That's the meme coming from many conservative bloggers after the Terri Schiavo story. It's especially loud from some of the more libertarian bloggers who see this as an example of our government being controlled by religious nuts. Many blogs that I tend to enjoy have been very frustrating to read of late as they rant against anyone who dares believe that Terri's life is about more than politics.
They just don't get it.
Federalism is an idea, maybe even an ideal. But it's not the be-all and end-all that libertarians want to make it out to be. What good is staunch federalism if it allows an adulterous husband to end his wife's life against the wishes of her parents and with no verifiable account that it is truly even her wish? Call me a liberal, but I think the government has the duty to be involved. Consider the right to LIFE, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. LIFE is the first right assured to us by the government. When it comes to sparing life, the government has the moral duty to be involved.
Some will argue that only we religious nutjobs thought Terri was even still alive. Maybe we are the only ones, I don't know. Either way, she was a breathing human being who was responsive to the touch, voice, etc of her parents. To me, that sounds like a human being. Others argue quality of life. How do you judge quality of life? Unless you've walked a mile then I don't think you're really qualified to judge someone's quality of life when it comes to life or death. Who is really qualified to judge quality of life? Even if Terri was PVS, she still lived better than a full half of our world's population. She was comfortable, taken care of, etc. That's more than many people around the world get. Should we allow them to starve as well then? This quality of life argument is void because it is an impossible measurement.
To me, the Terri story reflects how out of touch the libertarians are in this country. They would like to see a GOP without those of us believe that God is a worthwhile consultant for our decisions. That's been the talk of late, how great the GOP would be without "all those religious crazies." But I have a different view. Maybe the GOP would be better without all the cold utilitarian types who are so sure that they have all the answers. In my experience, it is they who have become the closed-minded bigots obsessed with control. With their doctrine of secular supremacy and their faith of federalism, I see less in common with them then I do with moderate Democrats.
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