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

[floriduh voter]

Tom Gallagher for Florida Governor

Did you know that Gallagher was an honor guard in D.C.? He may have been on the White House detail.

www.tg2006.com

Gallagher = leader

Crist = follower

[floriduh voter]

Debra Saunders wrote at World Net Daily too. She's at Creative Syndicate's web site. I think it's: www.creators.com.

Did you see that the Fathers only mentioned a few people who spoke out for Terri at the Mass Friday?

I was unaware that Pat Buchanan was fighting for her. I'm glad he was. Millions worldwide were fighting for and praying for Terri.

Father Pavone said that he could feel the energy from all the prayers in Terri's hospice room. He said it better than that but just think of it.

[Ohioan from Florida]

I was commenting on your earlier post:

I was working around the house and it hit me re: the latest Faithmouse drawing: History Repeats Itself. Those are history books spread at the foot of Terri's bed.

Anne Frank was treated inhumanely and then murdered just like Terri.

I think you're right in your assessment of the Faithmouse drawing...that history repeats itself, that Terri's murder was not unlike those during perpetrated through the Nazi regime, of which Anne Frank's was but one. And the killing of the undesirables goes on.

[Ohioan from Florida]

Fr. Pavone is a brave and wonderful priest. I sure wish there were many more like him. Bishop Lynch could take a few lessons about shepherding from Fr. Frank.

[BykrBayb]

FV posted it. I just thought it was worth repeating. As a matter of fact, one more time can't hurt.

http://nationalreview.com/comment/johansen200603310740.asp

[Wampus SC]

"Here is a way to let her know we appreciate her works. Respond to this post and I will send it on to her to show our thanks."

Thank you, Diana Lynne.

[Wampus SC]

"The White Rose will give you no rest". It doesn't know how to. It also gives no rest to anyone who would pick up the white rose and carry it. America badly needs a White Rose Society right now. As someone else here mentioned, there are no white roses in government. Not one. Fortunately there are still people left who don't have to wait for the government and politicians to do everything for them. Those individuals are just going to have to carry the rose.

[Wampus SC]

"I was working around the house and it hit me re: the latest Faithmouse drawing: History Repeats Itself. Those are history books spread at the foot of Terri's bed."

Bingo again! Note when history repeats, it's not just little isolated things that have happened before. In order for history to repeat, large-scale social trends and movements must repeat. Whole societal structures must repeat. You always get the whole package.

The package we're opening has killing of useless eaters as the first thing in the top of the package. We're digging deeper into the package...

[Wampus SC]

"When a crisis hits the lemmings personally, they be pleading for help. Many won't experience the real world until it's too late for them."

When they get over saying, "This isn't the real world, because it doesn't match what I've been told", they'll try to drown it out by burying themselves in a pile of lemmings. Oh, a few of them will hear the warnings and turn around to look at the guys sweeping them off the cliffs with push brooms. They'll start bashing the lemmings' brains out with the push brooms. The lemmings will notice that the broom guys have t-shirts with elephants and flags on them, and the words "I am chosen to do God's will". A disturbing number of the lemmings will then say, "Hey, this getting your brains bashed out with a push broom isn't so bad when he does it. I'm glad it's not some liberal bashing our brains out! We have so much to be thankful for!".

[Wampus SC]

"So, when our money no longer has In God We Trust On It, we can thank the rinos who side with the ACLU and the secularists, the globalists."

But we get to use the snappy new one, "E Greeribus Anus!".

Yeah, globalists. It isn't about Democrats and Republicans or liberals and conservatives. Globalists are who we should watch. Everything they do is to chip away at sovereignty of the country, with such things as CAFTA and FTAA. Everyone should research the provisions of those agreements. Some will be appalled, some will act appalled. Those who can only say, "But didn't Clinton do something like that?", or, "Gee, I'm glad it's not someone like Clinton doing that" just don't get it.

"This land is their land."

Yep, but they're gracious enough to let us rent little chunks of it, aren't they? And generous enough to let us call it our "private property". Until one of 'em decides he needs a bigger tax base to skim from, and seizes it through eminent domain. They own it in reality

All the property and all the money won't satisfy them since their greed is infinite. They won't stop until they own - literally own - each and every one of us.

[Wampus SC]

Great excerpt. Very good article in terms of explaining the mental steps one takes toward letting evil take hold. Worth a read for everyone. Unwillingness to acknowledge evil as such if those in power are practicing evil; followed by the willingness to call evil good, is the crucial step.

"the article has a checklist of evil. The last step is serial killing and genocide."

Those are physical steps in the physical world. What other physical world steps lead up to serial killing and genocide?
----- 1. Offing the useless eaters. Justification initially appeals to compassion. After it becomes more accepted, economic arguments predominate. Eventually it's all economic.

----- 2. A crisis, threat, or enemy - imagined. manufactured or real -- that requires extraordinary expansion of government police powers; and the powers are exercised in secret. Legal restrictions and limits ignored.

