Posted on 03/14/2006 11:28:51 AM PST by 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
And yet, simple chronology of the case shows just the opposite – Terri Schiavo was a tool to be used by the liberal left. The case began as a right-to-die case in 1996 when George Felos, a self-described crusader for the right to die, who boasts ties to the organization Choice in Dying – a 1992 reincarnation of the Euthanasia Society of America, according to New York corporate records – and who admits to having a "fascination with death and dying," and considers death to be a "profound mystical experience," was introduced to Michael Schiavo, who was living with a woman with whom he would father two children and ultimately marry after Terri's death.
I didn't go to a church on that Easter, hung around mostly with Monsignor and the Catholics and attended his Mass outside the Hospice. But it was a strange, mixed feeling, surreal as FR_Addict describes, but that day something even more, much more. We knew we were protected, all of us in the area, I am sure. It was almost palpable. Although dark clouds surrounded us, there, we were in higher hands of protection.
Just knowing that boosted our collective confidence that regardless of the dastardly deeds of the murderers, they were the ultimate losers, and Terri would be soon safe.
We had a rare comraderie where we would automatically help each other, bolster one another regardless of faith. I spent a good part of that day with a Protestant minister.
comraderie = comradery (normal spelling)
Terri brought millions of people together and they are still united against the death worshippers who steal first.
http://www.northcountrygazette.org/articles/032606BookDebut.html
They are going to be on Hannity & Colmes tonight, Monday, on Fox News.
Light a candle and lv a message for the Schindlers on the r. sidebar here: http://www.theresa-schindler.memory-of.com/about.aspx
Any lurkers and newbees who want to know the whole story, complete with links leading to other sources, click here:
http://www.gwinnettdailyonline.com/GDP/archive/article778D068936704893B94CCF7E3050713C.asp
I recently showed half of my Terri photos to a Republican Women's
group in Colorado. I brought the hostess some white roses to honor
her efforts to save Terri here in Colorado.
The white rose is the pure and perfect symbol of those
who fought the earlier Nazi madness.
Thanks for this beautiful post!
Don't know if anyone posted this, but the Schindlers will be on Sean Hannity's show today. As of now, they still haven't been on.
Dear Lord, I can't believe it's been a year.
Hannity just announced that the Schindlers will be on his show today.
Hannity's after O' Reilly. Alan Colmes will be real smarmy with the Schindlers as per usual.
He's a killer just like the lawyers and Mikey, a cold blooded killer.
There is no statute of limitations on murder. Tom Delay is right.
Wow. Trying to catch up. Missed the interview, which is probably for the best. I'm surprised that Matt Lauer was tough with MS. Actually I'm shocked.
Fr. Pavone's letter was excellent. I'm finding that some of our new posters to the Terri threads are quite interesting.
On Sean's radio show today, Terri's parents, among other things, talked about their foundation to help other disabled people from suffering Terri's fate. They said that too many disabled people are put to death prematurely.
Tonight, Terri's ENTIRE family will be on Hannity and Colmes. Safety in numbers with a man who seems to not have a soul or heart (Colmes).
Can't believe that Greer will receive ANOTHER award.
Let to Editor:
March 31 marks the first anniversary of Terri Schindler Schiavo who died in a Florida hospice after 13 agonized days of starvation and dehydration when her estranged husband was successful in having her feeding tube removed by court order.
This is a great wakeup call for everyone illustrating what could happen in any family in today's culture of death and "medical ethics." Her family, parents Bob and Mary, brother Bobby and sister Suzanne in the devastation of their loss, are turning this frightening American tragedy into triumph. In their strength and conviction, they have committed their lives in full time efforts to help other brain disabled and their advocates throughout the world.
The Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation Center for Health Care Ethics is working aggressively to establish a network of professionals and organizations dedicated to change public policy, advocate, protect and provide care for the disabled, and educate the public about the crucial issues. They also have a vision of instituting centers worldwide to provide care for brain injury victims and support for their families. They are involved in wills to live and are setting up a network of doctors and lawyers to protect the disabled who are frightened about their safety and welfare.
Their book, "A Life That Matters: The Legacy of Terri Schiavo", the story of Terri's family's struggle and fight to keep their daughter and sister alive, has just been released and has been presented to the Fairfield Public Library along with other books about her case and the issues of today's disturbing "medical ethics".
Terri's family has faith in God, the Giver of Life. The terrible ordeal of her suffering and death has made their Faith as devout Catholics stronger and has given inspiration to act on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves. They are trying to live according to what Jesus said, to care for the vulnerable and weak and promote the Gospel of Life. The web site of the Foundation is terrisfight.org.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Mary LaFrancis RN retired
You are in my prayers. My father died of cancer, ten years ago. Stay strong.
You wouldn't happen to have a pic of the happy couple, would you? I've always been curious to see what Jodi looks like. Morbid curiousity?
Try NBC, MSNBC or www.sptimes.com. I swear they've both had makeovers. Jodi's now had her coming out debut. She can go back into the shadows again. So over these creepy people.
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