Posted on 03/16/2005 12:21:57 PM PST by pleasedontzotme
Dear Freepers:
This is my first post here, and it may very well be my only one, but I wanted to just thank you all for being such a great resource for information on the Terri Schiavo case.
I usually come here when my blood pressure is just too low, because I’d have to say I usually (okay, almost always) disagree with the views expressed here. (dons flame suit) But I admire you folks as a community of individuals who care about each other and about your country. While I disagree with most of the policies espoused here, you still are patriotic Americans and it shines through. There is clearly an intelligence to the discussion level here and I learn many facts.
Through lurking here on FR (and, let’s be honest, that IS what I’m doing :-) ), I’ve gotten to learn so much about the Terri Schiavo case. As a third-year law student and one who has recently had the opportunity to watch the justice system at its absolute worst in a case involving a dear friend of mine, I am gravely concerned by the way Judge Greer has acted, and the ignoring of the misdeeds of Michael Schiavo. (Not to mention the darned videos of Terri, which so clearly show her to be responsive. Or the refusal of Michael S. or Greer to allow her to go through therapy. Or Michael’s 1992 testimony “I want to care for her for the rest of her life...” (ugh) Or...well, I could go on.
Anyway, folks, the information y’all have provided here on this issue has been terrific. Regardless of the outcome of this case, and I don’t know that I have a whole lot of hope for a good outcome, I just wanted to say how much fun it is being on the same side of the fence with you all for once.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go back to hugging a tree or putting on Birkenstocks or eating Ben & Jerry’s, or whatever it is that “people like me” do.
Respectfully, gRATefully (just a tip of the hat to Freeper sensibilities), and with hope Terri’s life can be spared,
PleaseDontZotMe
I wish!
Oh, that is sad.
There was a case where a baby was born without a brain (only a brain stem) and it was just as tragic. However, that baby was taken off life support and lingered. It's just so wrong.
Welcome to FR. Are you in law school here in FL?
When you get older, earn significant (and probably justly deserved) rewards, get married, settle down and have youngings that YOU are eternally responsible for - then YOU are my candidate for American Constitutional Turnaround in your lifetime. You're very close IMO...and it's all good.
If you want to read a good book (I'm reading it now), read Right Turns by Michael Medved--not about the Schiavo case but about Michael's life from very liberal 60's guy to conservative Theocon.
Good.
Hey, I have...balance for me is tricky...it's not a pretty sight!
LOL...that's roughly my plan!!!
Welcome to FR. We enjoy a friendly debate with those that disagree. As for getting zotted, who can know the ways of Kip the Admin Moderator.
Good suggestion, BeaversMom.
For our newest member, I'd also recommend writings by David Horowitz, who was even further left and more wacked out than Michael Medved could've ever dreamed of being, LOL!
"Unholy Alliance: Radical Islam and the American Left" by Mr. Horowitz is informative and scarey, and you can find his writings archived here:
http://www.frontpagemag.com/AboutHorowitz/index.asp
Welcome, and thanks for your post.
I hope you realize the ultimate irony about the Schiavo case - Judge Greer's political affiliation. We conservatives won't hesitate to turn on the highest powered spotlight available on this kind of corruption and evil.
My fondest hope is that soon, George Greer is given the same sendoff from our party that David Duke got. We do not need someone like him staining the reputation of the GOP.
Nope, in Ohio. Was in Sarasota last week, though, enjoying the sun!
Well-spoken, intelligent, reasonable, and polite. Your mama raised you right. No, we won't agree on everything -- maybe nothing but Terri, but I'll take constructive, informed, intelligent debate any day over a flame war.
Now if you were the typical DU troll, I'd have to sit back and watch the fireworks. ;-)
I'll have to check that out. (Of course, the line of books waiting to be read is quite impressive, so it may be a while.)
Horowitz sounds interesting. From the very cursory reading of the website I did, I agree with much of what he says. The "speech codes" and "free speech zones" of the nineties were toxic. Where I went to school, there was a situation where a student started up a website to report on the administration and the dissatisfaction of students with the school and faced MAJOR harassment for a looong time. (The site is still ongoing and still gets harassed.) Examples I've read of making people take down the American flag, huge restrictions on what people can say, et cetera, worry me. (For more cases like this, check out www.thefire.org ) I agree this seems to be more disproportionately visited on "conservatives," although lately, the trend seems to be "let's just not offend anyone." That's wrong.
I'm not in favor of this Academic Bill of Rights. First of all, it's unlikely this sort of legislation will ever be enforced, or if it is, enforced very sporadically. And I don't like laws that we don't enforce.
Secondly, who will be in charge of following all this up? Do we really need that?
Third, I've spent the past seven years as a student of post-secondary education. Most of my professors have been scrupulous about presenting both sides of the viewpoint, and I can't recall (although it may have happened), where I have felt there was a huge bias one way or the other. They usually put both sides of the issue.
I think academics should be expected to present both sides of issues and be able to argue them both. Every professor I've ever had has told us they would evaluate on how we make the argument. Did they? Well, I don't know, but that's a very subjective thing.
Anyway, that's my short take on it. I will be on the lookout for the book you mentioned.
No, I didn't know that he was an R...in fact, I thought I read, both on here and through independent sources, he was a D. No one around here brings that up much. ;)
But, I have to say that knowing that gives me a lot more respect for Freepers and just a little bit more respect for Greer (while still thinking he has completely been horrid on this case.)
For the Freepers...you folks have been just about as hard on him as you've been on Kerry or the Clintons, and that's saying something.
For the judge...it makes me feel a little like he's ignoring some of the politics with Governor Bush and the leg out there very clearly opposed to this. I still think he's completely wrong.
And how the heck did he win a primary last year?
At the risk of "outing" myself here...I'm also pretty liberal. I voted for Clinton both times. I first came to this site in 1997 (a few months before the Paula Jones case broke on Drudge and became a huge topic of conversation here) as a way of finding out how the "other side" thinks. Frankly, as a Democrat and Clinton voter, I started out hating everything I read on here and only came here to torture myself basically.
As time went on I started to see more and more things I agreed with (but still disagreed with a lot). I am still liberal on social issues (pro-choice on abortion, I've got nothing against gay relationships, etc. I'm pretty much "live and let live") but I found myself agreeing on a lot of other topics.
9/11 was a sea change for me. I live in New York. When my city and country was attacked by Islamofascists, I could no longer abide the kneejerk unthinking anti-Americanism of the left, an attitude that has taken over a certain portion of the Democratic party (the "Michael Moore" faction, if you will). I've always been very patriotic but I was far too complacent about tolerating casual anti-Americanism. 9/11 forced me to choose sides. With so much of the world being indoctrinated by their own dictatorial regimes into a reflexive "blame America" stance, I don't think we can afford the luxury of indulging in intellectual games about how "evil" we are. It's not an ivory tower, Noam Chomsky-esque indulgence anymore... it's life and death.
I still disagree with some things discussed on this site (some close-mindedness on social and religious issues mainly, by some people) but I've found far more that I agree with. I understand your ambivalence but I hope you stick around. I think you'll find there are some very interesting discussions here and there's no obligation that you agree with everyone on everything. That would be impossible for any of us, I think.
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