Terri's Day challenges the nation to unify

Renew America ^ | March 13, 2006 | Kevin Fobbs

[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

[T'wit]

>> Doctor Harrison... says that her EEG is so depressed

What's on the record is that Dr. Harrison -- ghoulish though he is on this account -- did not say her EEG was "completely flat." He said "depressed." I gather he saw Terri only once and that was enough for him to opine that she had "died" four years earlier? And this with merely "depressed" brain function according to a single EEG? This does not sound credible at all -- at least not coming from Michael.

Any medics around to help with this? Pending better info, I've been told that EEGs are about the weakest tool in the neurologists' kit and will probably be obsolete soon. They aren't terribly reliable, I gather.

[T'wit]

I wouldn't go too far down that road. Wolfson was certainly part of the pack and he agreed with Greer on 99.7%. It was particularly galling because he was the only legal representation Terri got and his legal duty was to look after HER interests, not the guardian's. I think his call for swallowing tests was window dressing. Camouflage. An ounce of "dissent" to play up in the press while putting one more knife in Terri's back.

Jay Wolfson is out on the Death with Dignity Speaking Tour with the others. I have no doubt they go to banquets that serve both water and food.

[BykrBayb]

No.

Did you?

[T'wit]

>> Haul him in for questioning I say.

Heck, send him to Gitmo for questioning.

[T'wit]

You are kind but Lewis deserves the credit. The way to repay his teaching is to read it, learn it, and share it.

[T'wit]

Amen. It is not a far-fetched hope.

[T'wit]

>> There you go, using Hubbard in vain. Can felos be used as a verb, as in "The serial killer felosed another victim>"?

Mother of Hubbard, 8mm, what a question! (Any feedback here about "fetch the poor dog a bone" will be jeered at.)

If horse felos means what we all think it means, felos as a verb must mean pitching the ol' horse felos, usually at press conferences. We need a different verb for initiating Felosian Death Experiences. Let us ponder. Is my tagline any help? To Cranford? To Greer? To Bundy? To Kevorkian?

I'm going to withdraw Bundy from the nominations. He was much too nice for this gang.

[T'wit]

>> I wonder if he ever had a moment after that when he didn't see it.

Well said!

[supercat]

Michael is saying what God's fallen children must say -- "I didn't do anything wrong. I did good."

But what they're really thinking is "if I believe hard enough that I didn't do anything wrong, I'll feel better about it."

[Pepper777]

** None whats so ever. The book of Revelations is getting closer all the time.**

I couldn't agree more. If ever there were a time when almost all of the events the Prophets of Old have predicted, are coming to pass, it is the here and now.

We're probably headed for some very troubling times. Even the technology to chip us is available. I think the anti-christ will come out of the EU. How fitting since it's the beginning letters of EUthanasia.

All the snarling talk of a right to die - right to kill babies - right to kill loved ones - will fade away into the sound of people just trying to survive the pounding hooves of the pale horse and it's rider called DEATH. Ironic, isn't it.

[Pepper777]

"" I wonder if he ever had a moment after that when he didn't see it. That's a memory that could drive anyone to suicide.""

The father was probably haunted by his daughter, Nancy's torment, day and night. He choose death to escape the horror of what he did. I imagine the policeman who was quoted, has had many sleepless nights as well.

I read some where that Nancy's headstone is written almost exactly like Terri's - with the date of the injury listed as the date of death. If true, it tells me some one other than the parents and Michael, were the author of using those insane dates. Those who are promoting this insanity are using people like Michael and Nancy's family, to set precedent for their hellish plans.

No matter who the human author is, the real author surely is the devil himself - a liar from the beginning of time - a thief who comes only to steal, kill and destroy.

[Pepper777]

**""" So that's what happened! He asphyxiated her with the covers!""**

Whoa, you seriously might be on to the real story, T'wit. Sociopaths talk in what I call a type of coded language such as that very type of thing. They tell the truth, but it's hidden away in little clues. They think it's funny when no one gets it.

I think michael is laughing at his own supporters. Especially those who are honoring him as the guardian of the year and ect. What stinking fools.

I so wish Furhman or another real detective would continue to investigate what happened. Not that MS will ever be charged, but at least a believable profile of truth could be told, which would put an end to calling Terri's case a Right to Die case.

The MSM constantly misleads the public by implying Felos, the ACLU and the rest of the death ilk, were actually doing Terri a favor by killing her - and hence giving her, her wish, by winning a right to die case for Terri. What total BS.

I'll never believe Terri wanted to die. She fought for her life more times than we'll ever know. I shudder to imagine how many times she was tormented.

[Pepper777]

Yes, I think you're right about the spelling of Pearse. I could only remember the name, but had forgotten the way it was spelled. Pearse looks correct now that you've reminded me. Thanks. :)

[T'wit]

We were just discussing the White Rose above. One thing they said in a flyer is their "signature" now. It's the credo everyone hears: "We will not be silent. We are your bad conscience. We will give you no peace."

Look at how Michael fits those words. He has a guilty conscience and it is giving him no peace. He keeps trying to wash the blood off his hands, like Lady MacBeth. He lies, he denies, he lies some more. He imagines we cannot see what drives this torrent of lies. But we do see. And the more he insists in his slippery statements that he's not guilty, the more we see that he is.

The only way out is the old, old one. He has to confess and repent. He has to atone for his misdeeds.

[T'wit]

Hey, teamwork. I probably wouldn't have thought of it w/o your tip :-) He was the only one who gave Terri the time of day -- and naturally it got him kicked out.

[T'wit]

>> Sociopaths talk in what I call a type of coded language such as that very type of thing. They tell the truth, but it's hidden away in little clues. They think it's funny when no one gets it.

At which Bubba Billy Clinton is a master :-) It's a little boy thing with him, more playful or mischievous than deceitful. With Michael it sounds more like a blurt. An accidental lapse. I don't read him as a word person. He has no ear for language and he's not a good liar.

I've been struck by him saying (as he has before) "For some strange reason..." Now that is a very weird way to describe being awakened/getting up in the middle of the night -- and at the very moment your wife is supposedly collapsing and dying. I'm not sure what to make of it. But it could well be that he is blotting out some terrible scene and starting the story where it is safe, right afterward... as she fell.

"Thud." He mentioned the sound several times. In one version it woke him up. In another, he was "up for some reason" and then heard the thud. In this one, no thud, he gets up, she goes down, implying that he saw it. (Mark Furhman thinks he DID see Terri fall though he never said so.)

Too many stories!

Another little bone to chew on. If he was just getting out of bed when Terri went down, why was he dressed when Bobby and the Emergency people got there? He's got a wife all but dead on the floor and he leaves her to get dressed?

[supercat]

If true, it tells me some one other than the parents and Michael, were the author of using those insane dates.

Or that Michael was aware of the text on Nancy Cruzan's grave marker and decided to do his likewise.

[T'wit]

>> I so wish Furhman or another real detective would continue to investigate

"Oh, er, just one more thing, Mr. Schiavo..."

[T'wit]

Seems you heard right. Supposedly it says this:

NANCY BETH CRUZAN
MOST LOVED
DAUGHTER - SISTER - AUNT
BORN JULY 20, 1957
DEPARTED JAN 11, 1983
AT PEACE DEC 26, 1990

[T'wit]

Compare to Terri's plaque:

Schiavo
Theresa Marie
Beloved Wife
Born December 3, 1963
Departed this Earth
February 25, 1990
At Peace March 31, 2005
I kept my promise