Death and Dismemberment
This Terri Schiavo case is really ticking me off (okay, I won't lie, I still have CNN.com as my homepage. I know I should switch over to BBC, but old habits...)
First off, why all this fuss over one person?
And secondly, now that I'm not technically a Christian anymore, why are Christians so afraid of death? It's so easy to see now that I've stepped outside of it. Fetuses aren't allowed to be aborted, cancer victims can't kill themselves when they're in pain, humans in vegetable form should be kept that way as long as possible.... For all their ranting and raving about Heaven, I mean, it sounds like a nice place to hang out. Why the fear? When a person does a bad thing, like murder, in the conservative Christian sect, that person should get capital punishment. That individual should be punished with death.
The Dala Lama practices dying every day, so that he won't be afraid when the time comes. That's a man who's got his act together. His logic? "Everyone dies."
And if it were me? Oh God yes, please let me die. Fifteen years lying in bed? No thanks. God, what if I really was coherent and could think and stuff, but just not communicate? Stuck there with nothing to do but watch daytime TV like Jerry Springer and Days of Our Lives and not talk to anyone? Yea, kill me. Maybe give me a few months to see if I pull through, but after that, snuff me out. Chop me up, give my organs to people who need them, or donate my whole body to science or whatever. I don't care. I'm dead!
Not too keen on getting starved to death though. Anyone who's met me knows I get grumpy if I'm not eating every few hours. Maybe something more pleasant, like jack me up with morphine until my heart relaxes to a full stop.
First off, why all this fuss over one person?
And secondly, now that I'm not technically a Christian anymore, why are Christians so afraid of death? It's so easy to see now that I've stepped outside of it. Fetuses aren't allowed to be aborted, cancer victims can't kill themselves when they're in pain, humans in vegetable form should be kept that way as long as possible.... For all their ranting and raving about Heaven, I mean, it sounds like a nice place to hang out. Why the fear? When a person does a bad thing, like murder, in the conservative Christian sect, that person should get capital punishment. That individual should be punished with death.
The Dala Lama practices dying every day, so that he won't be afraid when the time comes. That's a man who's got his act together. His logic? "Everyone dies."
And if it were me? Oh God yes, please let me die. Fifteen years lying in bed? No thanks. God, what if I really was coherent and could think and stuff, but just not communicate? Stuck there with nothing to do but watch daytime TV like Jerry Springer and Days of Our Lives and not talk to anyone? Yea, kill me. Maybe give me a few months to see if I pull through, but after that, snuff me out. Chop me up, give my organs to people who need them, or donate my whole body to science or whatever. I don't care. I'm dead!
Not too keen on getting starved to death though. Anyone who's met me knows I get grumpy if I'm not eating every few hours. Maybe something more pleasant, like jack me up with morphine until my heart relaxes to a full stop.
I'm really torn on this case. Do I think Bush and the politicians should have gotten involved? Hell no. Nineteen judges -- 19! -- had already reviewed this case and determined that her rights were not being trampled. Her parents have allegedly said repeatedly that they would have fought any attempt to remove the tube -- EVEN IF THEY HAD WRITTEN DOCUMENTATION THAT THAT WAS HER WISH. Clearly, they cannot then argue that they should be her guardians as they have her best interests driving them.
The husband has clearly "moved on" in some respects, with a new all-but-legal wife and kids. Some are calling him a philanderer driven by insurance money greed, etc. I have no idea what the motivations are, but if there really was such a conversation between him and his wife about "what if", then I give him so much credit for fighting this fight and not doing the easy thing (which would be to just walk away).
But if there never was such a discussion, and it's all aboutthe Benjamins, that changes everything.
It's a tough, tough, tough thing, but I can't see either side is "right". I just know that Bush et all were wrong.
