Let her go home. Jesus is waiting for her with open arms.

Ramblings' Journal ^ | 3.25.05 | Michael King

[mhking]

My position on the Schiavo matter has vascilated back and forth over the past few days as I've agonized over the matter.

Should she be given a chance at life? If so, what kind of life are we talking about? Is there a chance at rehabilitation? Is Michael Schiavo an evil S.O.B., or is he simply a heart-broken man?

Conversely, is she truly in a vegetative state? A virtual zombie with eyes open, and nothing inside? Are her parents and family in denial about her pain and suffering? Are the evangelicals coming to her aid getting so worked up that they are looking past the true nature of this situation?

Difficult questions these. Who wins? Who loses?

There is no winner here. This situation is heartbreaking at the core. A vibrant woman struck down in the prime of her life. A myriad of doctors, most of whom have indicated that much of her brain tissue has deteriorated and possibly even liquified inside her skull. CAT scans that support that diagnosis.

Conversely, we see her eyes focusing on a balloon, we see her apparently responding to people entering her limited field of vision.

What do we believe?

After 22 different judges have agonized over this, they all have come to the same decision: that her husband has the right to make that agonizing decision.

Talk show host Neil Boortz has taken the stance that Terri Schiavo has earned her place in heaven, and that we, as a people, should let her go home.

Do you believe in God’s promise of everlasting life? Do you believe that the reward for a life well spent on this earth is a life with God in heaven after you die? If you do, then a few more questions if you will.

Do you believe that the human soul can make the transition to everlasting life while the human body that carried that soul through life clings to life on this earth? If you do, then you must surely believe that Terri Schiavo has earned and is already enjoying her reward in heaven. That being the case, why is it so important to you that the now-unneeded body of Terri Schiavo is kept alive?

But perhaps you believe, as I do, that the human soul is so connected to and integrated with its earthly body that any transition will not be made until that body ceases functioning -- until death occurs.. That being the case, why do you so ardently desire that the soul of Terri Schiavo spend five, ten, perhaps 30 years or more trapped in a useless and non-functioning body, unable to move on to whatever reward awaits her? Isn’t 15 years enough?

Where do your concerns truly lie, with the eternal soul of Terri Schiavo, or with her earthly body?

Jesus awaits Terri Schiavo at the gates of heaven with open arms. He will grant her eternal rest. He loves all, no matter which side of this sad story the people are on.

Let her go home. We can only commend her spirit among the angels for the journey.

Sadly, those who damn the judges and politicians and those of us who wish her spirit to move on are going to fracture the fragile fabric of the conservative wing of the GOP. In their zeal to ignore the rule of law and the Constitutional process, they are sliding down the slippery slope of anarchy toward mob rule.

This is a land of laws, not men. And the political problems that are surfacing -- on both sides -- point toward the deterioration of our constitutional republic. Are you ready for that? Are you ready for that will mean in the future?

I weep for Terri Schiavo today. But I fear for more tears in our future, thanks to those who would wad up the Constitutional protections and freedoms wrought by the notion of ignoring the rule of law, simply because those in power didn't get their way.

[MarMema]

Human beings are not vegetables. I stopped reading what you had to say when you began dehumanizing a fellow human, made in God's image. This is what will bring this country down to the level of the nazis, this dehumaninizing of others. Eventually it will slip farther and farther down the slope until we begin massively killing those who are unworthy of life.

[bedolido]

I have to agree! Jesus is waiting. What I fight is... Telling Michael Schivo to burn in hell and saying things like "Lord don't let him ever repent". Then I have to ask forgiveness and ask the Lord to save his soul.

He will pay for his evil. Now or before the Lord. I hope it's now... there I go again: Lord forgive me.

Lord Bless and Keep you in His loving arms Terri!

[unkus]

Has Terri been given Communion?

[unkus]

Has Terri been given Communion?

[dsc]

"I suggest you put your money where your mouth is. Grab whatever you feel you need and storm the care facility yourself."

Now you try to draw a false moral equivalence between an elected official carrying out his constitutional role in a government of checks and balances, and a private citizen with no legal authority and no prospect of success causing pointless bloodshed.

Is that what they taught you at law school? No wonder the Republic is in trouble.

"Prove to all of us just how much you can back your beliefs."

I backed my beliefs with 25 years in uniform. I don't need to prove a thing to anybody--and especially not to someone who doesn't understand that "cowboy" is a compliment.

"If you are correct, God will back you and make you safe."

Yes, well, theology is not on the law school curriculm, is it. Interesting, though, that your understanding of it is on a par with an unlettered, murdering peasant like Ossawatomie Brown of Harper's Ferry fame.

"Or did you just find the hat, cowboy?"

I was born to the hat, in Texas, before Eisenhower and Kennedy used troops to overrule state courts and enforce civil rights, as I call for the Bushes to do now.

[Cboldt]

Like I said, I can understand the DNR status and the removal of life support if that is the patients wish.

I'll parse that for you in just a second, so you can see ...

For the life of me, I cannot understand a judge ordering the feeding to be stopped after living this way for 15 years.

Okay. Back to your concession to removing life support if that is the patient's wish. The law concluded that food is life support (when given via G-tube), and that removal of life support is Terri's wish. So, under thos circumstances, it would be WRONG to not give the patient what it wants.

