Death, Terri Schiavo, Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever and Choices (A Vanity)

03-30-05 | Mother Abigail

[Mother Abigail]

The Disclaimer:

If you do not believe in God, then this post will be meaningless gibberish in your mind.

The Premise:

Our relationship with God has always been centered upon the concept of Freedom of Choice. We are free to choose from all manner of things both good and evil, but God also chooses.

The Facts:

Terri Schiavo, a severely brain-damaged young woman, teeters on the edge of death. She is being killed by withholding food and water, a judgement decreed upon her by the people of the United States. The highest courts of the land have approved her death, and at this time when virtually all hope is gone, we simply wait.

Waiting on either her death or a miracle of deliverance we all arise today.

In the distant land of Angola, villagers are huddled in their homes waiting to see if Death has departed. Hell has visited them.

Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever has appeared out of nowhere and killed scores of people with a brutal and horrific plague. All touched have died save seven. Those few remain near death, waiting.

A few people fled this holocaust to die in larger cities and the suburbs of large cities. The people that came into contact with those who fled are now in quarantine. Waiting to see if death will pass them by.

The countries that surround Angola are mobilized to fight Death if, in the guise of the traveler, it should cross their borders. They also wait.

Moon-suited angels are in flight to either bury the dead and cleanse the area where Hell touched, or fight the second wave.

No one knows, no one on earth. In the next few days this horror will either have passed or spread. All we can do is wait and pray.

The Question:

Do the choices we make as a people and a nation influence the choices that God makes?

The Prayer:

Great and marvellous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages. Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.

[mountaineer]

Probably should be "moonbats."

[pistolpackinannie]

It seems to me that Michael separated them, he's the one that has lived with another woman for 10 years, he's the one that has 2 children by another woman, therefore, he gave up any rights he may have had....and since when does a man own a woman that he can speak for her??? Those days are long gone!

[pistolpackinannie]

No one knows her wishes, we only know what he says her wishes were...he wants her dead pretty badly, talk about a conflict here!

[newgeezer]

No one knows her wishes, we only know what he says her wishes were...he wants her dead pretty badly, talk about a conflict here!

And, wouldn't it be awful if that apparent conflict was all that prevented her wishes from being carried out.

[ClaireSolt]

This does not make any sense. As usual it is a huge diversion. Our relationship to God centers on choice, she says. That is a nutty perversion of the concept of free will. Choice plus privacy without any public morality seems to be the position of those who advocate abortion, euthenasia, and blow jobs in the Oval office.

[the invisib1e hand]

In Honor of Terri Schiavo

Please let it load -- it's 11 mb.

Have headphones or sound on.

special thanks to lafroste for generous technical and web assistance.

[Mother Abigail]

 

April 4, 2005

>>  An outbreak of the deadly Ebola-like Marburg virus has intensified in Angola, claiming more than 29 lives over the past four days and taking the nationwide toll to 155, heightening fear of the disease in the capital Luanda, authorities said on Monday.

Angolan health minister Sebastiao Veloso said the toll climbed to "175 cases, among them 155 dead, all from the province of Uige", the epicentre of the outbreak in the country's north on the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. The official toll had stood at 126 on Thursday.<<

The Marburg cases in Angola are exploding as the virus geographically extends its reach. 

Today's WHO announcement indicates deaths have now occurred in four provinces outside of Uige, Cabinda, Luanda, Kuanza Norte, and Malange.  Although the cases may trace back to Uige, the large number of new cases and deaths in new provinces seems likely to lead to new transmissions.  The 20 case differential between the number of infections and number of deaths does not represent discharges. 

The case fatality rate remains at 100%, but now new patients are being identified at a higher rate than patients dying.  The increased number of new admissions indicates the outbreak is accelerating.

The demographics began to change several weeks ago when the first health care workers were infected.  The number of workers who have died is at least 12.  In the past 1-2 weeks deaths have been reported for the first time in the four provinces surrounding Uige.

The latest reports do not have as much detail on the age of patients or the breakdown of locations. 

They also do not update the status of the passenger in Portugal being tested (a report on the third passenger was schedule for release last Thursday), or the suspect cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  There have also been media rumors of additional cases in Cabinda.

The number dead has surpassed the record of 126 for Marburg and now appears likely to surpass the record number of 280 Ebola deaths. 

Although contact tracing efforts are increasing, the 20 newly diagnosed patients who have not died indicate that the number of contacts should be at least 2-4X the 100 being monitored or traced by WHO.  Media reports indicate that 16 are under hospital quarantine in Cabinda and 9 are under quarantine in Italy.  These 25 under quarantine are linked to just two of the 155 deaths.

The case fatality rate of 100% and rapid spread of the virus in five provinces is markedly different than prior Marburg outbreaks.

[Mother Abigail]

The latest

[grassboots.org]

That he should speak for her seems reasonable That a man who is living with another should speak for her is not only unreasonable but foolish and wicked. According to your own standard he has joined himself to a harlot and he is one with her - you cannot be one with more than "one". He has forfeited his rights to speak for his wife.

[Judith Anne]

The case fatality rate of 100% and rapid spread of the virus in five provinces is markedly different than prior Marburg outbreaks.

Yes, I recall having to backtrack on another thread, because the historic case fatality rate is around 25% for Marburg, but this is different.

I've also read of 10+ cases being observed for possible Marburg in Italy, right now.