Brain Fertilizer

I'm right about everything.*

You can rest easy now, knowing that I am willing to share my rightness with you in the form of this blog. You can stop thinking for yourself now.

*yeah, I got nothing today.

The big order of business today is Terri Schiavo, and in reading all the opinions, I'm struck with the impression that, despite all the Sturm und Drang, very few people really know what's going on.

It's become a battle of principles and ideologies about the sanctity of life on one side, and about how govt should work on the other. I can understand that, I guess, because I've argued on principle for many things before, including SSM and the Clinton Escapades.
Except that this time it is human life.

There are arguments that Mr. Schiavo should have the right to determine his wife's fate; otherwise, the current sanctity of the marriage bond is unraveled. A good point, except that a very strong case could be made that he abandoned Terri, and so the guardianship should devolve to her parents.

People are getting up in arms about Republicans/Conservatives favoring activist judges when it suits them in this case...except that nothing the Republicans and conservatives have done involves the courts. We are pushing for the legislature to be activist, and as was pointed out in the comments here and here, legislature is supposed to be activist. We call judges activist when they assume the powers to legislate, effectively destroying the separation of powers.

I think a strong (if not fully convincing) case can be made that this is how govt is supposed to work. If not, well, govt does what we tell it to, so if you don't like it, you can certainly punish the individuals in govt responsible for this. But I am extremely troubled that so many people are eager to preserve their view of govt functioning on the sacrifice of Terri Schiavo's life. You should be willing to die for your country; you should be willing to sacrifice your life for your principles. There is something extremely creepy and selfish about being willing to write off another human being in order to preserve your view of govt functions.

There is reason for hope in Terri's situation. At the very least, it wouldn't hurt to wait another year to make sure, would it?

Wouldn't you want someone to spend a few years making sure if it was your own loved one in that situation?

(...okay, maybe I did have something)