I've been thinking alot about Terry Schiavo. And I find it startling when I encounter someone who hasn't thought about the case at all (yes Jim, I mean you.)
I'm trying to recall a story that has so captivated the attention of Americans and I'm failing to find one. And then it dawned on me - I've been saying this story really isn't about her parents, or her husband for that matter. But as it turns out this is a story about all of us. Everyone brings their own bias, life view and perception of the world into this -- which obviously we all do all the time. But it's usually about a variety of issues. This has become a collective issue for almost everyone to pontificate (the Pope's puppeteer), legislate (Congress and FL) or orate (Jesse Jackson, etc.) about. Very few seem to have chosen to ignore it completely. Would make a fascinating psychological study.
A rather enlightened decision as the Supreme Court majority agrees that it's a good idea to remove a major
Hurdle to Age Bias Suits.
Impish fun? IMPISHINGLY FUN? You have got to be $%#^ing kidding me. Oh wait a minute. April Fools Day is Friday, not today.
So why is the New York Times, our supposed national paper of record, perpetuating such nonsense in its
portrayal of Bush II?
And if he is having so much fun, how is that possible with the constant death toll rise in Iraq, the complete erosion of democracy and spousal rights due to his and Congressional actions in the Schiavo case, the ongoing attempts to create the greatest propoganda machine since Goebells, the constantly rising price of gasoline, the shooting deaths of 10 Native Americans in the American Siberia known as Northern Minnesota (which he has not mentioned publicly mind you), the growing and constant influence of the Religious Right in all things related to public policy...should I continue or is the outrage clear enough?
And to lede the article by claiming he acts like "a man liberated from the American presidency" is absurd. How can be he liberated from something he's NEVER been engaged in? Good gawd, where does it end?
Impish, my ass. Here's
impish for you.
I would certainly hope, for her sake, that Terry Schiavo is
'Down to Her Last Hours'. All I hear lately is how terrible all of this is on her parents. Someone needs to tell them this isn't about them at all. If they think they're daughter is "living" they really need a reality check. And in my opinion, some intense grief counselling is about 15 years overdue. I swear to god if this isn't a classic example of misplaced grief I don't know what is. Trust me on this.
And for every instance you hear about the "awful" pain she's in - it's all bullshit. I feel for the pain her family is going throught - but she doesn't feel anything. That's the point. If she did, the feeding tube wouldn't be an issue. They'd be working on rehabilitating her to some degree. I saw one press report that presumed to compare the brain damaged victim of a two week coma with Schiavo, who's condition HAS NOT CHANGED in 15 years.
For all their religious fundamentalist bullshit, don't they think Terry would be happier in the afterlife than remain a vegetable here on this plane of existence?
The selfish ones are her parents - and there is no excuse for that - no matter how much pain they're in. There are thousands of people on the planet who are undergoing the same slow dying process that Schiavo is going through. Why doesn't every state or country where this is happening to others start passing laws left and right?
My prayers are for her and for her husband. May she finally rest in peace and may he find some happiness here on earth.
The politicization of the tragedy involving
Terry Schiavo should frighten every person in America. If Congress gets away with this, it should signal the beginning of the end.
I don't really know how I feel about whether or not her feeding tube should be removed. But who gives a shit what I think? I have no say - no standing - no right to interfere in the private family tragedy. Congress' "action" isn't motivated by concern for the 41 year old woman who has no brain function to speak of and for whom there is no hope of recovery. Despite the fact that lower court ruling after lower court ruling upholds her husband's right to make this decision for her, Tom DeLay and his buddies figure the christian right will have a better chance of being heard in federal court.
My question is: after 15 years, why does her husband want to remain her legal guardian. While her family is in complete denial, her husband knows that what made Terry Terry is long gone. Technology has just simply allowed her body to go on. Take away the technology and she would have died in 1990.
So here's my unsolicited advice - turn over all responsibility for Terry to her parents - who will of course make provisions should they die before she does. Just walk away from them and from the media/political circus its become. He started this out of concern for her and her wished. Now he should think of himself and getting on with his life. Unless of course he truly loves her and knows that she would never want to be kept alive this way. Then he'll keep fighting. Wouldn't you?
I find it ironic that the FDA ignored growing evidence that Vioxx kills. But at some point before
impounding Paxil CR earlier this month, they should have take to a mental health expert who would have told them you can't pull it all off the market. You see, Paxil CR is a capsule release that takes 4-6 weeks to become effective. You also need 4-6 weeks to wean yourself off of it. How many of the 450,000 will have to go cold turkey - and suffer the consequences of that decision?
Again - our "lawmakers" at work on the pressing issues that face this country. Yes
steroid use is an epidemic and must be contained. But this looks more and more like a McCarthy witchhunt every day.
