[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by GenuineRisk

My apologies, Rupert; Cajun's right; what I wrote did sound snarky and I try not to be excessively snarky.

Unfortunately, euthanasia is not permitted in Florida, so there was nothing to do other than pull out the feeding tube in her stomach and let her die of natural causes. I think Slate did an article on what it's like-- I'll see if I can find the link.

You guys are right, no one, other than Schiavo, knows what she felt or didn't feel over the last 14 years of her life.

Here's the Washington Post article on the autopsy:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...061500512.html

Rupert, this wasn't a case of the feds stepping into a state case (which is what I assume the KKK stuff was-- state cases where the jury voted to acquit. Can you give me specifics about the cases to which you're referring? I may be completely wrong in my assumption here, so I need more info from you about it, please?) This is a case where several FEDERAL judges-- federal, not state, decided in favor of removing the feeding tube. The Supreme Court twice declined to hear the case. And the Republican-controlled legislature stepped in, writing a bill pertaining ONLY to this specific person and Bush flew back to Washington to sign it. The same Bush who is unwilling to get warrants before eavesdropping, and signed the Congressional legislation on torture by adding an addendum that he'd ignore it if he felt like it. What do you call a President who publicly says he's going to ignore laws? I call it something starting with a "K" and ending with an "NG" (Vanna, may I buy a vowel?) Rupert, his entire presidency has been about subverting the separation of powers. I'm happy to find you links and specifics if you'll read them and not skim them (and I'll find ones with facts, not just generalized statements. I don't like essays masquerading as serious articles, either). Let me know.

In any event, wouldn't you know it, I found an essay looking at both the Schiavo case and the Abu Ghraib situation (neatly bringing the tangent I'm responsible for introducing back to the main thread, which was torture). It's interesting reading:

http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/C...l_santner.html

Again, apologies for snarkiness in my earlier post!

In this case, the feds did step into a state case but in a different way from the cases back in the 1960s. In the Schiavo case, aside from the state legislature trying to intervene, the US congress actually stepped in and passed a law to try to prevent them from killing her. Florida ignored the law that the US Congress passed. I don't remeber the details and I'm too lazy to look it up but I remeber the US Congress actually did pass some type of law becasue they thought what was happening to Schiavo was such an injustice.

I agree with you guys that if she was going to be put to death, she should have been euthanyzed rather than dying of thirst.

I don't care what any of you guys say. I'm no right-to-lifer or anything like that and I thought that what they did to that woman was one of the most outrageous things I have ever seen.