All that needs to be said about Terri Schiavo

Unconscious? Vegetative? And yet she blinks furiously. The case of Kate Adamson leaves no excuses intact.

Excerpt:

Kate Adamson has written a book about her experiences. Kate's Journey: Triumph Over Adversity, details her journey back from the isolation caused by her stroke and the resulting catastrophic brain injury. You can find more information about Kate Adamson's work, links to her writing, and to articles written about her at her web site: KatesJourney.com . Her book can be ordered through the web site as well.

When asked about Terri Schiavo, Kate answered, "I believe because of my chance for recovery, the right environment and love, I was able to thrive. Terri deserves that opportunity. This is a woman who has had no opportunity at rehab. Who knows what she can do?"

When asked for advice on how families and friends can best help their loved ones who are "locked out," Kate says, "It's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease." She encourages families to become actively involved in the medical decisions, even insisting on treatments when necessary, as her husband did for her. She also recommends playing music, human touch, and talking to the patient assuming he or she can hear you. "Treat anyone," she says, "as you would want to be treated."


John Podhoretz asks what the fight's really about.

Excerpts:
The scientific rationalists see a vegetable in human form, a life only in the strictest sense of the word. They see a human machine that is broken and cannot be repaired...

Then there are those who look at Terri Schiavo and see something else. They see a helpless person, a trapped person, a tragic person. But they do not see a vegetable. They see a human being with a soul.


I say:

There can be no reconciliation between these two camps. Either we err on the side of life, or we err on the side of death. And this all depends on whether we are sincerely humanists or sincerely materialists. The truth is, we can't have it both ways. Materialistic humanism is a contradiction. It is incoherent. Anyone who claims he is both at the same time is simply not telling the truth.

Also, it's a very, very small step from materialism to moral nihilism. Beware those who would err on the side of death. They don't have anyone's best interests at heart. The Nazi regime erred on the side of death, first with the retarded and insane, then later with those who lacked the requisite Aryan purity, and finally with the besieged residents of Berlin. Never trust anyone who elevates anything - be it his own pocketbook, social policy, or an abstract Volk - above the dignity of individual human lives.

Obligatory link: Not Dead Yet - an advocacy group for the disabled at risk of euthanasia

Oh, I suppose I should allude to the allegations that the Republicans are just playing politics with this whole thing. That's bulls**t.

Excerpt:

More basic features of the memo also raised questions. There is nothing on the face of the memo to indicate who authored it. Contrary to normal congressional practice, not only is it anonymous, but it is on plain white paper, not the letterhead of any congressional or Senatorial office. It could, literally, have been created by anyone.

What, then, was the evidence for the claim that it was created and distributed by Republicans? As far as the public record shows: There is none. On the contrary, the only published report identifying the purveyors of the memo on March 17 states that they were Democrats.

I say:

Smells like the National Guard memo story all over again.


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