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]

Pretty good draft legislation but they had better put more teeth into it. Section #4 allows dehydration/starvation in "reasonable" medical circumstances. So far as I can see, the would-be killers need only buy one doctor's opinion before they pull grandma's tube and ransack her estate. And remember, we already have death doctors' opinions for sale.

[8mmMauser]

Thanks, Pepper777. Remembering Sophie and the White Rose and the treatment of the "untermenschen", we find startling plans oozing out of the death lovers camp. It is more than just bloviating bullfelos spewing from this reptile lover.

May we keep focused and vigilant on their plans for us. Because of its core origin, evil continues in the same path even when the Hitlers die.

But there was a gravely disturbing side to that otherwise scientifically significant meeting, for I watched in amazement as a few hundred members of the Texas Academy of Science rose to their feet and gave a standing ovation to a speech that enthusiastically advocated the elimination of 90 percent of Earth's population by airborne Ebola. The speech was given by Dr. Eric R. Pianka (Fig. 1), the University of Texas evolutionary ecologist and lizard expert who the Academy named the 2006 Distinguished Texas Scientist.

Meeting Doctor Doom

8mm

[8mmMauser]

On living wills, a warning, if for different reasons...

Those on both sides of the contentious right-to-die debate agree there was one bright spot in the tragic events surrounding Terri Schiavo's death one year ago last Friday: It prompted thousands to draft living wills detailing the care they would want if they could not speak for themselves.

But some experts now say living wills, for years touted as the way for patients to retain control and avoid painful end-of-life family feuds, on their own offer little protection.

Experts say appointing 'health-care surrogate' much better than living wills

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[8mmMauser]

Crist defends judges to the death, not theirs, but that of others.

Crist declined this week to directly answer questions about the case. A statement issued by a spokeswoman said that he ''supported Governor Bush and assisted in the preparation of the legal briefs'' related to the case. ``Gov. Bush wanted to take a leadership role and the Attorney General respected that.''

As for his remarks at the banquet, Crist's spokeswoman said he ``was speaking at a ceremony honoring the judges and was commenting on them in general. Charlie Crist believes in the Constitution as written, and part of the Constitution is the separation of powers.''

David Gibbs, an attorney for Schiavo's parents, said the family was disappointed by Crist's inaction. As for Gallagher, he said he hopes that he ``remains true to his convictions.''

Schiavo is talking point in Florida governor race

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[T'wit]

Here is a memorable review in Christianity Today:

Sophie Scholl: The Final Days

A number of big names — Dame Judy Dench, Keira Knightley, Charlize Theron, and Reese Witherspoon — were Academy Award nominees for Best Actress in 2005. And Witherspoon, the winner for her role in Walk the Line, certainly deserved high honors. But could it be that voters overlooked a performance that's even more riveting, memorable, and inspiring than any of these?

You may think so when you see Sophie Scholl: The Final Days, an Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Film. In this German-made movie, Julia Jentsch plays the role of a valiant 21-year-old hero who stood up against the Nazis, and who boldly proclaimed her faith in Jesus Christ even as she denounced Hitler as a liar. Watch her stand strong against the relentless, ferocious challenges of Nazi interrogator Robert Mohr, played with similar intensity by Alexander Held.

If the real Sophie Scholl was anything like the character played by Jentsch here—and the extensive research performed by director Mark Rothemund and screenwriter Fred Breinersdorfer indicates that she was—then she deserves a place alongside history's most revered and celebrated Christian women.

Amen to that. Julia Jentsch was beyond praise. My review is simple. The movie will haunt you. When we saw it, the audience was utterly silent, motionless, raptly absorbed. No one wanted to miss a word -- though the words were in German, not English. Even when the movie was over and there was nothing but credits for unfamiliar German names, not a soul stirred to leave. This was not entertainment. This was moral witness to Christian martyrs.

[8mmMauser]

Here is something to check out, a thread from wagglebee.

Schindler Family Honors Terri Schiavo, Forms Foundation to Protect Disabled

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[T'wit]

We should thank the death doctor for making it so clear that "science," detached from moral constraints, becomes a monster that yearns to murder most of the world. Dr. Doomsday says he speaks (only) to "the converted." Who could those be except converts to The Enemy?

[Wampus SC]

"The White Rose, a fitting symbol for Sophie, a fitting symbol for Terri."

And as was said here by many around the time of her death, what happened to Terri is a fitting symbol for the United States.

Back after this line of storms goes by.....

[floriduh voter]

Murder is about leadership roles? Well, we were short on leaders one year ago... "You do this, Jeb. The judges are my homies and I don't want to get involved..." what Crist might have said about Terri to Jeb.

[Ohioan from Florida]

Excellent! Thank you, BB, for pointing out Father Johansen's wonderful article at NRO!

[Ohioan from Florida]

Diana Lynne, Sarah (Foster?), and all who contributed to the articles at WND have done a remarkable job informing people about the real truths surrounding Terri's case, and others who have been put in vulnerable positions, like Mae Maguorik (sp?) and Jimmy Chambers. I hope she and they continue to provide the quality journalism that I have enjoyed reading.

[Ohioan from Florida]

I'm so glad that David got good care early on. Rehab is so very important. God bless his mom for not giving up, especially when there were no easy answers.

[Ohioan from Florida]

I think you're right.

[bjs1779]

When we saw it, the audience was utterly silent, motionless, raptly absorbed.

Where did you see this at?

[Ohioan from Florida]

What a beautiful and thought-provoking sermon!

[T'wit]

Thanks for posting this, KDubRN.

All that leftist money spent to promote death plays out the iron logic of every form of collectivism. The logic is to kill the weaker, less productive half of humanity. Leftist theory holds that those people don't pull their weight, so they are a burden on everyone else. They are a waste of resources. Kill them off! This is simple justice to the rest, who will now get more from the common pot.

It is only in a free-market society, where rights are protected and civilized values are widely shared, that the weak, the disabled, the elderly and the unborn can be kept safe from leftist genocide.

Moral ideas have more power than all of George Soros's money.

[T'wit]

A theater in Philadelphia this past Saturday evening.

[bjs1779]

A theater in Philadelphia this past Saturday evening.

First showing?

[floriduh voter]

What do you think I'm right about? Charlie Crist not doing his job at all to pertek the crooked judges so he could say they were heroes?

[floriduh voter]

I wish I could post what I know about what happened to Terri but, more books are on the way and I don't want to be a spoiler.

I don't bluff.