Special Report: March 31st 2005

The dark ages -- the celebration of death

   Then they came for me is not only part of a famous poem by pastor Niemoller but also one of our fates given the justification of death that the judicial branch has ensured for Terri Schindler-Schiavo. At 6:53AM pacific time, the purveyors of death, who have denied every attempt to allow one to simply have food and water, have triumphed and now have the bloody stains of eternal judgment on their hands as she has expired.  Violent convicted criminals and rodent pests are not treated this way so why was she?  The pundits claim that she wanted this and that the government should not interfere in private personal matters.  Was that really true?  History is showing signs of repeating just as Nazi Germany targeted the easiest prey first, the helpless, so they are targeted again.

    The full poem reads as follows:

    In the Declaration of Independence, we find the text, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

    Are these merely hollow words that fill the page of a document or are these words foundations that we base our government and our very ideals upon?  For Terri these were meaningless -- are we becoming a effete civilization in this century?  I hold judgment but the signs are starting to become unfortunately clear.  Are science fiction movies such as Logan's Run and Solient Green merely fiction?  Do we put values on life by classification of what we like or view to be useful?  Do we start to decide that perhaps the sick or infirmed have less value than others?  Nazi Germany under Hitler supported these ideals and more.  The downward slide on a slippery slope starts with the slightest of momentum.

    Classically, the less able a person is to defend themselves the easier it is to control or eliminate them.  Where do we draw the line and the worth of a person?  Should we reconsider those who are in coma or perhaps needing medical attention simply because they are a nuisance to society or, "they might die anyway?"  Each day there are countless murders known as abortions that are shrouded in the fallacy of choice.  Yes, I believe in free choice and if you so choose to murder then you should face the penalty for your crimes.  In abortion a heart that was beating stops, that is murder, plain and simple.  You can candy coat the crime and apply any sort of science you choose but the facts are one life ends as someone chooses.  That someone, the mother is a separate entity and only hosts the new life therefore it is not actually their body they are deciding over but that is how senseless death is promulgated and sold to the masses.

    There is no doubt that we are in a struggle between good and evil in the world today.  We have two choices, to fight for what is right or wrong and yes, not taking a stand is still a choice.  There are many that accuse Mr. Schiavo of causing or accelerating her condition.  Whether that is fact or not, it is odd that he has not only denied many religious customs for her such as communion on Easter Sunday but also states that her wishes are to die.  This is something that any Catholic knows would, according to the doctrine, ensure an eternity of Purgatory, or a permanent void of existence that is most undesirable.  Unless she renounced her religion, she would have never stated the desire to die in that state since within the doctrine, that state could be viewed as a suffering as part of ones journey towards everlasting life. If a proclaimed Catholic agrees with death by starvation then either they do not understand the dogma of their own religion or perhaps they should find another since the Vatican is quite clear in this case.  This could be seen as God's will and an ultimate test for the soul. Man is meant to suffer at some point in life but man should not actively cause suffering. God is the judge of life or death and we should concern ourselves with the preservation of it. For such a concerned vigilant husband why does he already have two children with another woman that he has seen for many years?  Why would he not simply release guardianship to the parents and siblings who wanted to care for her?  Why did nurses sign affidavits stating that after his "private" door closed visits there was spent insulin syringes in the trash and needle tracks on her body as she trembled exhibiting signs of a diabetic shock?  Why did he deny the parents and family to be present during her last moments and why was he and his counsel the only ones present?  The brother of Terri called him a monster.  Was he wrong?

    Joe Lieberman and many others including the Bush family fought for her rights to live. Jeb Bush unfortunately failed to act although he had the power to do so just as Janet Reno acted in 2000 to forcibly remove little Elian Gonzalez after the 11th circuit court denied her request as well. It is not clear whether his base will drop support for him or not. Many have vowed to not support the few Republicans and the majority of Democrats who were not supportive of Terri's right to live.  Many said that they should not interfere with their private affairs -- that the government should not be involved in our private lives.  Really?  No, I do not want the government dictating instead of governing either but they already do.  The devastatingly twisted Domestic Violence law allows for the police to not only intrude and destroy lives under a false premise of protection but strips the rights of those convicted of their 2nd amendment rights as well.  Search and seizure laws are circumvented and lives are destroyed -- private lives.  Child Protective Services also wield vast powers to destroy families and can act on a mere mention of suspected abuse -- no proof is needed for the immediate abduction of children from the "suspect" and the subsequent arrest -- all on hearsay!  I am sorry but 1984 has come and gone but the eerie reality of George Orwell is just beginning.  The two reasons politicians became involved in this case was that this could be a landmark point in the right for life struggle and that since there was no legal written proof for her wishes her rights were being denied.  These events have proven that the checks and balances in our government are in question as radical activist judges are abusing their powers and disregarding our Constitution in their decisions.

    Does a person have a right to die?  If you attempt suicide you will be arrested under a 5150 which is a 72 hours hold and examination to prevent injury to yourself or others.  A 5250 is a 14 day hold -- mind you against your will.  We have only heard one side of Terri's story, from her husband.  Was there a written document or will?  No.  It was all verbal according to one man.  Should one man hold that much power.  Was Terri afforded due process?  If you believe that by NOT hearing her case in various levels of court then maybe but most would disagree.  I am not speaking to the trumped up "polls" that CNN, CBS, ABC, and NBC touted where "most" Americans wanted her to starve to death.  She was not kept alive by extraordinary means -- no respirator or dialysis machine was needed.  She only needed food and water.  Is that too much to ask for?  Since she could not easily speak for herself would it have been so wrong to allow her to live and perhaps recover.  Each day are we not hearing about great advances in stem cell research to cure people like her?  What happened to that or do we not care in her case?

    Furthermore, there are many mentally ill patients as well as criminally insane individuals, like Charles Manson, that time after time have been examined and show no signs of recovery or improvement, yet we pay for their therapy or care.  It has been said that Terri did not show signs of improvement (even though her husband stopped therapy sessions after a short year while she was improving) and would be in that state forever anyway.  If her execution was rationalized by liberals and others in that mind set what would stop the inevitable leap to the next step and euthanize mentally ill patients who have not improved since, according to them, in Terri's case, it was "humane."  As Joseph Goebbels, Adolf Hitler's propaganda minister said, "If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it people will eventually come to believe it."

    In the wretched film, Million Dollar Baby, Clint Eastwood's character is shown as a hero for killing the star boxer, played by Hillary Swank, tragically turned paraplegic as she lay not wanting to live.  How is it that a murderer is now depicted as the hero for executing the helpless? I can't help but remember the lawyer for Mr. Schaivo stating to the press that, "she is not in any pain." I wonder how he can sleep at night? Perhaps his idea of slowly dehydrating and starving is euphoric -- what a warped mind. If this is not cruel and unusual punishment exactly what is?

    Our society is rapidly become death-centric and less life-centric.  This disturbing trend may well lead us to another holocaust perhaps even in this century. It is hard to accept that this blatant disregard for human life could happen in this age in this country. It is deplorable.   How soon will it be before we decide that premature infants are not worth saving since they may not survive anyway or perhaps after 80 years in age you should "help" society by not wasting resources anymore?  We should take to heart what the poet and philosopher George Santayana said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."