Terri's Day challenges the nation to unify

Renew America ^ | March 13, 2006 | Kevin Fobbs

[KevinNuPac]

Terri's Day challenges the nation to unify

Kevin Fobbs

March 13, 2006

Terri's Day — A Celebration of the Culture of Life honoring Terri Schiavo with a day of remembrance challenges each and every one of us to stop for a moment and ask ourselves a question, do we respect ourselves, our families, our lives?

And if we are faced with the question of the possible certainty of death, does anyone truly know, or even have the faintest clue about, our wishes? That is the greatest good, the greatest legacy that Terri Schiavo's death and an annual "Terri's Day" can bring to our lives and to the celebration of the Culture of Life.

On March 18th, we as a nation will begin to grieve again, to reach into our hearts and feel with our collective national spirit what the Schindler family felt last year at this time as each moment since Terri was disconnected from the feeding lifeline, the moments crept by like hours and hours like days.

All of us have felt in some way that pain — even if it were only in the privacy of our loved one's home, hospital room, hospice or perhaps talking with an attorney and doctor attempting to make sense out of some fleeting comments made in a conversation perhaps voiced ten, twelve or even two decades earlier — not necessarily an expression of her true feeling about an end-of-life decision but merely an incidental musing in a long-forgotten side conversation.

For at least one million Americans, and quite possibly a whole lot more, this is an opportunity to voice an opinion through a pledge supporting a resolution in each state called "Terri's Day — A Celebration of the Culture of Life." Each and every person who cares that your family, your spouse, your mother, your father, your sister or brother understands with clarity what you wish the end of life for you to be, with dignity and certainty should sign the online pledge at www.kevinfobbs.com and take the additional step to sign a Living Will — or as they call it at www.terrisfight.org, the Will to Live.

Some have asked why Americans should care about an annual Terri's Day. It is quite simple, we tend to keep turning the page on the Culture of Life because we feel it does not affect us. We tend to believe that seemingly universal belief that those who are handicapped, those who are not quite living a "perfect" life or by contemporary notion "ideal" then those lives are possibly disposable, marginal, not relevant, and part of the Culture of Death which embraces a "disposable society."

But life and our values for the Culture of Life are not disposable. Think about the young people today who would rather hurt themselves or even take their own lives rather than feel "imperfect" or the elderly person whose family is told by an insensitive health care professional while the stricken person struggles to cling to life, "she would be better off in another place," — just let her die, disconnect her from life, because her quality of life is not up to "contemporary standards. "

Why does celebrating the Culture of Life in Michigan become so essential for all of us in America? It is important for several reasons. Dr. Jack Kervorkian, also known as "Doctor Death" helped launch first in Michigan and then the nation the notion of the death culture. Secondly, and equally as important, at the May 12 event — just two days before Mother's Day — there will also be a "Mary's Moms" celebration of those women and mothers who have met challenges in standing up for some aspect of the Culture of Life.

This past weekend I sat at my cousin's funeral — or going home celebration, which more accurately describes it — thinking about the dearly departed and how she packed so much caring for others into her life even as she struggled with illness and advancing age. She was a wonderful woman who had lived through many, many challenges in her life, but in her 73 years she had met these challenges with dignity and had conveyed to her family when would be the right time to allow her to pass away.

Her daughter, who is a minister, spoke to the packed church about the times when, with all of her pain and then a stroke, the doctors had informed them that perhaps it was better to let her go. Yet that was three years ago that that occurred, and if the family had listened to the doctors and refused to see how she fought back and not only recovered but went back to volunteering at the church to feed and clothe the homeless. The medical professionals didn't care about an elderly lady who was on dialysis, but the family did and they knew better. Patricia lived three more years — years her extensive extended family considered "a gift from God."

So isn't part of the lesson of Terri's legacy and Terri's Day for families and loved ones to have a meaningful conversation with their family and to have the written document on hand as well that conveys the wishes clearly and concisely? You betcha.

As I sat in the church I thought of all of the families across the nation and the world who were sitting at their loved one's bedsides — or even standing outside of a hospital emergency room — overwhelmed with emotion, torn by what may be days of conflicting anguished decisions. I thought again of how out of death we may have the certainty of life. Terri's death reminded the nation that yes a state can and will starve you to death, and your family may be rendered helpless as you watch your loved one's precious life forces drain slowly away.

