Posted on 03/29/2005 8:58:34 AM PST by Long Cut
We, the Witness Protection Program For Freepers, aka the Wild Turkeys, aka the Coalition of the Sane, have through mutual discussion and rigourous thought, determined that:
1. The discussion threads regarding Terri Schiavo (hereafter referred to as "TS") have become too full of innuendo, rumormongering, hyperbole, hysteria, namecalling, paranoia, and general poor behavior to warrant participation.
2. Said threads have degenerated into "echo chambers", wherein the same, common thoughts are continually posted again and again, and the same old disreputable, unconfirmed and/or false urban myths are propagated.
3. Anyone who joins in said theads with alternative viewpoints to the most extreme posts are routinely driven away with slander, accusations, and vile namecalling.
4. No data or evidence contrary to the "prevailing opinions" are accepted, considered, or discussed; and in fact are rejected outright in most instances.
5. That the continued calls for armed insurrection, military or paramilitary involvement, impeachements of politicians and judges, and death threats are embarassing, stupid, shortsighted, doomed to failure, and contrary to most if not all conservative thought prior to this case, as well as damaging in the extreme to FR and the conservative movement as a whole.
6. That such emotional, hyperbolic, and propaganda-driven hysteria is in fact contrary to all conservatives USED to stand for.
7. That the holding up of swastika and other Nazi imagery towards the police and the Bushes, the use of children as political props, and the disruption of the peace at the Woodside Hospice can only reflect badly on conservatives in general, and should be discouraged.
8. That the pursuit of this issue to the exclusion of all others by the GOP has damaged, perhaps beyond repair, the pursuit of other important issues as well as the reputation of the GOP, FR, and conservatism.
The WPPFF is NOT of one mind as to the case of TS or its correct outcome. In fact, wide disagreement exists within our little group. However, we are united in our wish that reason and sanity be respected in the discussion, as well as the rights of all parties involved or participating. We wish to discuss this as adults and intellectuals, as conservatives and as FRiends, not as children screaming past each other on some playground of hysteria. We wish for facts and evidence to be provided, discussed reasonably, and considered fairly.
We reject all accusations of Naziism, "death cultism", or other slander as methods of debate. We reject the practice of "spamming" multiple threads, of posting unending vanities, and the posting of propaganda and calls for violence. We reject, in fact, all unseemly and childish behavior which has come to characterize this case on FR.
We DO invite others to come and reasonably discuss the issue. We have no problem with FReepers who wish to debate in a rational and fair manner, and with due respect for their fellow FReepers. We have NO problem with those whose views are formed by religion; however we reject "preaching" or "being beaten with a Bible" as legitemite debate tactics. Not all of us are Believers, and such tactics only cheapen the source.
If a FReeper finds this an acceptable meansd to discuss this and other issues, they are welcome to join in and participate. Those who find pleasure in attacks, flame-baiting, slander, stalking, and personal atacks will be ignored, and their egos will go unfed.
We assume this thread to be a zone of sanity in an overheated atmosphere. Thus, a general amnesty is in effect. If posters conduct themselves within the guidlines above, we will be happy to discuss and debate with you. If a poster wishes to apologize for past slips of the tongue, or for possible "over-the-top" statements to another, it will be graciously accepted, and your company welcome.
Please bring a sense of humor; we feel that too many have been taking themselves too seriously lately.
Let the discussion begin!
Signed,
The WPPFF, aka The Wild Turkeys, aka the Coalition of the Sane.
Racist much?
"I'll fight to preserve your choices, help me fight to preserve peoples' lives." Very well put. I think you'll find that's what most people want.
One of the problems is that this has all been allowed to go on for so long...Roe vs. Wade, Nancy Cruzan, Karen Quinlan, and so on. Perhaps Terri's case will have made people think over these precendents and voice their thoughts as well as you just did. The name callers, screamers, etc. may get a brief amount of attention{often the wrong kind}; but true change will come from well thought out discourse. It can be done.
Worth repeating
Joined by Howard Dean, Hillary Clinton, James Carville, Harry Dean and Nancy Pelosi, no doubt. The left loves to see conservatives eat their own. Some here are playing right into their hands.
LOL Reminds me of the quote... "Did you stop beating your wife?" :)
"There are quite a few converts here. It just shows that a lot of us grew up"
From little lefties into big lefties.
Okay.
I'm not sure I understand the rejection of living wills, though. Certainly having something written down is preferable to relying upon verbal testimony. Further, if someone changes his mind, the old will could be rescinded.
If you reject living wills entirely, then you are going to end up with a lot more of these types of situations.
Oops, I mean Harry Reid.
Well, you posted that to yourself, so...
I'll just let your inadvertant honesty stand.
The Schindlers' fate was decided from the very first case. They just are blind to reality and are propelled by hatred for Michael Schiavo.
Thanks for bumping the thread.
Well, if I'm a monkey, I guess I can fling poo back instead. ;0)
Thanks for the bump!
Do you have a visual?
Ok. No living will may be honored. In the absence of effective living wills, the State will decide the fate of a terminally ill patient based upon (presumably) your remaining rules.
"Second, a person should be free to refuse any treatment, if their will can be established beyond any doubt."
Uh-oh. We're already in trouble here. You've declared living wills null and void, so if the terminally ill patient is comatose or in a persistent vegetative state, the State cannot determine the "will" of the patient. This problem will be (presumably) resolved by your next rule.
"Third, if a person is not capable of expressing their will, no reasonable treatment on which his life is dependent should be refused or denied to him under any circumstances."
So the State will decide what is "reasonable" treatment. And the State, being benign and limitlessly wealthy, will therefore keep the comatose or PVS patient alive indefinitely (so long as doing so is "reasonable").
And the State will, of course, not require the patient's relatives to pay for this perpetual care, thereby preventing the specter of bankruptcy. Indeed, the State will not require the patient's relatives to care anymore one way or the other. Or express any opinion. Or, god forbid, disagree.
And finally, we know that the State would adopt your definition of "reasonable" treatment, and would never change that definition in the future (say, when the economics of the deal got a little dicey).
I am comforted.
shudder
"Racist much?"
Now how on earth did you reach that conclusion? For you to even draw that parallel from the word "monkey" makes your own thought processes suspect.
LC, I borrowed your post and have been using it where appropriate. Thanks so much.
It's the old 'lie down with dogs' problem. We laughed at the left when Michael Moore hijacked their side (and with it, any shred of vestigal credibility they might have). Now, we've got our own hijack situation in progress from our own extremist moonbats. I think it speaks much better of us that we're not taking it lying down. Still, if we can't put down the Kook Intifada soon, then we're going to lose a lot of hard won ground.
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