What part of pro-life don't you understand?
Posted on 06/05/2005 11:45:26 AM PDT by 8mmMauser
"Too Late To Die Young: Nearly True Tales From a Life," by Harriet McBryde Johnson.
About two years ago, Harriet Johnson appeared on the cover of The New York Times Magazine. If you saw her portrait, you probably haven't forgotten it.
A thin woman in a wheelchair leans forward, a purple shawl draping one shoulder. Johnson describes it this way in her new memoir: "The portrait has been described as beautifully disturbing, and most nondisabled people seem to see it that way. I'd prefer to call it disturbingly beautiful, but I'll take it the other way around if I must."
Johnson has an unnamed muscle-wasting disease, but don't dare say she "suffers" from it. She insists on being her own complicated person, a Southern lady, for instance, as well as a socialist, an atheist, a lawyer and a born storyteller with a wicked sense of humor.
She eschews pity and sentimentality. She supports the work of Not Dead Yet, a group of anti-euthanasia activists who demonstrated outside Terri Schiavo's Pinellas Park hospice earlier this year, dramatically sliding out of their wheelchairs and lying on the ground.
And though Johnson hates the hackneyed trope of triumph in the face of disability, she nevertheless has a string of interesting adventures. She runs for elected office. She travels to Cuba to discuss disability rights. She protests the Jerry Lewis telethon annually in her hometown of Charleston, S.C., and she bribes her friends to join her with promises of free food.
Her gripe with the telethon is its grim prognostications. When she was 30, her mother became ill, and Johnson had to accept for the first time that, contrary to all expectations, she might indeed outlive her parents. "While anyone may die young, it's not something you can count on," she writes. "You have to be prepared to survive." It's that angry, proud but utterly normal brand of survival that is at the heart of Johnson's memoir.
The most fascinating chapter is her encounter with the philosopher and animal rights activist Peter Singer. (It was this encounter that rated The New York Times Magazine cover.) Singer believes that in some cases it is morally acceptable for parents to kill severely disabled infants. Johnson disagrees, so much so that she fears even debating him would dignify his ideas as socially acceptable. Nevertheless, she meets him, travels to Princeton University to debate him and ends up with a great story about it.
The best memoirs don't necessarily tell every event in a person's life, but they do capture the voice and the emotional feel of the author. Yes, it's impossible for a nondisabled person to fully know what Johnson's life is like. But her writing is so vibrant, so interesting and so funny that you can't help but feel as if you're in her world, sitting beside her and hearing her story for yourself.
TEJ does it again. JUDGE GREER HAS 76% reversal rate on appeal except re: Terri.
Judges colluded at all levels to back Greer's illegal (first of its kind) death order. (my words).
http://www.theempirejournal.com/611053_schiavo_judge_has_76.htm
There were avowed liberals at the Vigil who simply understood the principle that murder is illegal and immoral. People would declare their political affiliation and then say that it didn't matter to them what their party thought, they were there for Terri.
Scott Thomas
http://www.hospicepatients.org/
As a new member of the “hard right” I feel compelled to convey to you, my dear liberal, the journey that has brought me to this place. There is a bitter animosity among many liberals today toward those that would believe as I do. As many conservatives will tell you, there is no point in hating liberals. They are as much a part of us as they are a part of the American fabric. It was once said that most conservatives start out as liberals in their youth. So how do we get to the other side of such opposing views?
For this writer, it took many years of seeing the world outside my parent’s protection to arrive at my current beliefs. In my younger years as an American, I believed in the total goodness of mankind. I knew nothing of hate, racism, pro-death, wars or politics. I was taught at home and in my schools to love everyone regardless of nationality, disability, gender or religion. Those days where full of hope and possibility. I was once certain in my heart that the world we live in is full of people that only want to live and let live. My thoughts were that those who did not take my views need only to be given a touch of that all-powerful love and they would see how things could really be. It was devastating to find out that there where those that truly hated and discounted human life beyond any reasoning and that no amount of kindness or love would dilute their way of thinking.