By signing the online pledge at www.kevinfobbs.com or going to www.terrisfight.org, you can learn about how to encourage your state legislature to establish March 31st as an official Terri's Day. Hold a Culture of Life Home Party or meet-and-greet to sign pledges, share ideas and support The Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation as well as Culture of Life activities and events in your community or around the nation. Between now and March 31st you can make a dramatic difference for yourself, your family and for the nation. Stand up for the Culture of Life because one person, one life, one family can and does make a difference in America. Make the difference and be the difference today. America...The countdown for the Culture of Life has begun.

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Kevin Fobbs is President of National Urban Policy Action Council (NuPac), a non-partisan civic and citizen-action organization that focuses on taking the politics out of policy to secure urban America's future one neighborhood, one city, and one person at a time. View NuPac on the web at www.nupac.info. Kevin Fobbs is a regular contributing columnist for the Detroit News. He is also the daily host of The Kevin Fobbs Show on News Talk WDTK - 1400 AM in Detroit. Listen to The Kevin Fobbs Show online at www.wdtkam.com daily 2-3 p.m., and call in toll-free nationwide to make your opinion count at 800-923-WDTK(9385) © Copyright 2006 by Kevin Fobbs http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/fobbs/060313

[Sun]

"So many dropped the ball and didn't help Terri."

It is unbelievable as to how many dropped the ball.

Michael can't hurt Terri any more, but he is still trying to get even with her family. He is mostly hurting himself with his revenge and anger.

[TheSpottedOwl]

What changed? Scott Peterson is on death row. OJ's playing golf. Michael Jackson is in Dubai. He's fair game now.

Maybe it's because Felos isn't there to run the interviews anymore. From what I understand, when/if the going got rough, Felos would step in.

Are you the one who put up that photoshopped pic of OJ in a golf cart, along with MJ, Robert Blake, and MS? I saved it : ) They were all wearing buttons saying, "I support our courts".

[T'wit]

Good Hubbardallmighty!

[TheSpottedOwl]

I heard that Katie's dad, and I think her brothers also, are attorneys. The problem is that TC's sorry behind is covered by his masters. We'll see. I'm surprised that they didn't speak out when she disappeared for 3 weeks last year, fired her manager, and ditched her friends.

[T'wit]

>> Sounds like you've given a great description of why Michael keeps talking, too.

Have you ever read C. S. Lewis's Mere Christianity? (If not, go do it! :-) It's classic.) It starts with this odd thing of people trying to justify their misdeeds, trying to fit them to a moral code, claiming they didn't do anything wrong. Lewis argues from this literally un-natural behavior to the existence of a moral law that all humans are somehow aware of -- are haunted by -- but never quite live up to. Nobody looking at us from the outside would ever guess this law because we don't obey it very well. We just know that we're supposed to obey. When we don't, we try to twist things a little to say that we really had been good.

Moral law cannot be explained by naturalist philosophies. Lewis takes this as his starting point for the arguments that lead one to the existence and nature of God. He warns at this point that we still have miles to go before we get to the Christian conception of God, but we are on our way.

Michael is saying what God's fallen children must say -- "I didn't do anything wrong. I did good."

[T'wit]

>> OMG!

No, no, no. OMH!

:-)

[TheSpottedOwl]

Birth is a traumatic event in itself. If you want to go Biblical, Eve's sin caused women to suffer pain in the plumbing department. Scientology doesn't believe in the Bible, so maybe that accounts for such bizarre rules.

Tom to Katie, "I'm so disappointed in you. Are you a Thetan sent to infiltrate us"?

This is such a load of Hubbard ;-D

[8mmMauser]

This is such a load of Hubbard ;-D

It is just a lot of happy horse felos.

[T'wit]

>> Were you here for the Westerfield threads? Hooo boy. Talk about mass bannings and acrimony

Missed those. Tell me more.

I was just pondering that the "acrimony" I referred to in the Code Blue Blog was one-sidedly from the death culters. Terri's supporters were equally passionate but polite. Just as we try to be, even when our visitors wish only to provoke.

[8mmMauser]

A year ago today, Terri was nearing the end. The following post shows what she went through and I do caution anyone upset, more than angry, at the disturbing horrors faced by one being dehydrated. Contrast this to the Felos euphoria of dying. So powerful were the tender cruelties of the murderers that not a drop of liquid could touch Terri's lips. Monsignor was blocked from even placing a drop of wine from Communion on her lips.

