Who the fuck is Terri Schiavo?

And why should I care?

There are scores of people dying in Iraq daily...and all this board cares about is some brain dead lady.

This case is simply a distraction from the war crimes we are still committing in Iraq. Why is DU taking the bait?

without having to make it a government issue -- and you are right... it is simply a decoy.

much broader impact than Jacko's or Scotty's day in court.

Some people take the sensational trial bait as well, and there seems to be a new big one every couple of months now.
Don't look at the man behind the curtain!

individual's case. Additionally, I'm seeing some Republicans extremely pissed off at one another over it and frankly, enjoying that aspect of it. The potential precedents set in this case are chilling.

ter - ri - schi - a - vo

The republicans have no shame. This is not a political issue. It is between her doctors and her medical power of attorney (her husband.) This whole thing is sick and republicans should be ashamed for using this poor women to score political points and rally thier supporters.

this is setting an extremely frightening precident.

If Congress doesn't like your or you next-of-kin's medical decisions concerning you, they can intervene against your own wishes.

Dead on, parrot. Everyone needs to care, because this comes down to government intrusion in every decision a person should be able to make on their own.

Not to long ago, I would have supported Michael Schaivo giving up custody so Terri's parents could water their houseplant whenever they wanted to, but now doing so would let the cabal in Washington believe they won and they will try to extend their control.

This is definitely small compared to what is still going on in Iraq. It's a tragedy that more people don't see it.

Why should anyone care about any individual, then, unless he or she dies in Iraq?

I'm perfectly freakin' able to care about more than one thing at a time.

You may have a loved one who is long gone but kept alive artificially sucking every penny out of our pocket for years and years and years; been there, done that. Or you may be the one who is gone but laying in a vegetative state with a feeding tube stuck in you, bleeding your family dry of every penny because some religious zealots think you should "live." And if republicans get away with this for the sole purpose of placating their base what is next? I think we liberals are capable of multi-tasking - the war, schiavo, gannon, you name it. rove keeps throwing out the plates, we keep juggling.

Whoever said that ONE issue is ALL that matters? Guess what, Dems are MULTI-issue and we can do more than ONE at the same time. It's not about Terri SHIAVO. It's about Constitutional rights and how they are being subverted.

Also, throwing the F word in there ain't purty. And why aren't the board nannies attacking you for starting another SCHIAVO thread, and why DID you start a thread about something you don't care about?

I hate it when the media starts a feeding frenzy and makes a mountain over a molehill story.

It happens far too much especially with the cable channels trying to fill airtime.

Who the fuck is Terri Schiavo? - Johnny cougar

The Schiavo case is not a distraction like the Blake or Jackson cases. Unfortunately, this case is far more significant.

When the Founding Fathers drafted the U.S. Constitution and created our form of government, they created a system of checks and balances to prevent any branch of the federal government from becoming too powerful. They also sought to preserve some of the individual powers of the state. Despite claiming to be the "states rights" party, the Republican majority in the U.S. Congress voted, along with their Democratic accomplices, to overturn the Florida judge's decision in Schiavo's case. Tragically, very few members spoke out against this abuse of power.

The arrogance of both the legislative and executive branches of our government is horrifying. As long as we have a congress and a president who believes the rules do not apply to them, we are in very big trouble. It is getting to a point where we can no longer rely on the U.S. Constitution to protect us.

and that's why this is so damn important. The GOP Tallibannery wants to decide how we worship (forced pledges), who we marry (one man, one woman), what religion the government supports (the Ten Commandments on every lawn), and now how we die (when we say so). Do you honestly think that if the war ended tomorrow you'd be living in a free democratic utopia? I'm as worried about what this country is becoming -- and the loss of basic protection and liberties -- as I am about the war.
Don't minimize the Schivo issue. Its very serious business.

onenote

Maybe it was the Republicans that made an issue out of it. I really don't understand why they think people would care. It's a tragic situation, but things like that happen every day, every hour. It doesn't make sense that this is an issue.

has now been violated by Congress.

has now been violated by Congress.

This was and should have remained a private family matter. Michael Schiavo, as Terri Schiavo's next of kin, had the legal right to make decisions on Terri's behalf. When there was a dispute between Michael Schiavo and Terri Schiavo's parents, it was correctly brought to the Florida court system and decided there.

Now the federal government has decided that the decisions of the FL court and the wishes of Mrs. Schiavo as described by her husband are of no account and they have taken it upon themselves to insert themselves where they don't belong. Dismantling of checks and balances, anyone?

I'm beginning to get the feeling that the fundie extremists threatening Congress on a 1st Amendment 'right to life' issue is the real goal here.

It's not about a husband vs. wife or family decision. It's not about state's rights. It's not about an individual's right to privacy.

Bottom line? ..."Right-To-Life". Translation: Abortion constitutionally violates the right to life as demonstrated in the Schiavo case.

Other than the "precedent" thing, it really IS just another Rove-instructed distraction, just like celebrity trials, missing children, etc. We care more about this case than the war on the middle class and foreign peoples and that's kind of sorry if you ask me.

what happens to Terry Schiavo?

I mean - do they really care?