As if it wasn’t enough to learn of real hate and wars and the culture of death, I learned that there are political leaders that use those wars and ways of thinking to bring themselves to power. I became keen to maneuver through this political trickery. I learned that the worst politicians where those that preyed on the innocents. They tell opponents of hate what they want to hear, that war is very seldom necessary and human suffering is cheap . They defy the facts of struggle after struggle, war after war throughout our human history in order to find favor in the American heart. They declare that human life is measured by the sciences and only real if they determine it to be so. I learned about those amoral, power hungry brokers that seek to widen the divisions in our country, using well chosen words that “sound” eloquent and intelligent to pit race against race, gender against gender, rich against poor, disabled against the socialist good to increase their own support in their quest for power. My eyes where opened and I knew there must be others that thought as I did. So I sought them out and found that they were called Republicans. I joined the just cause to bring back those things that I valued most, the ideas of my youth, that where taken from me by the real nature of this world.
There is only one party that can help us to survive in this newest world of hate, insanity and pro-death. It should not be surprising that the US has taken a “hard right” Republican shift and I suspect that the rest of the free world will follow in the next few years as the newest threats gather.
I long for the liberal days of my youth when everything was brightness and light, before I learned about the hate and the love of death, before that one bright morning when the reality of the madness of the world came crashing in.
Liberal, I support you in your journey to find the sad truth. The reality is that the world is not what any of us want it to be. Unless those that would kill the liberal-at-heart are removed from power, the world will not ever be what we all want it to be. I am one of those people who will forever dream of peace on earth, but dare to see things for what they are today For you that have not found it acceptable to face these unbearable truths, there will always be those of us on the right who are willing to protect you from the hate and madness of these killers, even if you despise us for doing so. For those who can see that the dreams of our youth are still so very far away and that more work needs to be done to bring back the hope, won’t you please join us in this fight for freedom and life?
Good news indeed on Scott from the Olive Branch Press link:
Scott Thomas’ Fight for “Life”
by Vickie Nee
The similarities are frightening:
• A Florida resident.
• An unexplained event, with no one else home but the spouse.
• A serious brain injury that could take years to overcome.
• An order to not release medical information to other family members.
• A hospice contacted in secret and a bed prepared.
• A spouse with the intent to remove a feeding tube.
The differences are heartening:
• A doctor finds out and informs the mom.
• Lawyers stay up late to prepare an emergency motion.
• A judge awards temporary guardianship to the mom.
• Mom is able to devote herself full-time to caring for her grown child and getting him the best in rehabilitation.
• A doctor who believes in LIFE.
His name is Scott Thomas. He is 34 years old, lives in Jacksonville and is brain-injured since last September. He smiles, cries, lifts his eyebrows in response to questions, tracks movement, and willingly gives a ‘thumbs up’ when asked. Those of us who prayed for, worked for, and cried for Terri and her family, understand the battle. Scott Thomas’ life is in danger. Especially in the State of Florida, where a devastating precedent has now been set. We know that the State Senate will not help and the Governor will not step in, even though he has a Constitutional duty to protect innocent life. It all comes down to the court system, and possibly to the opinion of one judge.
Scott’s mom is Pamela Patton. She is committed to caring for Scott, and so far has won one round in court, and lost one. She was awarded a six month temporary guardianship when her daughter-in-law tried to sneak Scott off to a hospice a month after his injury, intending to remove his feeding and hydration tube. But in a later hearing, this same daughter-in-law was awarded the right to unsupervised visits with Scott. Pamela calls it being left “alone in the room with his would-be killer”.
Scott’s wife is Eliza Thomas. She came to this country from Poland as an illegal immigrant. At about the time of September 11th, she convinced Scott to marry her so that she would not be deported. They have an eleven month old son. She claims that she was not in the room when the accident happened, but that he fell backward over the dog. He, on the other hand, indicates that she possibly caused the injury, and that he does not want to see her. She has petitioned the court for guardianship, and the hearing will occur in June. In the meantime, she has removed his pictures from the house, has had at least one boyfriend, and has begun to starve his beloved dog. She refuses to let him see his son unless she is allowed in the room. She has no comment for the press.
