Posted on 08/01/2009 4:58:12 AM PDT by Kaslin
Recently in a Washington Times radio interview, RNC Chairman Michael Steele was expressing his concerns regarding health care reform. He commented that the GOP’s handling of my sister Terri Schiavo is an example of what he fears, stating, “It is inserting itself into the very fabric of the decisions that you make, have to make every single day. It’ll make the Terri Schiavo case look like a walk in the park.”
I understand the point that Michael Steele was trying to make. He was using Terri as an example of what it would mean if the government was to get involved in the decisions of healthcare. However, not only was it a badly chosen comparison, but as a proclaimed pro-lifer, Mr. Steele should be ardently supportive of the actions taken by Congress—Democrats and Republicans—in their attempt to save Terri’s Life.
Perhaps Mr. Steele has fallen victim, along with so many others, to the same media spin that implies Congress was intruding on a “private” matter, rather than applauding them for stepping in to protect a disabled woman who was in the very process of being dehydrated to death.
The act by Congress granted Terri a federal and civil rights claim to be heard in federal court. In fact, these are the same rights we give to those on death row—who die far less brutal and painful deaths. If Ted Bundy or Scott Peterson had a guaranteed federal court review after their cases have been gone through the state courts, then why shouldn’t an innocent disabled woman like Terri be given that same chance?
That is what I find so ironic about Mr. Steele’s remarks and his concern regarding a government-controlled health care system. What happened to Terri is a perfect example of what he and Republicans are now trying to prevent from happening and what so many health care experts are warning us will happen if President Obama gets his way and establishes a system of health care rationing that would inevitable lead to countless premature deaths.
Much has been written warning us about the dangers of Obamacare, but mostly in terms of what it would mean for the elderly and perhaps the chronically ill. Unfortunately, I have not seen any reports of what will happen to those like Terri—the cognitively disabled. However, from what I am reading and what is being proposed for health care reform, I think it is safe to say that those like Terri don’t stand a chance. Especially, if the proposed Independent Medicare Advisory Council (IMAC) is formed that will put bioethicists in charge of who can and cannot receive treatment.
We are in grave danger any time health care decisions are taken out of the hands of individual patients and their families and placed into the hands of government bureaucrats whose decisions are based on cutting costs rather than valuing the dignity and equal worth of every human life.
In fact, many people are entirely unaware of what we have learned through Terri’s Foundation (the foundation my family formed in Terri’s honor to help protect the cognitively injured). We are regularly contacted by families who are in situations pleading with those in authority for treatment for their family members. And much too often they are forced to sit by and watch helplessly as their loved ones dies.
So yes, I do agree with Mr. Steele’s assessment that, “It’ll make the Terri Schiavo case look like a walk in the park.” My fear is that it will make the killing of the cognitively disabled as ordinary and commonplace as purchasing a loaf of bread.
Surely that is not what “hope and change” should be all about.
Where did I say anything to indicate i wished to get Republicans elected whether they are conservative or not?
If you PAID ATTENTION you will see that my QUESTION was to this statement from lt.america in post #36:
The metric I use for a party chairman is can they effectively raise money and win elections for the party.
I pinged you as a courtesy since that post was directed to you, nothing you have posted indicates that you share lt.america's apparent belief that winning the election is more important than advancing conservative principles.
If you aren't ADDRESSING ME then why list my name first? How was I to know it was a cc....? I do pay attention to well constructed and clear posts....
GRIN.........have a great Saturday.
Perhaps you should go back and take a look (hint: your name is listed SECOND!):
So, your main concern is to get Republicans elected whether they are conservative or not?
Like I said...have a great Saturday......and please be clear in posts at the same time....I know you can do better.
I was clear, your name was SECOND! Not only that, my question was in DIRECT RESPONSE to another poster’s statement, if you cannot discern clarity from that it’s not my problem.
Have a great day!
Like I said....you can do better....I have faith....after all you are a FREEPER....
Steele is an incompetent person and a social liberal.
What a well written article. Bobby Schindler did a good job of explaining where he agrees with Michael Steele, and where he disagrees with him.
If Bobby’s intended targets were the advocates of forced euthanasia, he hit a bulls eye. Just look at the responses from sleeper trolls on this thread. They’re squealing like stuck pigs.
Kudos to Bobby, and the whole Schindler family. You’re performing a valuable service to disabled people and their families. You have the death eaters worried.
lt.america seems to disagree. I asked him how he would have written it and he danced around my question like a typical liberal and never answered my question
I noticed the same thing, actually I see that A LOT on threads like these.
I am sorry if I hurt your feelings Kassy. Didn’t realize you were so fragile. I will keep that in mind next time.
