Posted on 03/14/2006 11:28:51 AM PST by 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
Why, yes. If there is anything to symbolize liberal thinking, it is the rubber stamp.
That gives me an idea: market rubber stamps saying: SUPPORT DIVERSITY.
Thanks for the reminder of Mae Maguirk, a memorial carved into my memory along with Jimmy Chambers and others.
God bless Haleigh Poutre, Scott Thomas, and Mrs. Vo, the ones we know about who are still with us.
I suspect they have a whole industry already cranking out rubber stamps since so many catch phrases are rubber stamp adaptable. They must have some sort of templates for the tattoo shops, too. I had been tempted in the past to show up in one of those demonstrations carrying a road sign, "End Construction" and bet nobody would figure it out.
For my two cents, you've got to like a man with Belloc and Chesterton in his library :-) For another two cents, running for office is a bully pulpit, but I hope he doesn't win and turn into a politician. May he go on teaching. He sets an example, and that's the best kind of teacher.
Unfortunately, the opposite philosophy is institutionalized in the Texas futile care law and in the standard practices of most modern hospitals across the country. How would THEY advertise? "We teach the love of [the Enemy] by taking care away from the sick poor and making them die."
Yep.
Okay, what's your view on what happened with Terri Schiavo? Are you for or against dehydrating/starving someone to death? Is Michael Schiavo a murderer, or a grieving husband?
Good for Randall Terry. Repeating a link to Randall Terry's conversion to Catholicism. Good for him!
http://www.ncregister.com/articulo4.php?artkod=NDY1
Actually, I wasn't telling Twit what the thread was about. I was posting to someone else, and Twit decided to insert himself into the fray.
Don't you love it when someone posts on something about which they haven't a clue?
Get off your thread police kick. Terri's freepers meet here and as long as there is free speech, I will post whatever I darn well please.
Freeping on TERRI THREADS for justice for all Americans since August of 2003. FV
So the issues discussed don't have to relate to Terri? I see. Well, let's talk about the flat tax proposal then.
:::sarcasm off:::
I will post whatever I darn well please.
Yes, you have the freedom to hijack a thread. I have the freedom to call you on it.
Republican Judge George Greer murdered Terri Schiavo. This thread indeed is about RINOS versus genuine republicans. If you can't handle the truth, maybe you should find another thread to disrupt.
This is my last post to you since you are only here to disrupt. Go try to make someone else's day.
I picked up a booklet on March 31st at Terri's ANNIVERSARY OF HER DEATH MASS on the Stations of the Cross. I think it was Lent the same day as Terri's Mass. I went to Lent and then to Terri's mass with Father Pavone and Monsignor Malanowski and the other priests at St. Pat's in Largo.
The fifth station of the cross has something to do with Jesus being thirsty, doesn't it?
Bad Santa!
Although Whittemore was praised as a conquering hero for killing Terri by candidate for guv Crist, I opine that Whittemore's rewards/awards have been given to him under the table instead of getting actual trophies, clocks and departing gifts like grim reaper Greer gets. Special Interest has been very good to all the Judges who murdered Terri.
http://www.thekansascitychannel.com/news/9224679/detail.html?taf=kc1
It's so tempting to think about picketing him, but OTOH, the sight of him would scare the daylights out of me. This guy is starting to lose control big time. Does Jody understand that? We should remember to keep those kids in our prayers.
I'm kind of surprised to see you on a Terri thread. I don't recall you being on one in the past. The way I see it, illegal immigration is a Bush problem, and the Bushs are involved in Terri's court sanctioned murder. Imo, it shows a pattern of contempt for Americans.
I try not to accuse someone of being a troll, especially a poster that's been on FR for so long, but why are you upset with FV's comments?
If you wanted it to be private, we have a wonderful thing called FReepmail. I'm sure someone who likes you would be happy to explain to you how to use it. Then you wouldn't have to worry about other people reading your rantings and responding to them.
Have a nice day.
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