Terri Schiavo, we've already lost this battle....if she lives we lose

if she dies we lose, the republicans have already won this battle, the political capital goes COMPLETELY to the GOP. No one in the MSM is talking about the black baby that had its breathing tube removed and was allowed to die, no one is talking about legislation that Governor bush* signed into law in Texas that allows life support to be withdrawn from those patients families who cannot afford to pay for continued care. We've lost this fight and now we've been painted as the party of death, this is fight we should have left alone. The repukes have turned this into a political circus.

That's the repukes. Oh wait, the dems supported occupation, too.

People are getting the gist of the story far more than you realize.

I mean, of course, the Repubaloney lies that spew out of the right and the MSM on a daily, if not hourly basis?

The first time your kid says he didn't hit his baby brother you might give him the benefit of the doubt. The fifth time you know the truth for certain.

We have to keep calling them on their lies, over and over and over again until even the red-neckedist red statist finally catches on to the fact that they've been played like rubes at a carnival. Then it will all come tumbling down.

I think I'll look at that rubes/carnival thing some more. It just occurred to me but I'll bet its something the red state folks will understand just fine.

The law the Fl. legislature passed that was "only for this one person" was thrown out as unconstitutional. This one will be as well at the Federal level. I just feel bad that these AHs will probably get away with mandating that feeding tube be started again, just prolonging the anguish.

Did you come up with Repubaloney? I LOVE that. I am going to remember and use it. Very funny and how very accurate.

* signed the legislation and even he acknowledged that there is a time when the life will not return.

us of the Texas Futile Care Law that bush signed. Fuck CNN

...a time when the life will not return. Was that some attempt at being profound? Unbelieveable. That time came to that poor woman 15 years ago when she had a heart attack that left her in a vegetative state.

I still don't get why this "legislation" is just about Terri. Why does she get such special treatment? Oh, right. Tom DeLay can do his photo ops on his high moral ground of manure.

Mz Pip
:dem:

discussing his illegal and crooked political games. He's whooping up excitement from his base so they won't vote him out of office in spite of the fact that he is a lousy specimen of a human being.

Also, this sickening congressional session has totally drowned out all MSM attention from the protesters. Rove did it again...when will we learn? Will the American people ever wise up?

And according to the CNN poll that is no longer there, replaced by some sports bullshit, 80% of respondants to that poll said that Congress overstepped its authority, it as none of their business.

That's negative shyte..they are the LOSERS..no matter what the fuck happens!

I think folks see DeLay / bush / etc. are grandstanding and manipulating others' pain for their own political advantage.

I think the stench is blowing downwind toward most of middle America and that this whole thing is going to bite the Republicans in the hind end.

In a little while, stem cell research and right-to-die initiatives are going to pop up again and they'll pop at the expense of the GOP.

I wouldn't want to be in their ideological position with the 2006 congressional elections bearing down fast.

that goes against common sense!

-- pro-Bush contingent. They scare me, too.

But I feel if the Democratic Party persists iin its pro-science, progressive agenda, that we will be the ultimate beneficiaries.

The Schiavo circus in Florida is a ghastly, surreal embarrassment to the United States. People in French cafes must be shaking their heads thinking we are all a bunch of fools.

Daily life issues like Social Security, like intrusion into people's death beds, THAT will make people sit up and notice. Iraq may be a far away place, terror may be in NYC or LA, but GRANDMA and GRANDPA are sitting right there next to them on their sofas.

-- more front-and-center all the time.

It seems as if the Republican-dominated White House and Congress wants to get into our death beds and into our pantaloons as well.

Maybe Democrats could campaign on a Good Touch/Bad Touch platform (!) and make it "Good Intervention/Bad Intervention."

Anyway the whole Schiavo deal makes me hate the GOP and Far Right even more than I already did, if that's even possible.

This is reality brought to by the 'faith based community', as opposed to those of us in the Reality Based Community.

The only plus House Harkkonen gains from this is to placate the fundementalist beastie that has been demanding to be fed, and that won't last too long either.