So you are still dancing around instead of posting how you would have written it. You know it’s easy to criticize, anyone can do it. But to make it better is not so. You sir are an empty suit just as Zerobama is
Then he goes onto say this “That is what I find so ironic about Mr. Steele’s remarks and his concern regarding a government-controlled health care system. What happened to Terri is a perfect example of what he and Republicans are now trying to prevent from happening and what so many health care experts are warning us will happen”
That statement makes it seem like the GOP is being hypocritical in their efforts to block or at least substantially rework the current healthcare initiative that the Dems are trying to push through. Again, tracking with his irony theme. I can see how this could be viewed as ironic.
Then in paragraphs 6 and 7 he completely jumps to concern over the government wresting the reigns of healthcare out of the hands of private citizens. So in a matter of a few lines he has gone from the GOP being hypocrites for opposing government run health care, to now echoing some of the same arguments made by outspoken Republicans.
Then he closes with this.... “So yes, I do agree with Mr. Steele’s assessment that, “It’ll make the Terri Schiavo case look like a walk in the park.”
Completely in contrast to the rebuke he had for Steele in the opening two paragraphs.
As I posted earlier, the reason I didn't like this article was due to consistency of theme, or lack thereof. It seemed to me like it was a birdshot blast that didn't stay on topic.
So you probably need to ping a couple more people to join in on this since it seems that 24 hours later you are still crying about the fact I didn't like the article. Get over it already. I still feel compelled to watch Joe Dirt every time is comes on to the complete angst of everyone around me, but I don't feel the need to cry and moan when they tell me it is moronic.
I’ll mark my place for now to read post 20. Terri was murdered. I have one of the few bumpers stickers that were made after she died. I can scan it but I didn’t ever put it on my car since Terri supporters were followed and their tires slashed.
“Thousands of Americans caring about Terri Schiavo is irrelevant to the question of whether the federal government of the United States should have passed a piece of legislation designed to affect only a single case.”
This one case WOULD have affected other cases and that’s why the liberals were scared to death and started on their typical vicious personal attack mode until they were successful and the woman was murdered, slowly, agonizingly, with not a sip of liquid for two weeks, no pain relievers, not even allowed to see her family in the end.
Jesus said the good shepherd leaves his flock and looks for the one lost sheep until he finds it. He doesn’t abandon the lost lamb. Only an immoral, sinful nation turns their eyes and ears away from the deliberate state sanctioned murder of a human being, a fellow citizen of the US. Terri’s rights were denied her over and over and you say the legislature should have done NOTHING?
That says more about YOUR heart than it does about mine.
Pursuing this wrongheaded and instrumentalist course of action caused that because proponents chose to fight battles on the wrong turf. This caused the losses in 2006. This caused the losses in 2008. By extension, this resulted in the revocation of the Mexico City policy, so now millions of unborn children worldwide will be murdered with my tax dollars. By extension, the instrumentalist approach to federal power justified the radical expansions we are seeing now in the form of government health care that will force me to pay for American women to have abortions through my tax dollars.
How do I know it was the wrong turf? The results themselves speak volumes about why the Terri Schiavo Act was a terrible tactic in a long running war. Because Terri's parents lost in federal court, a court that held that Florida law was settled and that Terri had been given her legal and procedural protections. The federal court legal case was a loser from the very beginning, but that didn't stop well-meaning instrumentalists from the conservative right from demanding that the Congress of a nation of 300 million people pass a law to intervene in a sovereign state's legal procedures and determinations regarding a single individual.
What should have been done? Practically anything else. Engage in civil disobedience -- and paid the consequences -- and funneled money into every pro-life group in Florida, deluged every Florida politician to fix the problem, or use the tragedy to foment popular opposition to pols in Florida who supported her murder. But the Terri Schiavo Act was stupid in its conception, idiotic in its justification, and ultimately destructive of any mantle of legitimacy that Republicans in Congress had with respect to limited government and federalism.
The references to scripture by you and others who attacked my posts on this thread are entirely inapposite. God never promises us that he will rescue our bodies from travail, torture, or death. Paul was beheaded, Peter was crucified, Stephen was stoned to death. Yes, we have a duty to God to follow his will. That doesn't mean do everything possible to achieve that will -- unless you think that God approves of murdering abortionists outside their clinics.
Finally, in response to my lengthy posts that deliberately refrain from attacking you and others on this thread personally -- note that this is different than attacking your opinions or beliefs -- I have received emotional snap responses containing factual errors, sloppy reasoning (the Dred Scott reference was my favorite), and claims that I have a problem with my heart or my relationship with God or that all I am is a heartless and idiotic libertarian piece of trash. Many of these responses have insinuated that I didn't care about what happened to Terri, or that I'm the modern equivalent of Ciaphas, again merely because I think that the Terri Schiavo Act was a terrible and tragic waste that, despite all the good intentions in the world, was ultimately destructive to the pro-life cause.
I'll submit that's probably not the best way to relate to either a fellow conservative who disagrees with you (or even a libertarian) or to a fellow Christian who also disagrees with you.
Given that I have now written a few pages of text on this thread, I do hope you'll understand that I really am finished with it now. I appreciate what I can take from your responses and hope you will take something away from mine.
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