This blog discusses issues of social justice (in an inclusive sense), civil liberties, human rights, other social issues, and offers thoughts on society and humanity in general from a progressive, feminist perspective.
Sunday, March 20, 2005
Beginning
Cinnamonblue's blog is now open! I hope to comment, post information, and start discussion on issues I feel are important in today's society. I feel the need to do this because I do not like the direction our country is heading. I am a Liberal, and an unapologetic one. During the last campaign, I was continually angered by seeing the word 'liberal' used as a derogatory term. I find this to be of much concern, for I feel it is an unhealthy political situation for one side to wear their label as a badge of honor, and let the label of the other side be trashed. I hope that more Liberals (especially any politicians who may read this) will stand up and not shrink from this label. If we do not shrink, my hope is that will be used to slur no longer. I hope to hear from many of you. All I ask is that we keep the discussion civil and treat each other with respect.
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Well, This is my first time posting to a blog site. I want to talk about this Terri Schiavo situation. It is so sad. I am conflicted about how I feel. It seems without the feeding tube, the slow death process is rather inhumane - yet, how long should man artificially prolong life? The husband is clearly in a difficult situation and made to look like the bad guy -- yet, how can he ever move on with his life. The parents are clearly suffering -- she is of course their child. But...the federal governement should not be in the middle of this. Bad precidence. And I don't think it is being done for anything more than politics, which is really sad. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteFirst - congratulations on your first post to a blog site and my being my first commentator!
ReplyDeleteActually, I feel very much the same conficting feeling as you expressed. I think I did hear that in the state she's in, she's probably not in pain and not very aware. I also think I heard that without the tube, she probably wouldn't be expected to live more than about two weeks.
You do wonder about how long life should be prolonged. I think of the parents - I'm sure they want their daughter to recover, but it that realistic? Still, it's hard to see a decision made that will end a life.
It is a shame to see the Federal gov't in the middle of this. Why do we need them in what should be private decisions?
There are just no easy answers on this one.
I too would hate to be faced with such a choice. But there are, in my opinion, several reasons the Republicans are making this situation a cause celebre, all of them cynically politically exploitive. First, it's another sellout to the extreme far-right "christian" fundamentalists, whose votes helped elect Mel Martinez as the new Senator from Florida last November over the much more qualified and articulate progressive Betty Castor. Jeb Bush played the Schiavo situation expertely for that purpose last year. The more recent federal level exploitation of this situation also serves as a distraction from certain situations that are embarrassing to the Bush Administration, such as the spiking price of oil, thanks to Bush's ongoing disasterous failure in Iraq, the ever slumping stock market, and the Jeff Gannon "phony reporter" scandal. The corporate press is all to happy to stop talking about those matters and concentrate instead on the Schiavo distraction. And the press of course doesn't want to point out the hypocrisy of the little boy in Texas who was recently allowed to die, over the objections of his parents, pursuant to a law signed by then-Governor George W. Bush. Nor do they wish to compare Bush's disruption of his endless vacation schedule to rush back to DC over this, to the fact that the deaths of over 100,000 people in the tsunami didn't move him enough to drop his golf clubs, much less rush back to DC. And they certainly don't want to point out the staggering hypocrisy of Tom DeLay who, as a young Congressman, along with other family members, allowed his own father to die a number of years ago after an accident following which doctors told the family he would have a "vegetative" existence. They claimed they "knew" he wouldn't want that, and if the government at that time had tried to stop them, all hell would probably have broken loose. Finally, the cynical exploitation of this tragedy in Florida expresses the true disdain for real personal liberty that is at the core of Republican philosophy. They claim to be the party of "limited government," when in fact they believe in oppressive governmental interference in private decisions that happen to be contrary to their hypocritical "moral values."
