Terri Schiavo: Some Blog Thoughts

Some sundry blogs weigh in on the Terri Schiavo saga ...

Bull Moose offers a clear-eyed critique of what the unprecedented involvement of Dubya and Congress means for conservatism:

"What we are witnessing now is the triumph of ends over means. That is exactly what the right loathed about the left. In the eye of conservatives, the left would stretch the Constitution and the law to serve its so-called noble ends. Liberals would turn to the federal courts to nullify the judgments of localities. In the end, according to the right, the law of unintended consequences would prevail and the rule of law would be obliterated.

"Process no longer matters to the right - after all they are on the side of the angels. Whether it is pork barrel spending , the Senate filibuster or federal intervention in a family dispute, modern conservatism knows no boundaries. The right is now intoxicated with power - process is for wimps."

The Token Liberal has an interesting perspective of the Religious Right and selective dogma:

"Here's a thought for the Religious Right Wing of the Powers That Be currently burning the midnight oil making political and ideological hay of Terri Schiavo's unfortunate plight ... what about just putting her fate in God's hands?

"That's right. Drop the posturing and the lawsuits and let God decide.

"He'll know what to do. Have a little faith, fer cryin' out loud.

"More hypocrisy from the Party of Less Government."

The mood is mighty dour at The All Spin Zone.

"The country is going to hell in a handbasket. The planet is going to hell in a handbasket. Hundreds of thousands of functional people will die around the world today from war, state-sponsored genocide, starvation, AIDS, spousal abuse, execution, gang violence, narco terrorism, and many other social causes, yet the U.S. congress would never, in a million legislative days (the measurement of time in Washington, DC), consider meeting in emergency session to deal with those issues. Never. Yet they meet today to deal with the moral question of a brain dead woman being allowed to depart this mortal coil with some modicum of decency."

Also --and another thanks to ASZ for the heads-up on this post -- Obsidian Wings provides a thorough -- and we do mean thorough -- examination of the legal implications involved. Click here for the musings; it's lengthy but worth it.

And for another view, dustbury's Chaz ponders right-to-die issues:

"A tossed-off Beckoid 'I'm a loser, baby, why don't you kill me?' does not strike me as particularly irrefutable.

"This is, however, as far as I'm willing to wade into the waters of euthanasia: I am not the best judge of slippery slopes, perhaps, but as a wiser man than I once said, 'You never think you have need of any chocks until you're in the truck, and you realize it's rolling down the hill. Backwards.'

"For myself, I haven't decided one way or another, haven't filed any legal documents or anything, but I figure there are worse ways to go than being shot out of a cannon."

So true, Chaz. But just to belabor the point: Being shot by a cannon isn't so hot, either.