That's how the judge does it. Piece of cake, easy as pie. Sorry we're late, but better late than never, eh?

[riri]

and especially not to someone who doesn't understand that "cowboy" is a compliment.

I love that! I plan on borrowing it in the future.

[The South Texan]

Good commentary. All sides with have to live with their convections on this issue and one has a better path than the other at doing just that.

It would be very wise that all on the side of life on this issue to turn whatever anger is out there into constructive energy into a radical transformation of our judiciary. What this proves is that not only are the Federal Judges becoming Caesars, it goes down to the state and local courts as well. Fortunately in most states we, the citizens of those states, have direct input on who gets to to be on the bench through direct or retention elections. It's time for people of good conscience that see the judiciary as a run a muck institution to organize and vote out activist judges.

On the state level, it is time for citizens through initiative and referendum or direct lobbying of their state legislatures to get terms limits placed on the Caesars. Then we can hope that this will trickle into the Congress so a constitutional term limit can be placed on the Federal Caesars.

Let we not forget. We need to pressure the spineless Republicans that are wobbly on the nuclear option for President Bush's appointees to come to their senses or they should face the consequences in the next election.

Let this be our "Remember the Alamo" "Remember Pearl Harbor" cry. This is Paul Revere warning the colonist that the British were coming. Let Terri's homecoming to the Lord be our rallying cry.

[fortunecookie]

Exactly. We all know (and dread?) the coming legislative battles because over the last couple of decades there has been, unlike in the past, a bias toward death, instead of the usual bias toward life. And many points were glossed over. And this case, with all it's flaws, will be held up as precedent.

[beyond the sea]

We are at the end in many more ways than one. ...............

I'm going to the woods now to try to draw my dark colors all over this abysmal story of America's decline and the very regrettable treatment of an innocent, injured girl.

See yah, you excellent younnzer, Petronski......... you are one of the very good ones!

Thom

p.s. If you're ever going to be in the woods, let me know................ but take your time getting there ............. finish that book.

:-)

[tiamat]

Uggghhh.

This is such a hard matter.. Ugly, ugly situation..

I think Terri is aware in there, and she has now been starved for several days.

So much time has passed, I truly think it would be cruel to re-insert the tube.
After all, we have no way of knowing if it won't get pulled again in six months or a year..

And this isn't the first time that tube has been pulled.

How many times does she get put through this?

I personally feel that if she is going to be killed, it would be kinder to do a masive dose of morphine to her heart and end it quickly, but of course, while some folks are willing to kill her out-right, none of them has the balls to do THAT.

If you're going to commit murder, then do it like Lady MacBeth.

"Tis best done quickly. "

doesn't make the whole thing less evil, but there is less suffering.

[Petronski]

You are very kind. Thanks.

[ninenot]

Your heartfelt expression is appreciated.

But I must disagree with your thought. You place "quality of life" above life itself, which is a very dangerous position from which to begin.

Secondly, you defend proceduralism through the "nation of laws" quotation, regardless of consequence. Would you then defend the traffic cop who arrests me for speeding because I was taking you to a hospital after your heart attack? That's proceduralism, MH.

There are natural laws, and there are positive laws. The positive laws in a Judaeo-Christian society cannot supplant the natural laws.

[agrace]

I didn't think that. :)

[tiamat]

I agree.

Despite what some people on FR would like, this is NOT a monarchy, and expecting Dubya or Jeb to use force and call out the troops is simple vigilantism.

I don't want to see a precedant set for someone like Hillary.

[Rheo]

Good post!

[Dog Gone]

I have to agree with you Michael. We have approached the final page of this sad story.

Some good may come out of it, though. It's raised the awareness of Americans to what can happen when it's not definitive what your wishes might be when you're unable to communicate.

I've been asked to come to a local hospital next week to explain living wills to hospital employees and how the process works in Texas. I'm not there to influence what their wishes will be, but merely to help them make sure that they express them completely and effectively.

And that's a good thing.

[Tribune7]

But that still leaves 19 other judges -- are you saying that that many judges would look the other way?

Well, one thing that colors my view of the integrity of the Florida courts is the 2000 election in which the highest court of that state blatantly disregarded legitmate state law in an attempt to get a desired result.

Terri's case was sent to the Fed courts on Monday. If they were serious about starting from scratch as directed by Congress, or even doing a honest review, Terri's feeding tube would have been re-inserted then, while the matter was reviewed.

This is pro-forma, get rid of the girl and clear the bed.

Legally, this is no different.

Sure it is. In this case a life is trying to be saved, not government largess.

There is such a thing as unjust laws and they must be attacked and often the courts are the best place to do it. There is, however, such a thing as bad judgements which also must be attacked and a legislature is not an inappropriate place to do it.

[MKM1960]

Thanks for the thoughtful piece.

[EveningStar]

I fully supported the de novo review. It seemed completely Constitutional to me. The courts felt that it did not apply. So be it. All legal avenues seem to be exhausted. We must not support illegal ones.

It is time to let go. We as humans have done all the proper things we can do for Terri. It is now time to step aside and let God take her in his loving hands.