Terri Schiavo was killed today

She was age 41 and disabled...and murdered.

She was killed at the wish of her "husband" Michael Schiavo.

She was condemned to death by Florida Judge George Greer.

She was then tortured to death by the Judiciary.

Those bastards!

Ben Stein on "American Death Sentence"

Once more, I tip my hat to Ben Stein who can state incredible feelings with such logic. Case in point is his article in The American Spectator on 3/29/05 entitled "American Death Sentence." An extract (last 2 paragraphs):

But when Terri Schiavo is with her Maker let's be clear what happened: she was executed by the culture of death judiciary, the same ones who say no baby has a right to live until he's out of the womb by a few days -- and you can bet that's going to change so that babies who are less than perfectwill soon be sentenced to death, too. She was executed, despite having committed no crime whatsoever, by thugs in black robes who would not know a law if it were on their breakfast plate.

This is what we have come to. The unelected judiciary has simply taken over, like a gangster governmental branch, from the rest of the government, and it is a judiciary of death. And this is with a Republican, right to life president. When a Democrat wins again, as will surely happen, God help us.

In your heart, you know he's right.

Mark Steyn on Right to Die vs. Being Killed

Read the whole thing, of course, but I was particularly struck by this:

As for the worthlessness of Terri Schiavo's existence, some years back I was discussing the death of a distinguished songwriter with one of his old colleagues. My then girlfriend, in her mid-20s, was getting twitchy to head for dinner and said airily, ''Oh, well, he had a good life. He was 87.'' ''That's easy for you to say,'' said his old pal. ''I'm 86.'' To say nobody would want to live in an iron lung or a wheelchair or a neck brace or with third-degree burns over 80 percent of your body is likewise easy for you to say.

***************

But that's easy for us to say. We can't know which camp we'd fall into until it happens to us. And it behooves us to maintain a certain modesty about presuming to speak for others -- even those we know well. Example: ''Driving down there, I remember distinctly thinking that Chris would rather not live than be in this condition.'' That's Barbara Johnson recalling the 1995 accident of her son Christopher Reeve. Her instinct was to pull the plug; his was to live.

Maybe Terri Schiavo feels the same as Christopher Reeve. Maybe she just can't say it out loud.

What a Difference a Presidency Makes

Another Florida Story. Consider President Bush's respect for the law (even when the law is an ass) versus Bill Clinton's lack of respect. Remember another Easter/Good Friday when Clinton had armed federal officers kidnap little Elian even after a Florida court said it had jurisdiction and Elian would stay for now. That didn't stop Clinton and his big ol' gal Attorney General from going against a state court. Well, a presidency sure makes a difference. President Bush will abide by the courts, as will Governor Bush. The difference? A good man in the office.

Today's Easter

Today is Easter. I'm not a church going person, but to other religions I would be considered a Christian...WASP actually. Even though I'm not religious, I do try to respect Christian religious holidays by keeping quiet as possible.

I say this because I'm surrounded by many other Christians in the neighborhood, some of whom commemorated Christ's death and resurrection by mowing their lawns before noon. I know we have had 2 days of rain storms that have made yard work impossible, but come on! I think on Christmas and Easter people could be a little more subtle and if they aren't Christians or particularly religious, they should feel uncomfortable dis-respecting the holiday of those who are. So even though my lawn really needs a good mow, I will hold off until another day. I don't expect any rewards in heaven, since I suspect there isn't one, but I do this for me, perhaps because of my respect for others. Well, except for those I really can't stand.

I've linked to a story about President Bush and Laura Bush attending an Easter service to honor our military. As the AP http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/bush (it's probably been moved by now) story states (excerpted):

President Bush attended an Easter service Sunday at Fort Hood where he offered prayers for peace and the well-being of American soldiers and their families.

For a third straight year, the president made the 50-mile helicopter flight from his ranch in Crawford to mark Christianity's highest holiday at the largest active-duty armored post in the military and a base that has contributed thousands of troops to the U.S. force in Iraq.

George Bush is a true Christian who lives his faith. He doesn't just clutch a bible for show like Bill Clinton, just before going to the office for a [sex act] from an intern...on EASTER! I am so proud to have a President who I can respect as a man, a husband, a human being, a person. And I am glad he has in Laura the kind of loving, caring and honest wife needed in such an obviously good marriage. That is so needed to uphold him in his position at this time of our history.

And Another Thing About Michael Schiavo...

