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

[Wampus SC]

"Anything we can think of to help Simplemines? Post# 3,094."

We can do the usual. The only thing that's ever worked -- barring a Greer in the works -- is public embarrassment and humiliation, or the threat of it. The media machine can be cranked into high gear if we yank it's chain the right way. We need specifics: names of patient, doctors, hospitals, etc. Does anyone have them?

"Dr. XXXXXX refused our request for an interview and is not returning our calls" is amazingly effective...Þ

[floriduh voter]

Kristin Schmidt was "concerned"? That's liberal coverup lingo. She's attended the school of bubba, feel your pain seminar.

Why hasn't the NURSE AND REST BEEN BOOKED YET?

What is Florida waiting for? There is no plausible explanation except that it's Florida, where children, husbands, wives and parents are all abused equally while in state custody.

To the death...

[floriduh voter]

what up with Mikey blogging? Didn't he get what he wanted? Terri's deceased. If that's what he wanted, why is he mad at anyone??? Why is he mad at the president? Terri's gone. She wasn't rescued. Maybe Howard Dean paid Mikey to blame Bush. I blame Bush too but because he's supposed to protect all the people and he couldn't even save one woman.

[floriduh voter]

A committee member is NOW the thought police? How do they know what the capacity is of the person to make a decision? Can they read minds like feloser?

[floriduh voter]

BOOT CAMP DEATH ARCHIVES (no arrests to date even though Martin died on January 6, 2006):

http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/results.html?st=advanced&QryTxt=boot+camp+deaths&sortby=REVERSE_CHRON&datetype=6&frommonth=01&fromday=01&fromyear=2004&tomonth=05&today=14&toyear=2006&By=&Title=&Sect=ALL

FV says: another Florida coverup is well underway.

[TheSpottedOwl]

Mr. Smarty pants had better learn the rules on running a PAC. Isn't he supposedly in trouble for not filing papers? Vegas is close to me, about 3 hours. Tempting, but I've just started feeling better, and don't need additional stress.

Yeah Mikey, I've got a round table and a daily Kos for you : (

[Wampus SC]

re: Mikey and Kos - WTH is a "kos"? They've given him a special section called "Michael Schiavo's Diary". He must be a regular writer there, FWIW. WHat he's doing is the completely self-centered, infantile whining of someone who just can't take it that not everyone has worshiped him yet. Or, maybe it's some kind of therapy to keep his conscience from appearing.

re: Fearless Leader: "It's not just about Terri re: his ratings but largely, that was when Bush's numbers started dropping, right after Terri's wrongful, malicious, felonious death."

Yes, that's the timing of when the slide started, right after he could have saved Terri but didn't. You're right that there are so many other issues he's been wrong on. Whether it's spending at a level that would embarrass Walter Mondale; Katrina; Medicare D; ports; military parts plants sold to Dubai; CAFTA and FTAA; mercenaries given LEO powers; torture as policy; secret prisons; secret rendition/torture flights flown by mercenaries; immigration; warrantless wiretapping and constant surveillance of everything; KBR camps -- the list goes on. Never have so many different groups of people been alienated in so many different ways.

[Wampus SC]

"And, we are not alone. I won't be fooled again. Boy genius isn't such a genius after all. I'd like to sue him for his mishandling of this administration but he's probably got boy genius-munity."

Yeah. Won't Get Fooled Again. I have that song on a continuous loop cassette in the truck these days. I play it right after I hear the news of what the administration's done today.

[Wampus SC]

"A committee member is NOW the thought police? How do they know what the capacity is of the person to make a decision? Can they read minds like feloser?"

You got it. But they don't need to know if they have the power to kill whenever they feel like it.

A few weeks ago the question was posed about what we'll do when the day comes when the death culture can drop all their pretenses and say, "Yes, we're evil SOB's, but we've got the power. What are you gonna do about it?" If this bill passes that day will be here. What will we do about it?

Just thought I'd restate the thought question for long range planning...

[TheSpottedOwl]

Yes, a week ago today. But she died peacefully with her family at her side -- not by having the "ethics" committee unplug her respirator. She died naturally. That made all the difference to her family, to us, to herself.

Well, it was her time. I've been kind of stuck on certain topics, and have neglected the Terri dailies. Even though the Lord called Andrea home, her family must still be hurting.

