God bless you, 8mmMauser, for an AMAZING post! May I borrow it to share with friends of mine who, like me, would give a big AMEN to your words? They give me chills.
Also, thank you for the quote from Sophie Scholl. I recently saw the film "Sophie Scholl: The Final Days" and marvel at this incredible story.
" Forced euthanasia is nothing new, but widespread awareness of it is new. That awareness was your gift to us. Our gift to you is what we do with it. We continue to save lives, in your honor."
Never more true.....
I really wish I could take credit for those words, but would be unable to come up with a tribute so well rendered as that from BykrBayb. It is she who gets the credit. She also gets the credit for bringing the story of Sophie Scholl back to the scene with the symbol, The White Rose, which we frequently use for Terri.
"We will not be silent. We are your bad conscience. The White Rose will give you no rest."
"Wir schweigen nicht, wir sind Euer böses Gewissen; die Weiße Rose läßt Euch keine Ruhe!"
Fantastic movie, wasn't it? BykrBayb and I both got to see it and had the identical experience -- namely, the whole audience just sat stunned in their seats at the end. Nobody moved. The credits -- in German -- rolled on to the last name and really meant nothing to the American audience. But nobody was willing to stir. Everybody knew they had experienced the extraordinary. They sat silent and transfixed.
Sophie Scholl: The Final Days is available on DVD. There's nothing quite like seeing it in the theater, surrounded by strangers who are as wrapped up in it as you are, and being surrounded by the movie as though you're actually a part of it. But the DVD has the advantage of extra scenes, footage from a couple of the trials, interviews with people connected to The White Rose, etc. It would still be a bargain at twice the price.