ReplyDeleteI too would hate to be faced with such a choice. But there are, in my opinion, several reasons the Republicans are making this situation a cause celebre, all of them cynically politically exploitive. First, it's another sellout to the extreme far-right "christian" fundamentalists, whose votes helped elect Mel Martinez as the new Senator from Florida last November over the much more qualified and articulate progressive Democratic candidate, Betty Castor. Jeb Bush played the Schiavo situation expertely for that purpose last year. The more recent federal level exploitation of this situation also serves as a distraction from certain situations that are embarrassing to the Bush Administration, such as the spiking price of oil, thanks to Bush's ongoing disasterous failure in Iraq, the ever slumping stock market, and the Jeff Gannon "phony reporter" scandal. The corporate press is all to happy to stop talking about those matters and concentrate instead on the Schiavo distraction. And the press of course doesn't want to point out the hypocrisy of the little boy in Texas who was recently allowed to die, over the objections of his parents, pursuant to a law signed by then-Governor George W. Bush. Nor do they wish to compare Bush's disruption of his endless vacation schedule to rush back to DC over this, to the fact that the deaths of over 100,000 people in the tsunami didn't move him enough to drop his golf clubs, much less rush back to DC. And they certainly don't want to point out the staggering hypocrisy of Tom DeLay who, as a young Congressman, along with other family members, allowed his own father to die a number of years ago after an accident following which doctors told the family he would have a "vegetative" existence. They claimed they "knew" he wouldn't want that, and if the government at that time had tried to stop them, all hell would probably have broken loose. Finally, the cynical exploitation of this tragedy in Florida expresses the true disdain for real personal liberty that is at the core of Republican philosophy. They claim to be the party of "limited government," when in fact they believe in oppressive governmental interference in private decisions that happen to be contrary to their hypocritical "moral values."
ReplyDeleteI too would hate to be faced with such a choice. But there are, in my opinion, several reasons the Republicans are making this situation a cause celebre, all of them cynically politically exploitive. First, it's another sellout to the extreme far-right "christian" fundamentalists, whose votes helped elect Mel Martinez as the new Senator from Florida last November over the much more qualified and articulate progressive Democratic candidate, Betty Castor. Jeb Bush played the Schiavo situation expertely for that purpose last year. The more recent federal level exploitation of this situation also serves as a distraction from certain situations that are embarrassing to the Bush Administration, such as the spiking price of oil, thanks to Bush's ongoing disasterous failure in Iraq, the ever slumping stock market, and the Jeff Gannon "phony reporter" scandal. The corporate press is all to happy to stop talking about those matters and concentrate instead on the Schiavo distraction. And the press of course doesn't want to point out the hypocrisy of the little boy in Texas who was recently allowed to die, over the objections of his parents, pursuant to a law signed by then-Governor George W. Bush. Nor do they wish to compare Bush's disruption of his endless vacation schedule to rush back to DC over this, to the fact that the deaths of over 100,000 people in the tsunami didn't move him enough to drop his golf clubs, much less rush back to DC. And they certainly don't want to point out the staggering hypocrisy of Tom DeLay who, as a young Congressman, along with other family members, allowed his own father to die a number of years ago after an accident following which doctors told the family he would have a "vegetative" existence. They claimed they "knew" he wouldn't want that, and if the government at that time had tried to stop them, all hell would probably have broken loose. Finally, the cynical exploitation of this tragedy in Florida expresses the true disdain for real personal liberty that is at the core of Republican philosophy. They claim to be the party of "limited government," when in fact they believe in oppressive governmental interference in private decisions that happen to be contrary to their hypocritical "moral values."
ReplyDeleteWhy my comments ended up posting three different times, I haven't a clue. Sorry about that.
ReplyDeleteHi and welcome. Don't worry about your comment posting more than once - these things happen.
ReplyDeleteYou know I have to agree that the mainstream media gives this administration too much of a free ride. I didn't know about the Texas law - until I came across a column by Molly Ivins. And I hadn't thought about the Prez not coming back to DC after the tsunami...(I was just thinking how horrible it was). And I didn't know about the DeLay situation! It was finally mentioned in a blurb in the Phila Inquirer editorial page today. And yes, I also find it ironic that the Republicans, who have painted themselves as anti-big government want so much to be involved in what should be personal decisions.
Your post was quite interesting - be sure to come back and post often!