Posted on 03/25/2005 5:21:18 AM PST by mhking
My position on the Schiavo matter has vascilated back and forth over the past few days as I've agonized over the matter.
Should she be given a chance at life? If so, what kind of life are we talking about? Is there a chance at rehabilitation? Is Michael Schiavo an evil S.O.B., or is he simply a heart-broken man?
Conversely, is she truly in a vegetative state? A virtual zombie with eyes open, and nothing inside? Are her parents and family in denial about her pain and suffering? Are the evangelicals coming to her aid getting so worked up that they are looking past the true nature of this situation?
Difficult questions these. Who wins? Who loses?
There is no winner here. This situation is heartbreaking at the core. A vibrant woman struck down in the prime of her life. A myriad of doctors, most of whom have indicated that much of her brain tissue has deteriorated and possibly even liquified inside her skull. CAT scans that support that diagnosis.
Conversely, we see her eyes focusing on a balloon, we see her apparently responding to people entering her limited field of vision.
What do we believe?
After 22 different judges have agonized over this, they all have come to the same decision: that her husband has the right to make that agonizing decision.
Talk show host Neil Boortz has taken the stance that Terri Schiavo has earned her place in heaven, and that we, as a people, should let her go home.
Do you believe in God’s promise of everlasting life? Do you believe that the reward for a life well spent on this earth is a life with God in heaven after you die? If you do, then a few more questions if you will.Jesus awaits Terri Schiavo at the gates of heaven with open arms. He will grant her eternal rest. He loves all, no matter which side of this sad story the people are on.Do you believe that the human soul can make the transition to everlasting life while the human body that carried that soul through life clings to life on this earth? If you do, then you must surely believe that Terri Schiavo has earned and is already enjoying her reward in heaven. That being the case, why is it so important to you that the now-unneeded body of Terri Schiavo is kept alive?
But perhaps you believe, as I do, that the human soul is so connected to and integrated with its earthly body that any transition will not be made until that body ceases functioning -- until death occurs.. That being the case, why do you so ardently desire that the soul of Terri Schiavo spend five, ten, perhaps 30 years or more trapped in a useless and non-functioning body, unable to move on to whatever reward awaits her? Isn’t 15 years enough?
Where do your concerns truly lie, with the eternal soul of Terri Schiavo, or with her earthly body?
Let her go home. We can only commend her spirit among the angels for the journey.
Sadly, those who damn the judges and politicians and those of us who wish her spirit to move on are going to fracture the fragile fabric of the conservative wing of the GOP. In their zeal to ignore the rule of law and the Constitutional process, they are sliding down the slippery slope of anarchy toward mob rule.
This is a land of laws, not men. And the political problems that are surfacing -- on both sides -- point toward the deterioration of our constitutional republic. Are you ready for that? Are you ready for that will mean in the future?
I weep for Terri Schiavo today. But I fear for more tears in our future, thanks to those who would wad up the Constitutional protections and freedoms wrought by the notion of ignoring the rule of law, simply because those in power didn't get their way.
"this issues has many in the death grip where "emotion" is being substituted for upholding the law, no matter how inconvinient it is"
Well said! I've been reading (and sometimes replying) to this type of talk on other threads. Both of the Bushes have done more than most other politicians would have done. As for "bringing in the troops", most of us here were appalled when Clinton & Reno used those tactics in both Waco, and most especially with Elian Gonzalez. We have to decide whether we want to be a civilized country that honors our laws. If we don't like the laws, we work within the system to change them. Unfortunately it's not a perfect world, or country. We do the best we can, and when things don't go our way, we work to change things or learn to accept that perhaps something was to be learned from what transpires. I was always taught that you pray for God's intercession, but can't always count on the answer you want to hear. Sometimes your prayers are answered in a way you have trouble understanding. As much as I pray for Terri to survive, perhaps her struggle has brought to light some things in our system that need to change, and may lead to changes that will help us all in the end. Possibly this has been instrumental in showing just how out of control our judiciary system has become.
No matter what the outcome is hopefully we can be accepting of what we can't change, and work even harder to change what we can. We will need good men like the Bushes to help bring about change in rational ways.
If Terri is saved, Jesus is already with her. No need to starve her to death to send her to Him.
If we took the "going to Jesus" argument seriously, these people would all be mass murderers sending as many people to Jesus as they could out of their love.
And some FReepers will cheer on the executioners.
Can Jeb do this legally?
It is not your place to decide when God calls her home. No matter what state you are in.
I can understand the frustration. Believe me, I'm angry as heck over this and would love to wring Michael Schiavo's neck. But I'm not sure what this kind of attitude is going to accomplish other than a short lived satisfaction for having exacted revenge. If there's something more to it, can you explain it to me?
I read that article by Neal Boortz and agree that Terri has been held in a kind of limbo for 15 years.
It is long past time for a national conversation about this matter; I had not realized until early in the week that people did not know what was going on in the country and decisions being made between families and their doctors. Quietly. Without litigation.
But in this conversation I would hope that the government that governs least governs best. Because surely any legislation that gets passed will leave people with our always special circumstances unrepresented.
Yes, I agree with you - we need to stand up to bad laws. What have you personally done to do that in this case? I'm only asking because it appears many want the Bushes to do whatever it takes, even go to jail, but they haven't put themselves on the line like that as yet.
It's so very simple. If she's experiencing no pain, then there's no harm to her by keeping her alive. If she is experiencing pain, then starving her is nothing short of torture.
I don;t think Christians fear death.
We fear murder.
It is not for anyone else to decide when someone should "let her go." That is up to God.
No, they stay home. That alone has made the difference in many elections. After all, we've put our best and boldest in office and small-time real estate judges still overrule the entire country.
Those of us who have been around for a while can see the wheels coming off. Those that haven't don't have a whole lot of perspective. They've been preconditioned since their public school days to believe that every generation says the end is near, therefore the end will never be near. History is no longer taught so our young indoctrinated folks won't think about those days of glory.
The attorneys for Fla DCF say yes. The omnipotent and omniscient feds will most likely say no.
It appears to this layman that Greer has a serious conflict of interest here; can someone explain why he was allowed to hear the case based on the legislation that Congress enacted on Sunday?
I like your reply best.
it is so easy for US to say these kinds of things about terri when it is not our loved one or daughter. if it were my son, I would fight to the last minute to save him and I AM a christian too.
Think of the implications of that question. The culture of death makes the law up as they go along. Therefore everything they do is legal, though not necessarily constitutional. If the culture of life must abide by the arbitrary rulings of the culture of death, then they win. Here are some examples of when the judges were defied:
What was God thinking to allow her to live this way for 15 years. The gall of him. Thank heaven we have people that know better than God. It will not be long before God will not be needed at all.
It would take a higher court to overrule Judge Greer. Any executive action could be considered illegal. I think it's time to let go.
"The only thing necessary to insure the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" - Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
If the judges cannot be disobeyed in this circumstance, then when can they? If a government will not resist tyranny of a few despots who exceed their constitutional authority, it's time for last rites. Revenge is not the purpose; men who vacillate under these conditions are not ready for more responsibility.
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