Snatching the Trivial from the Profound

If Judge Greer is successfully
Ignored, and Terry finally gets the
Treatment she should have received
Fifteen years ago,
The chance of her recovery is
Real.

But when she awakes,
And learns that so many wanted her
Dead, she must still experience a kind of
Death, with
Open eyes and a
Broken heart
And the bleak
Astonishment that for too many,
That for far too many,
She was simply a
Thing that needed to be
Unplugged.

Posted by Cameron at March 24, 2005 11:31 AM

With the guiding light of liberal logic shining bright in this case, we can now see clearly how to move forward.

There is another such case. She has been brain damaged since birth, evidenced by a persistent lateral gaze to the left, consistent with a diagnosis of severe brain trauma. She is paralyzed and kept alive only by a feeding tube. Though she is capable of some movement, there is no evidence to support a conclusion that these movements are purposeful, but rather are likely only reflexive and spastic movements caused by ectopic activity. In other words, it does not appear to be the brain that informs these activities, but local muscle activity alone. It may be disputed whether she is terminally ill, but examination recently conducted by experts illustrate that her general health is poor and likely deteriorating.

Some interested parties believe she could improve with adequate rehabilitation, but on the whole, there is no foundation in scientific fact to support such a conclusion. Further evaluation might give an improved picture of her condition and prognosis for recovery, but with the Schiavo case as precedent, we do not believe this to be necessary or appropriate.

“She” is the United Nations, and it is now time that the United States remove her feeding tube, stopping the flow of life-sustaining cash into her bowels so she can experience the blissful and dignified death by starvation she deserves.

Let us also hasten to remove the "life support" of social security, medicare, medicaid and welfare from those who are only kept alive by these extraordinary means. After all, who would want to live like that?

At last we can hunt down the last of the endangered species, that languish and continue to suffer with no real hope of recovery, kept from extinction only by our extraordinary means.

Finally, we can stop worrying about famine-swept Africa. We now know our past efforts to bring food to those poor people was misguided; we only kept them from the bliss of starvation.

It is also comforting to know that it is okay with liberals for the execution of death-row inmates to move forward, unimpeded by the appeals process.

What infallible logic the left has. Welcome to Logan's Run.


Posted by Steve H. at March 24, 2005 12:41 PM

That one, Steve, gets promoted to an entry on the main page.

Posted by Gerard Van Der Leun at March 24, 2005 12:52 PM

There are two pandas left in the world, one male and one female. During one tragic afternoon, these two pandas, safely in the confines of some zoo, undoubtedly not mating to the chagrin of their keepers, are playing at sport in which pandas might engage. The female panda, we'll call her Ling, suffers from what experts call a cardiac seizure due to electrolyte loss, causing heart failure and unconsciousness. Though the zoo medical personnel are able to restart her heart, her brain has been deprived of oxygen too long, and the veterinarians fear she may never breathe or eat again without the aid of machines.

The case is somewhat unprecedented, due to the fact that the pandas are endangered and they are, of course, animals. The veterinarian community tries for years to find solutions, even going so far as to try regenerative therapy using panda scents and the only other living panda, Xing (who still shows no interest in mating) to stimulate her to regain consciousness.

Still, the case seems grim, and due to the costs of maintaining Ling on a machine for air and food, the zoo can no longer keep up medical coverage, even with public donations and taxpayer dollars going toward her upkeep. Zoologists prepare a statement, indicating their intention to take Ling off the machines and allow her to die in peace. However, they've preserved her DNA, so that future pandas may, some day, exist again.

What would the world say to that, I wonder?

Posted by Jeremiah at March 24, 2005 1:21 PM

I can't get that bit of Lincoln about "every drop of blood drawn with the lash" out of my head.

I fear we are all going to pay a horrible price for this someday.

Posted by DTLV at March 24, 2005 2:09 PM

Like you, I've noticed that a lot of commentators have been thinking like lawyers rather than human beings in regard to this case. We have a problem when people confuse courtroom logic in an adversarial system with common morality. "Legal" is not always "right", nor is the winner of the debate.

Posted by Kurt at March 24, 2005 5:59 PM

There seems to be a terrible inertia to the law, not a slippery slope type of motion, but rather a glacial creeping toward somewhere--in this case, toward death.

Ruling by arcane ruling, motion by motion, hearing by hearing--none typically understood by we the people--we've let the judiciary order an innocent woman to die without the same due process that a condemned murderer would enjoy.

I think we must be legally insane, or, perhaps, we're in our own legal PVS.

9/11 was a horrible wake up call. The Schiavo tragedy is another.

In some ways, the glacial creep of the law offers a terrific and conservative protection. It's hard to hijack a glacier. On the other hand, it's easy to bury a small injustice here, a cryptic but criminal verdict there because most of us simply do not pay attention until the crime or the injustice comes into our living room. Well one has.

There is much that is great about American justice, but there is something awesome and terrible about it, too. And it's in our power to remedy this tragedy. Terry Schiavo will be just as dead, but perhaps we can find the political will to outlaw death sentences based hearsay and on facts that do not pass the muster of beyond a reasonable doubt. True, these are not the current standards of jurisprudence in Florida, but, perhaps, they should be.

Posted by Old Dad at March 25, 2005 10:14 AM