Well, the Congress of the United States of America just spent the weekend playing with Terry Shiavo’s feeding tube. I don’t mean to be flip – actually, I do. Of course Mr. Bush flew back from his ranch to Washington early so he could be on hand to sign any legislation that might be passed concerning Mrs. Shiavo’s tube. And, apparently he did sign the legislation into law shortly after midnight this morning.

The American ship is sinking in a sea of debt due to this president’s colonial policies of empire and foreign war, but he has time to manage a private family argument between Mrs. Shiavo’s husband and parents. Actually, this is a covert operation being foisted on the public under the guise of life valued over death. It is a Republican (dare I say Rovian) plan to undo the power of the state courts. By an act of congress signed into law by Mr. Bush, the Florida State Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals decision is null and void. Instead the decision has been handed to the Federal Court System. That removal from state court to national court permanently negates any Republican claim to support for the power and rights of the individual states over and above that of the Federal Government. In the future, the Republican congress, Senate, and President will have this case as precedent any time they want to change a court decision made in any particular state.

*

Does that make me think about the Massachusetts court decision to allow gay and lesbian marriage in that state?

You bet it does!

Additionally, our present Republican Federal government must make such an effort in order to shore up its position on abortion. If the life of several uterine cells is sacrosanct then so too must be the life of a brain dead adult. What was it Mr. Bush said today? “Any decision must always come down on the side of life.”

I have a message for the Republican Congress, Senate and President…

Mrs. Schiavo is brain dead. That means she isn’t here. She is with God. The 80 percent of us that are not evangelical Christians (we may be Christian – we’re just not the know-it-all type.) are able to understand when our government of elected officials is pandering to the interests of the 20 percent who are. Instead, the purpose of the court in Florida to determine what Mrs. Schiavo would have wanted to happen to her partially functioning body should have been supported and upheld. The Federal Government as represented by the two houses and the president must stay out of such a process!

I do not pretend to know what God desires as do my evangelical brethren, nor do I want to make the decision concerning Mrs. Schiavo’s life as they do. This is a terribly painful personal matter between the Schiavo and Schindler families and hopefully the very personal relationship each of them has with God. It is not the business of the Federal government or of institutionalized religion.

Shame on all of you who wish to interfere for your own religious and/or political reasons!

For an impartial perspective on the matter, look at abstract appeal by Matt Conigliario

It is time to start thinking about "losing" some of these elected officials who feel it is their duty to interfere with individual freedoms.

* “Justice Studies Department,” San Jose State University, http://www2.sjsu.edu/justicestudies/, Fall 2005, visited Monday, March 21, 2005, 10:51 PM EST.


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