Posted on 04/01/2005 4:26:00 PM PST by Poohbah
First, this is NOT an April Fool's joke.
I am leaving Free Republic.
Over the past two years, civility and thoughtful discourse has vanished from this site, replaced with demands for ideological conformity that are straight out of Stalinist Russia or China's Great Cultural Revolution, and unrelenting uncivility if said conformance is not forthcoming. This trend began with the California recall election, where certain posters were allowed to flame the living beejezus out of those who didn't wholeheartedly support Tom McClintock, or thought that he wasn't running a campaign capable of winning. It extended into the Keyes campaign last year, where any critique of Keyes' campaign strategy was shrilly flamed, despite the obviously flawed execution of his campaign.
(Aside: one person who flamed me during the Keyes mess later said that he hadn't intended to start a fight with his remarks that accused me of homosexuality, pedophilia, and other evils; I was instantly reminded of the time I had to bail one of my Marines out of the local lockup. "Honest, Sarge," this Marine told me, "I didn't mean to start a fight when I called that Army Ranger a faggot." My response was not [and still isn't] suitable for public consumption.)
Since then, the Terri Schiavo case has pushed FR over the edge. We had posts calling for people to ensure that "accidents" to befall Schiavo and Judge Greer. We had posts praying that Iran would soon develop nuclear weapons, so that they could destroy the United States. And until the FBI started making arrests, those posts were allowed to stay up, completely abnegating Free Republic's standards.
We had people on both sides of the issue point out that the Schindlers were associating with some people of extremely low character, and that our uncritical embrace of these parties would not rebound to our favor. Rather reasonable attitudes to take, actually; but the loudest of the loud were in no mood to think.
My personal favorite was the following exchange:
The issue is not legality, but public opinion. Which will not be helped in this case if the pro-Terry side becomes associated in the media with Christian Identity, white supremicists, neo-nazis, racists and/or anti-semites.
Diva Betsy Ross made a valiant attempt to...ahem...whitewash Christian Identity, but it didn't work.
To top things off, we had people embracing as some sort of conservative icon, to the extent of posting a fundraising link.
I always thought that conservatism valued thinking over feeling, careful contemplation of facts over wild-eyed repetition of every damn rumor to come down the pipe, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. For a while, Free Republic met those criteria in spades.
Those days are long gone, and I have serious doubt as to whether or not they're coming back.
I know that many of the usual suspects will cheer this on, as their longtime nemesis is leaving them the field.
Be careful what you wish for; you are in the process of getting it. You may succeed in driving the folks who disagree with you from the site; but you will end up being just another collection of shrill voices in Bedlam. When everything is an over-the-top scream, no one will be heard.
Farewell.
"Or that artificial feeding isn't really artificial? "
By that same logic, we could kill anyone who had a pacemaker, after all, it's artificially keeping their heart in rythm and thus extending their lives artificially.
It's artificial.
As is Insulin injections for diabetes.
And let's not forget artificial life saving procedures known as colostomy, without which some people would die.
Well . . . yeah!!! I wasn't trying to suggest anything! LOL!
Show where she had a living will. Give links.There was no living will. The court appointed Michael Shiavo as her surrogate. The arguments against him being the surrogate could be the same against a living will, i.e. adultery.
By that same logic, we could kill anyone who had a pacemaker, after all, it's artificially keeping their heart in rythm and thus extending their lives artificially. It's artificial. As is Insulin injections for diabetes. And let's not forget artificial life saving procedures known as colostomy, without which some people would die.
Yes, you can argue all of those situations but the patient would also have to be mentally and physically incapacitated. AND there would have to be no hope of recovery. AND the person would have had a normal life prior to the above circumstances just as a person who took the time to create a living will would have had a normal life.
"There was no living will."
Thanks for playing, buh bye now.
Perfect example of your humor?
"Yes, you can argue all of those situations but the patient would also have to be mentally and physically incapacitated. AND there would have to be no hope of recovery. AND the person would have had a normal life prior to the above circumstances just as a person who took the time to create a living will would have had a normal life."
http://www.flsenate.gov/cgi-bin/view_page.pl?Tab=session&Submenu=1&FT=D&File=sb2228.html&Directory=session/1999/Senate/bills/billtext/html/
S 2228 Page 16 and 17, posted 8/28/2000
14 (9) "Life-prolonging procedure" means any medical
15 procedure, treatment, or intervention, including artificially
16 provided sustenance and hydration, which sustains, restores,
17 or supplants a spontaneous vital function.
This affords them the leeway to kill anyone they deem unfit to live, regardless of terminal/non-terminal status.
Funny, the 'death cultists' seem to think it's okay.
Until it's someone they love.
Sweet irony. Ain't it grand.
Funny, the 'death cultists' seem to think it's okay. Until it's someone they love.Funny, when I was fourteen my father died of a massive heart attack. I watched it occur; even tried to resuscitate him. Later the doctors told my mother if they had revived his heart he would've been a vegetable for the rest of his days. The situation Terri Shiavo lost herself in.
If my father had lived, he would've been trapped in a vegetative shell. All the things which made his life worth living denied him. Anything he'd try to communicate to his family, that is if he could remember anything, a source of frustration due to the captivity. If we, his family who loved him dearly, had to make the choice we would never have allowed him to live that way. We would have made the exact same decision Michael Shiavo made.
No one wants to let go. But sometimes it's the most compassionate choice.
Culture of death as opposed to a culture of life?...it makes as much sense as saying the nighttime is in an eternal struggle against the day.
The forum owner may ban me if he thinks it's necessary. I stand by my arguments.
According to your point of view, my grandmother who had polio when she was three would have been killed.
And your point of view was defeated 60 years ago.
Again, I point you to here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1375809/posts?page=1847#1847
And here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1375809/posts?page=1835#1835
You're so quick to judge others, and your projectionism shows quite well.
I lost my only child in a car accident.
Until you've buried your only child, you will never know much about life and death.
My grandfather died due to myocardial infarction.
And by your viewpoint my other grandfather would have been executed as unfit to live.
Your views are out of line with the stated purpose and mission of this website as stated by it's founder and boss.
Yes, you stand by your arguements, and they're morally bankrupt.
ROFL
BTW, this is the first time I recall a U.S. Marine abandoning his post.
I lost my only child in a car accident.I'm very sorry to hear that. I can understand your desire to take the side of Terri Shiavo's parents. It is very hard to let go.
That hurt my heart to read that.
I'm so sorry.
Wrong.
It's the LOSS that hurts.
And there will always be a hole where a PERSON sat.
Not an 'unfit' life.
Not a set of predetermined parameters fitting what someone playing god feels defines the need to live.
I'm extremely disappointed. Here I went out, bought tons of popcorn, invited a bunch of buddies over, put my monitor out to a big screen TV (so we could all read and laugh at the same time), and other than this one, ZERO!
I am so sorry about the loss of your child.
I'm so sorry. I'm the mother of an only child. I can't imagine what that must have been like for you.
No need to be sorry.
Thank you.
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