We all watched in horror as Michael Shiavo, trying to adhere to the wishes of his hopelessly brain-dead wife stood aghast as his family's personal tragedy became the rallying call for Bush, the GOP led Congress and the lunatic fringe of the religious to exert their unwanted influence on an American family's end of life saga. We watched comically as Bill Frist made himself look like a complete ass, as he offered his personal diagnosis after watching Terri Shiavo on video tape. If you recall, George Bush, the man who didn't even want to cut his vacation short to address the Katrina disaster flew into Washington in the dead of night to sign documentation that would effectively remove a husband from making decisions for his comatose wife and place that power with the government.
We also watched the circus unfold outside as the so-called Christian right to life movement hurled every insult--many times threats--at Michael Schiavo and his family. We watched the chest pounding and the self-righteousness as Rick 'man-on-dog' Santorum flew down to Florida to offer his support to the right-to-lifers...though he neglected to mention we would also be collecting a little dough for his own re-election campaign while he was down there. We watched blowhards like Randall Terry pontificate on the value of life, seemingly oblivious to the deaths of American soldiers and Iraqi civillians a world away.
Finally, the right wing and the power whores in D.C. and Florida were defeated and nor even Jeb Bush dare challenge the courts by sending in the Florida State Police to effectively break the law themselves to save Terri Schiavo, a woman we now know from the results of the autopsy had absolutely no chance of recovery. It was a triumph not for any political party or religious group, but rather a triumph for Americans who--by overwhelming numbers--want the U.S. goverment to stay out of their end-of-life matters; it was a triumph for a husband, who stared down a pack of hypocrites who, in other circumstances, pontificated on the 'sanctity of marriage' and the importance of the marital vows between a husband and his wife!
Well now, true to his word, Michael Schiavo is fighting against the right wing demagogues in Florida and throughout the rest of the country who now wish nobody'd ever heard the name Schiavo. (That includes Joe Lieberman who stuck his nose into this and threw his support behind the Bush cabal in demanding Terri Schiavo's life be dragged on.) Yes, Michael Schiavo was even in CT recently campaigning with Ned Lamont. In order to do defeat every politician who insinuated his or herself in the Terri Schiavo tragedy, he established Terripac to help take on and defeat Santorum, Marilyn Musgrave and all their filthy ilk. To date, however, contributions have been modest, one figure places them at about $60,000.00. That's pretty sad, especially when we remember how horrified we all were as Congress took it upon itself to interfere with this one man and his disabled wife. We shuddered as we thought of what might happen to any of us because people like Rick Santorum wanted to make political hay in Washington, as our loved ones wasted away on respirators, without the hope of ever living meaningful lives again. The Bush regime would like to strip us of our civil rights, we know...but would we let them strip us even of our right to die?
I'm no diary or blog writer, but I thought this important enough to raise again. Please, PLEASE let's help Michael Schiavo in his work to defeat the right wing opportunists, cranks and hypocrites! To this day, he and his children still get threats my right wing, religious terrorists who would like to intimidate him into silence. Please, go to http://www.terripac.com/ and make a contribution...I'm sure we as kossacks can push Terripac's contributions over the $100,000.00 within days! Wouldn't it be great to see Michael in PA at an anti-Santorum rally, or knocking at Marilyn Musgrave's door, asking her why she thought she knew what was best for Terri Schiavo, as opposed to her own husband!??? Thanks...!