The death worshippers are obsessed with killing and money.
Posted on 12/02/2005 10:31:29 PM PST by goldstategop
Terri Schiavo would be 42 today, if she had not been dehydrated to death per court order.
Instead of the happy squeals and vocalizations the brain-damaged woman was known to utter, the deafening silence of loss haunts her loved ones on this anniversary of her birth.
Many Americans prefer the silence. The very mention of the name, "Terri Schiavo," elicits groans from those "burned out" on what they view as simply an overblown news story.
"I do not understand why you keep pumping the glory of her death," wrote one WND reader in response to continuing coverage of the familial tug of war over the incapacitated woman's life that made history when Congress and President Bush took the unprecedented steps of intervening in the seven-year court battle.
"Let it go, and let the woman rest in peace," scolded another reader.
Others express exasperation and anger:
"EVERYONE I have asked if they would like to live as Terri did would choose NOT TO. Would you?"
"Do you really think that it is within Jesus' teachings to keep a brain dead woman alive for 15 years? Is that really life?"
"Why would any sane person want to be kept alive in a persistent vegetative state, or a state of persistent minimal consciousness, or in a state of intractable pain near the end of a terminal condition?"
"Terri died the morning her brain stopped working."
"The Terri Schiavo situation was a political game in which a woman who should have died long ago was used as a political pawn and still is."
The e-mailed sentiment is telling and exposes a largely uninformed and misinformed public, which WND's continuing coverage seeks to correct. Fundamental facts of the case in the minds of readers contacting WND are consistently botched, overlooked or ignored.
Setting the complete record straight can't be done in one column. But in response to the above sampling of quotes, the facts of the case are that Terri Schiavo was not brain dead. Her brain never "stopped working." She was not in "intractable pain." Other than during her monthly menses when her moans prompted caregivers to give her medication to ease her discomfort – something neurologists maintain people in a persistent vegetative state don't feel – Terri Schiavo was resting in peace before her death. She didn't need to be "let go."
Incidentally, can denying an incapacitated woman so much as an ice chip over the course of 13 days while her organs slowly shut down and her skin shrivels away from her bone be characterized as "letting her go"?
Terri Schiavo was not dying. Her medical examiner estimated she would have lived another decade if she had not been forced to die through the removal of her gastric feeding tube and the accompanying court-ordered withholding of oral hydration and nutrition.
Contrary to popular belief and media reports, Terri Schiavo was not being "kept alive" by life-support machines. She could breathe and maintain blood pressure on her own. Many believe that if it were her will to die, she would not have lived in her condition for 15 years, defying odds estimated at 1 in 75,000 by the American Academy of Neurology, if she were truly in a persistent vegetative state.
Terri Schiavo was not "near the end of a terminal condition." George Felos, the right-to-die attorney hired by Michael Schiavo to pursue the removal of his wife's feeding tube, argued she was "terminal" because she could not swallow and relied on the feeding tube for nourishment. Should we consider the other estimated 125,000 adults and 10,000 children in America who similarly rely on assisted feeding to be "terminal"? Should we "let them go"?
Is it our decision to make? Even if "EVERYONE I have asked" would not choose to live in Terri Schiavo's condition, do we have a right to end the lives of others based on our preferences?
What about what Terri wanted? Her death wasn't ordered by the court based on her will, but rather her adjudicated will. As such, there's room for human error on the part of the judge, and on the part of Michael Schiavo and his siblings who argued casual statements Terri made years prior to her brain injury were tantamount to an oral advance directive.
WND has repeatedly reported the Schiavos' testimony was disputed by Terri's own siblings and parents, and three women – including two former girlfriends of Michael Schiavo – filed court affidavits asserting he confided in them he didn't know what his wife wanted. WND has also pointed out that Michael Schiavo, himself, expressed a bit of horror when withdrawal of the feeding tube was first suggested to him in 1993 by responding," I couldn't do that to Terri." It was only after Schiavo teamed up with Felos that removing the feeding tube became the moral imperative.