This is a stalling action by a faction that know that time is getting short for when they'll have to pay the piper.

one and now this battle can only go against us

Rep. Wasserman was just on television talking about the contradiction between Bush in 99 as Gov of Tex and his position today. Open your eyes and watch what's going on.

A country dominated and run by religious fanatics who play god and decide who gets to live and die isn't worth preserving. The Democratic Party isn't the party of "death" . The Democratic Party is the party of the Constitution. The Hypocritical GOP would cut the funds to Medicare that allow them to keep their political puppet alive. The "Culture of Life " they espouse doesn't provide for the soldiers they maim or the families they leave behind. This culture of life won't allow a chronic vegetative to die but will allow a conscious older person to freeze to death because the government won't provide heating oil. This government is allowing children to starve every day by allowing their parents to be homeless and without jobs. The best thing that could happen is for that poor womans body to give out before they sign this stupid Bill.

"The Hypocritical GOP would cut the funds to Medicare that allow them to keep their political puppet alive."

She isn't on Medicare.

Her medical care is per a tort award.

If she WERE on Medicare they WOULD cut the funding.

now on Medicaid. Does anyone know for certain? Her husband said the money was gone.

HOWEVER, on investigating this further, I find that the TRUTH is that Terri was put into hospice five years ago, ON MEDICAID, as a "terminally ill" patient, meaning that she had a life expectancy of 6 months or less. Dr. Greer had her put there, and her husband had apparently requested it. Meanwhile, from what I read, there was a lot of animosity directed at Michael, who had a lot of money (somehow) and he and his new wife were each driving a Mercedes (!).

As we know, she is NOT dying, so IOW, this is a case of Medicaid FRAUD.

It would appear, then, that they want her OFF Medicaid, so that her husband as guardian has to pay for her "rehabilitative care". Meanwhile, her parents have offered to take her home and pay for this care themselves.

Guess Jebbie doesn't want the state paying for her if she ain't going to die. But if they pull the plug it looks like they wanted her to die so they didn't have to pay for her care. If they refuse to let her die, Michael gets to pay for her "rehab" OR he will be forced into relinquishing his guardianship to her parents. I wonder how THEY will pay?

That's what this is about.

if we keep taking the bait and talking about this sh*t. Let's move along already!

March 20, 2005

Video - Meet the Press: Republicans use Schiavo for political gain - 3/20

Video in Real Media format (3 minutes)

Most members of Congress cannot even pronounce her name.

the vast vast VAST majority of people in the country know what's going on. this has hurt the Repukes far more than the party of individual rights. now everybody has seen the godless shithole Republicans passing a special bill that violates not only the 10th Amendment of the Constitution, states' rights, but also squashes the idea of the sanctity of marriage and the right of a spouse as legal guardian. It also shows the dumb dickheads to be acting in a manner contrary to the opinions of countless doctors.

and it's not "if" she dies, it's "when." do people think Terri Sciavo can be made to live forever or something?

the amount of crap I'm reading on this board is utterly astounding.

Saddam had nuclear weapons, lol, if I've learned one thing these last few elections its that the repukes will turn every disaster and tragedy to their advantage

compare the cases or get ticked off if they don't know about it. Make sure EVERYONE KNOWS. It's gotta hit more than the chronicle--do radio call-ins, write letters--bring it up. The Houston Chronicle has covered it well--email the articles to everyone you know and get the word out!

stick with principles :D

Get a grip. Whether the woman lives or dies, it's not about us.

Yuck.

I know, newbies are allowed a little leeway

But I doubt I will let you tell me what opinions I can and can't express. I didn't say anything about you, only about your position, so save the indignance for an ad hominem poster; there's plenty to choose from.

I automatically assume you're a good and conscientous person, or you wouldn't be here in the first place. As for the freeper label regarding your position, if the shoe fits...well, I'm not the cobbler.

themselves in the foot.