Nah! They wanted to stir up something that would take what teeny bit of awareness was growing on the war, the economy, oil, social security, banking "reform," outsourcing jobs and other issues and get them up all worked up over this sexy story.

It worked beautifully.

The Rethugs, including Bush, have no commitment to Terry Schiavo. They are using her like a pawn.

They'll drop her like a hot potato as soon as it becomes politically expedient, or another issue emerges that they can exploit.

It's all about controlling the minds of the people. They're one step ahead of most everyone.

edit: spelling

rights for Americans.

I would normally share your viewpoint, if not for the recent involvement of the federal government. This could befall anyone here. Will they respect our wishes, and those of our designated next-of-kin?

It proves the disturbing power of the religious right.

I worked in clinical neuropsychology for years, up until fairly recently, and I was horrified when I saw this woman's CAT scan - never seen anything remotely like it in a 'living' human. Her cerebral cortex has disintegrated, and no significant recovery of function is possible at this point. I think I can safely estimate her IQ to be exactly 0.

Regardless of their political affiliation or even their voiced opinion on Schiavo, I don't know anybody who would want to be kept alive in this woman's mental condition, so I don't think it's unreasonable for her husband to conclude that Terri wouldn't want to exist like this. I wouldn't want someone I love to be trapped in a mindless shell like that either.

had this non-story been pushed by the media. It's like a downward spiral. The fascist media pushes a bullshit distraction story, people get all worked up, the Republicans see a chance to politically capitalize, and thus a political issue is made out of it, and the government then starts making diciions it has no business making.

they did, and Congress did, and now we're getting fucked, big time. So if the question is should Terri Schiavo's situation become a big time story leading to grotesque Congressional intervention: answer is no. But if the question is whether Congress' grotesque intervention in this matter is a big time story -- the answer is no, because it means that nothing is sacred or safe from the GOP Taliban anymore.

onenote

This is a real issue that profoundly affects us all.

Are we to loftily refuse to dignify it with any response, as you seem to suggest? That tactic has certainly worked for the Democrats. :eyes:

All this board cares about is some lady who didn't get the seat she wanted on the bus!

Can't people see the broader implications?

Of course there is bad shit happening in Iraq, but that doesn't nullify everything else that happens either.

hope no one ever says "Who the fuck is JohnnyCougar?"

please someone, pull the plug. Don't put me and my whole family through some circuis-like ordeal all while wasting money on medical bills.

And please, If you don't know me or my family, ask "Who the fuck is JohnnyCougar?" That's what you should be asking, since it is none of your business.

But the fact that Congress cares means you should care, because they are going to rape the Constitution to prove their worth to their base.

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Terri does not make eye contact or express emotion.

And you clearly know nothing about hospice.

What are you smoking?

A. Her parents are not taking care of her. They haven't taken care of her in years. As I understand it, she's on Medicaid.

B. People in her condition need a tremendous amount of care. They must be turned in bed, their lungs "treated" at least once a year.

C. It's estimated that death may occur within two weeks.

D. If she can swallow, why has she been on a feeding tube all these years?

And did you see post #36?

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And I have little sympathy for anyone who posts something like this:

"Punishments of death through various means of torture are not new/common acceptable ways of law enforcement for those people."

And thinks the man who engineered the massacre of 4,000 POWs might be good at "uniting the country."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1275366#1275471

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And the age insults are so fucking lame. I am probably twice your age, as much as it pains me to admit it.

And she was indeed rationalizing torture, as anyone reading that sentence can understand. "Those people," indeed.

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and can be fully comprehended by anyone with rudimentary reading skills.

For example, I'm really blown away by the courtesy and maturity and professional knowledge exhibited in this post, for example:

Do you never believe the person who is too lazy to walk or excercise, and stop themselves from stuffing their mouths with fast food or whatever they want has any share of responsibility for being obese?
What is gluttony? What is laziness? What is being fixated with oral gratification? What about these people who are "frequent flyers" in the hospitals who never comply with expert medical advise?
Are you blaming the pharmaceutical companies for those who have been prescribed important medication for their hearts and blood pressures yet do not take the medicine but go off their diets for fries and double whoppers?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1318952&mesg_id=1323340

But maybe that was actually brother Jeff again?

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Such empathy.

Well, at least the term "those people" was mercifully absent.

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IMHO

pure and simple.

What's interseting is that it very well may backfire, even my republican aquantances think the radicals are dead wrong on this one.

The majority of the nation think the courts got it right. This should be interesting.

Bush is clearly fumbling on this issue.

as well as others. The social security plan is DOA. No one is buying it. The appointment of Wolfowitz is also worrying his base (not the religious base, the other base, the greedy base). The price of oil, the fall of the dollar, the budget deficit, the trade deficit, the medicare cuts, et al. Folks are talking, the folks that voted for him, that is.

Let us pray.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3324144


And it has gotten to where it could adversely affect the whole country - eroding the power of the judiciary and all.

It seems likely that Scaife and Co. have been funding this for more than just he distraction value.

surviving on the planet.

But COMPASSION is very important. That may be way all the attention is about.

Please consider refraining from letting personal attacks overwhelm a thread.

Thanks,

DU Mod