Posted on 06/12/2005 4:49:20 AM PDT by Cincinnatus
Lucianne Goldberg took a substantial amount of criticism when she shut down the Terri Schiavo threads at Lucianne.com during the height of the coverage. The death last week of her husband Sidney allows a bit more light to be shed on that decision. What follows is an email I received from a member of the L.com staff, in response to a tribute I had written on my blog, Cheer up! Life Isn’t Everything which had also been linked from a Free Republic condolence thread:
Sidney's hospitalization began the same week the Terry Schiavo situation hit the national media. Imagine having your spouse in the hospital and you are facing very difficult end-of-life decisions, while at the same time a 24/7 debate is going on across the country. Lucianne spent a good deal of her time shutting off TVs in the hospital to protect the patients, but there was no avoiding it for her. After a day at the hospital, she would return home in the evening to find her entire website had been taken over with the highly charged, extremely emotional, repetitive, and at times down right nasty debate. It was more than she was willing or able to tolerate, and she instructed us (LCom Staff) to shut it down. She took a great deal of abuse from posters for her decision, and many turned on her and left. I'm sure they had no idea what she was facing in her personal life, and I don't blame them for that. But, there is a lesson in this episode for everyone. Maybe when we don't understand a decision, it would be best to recognize that there may be more to the story and trust that it will eventually make sense to us. I hope this brings understanding.
When Randall showed up and that other media rev started screaming about playing politics with the Shiavo case (while talking to the media in front of the hospital), I knew this had nothing to do with life and death and everything to do with politics.
It's disgusting.
Whatever factions decided to piggyback onto the Schiavo case, the essential fact as I saw it, was that her husband was compromised, in that he had motives that were perhaps less than pure, in wishing her gone, and that beyond that, he seemed like a mean SOB. Ergo, the matter of her life and death should not be in his hands. That view was held by many on both sides of the aisle, from Lanny Davis to Peggy Noonan.
Only if she goes looking. And why would anyone in a state of grieve do that?
That was a fantastic article you posted, by the way. A keeper.
I had to do it twice - once in my early 20s and once last month. Until you've gone through the fire, you have no idea what you are talking about.
Many people wrongly assume the family dictates medial treatment - they do not. If Medicare/Medicare or insurance is involved, there are risk/reward decisions being made that you know nothing about. How about nice sounding drugs that are actually used to suppress breathing and speed up death? I'll bet dollars to donuts the anti-tube-pulling folks know nothing of the nafarious ways already being used and in existence designed to kill a person. I could go on....
Living wills and DNR orders are a joke. Unless you wear a big sign around your neck 24/7, there is nothing you can do to guarantee your medical care will proceed as you demand.
There's an old Irish saying:
May those who love us, love us.
And those who hate us, may God turn their hearts.
And if He can't turn their hearts, may He trun their ankles, so we may know them by their limping.
Knowing Lucianne as I do, I'm sure she'll appreciate the support, chuckle when appropriate, and rejoice in identifying the limpers.
Such as morphine. And what you say is very true.
However, aren't these matters usually applicable to terminal patients, as opposed to those in a vegetative state, but otherwise "healthy"?
Was she his intern or something? Lucianne is not old enough to "know" hubert Humphrey that way!
Right on the money. Perhaps this is not the time or place for my little experience, but it has RANKLED since.
I became aware of my posts as "War Brat" being cut off sometimes. Just the name appearing. I knew someone was out to "get" me. Their chance came. In exasperation on the Peterson case, I said he was a silly b*****d and should have faced up to his wife, taking alcohol to get through a confrontation.
My WAR BRAT came up alone and then great black heavy letters. To whit "the use of asterisks to disguise DIRTY WORDS is not permitted" etc .
That is how they left it and so I left them. The word wrongly referred to Scott's parentage- but has a common use. I just had to assuage my indignation here, hope no one minds.
The spyware, pop ups and ads alone make it second rate.
One anti homosexual comment and your banned (what does that tell you about the mods), and
theres never more than 30 or so comments per thread, with none of them between posters unless they say lame stuff like "Number 31 you are so right".
Sheesh.How gay .
Posters at L.com are not allowed to address each other.
If you make one request, comment or suggestion the the staff you get a a "New York style" a-hole comment and a suggestion you go somewhere else!.lol
She's not the little sweetheart she tries to come across as.
PS to all: I have absolutely nothing to do with running L.com. If Lucianne chooses to run a salon and not a saloon, well, I can just take my spitoon elsewhere any time I want.
But I always go back.
At any rate, if my memory is correct, "The Passion" controversy was banned from Lucianne.
I whole heartedly agree. Still, it is nice to have a sulk once in a while. Love to know why the moderator on Lucianne who had it in for me though- alas never will.
Today had a lovely afternoon in Michigan with the liberal spouse and two small grand daughters- showed 'em the famous Soo locks etc. Got back and saw that post #47 had been axed. OO! thought I- yer got yer comeuppance at last from FR. Well, no, I was #49.
Love this idea- the internet. Previously the average Joe (and Jill) could not even voice any opinion that would merit being banned. LOL
Trust me. It was not an opinion that got 47 stricken.
So doctors tried to starve YOUR mother as well. I hope you tell everyone. So many people act as if I'm nuts when I tell them ill people are being starved.
I'm very sorry for your loss.
<< But, there is a lesson in this episode for everyone. Maybe when we don't understand a decision, it would be best to recognize that there may be more to the story and trust that it will eventually make sense to us.
Here's the lesson I get: when you're in the middle of a personal crisis, why the hell are you even looking at your website? >>
Or, better yet, why, if your intellectual and emotional immaturity and lack of objectivity gets in its way, were you its moderator in the first place?
[And, talking in general of "moderators" and in particular of female "moderators" -- nor is Lucienne likely to be mistaken for Robinson Crusoe any time soon!]
<< I think that .... Jim Robinson ... provide[s] great services to our country >>
Me too.
And that dear one-time Trixie provides services to Mrs Goldberg, to Matt Drudge and to the East Coast "establishment" for whose approval both pine, of whose company both are enamoured and to which each of them, while effecting "ballsy" and "cute," both panders and kowtows.
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