Compelled

I almost feel compelled to write about the Terry Schiavo issue. Everyone is talking about it, pretty much everyone has an opinion on it, and the republicans are full of hypocrisy. What else is new?

This is not a rare issue. This happens to families all over the world, every day. [Tribune]
And with this kind of case, suffering from withdrawl of fluids and feeding tubes is very uncommon. In fact, the patients suffer more when you take it off, then reconnect it. [SufferingUncommon]

Schiavo's parents have appealed to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, GA, but they ruled the same as 19 other judicial proceedings found: she cannot be saved, and we should all let her go in peace. [NYT]

Since when does precedence matter: "The Bush administration and the current Congressional leadership like to wax eloquent about states' rights. But they dropped those principles in their rush to stampede over the Florida courts and Legislature. The new law doesn't miss a chance to trample on the state's autonomy and dignity. There are a variety of technical legal doctrines the federal courts use to show deference to state courts, like "abstention" and "exhaustion of remedies." The new law decrees that in Ms. Schiavo's case, these well-established doctrines simply will not apply." [NYT]

I urge you to check out Isolated Incident's take on the issue. I write more gently than he does, but damn, he's dead on. [21st] [22nd]
Also check out Thomas's take on it. [GoodMorningHouston]