We were privileged to spend time with Scott and Pamela. The world was not allowed to see current photos of Terri for years, because Michael Schiavo knew that it would be damaging to his case. It is our desire to make sure that the world knows who Scott is and sees his wonderful smile. With the help of Olive Branch Press and other friends, we traveled to Jacksonville last weekend to take his picture. In our first meeting with Scott, he gave us his typical ‘thumbs up”, in response to the toy airplane our son had brought. We later photographed Scott with his doctor, Thomas Murray of Jacksonville. On Dr. Murray’s command, Scott looked straight at the camera and gave us a huge smile. He held the smile for several frames, until Dr. Murray told him he was done. We then photographed another “thumbs up”, requested by doctor and mom, as an acknowledgement of a job well done. We felt that we had not only Pamela and Dr. Murray’s permission to take his picture, but his as well.
We are encouraged by our time with Scott’s mom and Dr. Murray. They are both doing all that they can to aid Scott in his recovery. His doctor is not only a brilliant man, but it is clear that he loves his patients. We are sure that Scott will flourish under his care. It is Dr. Murray’s belief that Scott can recover most of his previous abilities, if only he is given the time....
Please pray for Scott and Pamela, get informed on this issue, tell your friends, tell your pastor, and call your representatives. We need to stop this from happening again. God is the giver of life and only He has the right to take it away.
"So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him, male and female created He them." Genesis 1:27
"Where there is life, there is hope." Theresa Marie Schindler 1963-2005
Vickie Nee currently lives in West Palm Beach with her husband Dave and four children. Their desire is to serve the Lord with photography and website management wherever He sees fit to send them. They are currently working with Missionary Flights International (based in West Palm Beach), Creation Expeditions (based in Crystal River, FL), and with life and death issues, wherever and whenever needed.
Thanks for the info on Scott.
Fallacies about the Schiavo Case
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1421155/posts
Defying the Death Culture (Stoke Victim Nearly Suffered the fate of Terri Schiavo)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1421154/posts
Annihilating Terri Schiavo
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1421335/posts
Lucianne.com and Terri Schiavo: The Rest of the Story
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1421306/posts
Terri's even reached the home shopping channels. I don't follow Suze Orman but she's got a PBS deal and other financial shows. Guess she's going to make her dime from Terri's death without mentioning her per se.
FYI: www.terrisfight.org is updating their site but should be back on line shortly.
I refer to the wife as "eliza do little". Scott Thomas was lucky that he wasn't living in "the coven" district of Florida where the doctos, judges, lawyers AND even the Bishop are on the same page. Clown posse will love that remark. Hi clown posse.
I refer to the wife as "eliza do little". Scott Thomas was lucky that he wasn't living in "the coven" district of Florida where the doctors, hospices, judges, lawyers AND even the Bishop are on the same page. Clown posse will love that remark.
http://tekgnosis.typepad.com/tekgnosis/2005/06/judge_greer_tv_.html (must see tv).
If Florida were a REAL state, people would be in big trouble for this ad and Greer may have been disqualified.
" There were avowed liberals at the Vigil who simply understood the principle that murder is illegal and immoral. People would declare their political affiliation and then say that it didn't matter to them what their party thought, they were there for Terri. "
I'm not at all surprised by your description of those at the vigil. It doesn't take a rocket scientist, to realize plain and simply, what was done to Terri was WRONG, imo.
Thanks for the previous link from The Empire Journal, FV. I'm gonna check it out. I'm so grateful for the TEJ. Their articles are exellent.
" Hospice Patients Alliance are the good guys. Lots of information here. "
http://www.hospicepatients.org
I agree, FV!!!
Do you have a link to the * Clown Posse *??
Lol, I'm sure they will :-D
The trouble with a living will is that many lawyers, hospitals and some doctors will encourage a person to "err on the side of death," according to articles that I have read.
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