I am sorry for Terry Schiavo but I honestly don't know what is worse: living in
a persistent vegatative state or starving to death. Either way, what right do our "lawmakers" - and I use that term loosely - have to interfere here. First the Florida legislature, now Congress? It's baffling. And I truly wonder if Terry was poor and black if there's be so much furor. Just wondering.
And I can't wait for the GOP ads in the next congressional campaign talking about how the Democrats are murderers - euthanasia will become an even bigger politico-religious battleground.
Lots to be outraged about but I've been battling a sinus/inner ear infection that sent me to the emergency room Monday night. The dizziness wouldn't stop - thought I was losing my mind.
So I'm just starting to feel human again - and am once again managing a March Madness pool - year 9. So I'll be focused on feeling better and college basketball. Not necessarily in that order.
Just coming out of the week from hell. It's Midterm week at school, my day job is on overdrive, I joined a young widows support group Wednesday night and today is the 71st annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in Huntington. Not to mention the start of March Madness tonight (I run a small competition among friends every year). And I've been hit by a bug or the worst case of allergies on record. Today's the first day since Wednesday that I've been able to go more than a few minutes without blowing my nose. Lovely image, I know.
But I had a bit of an epiphany yesterday. I've been procrastinating on things -- house cleaning, bill paying, moving Kevin's things -- always with this vague sense that there'll be time to deal with it later. But the reality is Kevin was always there to give me a subtle - sometimes not so subtle - push when I started to fall behind. He was always there to pick me up and help me get focused again. He's not here to do that anymore and I have to start doing that for myself. Which isn't as bad as it sounds at first. I think I miss him more on days with major sporting events - the Super Bowl, Selection Sunday - than I do on holidays or anniversaries. You might think it's weird but that's the way it is. Opening Day of baseball season will likely never mean the same thing for me - spring, warm days, hanging out, baseball with Kevin.
So
the US trade deficit is $2 billion more than expected. What's a billion here or there. Pretty soon we'll be talking real money, right?
How classic. The NRA could be responsible for the fact that it's so easy for
Terror Suspects to buy firearms. We'll invade the shit of everyone else's privacy - from library cards to your flight plans - but GOD FORBID we should in anyway impeded the rights of gun owners. Good gawd.
I'm not outraged by
the latest heart study that says laughter is good for the heart. Any ah-ss knows that, as an old family saying goes. What I am outraged about is that the study purports to call the movie
Kingpin a comedy. Quite possibly one of the stupidest, most obnoxious films ever made. Unless you're a 12 year old boy I guess. Then it's probably very funny. But 12 year olds generally don't have heart trouble.
A bunch of millionaires play games with
raising the minimum wage. What else is there to say, really?
I was hoping that Martha Madness would blow over. Unfortunately, it hasn't as
this Newsday article proves. Here's a change I'd like to see: Martha crawls back under a rock and we never hear about her again.
How do I teach young people that integrity matters when they are plastered with Martha -- and her growing fortune. Jesus, it is madness I tell you.
Sorry for the lack of outrage lately. I took my own little spring break - but am back and ready to go. I didn't go anywhere - no Ft. Lauderdale or Tijuana - as some of my students did. Just took a week off and didn't think about school or blogging. But the outrage is always there - it just gets put aside sometimes. And a 55 degree day in early March is not a day to get outraged. So I'll leave you with a funny email my dad sent me today. It would be funnier if it weren't so true.
Source Unknown but clogging email inboxes around the world:
1. The Wall Street Journal is read by the people who run the country.
2. The Washington Post is read by people who think they run the country.
3. The New York Times is read by people who think they should run the country and who are very good at crossword puzzles.
4. USA Today is read by people who think they ought to run the country but don't really understand The New York Times. They do, however, like their statistics shown in pie charts.
5. The Los Angeles Times is read by people who wouldn't mind running the country -- if they could find the time -- and if they didn't have to leave Southern California to do it.
6. The Boston Globe is read by people whose parents used to run the country and did a far superior job of it, thank you very much.
7. The New York Daily News is read by people who aren't too sure who's running the country and don't really care as long as they can get a seat on the train.
8. The New York Post is read by people who don't care who's running the country as long as they do something really scandalous, preferably while intoxicated.
9. The Miami Herald is read by people who are running another country but need the baseball scores.
10. The San Francisco Chronicle is read by people who aren't sure there is a country ... or that anyone is running it; but if so, they oppose all that they stand for. There are occasional exceptions if the leaders are handicapped minority feminist atheist dwarfs who also happen to be illegal aliens from any other country or galaxy provided, of course, that they are not Republicans.
11. The National Enquirer is read by people trapped in line at the grocery store.
12. None of these is read by the guy who is running the country into the ground.
I'm baaackk...