Posted by
Bridget Unnel |
2:02 pm, March 23, 2005
this whole situation sickens me. the fact that Bush co. have hijacked this and ramrodded it down to one of their issues sickens me (to cover up the on-going failure that is Iraq perhaps?). This is a very tragic, personal story that has been thrown into the light for public over-consumption. I cannot help but feel for all that are truly involved and affected, and not just hopping on the coattails to get some camera-time (i.e. Republicans in Congress and the Pro-lifers). The moral majority really does sicken me. I don't place judgement on the husband because it is not my life to judge, nor is it the courts, nor is it the cowboy 'president'. I do agree that starving to death is a terrible way to die, this whole situation is terrible. I don't have any answers, and don't pretend to.
As far as Christians being afraid of death...I've given up trying to understand religion, or at least, the big ones, Catholicism, Islam, Judaism. It's all fluff that is based on tales from some chasten monks that has been railroaded to where we are today. Religion is crutch for people to fall back on. I'm glad my parents never made me go to church to brainwash me.
Posted by
John Chimpo |
4:34 pm, March 23, 2005
Actually, now that I think about it, it's probably to distract from the fact they just legalized drilling for oil in Alaskan refuges. Iraq war is over to the Americans; they've forgotten about it. But you're right, it has to be about something else!
Posted by
Monica |
4:56 pm, March 23, 2005
I think the Bible-thumping Right sees the reelection of wear-it-on-his-sleeve Bush as a "sign" to try to "reclaim" the States, to make it "God-fearin' Country" again, to seize as much power and influence as possible from the "morally corrupt left."
The Schiavo family's personal tragedy simply fits nicely into their plans -- it's something they can exploit and leverage while seeming "compassionate". Yep, I've seen all those quote-marked words/phrases quoted in news coverage...
Why is it THEY don't see the inconsistency between claiming "moral obligation" to preserve her life while firmly supporting capital punishment, consequences of killing the wrongfully commited be damned?
Posted by
Bridget Unnel |
5:59 pm, March 23, 2005
Forget the religion part of this whole thing and look at it a different way. This is extremely tough for the parents of TS because in life, kids arent supposed "to go" before the parents. As a parent, Im sure they see her pain every time they look in her eye. As a parent, it is instinct to want to take care of your child and fix their pain. Its like when a little kid is outside playing and falls off a bike and skins their knee. The first thing the kid does is run inside screeming for mommy. Who do you think is in more pain, the kid screeming or the mother who can see the pain on their kids face? After a bandaid and a cookie, the kid is fine. Just imagine the pain TS's parents must feel to know they can't do anything to help their daughter from her jackass husband. Im sure they feel so helpless right now. Its always tough to lose someone, but I think its exceptionally hard for a parent to bury their child. If I was a parent, I could NEVER let my kid die no matter what state of mind they are in. If my kid lost their whole body in a car accident and all that was left was a head. I would keep the head as long as it was alive. I would carry it around and call it Head. Yikes, that was uncalled for. Ok, enough sentimental crap for tonight. Does anyone else think that TS's sister is hot?
-SourKraut
Posted by
Anonymous |
12:23 am, March 25, 2005
Right you are. I've had similar thoughts on my own blog (http://mulethoughts.blogspot.com/).
What I keep wondering is if Christians believe that heaven is such a dandy place, why are they so hell bent on avoiding death? I can respect their attitudes toward suicide, because in many cases the suicide victim causes others great pain. But in a case like this - I should think that heaven (if such a place indeed exists) is a better place than lying in a hospital in a vegatative state for the rest of your life.
So, I compliment you on your blog entry, Well put.
Mule
Posted by
BlueMule |
5:04 pm, March 25, 2005
We can all take some comfort in knowing that this incident, inflamed by the Neo-clowns and Repulsivecans handed Hillary Clinton a ton of ammo in 2008.
Posted by
Anonymous |
4:20 am, April 04, 2005
We can all take some comfort in knowing that this incident, inflamed by the Neo-clowns and Repulsivecans handed Hillary Clinton a ton of ammo in 2008.
Posted by
Anonymous |
4:21 am, April 04, 2005
It's not about fearing death, it's about believing in the sanctity of life.
-Alison
Posted by
Alison Strobel Morrow |
4:28 am, January 31, 2006