The Execution Of Terri Schiavo Has Begun

As you go about your business on this otherwise typical March Saturday, know that Terri Schiavo is being killed in a state sanctioned murder. She was not convicted of a heinous murder. Her only crime is she has a medical condition. She breathes like you and I, but she cannot eat or drink like you and I do. Medical science being the wonderful thing that it is, has advanced itself to the point that we can now provide nourishment to a living breathing individual without her having to eat. Yet, the state of Florida has sided with one man's quest to deny her the nourishment that she is incapable of providing for herself.

Today is a dark day for humanity. Today is a day that I am ashamed to be an American. I sit and watch a handful of people control the destiny of a poor defenseless woman, that cannot speak for herself. I see a state that has refused to intervene in a cold and calculated plot to allow one of its voiceless citizens, to die a long and miserable death, all because we are taking the word of a husband that claims this is what his wife wants. There is no written living will, nothing that can be posted or entered into court record, just the testimony of one man. Yet somehow, the so-called wise, educated people the people of Florida have picked to uphold the law in their state, have sided with the one man and his word. A person in small claims court would have to produce a receipt to receive a judgement, but in Florida one man (despite the protests of a mother, father, siblings, and countless others) can legally tell the judge, this is what she wanted, and presto. It is so.

Now, I am a strong advocate of anyone that is of sound mind to determine their own fate. If Terri were verbal enough to say, "I want to die, please let me", then I would have no problem. If she had a living will or if she were on a respirator and could not breathe on her own, I would not object at all. But such is not the case here. She breathes, she smiles, and reacts to family members she loves dearly; she just can't feed herself or swallow well enough to be fed.

Where is the anti-death penalty crowd that protests at every state sanctioned murder, also known as an execution. Where are the anti-war demonstrators that decry the killing of innocents in a military conflict. How about the people that keep the Iraqi prisoner scandals in the forefront, where the hell are they? Where are the anti-world hunger people like Bono, on this fine Saturday?

The better questions are where is the U.S. Supreme Court and why do they refuse to hear this case?

Michael Schiavo's attorney has compared the U.S. Congess and the President to Stalin. Stalin, alone, was responsible for countless deaths during his reign of terror, but these people want to prevent a death not cause one. They are trying to promote a culture of life, not a a culture of death. In reality, it is Mr. Felos, Judge Greer, and Michael Schiavo that are worthy of comparisons to Stalin, not those that want Terri to live. The blood will be on their hands and all of those that have had any hand in this by refusing to intervene to save her life. The blood will be on their hands and the U.S. Supreme Court for doing nothing and allowing one man with questionable motives to decide the fate of another.

So again I say, this is a sad day. I never thought I would see the day, when the rights of a helpless individual were so blatantly ignored.