Right now they've got a coil of about twenty five thousand miles of rope and a boatload of Uzis.

to dig ourselves in deeper with. I couldn't agree with you more on this one.

on the surface. The Repugs could not have picked a worse issue to flail around. Watch as Republican polls drop some more.

against everything Democrat, in general. This issue actually is helping Dems gain *permanent* voters.

The Republican Party just has no self control.

She is NOT PVS ??????????????

Is somebody keeping a list from these liars?

I liked Rep Rush Holt (a dem, of course) who asked "why are we debating this, could it be the cameras a running?"

our side

Scalia’s words from his concurrent opinion in Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Dep't of Health, 497 U.S. 261, where a woman in PVS sought (through her guardians) to terminate her life.



If they pass the resolution, they are violating the 10th Amendment. It is a states rights issue.

"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." --10th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States

should be brought into this discusssion.

the point. It's that she did not wish to be artificially kept alive in a vegetative state.

If she is unplugged, her desires have been fulfilled. Her desire was not to DIE, but not to be kept alive artificially.

Got it?

It's all about politics, isn't it?

as red meat for the Republican fundamentalist base since the Republicans screwed regular Americans over *extremely badly* over that past few days with a long list of anti-regular American bills that wouldn't have even been thought about if Democrats were in the majority.

I understand that you feel deeply over the suffering of this woman, but what the Republicans did was unConstitutional and I highly doubt that they will even be able to find a judge corrupt enough to let it stand, even after packing the courts for 4 years. The legislature just isn't allowed, by our Constitution, to make a law that affects only one single person, contradicting other laws that affect everyone.

Also understand that the state judges ruled in favor of what they understand is her wish as conveyed by at least one friend of hers as a witness who had said that this was her wish. Other than her husband, who also said it was her wish. We have a good idea of what she wanted. We have witnesses who testified *under oath* and under threat of perjury. That conveying of her wishes is the basis of all of the rulings in favor of allowing her to go.

This was supposed to be nothing more than red meat thrown to the radical clerics and religiously insane. Now it's turned into a national three ring cirsus and they've blown the center because regardless of how anybody feels about the decision to remove the tub, the public overwhelmingly feels this is not something the federal government should do.

The middle will see this as pandering to the most radical elements of the Republican base. No matter what, the Republicans are losing on this one.

the majority of the polled public says they would want the tube to be removed if they were in the same position. This is a nonsense question, since none of us can know what we would really want, considering how drastically our perspective would change under such circumstances.

Most people wouldn't want the government interfering, but this is a unique case where she left no specific wish and it's her husband's word against her parents.'

Both parties are making this political and it's absolutely sickening.

and their minions, the religiously insane.

She's dead, Jim. She has no brain.

I have to tell you, I've never been more proud to be a Democrat.

:eyes:

tube back into the animated corpse.

Nothing to be proud of from pandering fucks like that.

They made her life a game. It is a game WE DO NOT HAVE TO PLAY.

tragedy the republicans have deliberately and maliciously used against us again. This is not about Terri, it's about Delay and Rove manipulating public opinion for their own advantage. I feel horrible for her, her husband and her parents.

and then let the Federal courts come to the same conclusion as the Florida courts. What will the repubs do then? Strip the federal courts of jurisdiction?

What a bunch of asshats.

onenote

What really eats away at me is the way all these so-called religious people think they support God and life. How do we know she isn't doing spiritual work in her current state? Just because the body is no longer capable of functioning normally doesn't mean there's not some other work being done. My god technology has fucked things up. That's why this issue has gained so much exposure. Technology has created a condition where in we have to legally make our case to let nature take it's course. Religion fights nature, science fights the laws of nature and God silently mourns our suffering and struggle against It's own creation. I know I just wouldn't have the heart to not feed her. I just don't know why she has created this situation. God bless her for her courage to allow herself to be used for this spiritual/moral question.

But of course, they care more about votes and greed than any "moral values" anyway. We would be right to focus on how this is a state's issue and not the federal government's. We can't play into their hands.

This is hardly a big deal - and a lot of smarter Republicans are shitting a twinkie tonight.