Most bloggers and pundits have taken sides in the Terri Schiavo debacle, and a few have actually contributed constructively to the debate. Among them: Charles Krauthammer.
You may count Exodus official and part-time FRC pundit Randy Thomas among the "most" but not among the "few." His recent finger-wagging string of insults and threats embarrasses the cause of those who believe in providing basic sustenance (but not extraordinary life support) to the severely disabled or the not-quite-brain-dead.
Thomas’ subject line: "Mike Schiavo, his lawyer Felos and the Judiciary should pull up a chair next to Scott Peterson."
How Christian of him: An Exodus official is wishing the death penalty upon Michael Schiavo, his lawyers, and the U.S. judicial system.
Thomas’ effort to throw gasoline on a tragic fire proceeds like this:
Thomas: "Terri is not in a ‘vegatative (sic) state.’"
(False, according to most doctors.)
Thomas: "Mike Schiavo (the selfish husband)…"
(Sticks and stones.)
Thomas: "… was supposed to use those millions for her rehab. Not a dime went toward that."
(False.)
Thomas (who tolerates religious-right divorce and remarriage): "Instead Mike Schiavo shacked up with another woman, had children with his mistress and used that money for his personal life and for litigation to end Terri’s life."
(Do unto your neighbor, Mr. Thomas.)
The state of Florida has not, to my knowledge, permitted Mr. Schiavo to obtain a divorce, because he lacks the required consent of a person/body that is forever incapable of providing it. I think it is sad, but not unreasonable, for a person in Mr. Schiavo’s position — wedded by legalists (such as Thomas) to a living-dead spouse who will almost certainly never return to sentience — to eventually choose to move on with life by rebuilding a family.
Family values, Mr. Thomas. Perhaps you’ve heard of them.
Christian and mainstream ethicists disagree over whether food and water constitute extraordinary (excessive) means of life support; many say sustenance is not excessive and, personally, I side with those liberal Christians who view healthy food and clean water as basic rights for all persons — not just the undead. Compare that to Thomas’ position: His GOP buddies are slashing the Medicaid funding that keeps Terri Schiavo alive.
Unlike Mr. Thomas, I respect the U.S. Constitution; the judicial system’s check against abuses of power by extremists and mobs; and the experts who weighed all the evidence (both public and unpublicized) in the 15-year case.
My own opinion about the Terri Schiavo situation is irrelevant but, I hope, more constructive than that of Exodus officials:
I dislike the rulings, but they accurately and loyally enforce Florida law and Constitutional precedent. The only judicial activism that I see, is happening among the religious right.
I sympathize with both sides in the dispute; I support the authority of the judiciary; and I fear exactly what Mr. Thomas essentially admits he is doing:
Randy Thomas, and his co-pundits at FRC, are using the tragedy of Terri Schiavo not to preserve life — which is indeed worth preserving — but to declare a death penalty against the U.S. judicial system and to "impeach" anyone whom they presume to hate.
I offered the following clarification of Mr. Thomas’s “fact”, and asked a question. I wonder how he will respond.
Of course I already know what the answer will be: no answer. He’ll delete my comment and never say anything. It’s just speculation on my part, but I imagine if he answered the question honestly it would boil down to Congress having the right to intervene whenever a court makes a decision that he disagrees with, but he would phrase it in terms of unelected activist judges going rogue on the Constitution of the United States. And that’s a pretty standard position being taken by people on that side of the aisle. But in every case of “activist judges” doing something that the right disagrees with, I have yet to hear them make a legal argument–it’s always a rhetorical argument. The closest thing to a legal argument I have ever heard the right make is in its opposition to Roe v. Wade, and it has taken them 25 years to make such an argument. Every other argument is made in terms of ad hominems directed at the judges and “special interests”.
FWIW, I just recently discovered a web page containing a rather description of the Schiavo issue
https://abstractappeal.com/schiavo/infopage.html
The page is maintained by a Florida lawyer and contains links to copies of relevant documents.
At this point Mike, I’m still too shell shocked by the Krauthammer piece, to work up any annoyance over that Jack McFarland clone, Thomas! Thank god, a check of the Washington Times editorial page found no such treasonous clarity, thus avoiding one of the clues to an impending Rapture!
There is a part of Gay Republicans ‘I get’, but until I sit with an Andrew Sullivan or Ken Mehlman, I can’t complete the picture. This Thomas twink, seems to have incorporated his self-hate and delusion into just another neurosis or vapid hang up, exhibited by your beer garden variety, 20-something, club kid.
I just wanna slap this queen!
Well, slap my ass and call me a bitch. He didn’t delete my comment as he promised he would do to anyone who disgrees with him. He did however offer a confusing, evasive answer about how he would have to reserve judgment until such a thing ever happened. And then, as predicted, he went directly to an argumentum ad hominem, as predicted. Later, someone posted a breathless reductio ad Hitlerum argument, which he took the time to commend glowingly.
Later, someone posted a breathless reductio ad Hitlerum argument, which he took the time to commend glowingly
Sounds to me like sockpuppetry in action.
“…not unreasonable, for a person in Mr. Schiavo’s position — wedded by legalists (such as Thomas) to a living-dead spouse who will almost certainly never return to sentience — to eventually choose to move on with life by rebuilding a family”
I agree wholeheartedly. The Salem Witch Trials have been reborn in Tampa and Michael Schiavo has been designated the witch. Sickening.
[sorry i forgot my credentials, please delete the first version of this comment]