----- 3. Torture.

----- 4. Head of state and associates viewed as sacred figures, or ordained by God. This view used to justify labeling disagreement disloyal, unpatriotic, or evil.

----- 5. Private mercenaries used for law enforcement because they're not bound by legal considerations that the govt. is. (Just ask around in New Orleans. And other places.)

----- 6. Same group (from #4) is either granted exemption from all laws, or grants it to itself. (Enabling Acts, signing statements).

----- 7. Same group busts the budget. Cronies benefit.

----- 8. Total surveillance of everything. Called protective measures, but actually stems from the powers the be fearing the populace might notice erosion of liberty.

----- 9. The hammer falls. Total regimentation and control of everything, everywhere, all the time. Everything's done at the point of a gun.

------ 10. Camps.

Final, very important thoughts from the article:

" The exposure of evil and the act of giving evil a name in public forums is half the battle. In addition, there is a private battle with sin and evil faced by every person on earth--a battle beyond the sphere of the general culture war--that intimately concerns the individual, the family, and the church. The Christian, with the grace of God, must fight against evil on two fronts: the private struggle with sin, and--as good citizens--the public opposition to the agendas of evil in society.

Good citizens should use public forums to identify evil, explain why it is evil, and say "no" to it. Writers, speakers, public servants, and pastors must be bold and dare to say no to evil. It takes courage to say no, because the wicked sometimes publicly malign their opponents or retreat into sullen, vengeful malice, waiting for an opportunity to strike. However, our victory over public evil does not begin until we have the courage and fortitude to say no to evil itself."

[Wampus SC]

"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."

Gott im Himmel! They're declaring war on the human race itself! Okay, fine. If they want to play that way I'm sure there are many who, once the word gets out, will consider the battle joined.

BTW, did y'all click on that link to the good Dr.'s website and check his pic? Strange that a ZZ Top lookalike would be behind this. If you want to see a truly disturbing pic of the guy, click the link that says "Pianka's 10 Commandments".

[Wampus SC]

Good revision to the list in your tagline.

[Wampus SC]

Power problems in this neck of the woods tonight, and the computer just switched over to battery backup. Be back when this straightens out.

Supercat, you raise some interesting points, and I'm not ignoring you.

Good night.

[T'wit]

>> A theater in Philadelphia this past Saturday evening.

> First showing?

I have no idea. Sorry.

Wait a minute, that statistic is in Google. No, it's in its sixth week and evidently is being test-marketed in a handful of theaters at this point. It is being shown in only 23 theaters (boy, we got lucky) and has moved up from 60th to 58th. It made $33,915 for the week, or $1,474 average per theater, not too bad, and has grossed $269,147 to date, also not bad, considering.

We should all ask for it -- noisily!

[T'wit]

>> I was unaware that Pat Buchanan was fighting for her.

Yes, that surprised me too. I'd heard nothing of it.

[T'wit]

>> Good revision to the list in your tagline.

:-)

I honor great ambition! This guy wants to kill forty times as many people as Hitler, Mao, Stalin, Pol Pot and Ted Bundy combined! (And sterilize the rest.) The man is aiming to cure every human disease and disability! Nothing to it, just get rid of the humans!

There is one small fly in the ointment. He says we humans are equal to bacteria but doesn't seem to realize that in putting humans to a hideous death, he'd be committing genocide on our internal bacteria.

I wish to announce the foundation of the Eric Pianka Save Our Bacteria Committee (SOB), to see if we can work out some deal to let the bacteria go free.

[T'wit]

I think I shall make another revision in honor of Rachel Carson -- patron saint of malaria mosquitoes -- whose legacy kills two million people every year, most of them children. These deaths could be prevented except the Church of Ecological Horse Felos won't allow it.

[T'wit]

The old rule is, you announce fair treatment of prisoners. (You have to keep your word, too, because the enemy will soon find out.) Otherwise your enemy will fight to the death instead of surrendering. That increases casualties on both sides.

I have no information on present U.S. use of torture. I have only a native -- or is it naive? -- belief that Americans are above engaging in what I myself would call torture, namely, inflicting great pain. I can certainly see using psychological pressure on POWs to try to extract information.

[T'wit]

Does anyone here despair that our efforts for Terri were in vain? Read this: "Today, more than a hundred German schools are named after her [Sophie Scholl], and Jentsch's portrayal of Scholl may just inspire more brave young souls to pursue their own quests of justice and truth against all odds." (-- from the review in Christianity Today).

Wouldn't it be great if one hundred of our schools were named for Teresa Marie Schindler?

Capsule reviews of SOPHIE SCHOLL

The White Rose (flash player needed)

Playdates for Sophie Scholl

Above: Sophie weeps at the news that Cristoph Probst has been arrested. Probst, a fine young man everyone likes, is father of three small children, one a newborn, and his wife is too sick to take care of them. Sophie, her brother and Probst were executed together and are buried together in Munich's Perlach cemetery.