UK Queen Mother Too Ill to Consume Food

Ananova News Wire and the London Daily Sun Newspaper ^ | February 14, 2002 GMT | What the Papers Say Column

[codebreaker]

Ananova:

What Tomorrow's Papers Say

The London Daily Sun

QUEEN MUM TO ILL TO EAT

The Queen Mother is now so ill she is unable to eat.

Story filed 1:18 Thursday, February 14, 2002 Greenwich Mean Time

[John Farson]

Before she died my grandmother was too ill to consume food. I don't imagine any of you will care about that.

I'm having a hard time understanding why we should care more about this woman. I'm sorry she's dying. But there are many women who will die in the next few days and if you don't believe me just visit a nursing home. They all deserve headlines.

This woman is neither my queen nor my mother.

Ditto! I suppose there has always been a group of American Tories that idolize to royalty.

"I am just as good as you are, and a damned sight better." --American saying

[Eddie Haskell]

Very well said. I made the mistake of going to the other thread. I read a few messages, made a reply and promptly left. I don't care to read such hateful, nasty trash. It's nice to know from reading this thread that there are some decent people here on FR.

[kayak]

There is a huge difference between idolizing someone and having a great deal of respect for a woman who showed great courage and inspired the people of her nation when they were under attack. Are we not to admire anyone except Americans?

[Master Zinja]

Thanks for the post.

The Queen Mother was and is the epitome of class, courage and fortitude in times good and bad, particularly WWII.

It is always good, once a year, to see her on the American news as she greets her many well-wishers on her birthday. At least the British remember their history, and turn out by the thousands yearly to honor her for everything she and King George VI did and stood for during the worst of times. The British never forgot that, even during the worst scandals involving the royals.

God Save The Queen Mother.

Zinja

[Brad’s Gramma]

Ya know, there's been far too many people who don't even act decent anymore. It's gotten really, really old. Now, I like to have a good time, too. And will make fun of some of the weirdest things. But this is different. No one's IDOLIZING her....!!! Sheesh.

[psycho-sis]

Yep, she's only drinking Johnny Walker Blue Label now.

[psycho-sis]

Okay, I don't mean that. She's the only royal I have any respect for and when she's gone the end of the monarchy can't be far behind.

[John Farson]

I don't respect an accident of birth. I wasn't around during WWII and if she made an inspiring speech -- good for her. I'm a citizen, not a subject.

I suppose some have a great deal of respect for the actress that plays Snow White at Disney World too.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

Not knocking them (Queens, royalty, etc), I just am not up on their history (like I probably could/would/should be). It's just different I guess. And that's okay.

On rare occasions a constitutional monarch can step in and act to save their country from destruction. The Governor General of Australia, the deputy of the Queen, and not, I think, the Parliament, removed the Prime Minister of Australia in the 1970's. Gough Whitlam was essentially a Red, and was about as bad as Salvador Allende in Chile. By removing Whitlam, the Queen brought controversy upon herself, and lessened support for the monarchy in Australia. Australia itself came back from the brink, brought to its senses by the shock of the removal. It did not become Communist, nor did they have to send thousands of people to execution, as in Australia.

[kayak]

I wasn't around during WWII either .... but I have studied a little bit of history. It can be quite enlightening ...... you should try it sometime.

The Queen Mother did quite a bit more than make an inspiring speech, as you'll find out if you do some research.

And it might behoove you to know a little bit about someone before you spout off about them. How can you deride her when you don't even know what she did or didn't do?

[flaglady47]

To Reply 23: For heaven sakes, lighten up. The Queen Mother was a great lady. She and her husband stayed at Buckingham Palace during the blitz, because they wouldn't leave their people who were being bombed daily, and she and the king were an inspiration to them. Your grandmother was probably a lovely lady, but she wasn't in a position of leadership, nor did she inspire a whole country during their darkest days of a war. Queen Mum deserves our respect. It doesn't lessen our individual responses to our own older relatives who die. I just lost an aunt I thought was a lovely lady. My own mother is in a nursing home and is 90 years old. When she dies I will be devastated personally, as will others in my family. However, that does not detract one iota from the respect and admiration I have for Queen Mum, the life she and her husband led, and the tremendous morale-boosting effect they had on their country in WWII. Man, you need a happy pill. Honoring Queen mum does not equal subtracting from your own feelings for family or for the poor souls in nursing homes. It is not a zero sum game. Is this a class envy thing here?

[SuziQ]

If she doesn't eat she is not long for this world.

That may be her intent, and if it is, I just wish her a relatively pain free and swift passing and God Speed!

[kayak]

And it's not her "accident of birth" that matters. For one thing, she was married to the man who became king when his brother abdicated so it was her marriage that put her in that position, not her birth. And it is her actions that I admire and respect, not simply her title.

Some of the vilest people on earth have had fancy titles and some of the most noble have been simple, every day people. I don't have the opinion I do of the Queen Mother because of her position but for how she used it and how she acted with class and courage in a time of crisis.

[RIGHT IN SEATTLE]

So?

[singletrack]

I don't think much of royalty myself but the queen Mum is the best of a sorry lot.I still didn't vote for her. she might just be sick of CRAPPY BRITISH FOOD? ....just a thought.

[Polybius]

Before she died my grandmother was too ill to consume food. I don't imagine any of you will care about that. I'm having a hard time understanding why we should care more about this woman......This woman is neither my queen nor my mother.

Sure I care about your grandmother. My grandmother had to be fed by gastric tube before she died and I know what it was like.

Why care about this woman? Because, by being famous, we knew her.

That is why we care about the dying neighbor two streets down that is a casual acquaintance. That is why I now think about your grandmother and you may think about mine.

When we know people exist, we care when they suffer, have suffered or are dying.

[John Farson]

I see your point and shouldn't have spouted off so quickly... I've never understood some folks fascination with royalty. Perhaps I'm a bit cynical after witnessing the amount of press Princess Dianna received vs. Mother Teresa.

[hole_n_one]

Could you be any more ugly?

I'm gonna guess you can, but, do us all a favor, and keep it to yourself.

[DoughtyOne]

Less than six months ago the Queen of England had the Palace Guard play the National Anthem of the United States of America during the changing of the guard. This was the first time in history that anything other than the normal British music had been played during that ceremony.

The Queen of England did this out of respect for the United States and her losses on 09/11. Now that the Queen is suffering losses of her own, I would hope that everyone on this forum would have the class to show the Queen some respect.

If anyone can't express reciprocal feelings for the Queen, I would hope that they could at least exhibit enough class to stay off this thread.

[kayak]

I'm with you 100% on that!!! The way the media compared the two was utterly disgusting!!! They were about as far apart as two people can be in so many ways!