But e-mails from readers indicate they don't want to be bothered by the facts. Their minds are made up on the issue. Most often, opinions were formed on the issue based on personal experiences with ailing relatives or friends and projected onto the Terri Schiavo dilemma.
Which brings me back to the silence. Those who favored Terri's death seek silence. They consider the debate over whether it's appropriate to end the life of a disabled person without his or her explicit permission to be over.
James Youngblood, a 28-year-old self-described "proud supporter" of Terri Schiavo, continues to troll for information on the case to post on an AOL message board. He reports his postings meet with considerable hostility.
"I along with two others ... try to keep her memory alive and spread the truth about what actually happened," Youngblood shared with WND. "The board is very active and there are almost a dozen supporters of Michael Schiavo. ... They continue to attack us daily saying that all of our posts are lies. Their comments are very evil. They degrade our character and constantly degrade the many supporters of Terri Schiavo."
To be sure, Youngblood has plenty of like-minded pen-pals.
"I would say Terri's death was legalized murder," wrote one to WND.
"The euthanasia genie is out of the bottle now. It remains to be seen in this deviant society how people deal with this fact," observed another.
Youngblood vows to "not let America forget about [Terri Schiavo] or the evilness of the court's doing." But he needs help and urges others to speak up and break the silence.
In the words of another WND reader: "This travesty should be kept alive and in the public eye at least as long as the criminals who perpetrated it are living out their condemned, self-serving existences on this earth."
The death worshippers are obsessed with killing and money.
Yup
The only assumption I make (and I do assume it) is a little bit of writing by a forensic pathologist who believes Terry Shiavo may have been in her condition due to a failed attempt on her life by her so-called husband. Her death was the desperate cover-up on his part.
That would explain the Left being so adamant about her death... sort of like how they could care less where Chanra Levy went to...
No, they are Catholic. In a way, that's so much better for the Left.
From following Terri's case, though, I've found that there were plenty on the Left who were just as much in favor of Terri's life as on the Right. Terri's case cut through all demographics more than any other that I've seen.
God bless Terri Schindler Schiavo, her family, and supporters! We love you, Terri!!!!
"It is sickening, wherever it occurs"
Yes, it is..wherever, whenever...this is a sad path that the courts have put us on.
"The only assumption I make (and I do assume it) is a little bit of writing by a forensic pathologist who believes Terry Shiavo may have been in her condition due to a failed attempt on her life by her so-called husband. Her death was the desperate cover-up on his part."
I also agree with you and the forensic pathologist, Sir. Your earlier post #26, was excellent.
Concerning your question about the Schindler name - Even though Terri's family is Catholic, the name Schindler is symbolic, imho.
I had forgotten that Terri and I share a birthday. Her ordeal was very hard for me. I was one of those who became physically ill at what they did to her.
Happy Birthday!
It's just awful what was forced on Terri. What a black mark on this country's conscience.
Remembering Terri on what should have been her 42nd birthday.
Condolences to her family and all who love her.I deeply regret that we were not able to return her to those who would care for her as she -- and they -- deserved.
That's one of my favorite pics of Terri (with her lovely mom, Mary)!
Those are so precious!
Terri was a doll when she was a youngster.
Yes, mine, too. That photo speaks more eloquently than any words.
Thanks for posting those photos, amdgmary. Will we ever stop hurting? Please give the family our regards.
If Terri's supporters could not save her life, how can they prevent this from happening to the next "known" victim? Letters and emails were sent, vigils were held, even a special session of congress was called to try to save her. None was enough.
"...we're shamed."
I agree that our country has been shamed by the evil ones who succeeded in putting Terri to death. Should we, as individuals feel "ashamed" that we, in some way, let it happen? Other than the efforts given to halt this judicially-condoned crime, what other options were not pursued? And what of future cases?
Sorry. Wish I had the perfect answers.
Thanks for the great photos of Terri.
If that many people cannot save one person, the culture of death was more ingrained in our society than we imagined.
At least now we know that to be the case.
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