Helen Valois for RenewAmerica published this today.

When one reads stories about Terri Schindler-Schiavo, one often encounters a timeline which places her on a continuum with Karen Ann Quinlan and Nancy Cruzan. It is difficult, however, to understand why these cases are thought to be related. Quinlan's parents removed a respirator, not a feeding tube, from their daughter. "When asked if he also wanted her intravenous feeding ended, her father said, 'Oh, no, this is her nourishment!'" according to Nat Henthoff [1]. In Nancy Cruzan's case, it was her own parents who, unlike the Schindlers, fought to kill their daughter. Instructively, Joe Cruzan, Nancy's father, also killed himself shortly thereafter. So as we ponder the meaning of Terri's execution-by-court-order this week, why not situate it in the context of precedents that are more pertinent?

A recent history of starvation/dehydration

8mm

(this includes Ohioan from Florida's ping list, update to 3/27.)



Terri after the attack and before bioethicking.

[8mmMauser]

We're getting to them! The death lovers are squealing, saddened that Terri is not forgotten, that Terri's Legacy grows instead.

News Hounds... We watch FOX so you don't have to.

Fox Attempting to Revive Controversy on Schiavo Anniversary

8mm

[T'wit]

Hold onto your coffee. Move the cup carefully as far from your keyboard as possible. Here's a photo from a different thread.

Said one poster, "She looks like the mushrooms are just wearing off and she's about to say 'Answer me damnit: what the HELL am I doing here?'"

Another observed, "She looks like the top third of her head just blew away, like Mt. St. Helens."

[TheSpottedOwl]

OMG! How hard is it to wear the damn pin, or just walk through the metal detector? Lol, some of the pics and comments are great : )

[8mmMauser]

Yesterday, the Schinder family appeared on Scarborough Country to discuss their book, A Life that Matters, and the charitable relief efforts of the Terri Schindler-Schiavo Foundation. As usual, the group was asked to respond to numerous explosive allegations made by Michael Schiavo during his recent media appearances.

Bobby Schindler, Terri Schiavo's brother stated,

"It doesn't matter what Michael says about our family. It doesn't change that fact of justify or rationalize what he did to my sister and I thinks its really just a distraction trying to take the focus [off] what he did to [my] sister which was brutally starving and dehydrating her to death. My sister was only being supported by ordinary food and water.

After discussing Terri's tombstone, which Michael used to memorialize himself with the words, "I kept my promise," Bobby stated,

Anybody who would starve a human being to death, we're really not surprised or shocked at anything he does or has done. This doesn't come as a surprise or shcok to us. And that's why were really just trying to move on. The issue with Michael is over and we're really trying to do what we can to protect those from what happened to Terri and be a voice for the disability community so something like this won't happen to other families.

Schindler Family - 'We've Moved On'

8mm

[8mmMauser]

Your warning was too little and too late. Suddenly the apparition of a commie appeared before I could shade my eyes. I may have damaged my sight. Commies have that effect on me.

[TheSpottedOwl]

Happy horse Felos! ROTF!

[8mmMauser]

To the death culture and its allies:

"We will not be silent. We are your bad conscience. The White Rose will give you no rest."

[8mmMauser]

Excerpt from Life News Editor, Steven Ertelt...

St. Petersburg, FL (LifeNews.com) -- During the final months and weeks of the intense legal battle they fought with Terri Schiavo's former husband to save her life, the Schindler family kept saying the ordeal was bringing them closer together than ever before.

Now that a year has passed and their foundation has converted from an effort to prevent Terri's euthanasia death to one protecting the disabled, they're working together on a daily basis.

Terri Schiavo's Death Brought Schindler Family Together to Help Disabled

8mm

[TheSpottedOwl]

The Westerfield threads were about the murder of Danielle Van Dam, which took place near San Diego, CA. There were those who automatically thought David Westerfield was the murderer, while others, including myself, thought there was reasonable doubt. It got so bad, that one poster started an invitation only board on another site, so we could discuss the case in peace. Imo, David Westerfield's son commited the murder, and his father took the fall, after trying to cover up the crime. That's called accessory after the fact, and pretty darn stupid.

The bannings were profuse. The hang Westerfield crowd was pretty fiesty, but some of the other side got in there swinging, too.

[Dante3]

These are more reasons why the case should be reopened. Other cold cases have been solved - seems there was a death back in 1960s that lead to a conviction even though the evidence was slim.