Has the Schiavo case Become a Political Football?

Then what is state-sanctioned murder? And how were we to be absolutely sure that every person put to death during Bush's governorship was innocent? What about all the innocent Iraqi men, women, and children who died at the hands of Bush's military muscle?

What IS the definition of murder? I still haven't heard a substantive explanation yet...



It depends how you define impairment. Isn't PVS just that (and more)? And if not, then how would you define it in the context of your Constitutional argument? What is the point of keeping her alive when Republicans have yet to mention any OTHER similar case that would perhaps help bolster their arguments?

But since this is a political thread, and not a thread solely dedicated to a non-partisan debate on the Constitution, the political slimeball tactics coming from the Rightwingers who are desperately clinging onto their right-to-life constituency becomes the most glaring issue, and one which was pointed out in the title of this thread.

Dookies, Good question for this administration. They concern themselves with one life who is diagnosed as a vegetable, but nothing is said about the preemptive aggression against Iraq and the killing of over 10,000 innocent men, women and children with our "shock and awe." Talk about inconsistencies, you've hit the nail on the head. You don't find any of those Congress members crying for the Iraqis - over 10,000 of them.

That is the point being expressed in the quotation. PVS is the impairment, and the impairment alone wouldn't kill her, which is why they have to keep food and water away from her.

Life is precious or it isn't; you can't have it both ways.

Terri's complaint filed in federal court:

http://news.corporate.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/schiavo/32105fedmot.pdf

Brandon, you keep missing the point (and the hypocrisy coming from the Right). Fortunately, c.i. helped reinforce it for me.

How is ONE life more precious than the thousands of others who have died in Iraq, as well as the thousands more who are in a similar situations as Terry's, including the African American little baby who's life was discontinued, thanx to a law signed by Governor George W. Bush back in 1999?

Many of THOSE lives in Iraq were ended rather abruptly, and many were NOT, as in Terry's case, suffering from either a terminal illness nor an "impairment."

Now if only we could get enough food and water to those Iraqi's STILL living. Imagine that...

The sanctity of life, according to Republican neoconservatives, has more to do with the sanctity of allegiance coming from their religious base. What is taking place right now with Terry only exemplifies their ongoing collective efforts to politicize ANYTHING that would work to their advantage; morals and ethics be damned.

Debra, thanx for the link regarding the complaint from Terry's parents. Do you think it reasonable to characterize this as Terry's complaint despite the fact that she is in a permanent vegetative state? It is Mr. and Mrs. Shindler's complaint, not Terry's. Perhaps characterizing this as Terry's parents speaking ON BEHALF of her would sound less disengenuous, and certainly far less partisan.

It would seem as though life is precious to Republican neoconservatives when it serves their political interests.

Nothing more.

Not being a political officeholder, I don't have a religious base, nor do I believe in God. I just don't like the idea of her being murdered. I assume that none or few of the posters here are politicians with a religious base to please, yet many of them seem to feel very, very strongly that she should not be starved. Of course, it is utterly implausible that any politician on the right could be acting out of the same sort of empathy for her. The people who want to stop someone from being starved to death are all cynics, but the people who do want her starved are all acting out of the tenderest empathy for her.

Perhaps Bush should have signed laws, this morning, to undo his tax cuts and re-fund the medicaid system which had been helping to keep Terry alive.

Brandon, If a person quits watering a plant and it dies, it's not considered murder. To confirm whether Terri is responsive or not to check for mental capacity can be easily checked by the medical staff at the hospital or court appointed doctors. It's not an impossible task - today or tomorrow. According to the past court appointed doctors, she was diagnosed with PVS. That's the reason the judges approved the removal of life sustaining feeding through the tube. Unassisted breathing is not living.

I don't like the idea of the thousands of Iraqi men, women and children who have been murdered by the thousands of bombs dropped. But you don't hear neoconservatives talking much about that at all.

But the issue being raised right here regarding one person, Terry Shiavo, is completely and utterly political, I find it horribly egregious that Republican neocons would go to such lengths to politicize this.

This is what I find to be the most disgusting aspect. And I completely empathize with BOTH Terry's husband, who moved on with his life because he had already lost Terry a LONG time ago but not before having TRIED to save her, and her parents, who love her so dearly, and cannot understand the weight of what is taking place. Especially when politicians are using them for their own political advantage.

It is utterly disgusting. If this were NEVER politicized, then this conversation would not be taking place, for there are many others who have been in similar predicaments.

This is nothing BUT political. And if you're NOT a political officeholder, nor have a religious base or believe in God, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that those are the exact elements that drives the Repubican rightwing machine to politicize this to it's fullest.

An interesting comment on the nature of reality there Ms K, does reality exist inside the beltway?

It does, dys, but only for those who are living there and not invovled in politcs.

so I am guessing you think it's possible to live inside the beltway and not be in a persistent vegatative state?

Why yes, Dys, I think it's possible except for the month of August.

Medicaid wasn't cut.

"The Wall Street Journal on June 26 looks at state proposals to cut Medicaid's optional beneficiaries -- those who meet state eligibility requirements but do not qualify for the program under federal regulations -- to balance their budgets. During the past two years, "at least a dozen" states have passed legislation or received federal permission to drop hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries, the Journal reports. For example, Tennessee eliminated 200,000 beneficiaries, Michigan cut 38,000 beneficiaries, Colorado lawmakers voted to cut 3,500 documented immigrants and Massachusetts eliminated coverage for 36,000 childless adults. Other states in the process of cutting optional Medicaid beneficiaries include California, Missouri and Texas. Some of the cuts have been legally or politically challenged. More cuts are anticipated; during the next year, about one million optional beneficiaries will lose Medicaid coverage if all the proposed cuts are approved, according to a March study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. State officials say the cuts must be made to the $260 billion program to maintain Medicaid benefits for the 30 million beneficiaries who qualify for Medicaid under federal law, according to the Journal (Lueck, Wall Street Journal, 6/26)."

Twasn't? Thanks, cic, for saving me a trip to google.

Last Thursday. 51-49. Restored the Medicaid cuts.

Still not going back into google, but that's great news (if it's true).