[TheSpottedOwl]

Even though your family members went out when they should have, it must still hurt. You have my best wishes and condolences, Wampus.

Praise the Lord, I was able to give my Mom the "gift" of a natural death.

[T'wit]

>> She's attended the school of bubba

I think you're onto a great commercial opportunity, FV.

TWELVE FAMOUS BUBBAS WILL FEEL YOUR PAIN

Learn the secrets of Bubbahood! 12 Famous Bubbas will teach you how to lie under oath with a straight face... be seen as the victim... call Jesse Jackson at his private number... sell cemetery plots in Mississippi... tell law enforcement officials how you are related to them... get free Blewinskis... be invited to preach in politically correct churches... get the goods on the U.S. attorney general... and best of all, feel everyone's pain!

Learn it all at home in your spare time. Fees automatically deducted from your credit cards and income-tax returns. Generous 2% discounts to registered Democrats, AARP members and Friends of Bubba (check this [__] "I am a useful idiot" box).

[BykrBayb]

"I can tell you generically that under federal regulations all deaths or imminent deaths are required to be reported to the organ bank," he said.

Is this true? If we have this so-called Constitutional right to privacy that allows doctors to kill us without our permission, isn't there also a Constitutional right to privacy that prevents them from advertising our body parts?

McCulloch couldn't provide more information on the boy's injuries because of privacy laws.

Privacy laws? See above.

But he said that generally when a patient is declared brain dead, only hospital equipment is keeping the person's heart and lungs functioning.

Generally? Does that mean that sometimes a patient who is very much alive, without the aid of machines, is declared brain dead? They can't stop the heart and lungs by removing the machines, if there aren't any machines. So what do they do with the body? Do they bury it while it's still functioning? Do they chop it up for parts while it's still functioning?

[T'wit]

>> Generally? Does that mean that sometimes a patient who is very much alive, without the aid of machines, is declared brain dead?

Yes. And yes they do chop him up for parts. And, finally, yes, this is at odds with the medical definition of brain death, which is complete cessation of brain activity, including the brain stem. The patient therefore cannot breathe on his own, i.e., without life support. For all the uproar, Karen Ann Quinlan was not brain dead.

They almost got Haleigh Poutre this way and she was not even "PVS." "Almost" PVS, they said.

[BykrBayb]

Haleigh is almost PVS like I am almost the queen of England.

[Sun]

"It certainly has. It's also made public and somewhat vindicated ideas that we've been discussing on these threads for a long time. 1) That that the living wills and advance directives the death culture has been pushing mean nothing. They don't mean a thing when an ethics committee can override them and kill whenever they feel like it. 2.) That the health insurance industry plays a big part in this. Maybe the major part."

I cringe everytime I hear the word bio"ethics."

The reason the pro-death crowd want us to have so-called living wills, is so that if we unwisely put something in the will that will kill us, it will be easier for them to do so.

However, if we choose life for ourselves thoughout the will, they will override it with a bio"ethics" committee, whenever they can.

If I did get an advanced directive, I would download the "Will to Live" which is at www.nrlc.org

[Sun]

Michael's revenge is going to eat him alive. He can't let it go. Revenge was one of his motives for killing Terri.

The blog says that other pro-death people post on that blog, like Ted Kennedy. NO SURPRISE.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/5/12/14936/0858

[Sun]

"You got it. But they don't need to know if they have the power to kill whenever they feel like it.

A few weeks ago the question was posed about what we'll do when the day comes when the death culture can drop all their pretenses and say, "Yes, we're evil SOB's, but we've got the power. What are you gonna do about it?" If this bill passes that day will be here. What will we do about it?

Just thought I'd restate the thought question for long range planning..."

Not one bit far fetched. They already had/have the power to kill over 46 million preborn innocent babies.

[BykrBayb]

Welcome back. May God grant you comfort.

Thanks for the addition to my tagline.

[BykrBayb]

Jeb Bush pauses at the next political step

Nationally, his reputation was colored by his push last year to keep a brain dead woman on life support over the objections of her husband. Polls showed that the broader public objected to Bush's actions to keep Terri Schiavo alive. But his moves endeared him all the more to Christian conservatives.

The original story said she was brain damaged. Bradenton Herald changed it to "brain dead." Apparently there weren't already enough lies to satisfy them. Funny, there were enough lies to satisfy LA Times.