To go along with the previous posting, I would like like to extract something from Hugh Hewitt's 3/23 column on the The Weekly Standard web site. (http://weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/005/391khfhv.asp)

In his column on "Runaway Judiciary," Hugh writes:
It was concern over Michael Schiavo's status of guardian that drove the congressional intervention, a concern primarily based on the jarring recognition that he has a girlfriend by whom he has had two children. Most people view that fact and conclude that his judgment may no longer be the judgment of a "husband" in the way that the law anticipated a "husband." Majority leader Tom DeLay bluntly leveled an assessment of Michael Schiavo that seems shared among those who have studied the case in detail:

Well I've got to tell you, I don't have a whole lot of respect for a man that has treated this woman in this way. He has refused to allow her to have therapy. He has refused to even let her have an MRI. For the last five years, five years, she's been kept in a hospice and every time they've asked just to take her outside, which they can do, he has refused. She's not been outside, I think, for the last three years. . . . I think his abuse and neglect of his position as guardian is outrageous. And, and, . . . and partnered with this judge that has allowed him to treat Terry like this for the last eleven years is outrageous. And my question is, what kind of man is he?

That is spot on! You may not like Tom DeLay much and you may question his ethics, but you must feel he is telling the truth here. And also, your dislike of him only furthers my "it takes one to know one" thesis in an earlier post.

Upon Further Reflection....

I had a visitor who left a comment on my 3/23 posting about Terri Schiavo. I admit to being surprised...this person was the first to make a comment and as far as I know may have been the first person (or only) to visit my blog. These were mostly intended to thoughts written only for myself. I mean, there are thousands of personal blogs in the ether that I felt sure mine would be a virtual diary. The comment was a question on how do I know Michael Schiavo is, as I said a couple of times, a "piece of crap"? I was going to be flip in my reply, but it is a fair question that I think I should address. I also appreciated that another person showed enough of an interest to comment.

The commenter raised a very good question and one I probably should support since I may want to again call Michael Schiavo a "piece of crap" now and in the future.

How do I know he is one? Maybe because it takes one to know one. Well, yeah, maybe it's partly because I've been a piece of crap myself (or something quite close), much too often, in some past actions and/or thoughts. I've made all kinds of excuses for being one, but after enough years I began to accept that I wasn't always a good person. After watching Michael Schiavo's performance on CNN with Larry King, I had to admit...he's a much bigger piece of crap than I've been or thought of being (yet...but I suppose there's still time). Just wanted to give Michael his props. And surely you've been around enough and have known enough people to have your own opinions and make your own value judgments. And if you have not, you will.

Value judgments are necessary. That way you don't fall for ridiculous assertions like: some drug cartel hit men killed OJ's wife; Scott Peterson didn't slaughter his wife and unborn son, he was just a victim of circumstances; Michael Jackson sleeps with little boys, but only for the most innocent of reasons; the Menendez brothers were the victims of dear old dad's physical and emotional abuse, that's why they had to brutally kill mom, as well as pop.

For our own protection, we have to make discriminating decisions and opinions and judgments based upon our experiences. The person who doesn't do this is an easy mark. And the person who says he/she waits until all the facts are in before making a judgment or having an opinion is a liar. Yes, that too is a judgment and such a statement is made based on a lifetime of personal experiences and observing my fellow man, as well as reading-from Greek philosophy to comic books.

Wow, a Day without Blogging! (Well, maybe more Schiavo)

And they say blogging can be addictive. Hah, I can quit any time I want. Well, at least for one day.

I spent a great day on Friday with my wife. We had personal business to attend, but also had time for fun just being together. We've been married for more than 30 years, and I still want to spend all my time with her. We are very close in personality and politics. I trust her with my life, my health, our money and the only times I've made huge mistakes were when I didn't listen to her or even consult her.

I say this because, yes, there is a Terri Schiavo connection. Some time soon I'll write about something else, but this instance touches so many of the issues I am interested in. My wife (who really is Ms. Right) has earned that trust by always being trustworthy. She doesn't lie to me and can hurt my feelings by being truthful, because being dishonest is more hurtful. If I were in the same physical condition as Terri, whatever my wife decided to do with me would be okay with me. If she decided I should be killed, even if I had the presence of mind to be aware of it and couldn't communicate that I didn't want to die, I would know in whatever may remain of my reasoning that she was doing what she thought was right and in my best interest. I would know that horror and pain she would be in making such a decision. I have also told most people with whom I'm close of my complete trust in her, as well as my view that a person's right to die is important to me. My mother knows this, hell, I've told almost complete strangers this, or something like this. There would therefore be many people who would be able to confirm my trust and wishes.

