Posted on 03/25/2005 5:21:18 AM PST by 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.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.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?
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.
Every1 keeps talking about the rule of law.
Well, there is the LETTER and there is the SPIRIT of the law.
I think we have so damn many detail rules and such that so many judges no longer bother w/the SPIRIT of the law - USING TRUE "JUDGEMENT" - and purely go on the letter. How is that judgement? That is merely following rules as written; we don't need judges for following instructions.
I'm not necessarily blaming HINO Michael Schiavo or even Judge Greer. I don't necessarily think either is as guilty of grave sins as every1 starts thinking.
BUT I do have a problem w/the way Greer apparently started all this, probably based on following a nit-pick law rather than using JUDGEMENT.
The basic problem from some years ago:
Allowing Terri to be essentially neglected based on the *HEARSAY* of *ONE* *QUESTIONABLE* man.
I know he is the official guardian. But let's look at it. In fact, never mind all the vitriolic accusations thrown Michael's way; let's assume he really intended the best for Terri (which is entirely possible).
By an outsider's view like the judge's, here was a man - a SINGLE, SOLITARY man - who suddenly started saying Terri didn't want to live "like that" (also undefined). Years after the fact.
Also, here was a man who already had adulterous relationships as well as had 1 going at the time of the hearing.
Those 2 facts alone should call into question Michael's interests, as a stranger looking at it.
Plus, he's not backed up by any1 else - it's all a single person's hearsay, not even 5 people's hearsay.
JUDGEMENT should have been used and the letter of the law "spousal guardian has right to do what he wants" ignored. It could have been done in the SPIRIT of the law. Please don't tell me this kind of thing hasn't happened in the past in our country. I have no doubt 200 years ago such things would have been done w/NO problem. And I trust the people around the Founding alot more than any1 today.
What bothers me next is this starvation method. This does not even qualify as "mercy-killing"; do veterinarians suggest you just stop feeding your dog and let him die off in 2 weeks? No, they do something instantaneous. *Cutting off air* is more instantaneous and hence less cruel. This is abominable in my view, this slow wasting. Ridiculous.
Good writing, Michael. I too have gone back and forth, but I am glad Jeb Bush did all he could, within the rule of law. I've prayed and prayed for God's will to be done (as it always is) and for our country to reflect on what all has transpired here.
If people are mad, and want to do something, maybe they should join FR and other groups at The March for Justice in DC in April. Let their voices be heard. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1370158/posts
Oddly enough, I agree especially with Randall Terry in the picture :(
Wow.
LIke I posted, I do think there is legal argument for doing so, but I'm sure Jeb has consulted leaders in the legislature as well as his brother, and there just probably isn't the backing to do so. My guess is he thought about it but couldn't get his ducks in a row. Jeb is as frustrated as the resto f us, and the piece in the AP about how he's basically been obsessed with it (like all of us) and upset with it all was moving enough to drive me to tears. Jeb is as strong as Terri supporter you can get. Without him as governor, this would have been long over now. Think of he had lost to Reno or something like that.
Terri may be going home soon, but let's all remember this--because of Jeb, Terri's Fight is not stopping at her death. Terri's Fight has resulted in state legislatures (mine did last night) addressing issues like this and reforming their laws. Terri's Fight may result in some judicial reform (such as a legislative veto) in some states. Without Jeb Bush pushing the way he has, Terri's Fight wouldn't have gotten the nationaln attention it has (and it really hasn't until the last week or two), and her Fight would not be carrying on.
It is for those reasons I do hope Jeb runs in 08. He is a strong moral man with good judgement who hasd one all he can do. Armchair Governors are being unfair to him.
Thank you MH.
I totally agree with you and have been villified on this forum for expressing the same.
Whew! The Gator will live! Rest easy, America.
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com
Once Proud Polar Bears Are Starving!!! CNN bemoans the tragedy of starving polar bears.
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com
America Ruled by Judicial Tyranny
Murderers, Nazis, Dolphins, Trees Get Reprieves
So life goes on in America, and around the world. In Florida, it's a different story...
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com
Why Levin's Book Scares The Left.
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com
Where's Janet Reno When You Need Her?
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com
Terri nurse interview on Fox...
http://www.foxnews.com/video2/player.html?032205/pol_schiavonurse_032205&FOX_Friends&FOX%20News%20Exclusive&acc&Politics&-1&wvx-300
yeah....or maybe it has something to do with someone being murdered?
maybe it has something to do with history?
Homeschooled probably.
It is wrong for the Republican Party...my party... to pander for votes by shopping for what they claim is the most dangerous threat to our country...activist judges.
It was a sickening display.
Hillary Clinton is laughing her *ss off.
I think maybe Terri is already with God and has been for quite a while. I have great sympathy and sadness for her parents, but 'the road hell is paved with good intentions' so to speak.
Bones
I think maybe Terri is already with God and has been for quite a while. I have great sympathy and sadness for her parents, but 'the road hell is paved with good intentions' so to speak.
Bones
On our local news last night..there was a woman who was being interviewed b/c she runs an animal shelter and a starving dog had been brought in....she was crying, wiping away tears! b/c she had never seen a dog "in such bad shape before"
this was after they did a piece on Terri about how "she wasn't in pain" blah, blah...
the irony lost...
It seems nothing else can be done within the law. Exceeding the limits of the law can only further damage the system we're trying to rescue and restore.
And I can't blame and won't blame either Bush for not doing more, because they did SO MUCH, and because there is nothing else they can try that has even the most remote chance of success.
In a game of chess with the devil, this time the good guys lost. Terri is robbed of the life she might have had, and her killers enjoy the protection of the law.
Stay healthy, people. Watch your backs. Pray you never find yourselves at the mercy of the state, or dark forces like Greer, Felos and the HINO.
I don't feel a very happy vibe coming from you for some strange reason.
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