriend would be."
So, if you were hurt and went into a vegatative state with little chance of recovery, no brain activity whatsoever, unable to breath or eat on your own, and your parents decided that they wanted to ease your suffering and let you die and your wife disagreed and wanted to keep you alive because she believed there was some hope you would awaken despite information and medical history to the contrary, you still believe your parents should make the decision?
I often wonder how frightened one must be of death to cling so viciously to a life even when it isn't much of a life at all. In my opinion, the quality of life is infinitely more important than the quantity.
The overall disagreement is that we disagree on whether Terri has no brain activity. From what I have seen and heard, She does have some, not much but some brain activity. Err on the side of life.
The second disagreement we have is on treatment. It seems the same political ideology that thinks it is torture to put a pair of underwear on the head of a terrorist in a prison, think it is OK to starve and dehydrate someone to death.
If we as a society choose to be a society of death, then we are headed down a very dangerous path. That is not the path I want my country to go down. Our founding fathers said we have the right to Life Liberty and Persuit of Happiness. Life not death.
If you're a Christian and you believe in God, then you surely believe Schiavo will be in a better place than this hellacious state she's in now.
Also, why would you want the government intruding into your personal life? I thought you conservatives were against that. Remember?
And finally, there are many...many...many spouses who confide in their husbands and wives more than their families. Schiavo's husband may have been privy to a conversation which her family was never intended to hear.
Yes, I am a Christian. I believe that if God wanted to take Terri to heaven, He would already have done so. I believe her presence here is for some higher purpose. Maybe it is for the purpose of putting all this right-to-die stuff to rest by forcing our congree to act. Maybe it is a test to see if our country still has it's mind in the right place. Maybe He is setting the stage for another miracle.
Terri is in a hellacious state right now because her legal husband is having her starved to death. If you are a Christian, ask your self if Jesus would stavre someone to death like that. We done treat mangy dogs with that type of treatment.
As far as spouses confiding in only their partners. My wife and I have in the past had those conversations not only with each other, but with both of our parents as well as all brothers and sisters. I could tell you what my brother-in-law's wishes were 4 years ago. This wasn't just a conversation that occured because of recent events. Why is it Michael suddenly remembered that they had this conversation only 7 years ago. Seems to me he would have remembered what she said much earlier than that. Something sticks in Florida, and it ain't the cabbage.
To LJ:
If you feel I have discredited myself as a "semi-reasonable voice from the whacked-out right" then you misunderstand my personal motivations. I think there is still reasonable doubt that Terri is not in a vegetative state. She has never had several of the tests done that can conclude whether she is actually brain dead. She is obviousely brain damaged. I want those tests performed to determine once and for all just what her state really is. I dispise Michael Schiavo for denying those tests. I am against euthenasia, but if she is truely brain dead, then give her morphine to ease her pain. If too much is given at that point and she overdoses in comfort I would be able to better sleep at night than to see her starve. Have some humanity. I know you will say she doesn't feel pain, but if this is true then why did the hospice staff give her pain meds for menstral cramps every month after she groaned in pain? My motivation is for compassion and against what I see as a brutal muder. It is sad indeed to see you towing that party line you accuse me of towing yourself.
As far as Baby Sun is concerned. There was not enough publicity. I did not know of that case until you emailed it to me. There are many like it. Maybe, just maybe, Terri's situation will cause laws to be written that will prevent these needless killings when there is still a glimmer of hope. If you don't have hope you don't have anything.
Last time I checked the fax machine, I didn't get anything from Karl Rove. My opinions come from my heart. I am a conservative because my opinions happen to line up with other conservatives, just as you are a liberal becaiuse your opinions line up with other liberals. At least I hope you aren't getting your talking points faxed to you from Howard Dean. If you are then your opinions no longer matter because they are not yours
All this "Err on the side of life" stuff the president is spewing now is hilarious considering he erred on the side of death the entire time he was fast forwarding the death penalty as the governer of Texas. This whole Schiavo case is a travishamockery with the religious right using her to try to make a point. And in doing so they are assasinating the character of her husband, who has stood by her and taken care of her when her parents were awol. There are so many falsities floating around the internet about this it is sick. Her doctors agree with the husband that she isn't getting any better. it is terrbile what all these people are putting this poor woman through just to prove a political/religious point.
Cammo
Oh yeah, we can get her to walk with a walker ... we just never thought of it in the PAST FIFTEEN YEARS to even with with her to get her to this point.
If you think that Michael is doing all of this out of spite your views on humanity must be very very grim.
It makes me sick what this poor woman is going through. And then to top it off the ACLU applauds the court's decision Not only that but they were involved in it. Makes me down right angry.
The federal government got involved once and let some African American students attend a white school all while Governor Wallace, Democrat, stood there with his megaphone and he couldn't do a damn thing about it, thus ending segregation as we know it. Point is, the government over steps the rights of the states sometimes for good reasons. Fortunately it was Congress and not the President who voted to get involved. The President just agreed with Congress and signed over the bill. Notice how many Democrats voted with the Republicans. Also notice Democrats who just didn't show. I'd be pissed if I was from a state and my representative that voted for didn't show express my vote for me. In case, I don't think Michael Schiavo has the right over Terri's family, period, end of story.
Just for the record, I don't even have a fax machine. My opinions are my own.
Congress passing politically inspired legislation to interfere with a family dispute, because 19 different judges ruled against one party is dangerous.
What's next? Is congress going to get involved in Divorce hearings in Pompano Beach? Is there a child custody hearing in Montana that may warrant congressional action?
Congress has overstepped its role and is treading on thin ice adjacent to a slippery slope.
Although conservatives may agree with this overstepping, I think you are overlooking what the act it self means.
The Dems will regain control of the congress again. (My guess is the 2006 election.) And there will be a Democratic President again. Now that the precedent has been set, who knows if you'll be on board with their next act of overstepping.
The tides do turn. And supporting such actions now, because you personally believe in the action, doesn't make the action itself correct.
i'm not a Christian, I am a Taoist and Zen Buddhist. the idea of Heaven and Hell make me snicker at times. if you think you come and go, that is your misfortune.
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