And it wouldn't take them 7 years to remember this. Yet, only Michael (and okay his brother and sister-in-law) know this. Close friends and nuclear family say otherwise. And only Michael has a monetary and personal interest in her death. He is husband in name only. Would people implicitly trust the word of husband going through messy divorce proceedings? Wouldn't at least some people think that his motives may be less than pure, maybe even selfish? So put me down as being very unsure that Michael is an angel pushed to the brink, yet still trying to do the right thing by his wife.

Ben Stein is Mr. Right today (again)

This is what Ben Stein published in today's The American Spectator AND he's dead right again. (http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=7943)

SIMPLY TERRIFYING (by Ben Stein)
"Here is what makes me furious about the Terry Schiavo case, short and sweet.The courts of the United States can find a right for the abortion industry to take a fully formed, totally healthy baby at nine months' term, out of his mother's womb and murder it by putting scissors through his brain and grinding them about.They do this without one single word of support from any Congressional act of any kind ever.They can find a right of savage murderers of innocent women who drown them for a lark to avoid the death penalty because they are old enough to drive and to kill but supposedly too young to be executed. Again, there is not one syllable in any Congressional act that sanctions this protection of the guilty.But with the Congress and the President of the United States pleading for the life of a woman who is not brain dead, who responds to words and to touch, who is not on life support, whose parents beg for her to be kept alive, whose nurses give affidavits that she can be rehabilitated, with a specific law commanding the courts to review the case to keep this poor soul alive, the courts instead find no rights for her.This is a court system totally out of control, obviously committed to death, obviously bound by nothing beyond its morbid obsession with its own omnipotence and its fascination with the letting the innocent die. This is simply terrifying. The Falange followers of Francisco Franco had an evil cry: Long live death. Obviously, Justice Kennedy was listening."

Another Day...Another Day of Dying

Yes, another Schiavo post.

I do believe in a person's right to die, especially by one's own hands.

And I believe in the right to execute the (legally convicted) scum among us.

And I believe in a woman's right to kill a part of her body (but I'm getting real squeamish about full-term partial birth abortion, it seems like murder).

And I believe that Terri Schiavo has been given a raw deal. I don't think this is the death she would have chosen. And I believe those who would inflict this slow and tortuous type of death on someone not brain dead deserve a special place in hell.

The Right To Die

Terri Schiavo will die soon. She will have been killed by the legal system. I firmly believe in the right to die, with as much dignity as possible. The problem here is the manner of death. Some medical experts (can you say Dr. Mengele) have said dying of lack of food and water is not painful. That is such an obvious lie. Hey, miss a couple of meals and have no water for 12 hours, Doc...how do you feel? A little discomfort? Don't worry, I'm sure it'll pass and you will reach that blissful stage when nothing but calmness envelopes you. But it'll take a while.

My objections might be assuaged if there was mercy here. She was awake and therefore could feel pain. She wasn't brain dead. If she had been shown the humanity we give to excess puppies and horses with broken legs, she would have been given a 'hot shot' that would have really been painless. We are merciful to the adjudged murderers when they finally, after years of appeals, meet their destinies. But not for Terri, and the many other Terri's in our world.

TERRI SCHIAVO

Well, I am in Florida, and the Terri Schiavo saga is a Florida story that's become national. What do I think? I believe in the right to die...by your own hand or the assistance of another. If I were in the same condition, I would like the option of killing myself or having myself killed. However, Michael Schiavo is a piece of crap and I don't trust his statements about what Terri wants or wanted.

Look, this whole situation stinks. The only people I trust to do the right thing are her parents. They have always been her parents. Michael (the piece of crap) long since stopped being her husband and morally, but obviously not legally, forfeited his fiduciary responsibilities toward Terri. And it took him seven years before he remembered that Terri wouldn't want to live this way. Hmm, who to trust?

UPDATE (3/26/05)

I had a visitor who left a comment. I was surprised...this person was the first to make a comment and may have been the first person to ever visit my blog. Quite frankly these are written thoughts for myself. Haven't shown them to my wife, but I'm sure I've expressed them to her. There are so many blogs out there that I felt sure this would be more like a open "private" diary. The comment was a question on how do I know Michael Schiavo is a "piece of crap"? I was going to be flippant in my reply, but it is a fair question that I think I should address. If I do it will be today, so look above. If I don't, then I guess I don't have a good reason for knowing Michael is a piece of crap.

Why I'm here, and where here is

This blogger thinks he can find a spot on the web for his opinions. I'm afraid he might be very disappointed.However, he is "Right In Florida", that is, in the middle of the state. And, oh yeah, he's mostly conservative and okay with being thought of as on the right. You got a problem with that?

And so it begins...

Well, we are about to find out if a very opinionated person can actually put his thoughts in a blog.