[Peace-discuss] Liberals and Schiavo

[Chas. 'Mark' Bee]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "C. G. Estabrook" <galliher at alexia.lis.uiuc.edu>
To: "Dan Schreiber" <dan at sourcegear.com>
Cc: <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>
Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 2:29 PM
Subject: RE: [Peace-discuss] Liberals and Schiavo


> The point is that there was doubt about the brain death,

   Nothing that wasn't paid for outright, IIRC.

> and under those
> circumstances (at least) you can't deprive a person of food and water.
> --CGE

  There is no doubt about a flat EEG and a skull half full of water.  To seriously pretend that there is, is to lie.

  Carl, in 2000, my uncle Buck had a stroke.  No one knows exactly what happened in his skull that morning, but the
result was nonstop flailing, fighting, struggling, with all his strength.  He was taken to Carle, where he lay strapped 
to a bed, fighting and struggling constantly, no quarter, day and night.  This went on for two weeks.  I won't describe 
what he looked like when he passed.  Let's just say he had been a strong man, capable of doing a lot of damage.

  Now, he was able to be fed - like Terri Schiavo, through a simple-sounding but complex treatment only developed in the
last couple decades - a Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (feeding tube).  He was able to be hydrated, same way, no
problem.  He also had left no advance directive, just word of mouth to many relatives, including his wife.  And anyone
who knew him would have known what he'd prefer anyway - he was that sort.  But his brain stem still worked.

  How long would the government be justified in keeping him alive?  If the religiowacks trying to hijack American
governance these days have their way, the answer, for any and every one of us, will be forever - regardless of whether 
we like it or not.  They won't care about pain, they won't care about suffering.  These are momentary rationalizations. 
That is the real issue here, it is what this case is being used for by those who seek to eliminate choice, and no amount 
of sophistry or well meant lies will disguise it.

  Of course, this case - out of thousands over the past decade or so - is also being given national publicity in order
to generate enough antipathy toward the judiciary branch to produce an army of useful idiots, who will shortly run
interference as the Republican congress attempts to eliminate the filibuster for judicial nominees - in order to put all 
of us
under religious control for decades.  Not germane to the case, but interesting to note.  And that (and lots of cash) is 
the payoff for the RTL parties involved.  -cmb