The Schiavo Case: Why It Matters to You

It's interesting to hear what some people ares aying about the Terri Schiavo case.

Rush Limbaugh says that this is an issue about the right to life, that if her right to live is critical, that if she is allowed to be killed because she is "inconvenient", what happens when you or I become inconvenient?

George Nory on Coast to Coast AM says that he believes that good will prevail, and he challenges Michael Schiavo to take a lie detector test. If he passes, George says he'll back off and stop talking about the case. If Michael fails the lie detector test, he should turn guardianship of Terri to her parents. (I actually think this is a good idea...)

Various people, from the religious, to the frantic have spoken up, asking for various government officials or judges to intervene on Terri's behalf. Meanwhile, themore radical among these people have written protest signs and internet posts saying that Judge George Greer, Michael Schiavo, Florida governor Jeb Bush, and President George Bush should be shot, or have their feeding tubes removed. This morning there are news reports of a man from Illinois being arrested for breaking into a sporting goods store. He wanted to steal a gun to "rescue" Terri Schiavo.

"The red states should have their feeding tubes removed," one internet post read. The response to this was quick: "The red states feed the blue states, you moron!"

It got so bad that in the speech announcing the state's latest evidence in the case, Florida governor Jeb Bush asked that people supporting the Schindlers act peacefully and without violence.

I find it interesting that the people who are are all for putting the feeding tube back into Terri Schiavo don't blink an eye when people start talking about shooting people on the other side.

Dr. Dean Adell has a radio show on the local radio station on weekday mornings. He addressed the religious angle when a woman called into the show and accused Michael Schiavo basically of murdering Terri and that God would want her to keep living.

Adell countered first by saying that not everyone believes in one God, in this case the caller's God...whatever version of God that is. He pointed out that people in other parts of the world have differing views on God and their religious beliefs, and we don't impose our beliefs on them.

Finally, Adell ended his comments by saying that most religious people believe in miracles, so why not now? Remove the feeding tubes, and pray that God provides a miracle that allows Terri Schiavo to feed herself.

The reason this case concerns me is because of the precedents that the congressional intervention *does* set. It says that you may not have the right to decide how you check out of this world.

And let's be clear about something here. No one heard of Terri Schiavo much before this latest round of court battles. Outside of the malpractice money that Michael Schiavo won, the family is not rich by any means...so the only reason this is in the news is because of the government's interest.

By overriding the judicial branch of the state of Florida, which had said that Michael Schiavo had the right to have his wife's feeding tube removed, the federal government provided the legal precedent for interfering with any other case of a persistent vegetative state that comes down the pike.

The decision on how I will live, or IF I will live in some sort of injured state is up to me to decide. Quite simply, while Congress has the power to determine the jurisdiction of the federal courts, they have no business whatsoever intruding themselves in a matter that families all across this country have to deal with each day...whether to allow a family member to be released from a torturous life.

As of the latest news report from the radio, the Schindlers and the state of Florida are going back to the Court of Appeals with their latest allegation saying that Terri is suffering from abuse, and asking that the courts allow the state to take custody of Terri Schiavo.

I hope the court case falls flat, as the most recent court cases have done. I am not hoping that Terri Schiavo dies sooner rather than later. I am however a supporter of state's rights, and I am a person who advocates that the federal government stay out of places where it has no business being.

I must say that I have scored points with my liberal friends for my opinion. They expected me to agree with Rush because I agree with Rush on most things. However, just because I agree with Rush on most issues does not mean I agree with him 100% on everything. When my guys are wrong, I say it, and I stand up for my opinions.

However, I am not taking my position based on whether TerriSchiavo should live or die, and I don't care whether I am scoring points with my liberal friends. My opinion is based on the fact that I would not want the federal government to be interfering in that kind of decision if *I* had to make it. It's none of my business how you make that decision should it come to that, and you have no right butting into my decision should I have to make it...and according to the polls, the majority of Americans agree with me on this.

It is interesting to see my "guys" being so wrong on this issue.The people who are usually for the rights of the individual, the people who are usually against federal control, and the people who are suspicious of congressional action are the ones supporting federal power being involved in the case of whether a person should be allowed to die as they wanted to.

While the Republicans have been accused of bringing their morality into this issue and forcing God down our throats in all of their speeches on this subject, the congressional Democrats have been accused of being overly concerned about the legalities. YES! Exactly! In the meantime, today we've heard that Jeb Bush nearly called out the troops and had them march to the hospice, but was stopped by Judge Greer. I am not sure whether that actually happened...I doubt it, but I would not be surprised.

Not only that, but the US Congress, Jeb Bush, Rush Limbaugh, George Nory, and the Schindlers have all been ignoring the fact that in Quinlan case, in the Finn case, and in other cases of people in the same state as Terri Schiavo, whose circumstances were brought before the US courts, the courts have sided with the right for a wife or family to remove feeding tubes from patients. If people want to get this changed, they need to pass a law that prohibits the removal of feeding tubes from people who are disabled in some way...but the US Congress has not done that up until now, and they did not do it in the case of Terri Schiavo.

Meanwhile, on CNN, one person said that if illegal action is required to save Terri Schiavo, and if it creates a constitutional crisis in Florida, so be it.

Rush Limbaugh says that we are a nation of laws, not a nation of courts, and he is right...but which side is abusing the court system in this matter? I don't see Michael Schiavo repeatedly filing petitions to everyone up to the Supreme Court.

I don't see Michael Schiavo robbing a sporting goods store to get a gun so he can "rescue" Terri Schiavo. I don't see him pleading with the governor of the state to use strongarm tactics if necessary to force the insertion of her feeding tube.

All Michael Schiavo wants to do is let his wife die in peace.

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John B.