The Heart Aches

From terrisfight.org:

Terri's struggle for life has ended this morning.
December 3, 1963 - March 31, 2005

From National Review Online:

But while the public may have agreed with the removal of Schiavo's feeding and hydration tube, apparently there are limits to the public's willingness to tolerate euthanasia — and apparently its defenders recognized these limits. So we saw euphemism after euphemism deployed to cloud the issues.

From President Bush:

Today millions of Americans are saddened by the death of Terri Schaivo. Laura and I extend our condolences to Terri Schaivo's families. I appreciate the example of grace and dignity they have displayed at a difficult time. I urge all those who honor Terri Schaivo to continue to work to build a culture of life, where all Americans are welcomed and valued and protected, especially those who live at the mercy of others. The essence of civilization is that the strong have a duty to protect the weak. In cases where there are serious doubts and questions, the presumption should be in the favor of life....

From Mark Steyn:

One consequence of abortion is that, in designating new life as a matter of ‘choice’, it created a culture where it’s now routine to make judgments about which lives are worth it and which aren’t. Down’s Syndrome? Abort. Cleft palate? Abort. Chinese girl? Abort. It’s foolish to think you can raise entire populations — not to mention generations of doctors — to make self-interested judgments about who lives and who doesn’t and expect them to remain confined to three trimesters. The ‘right to choose’ is now being extended beyond the womb: the step from convenience euthanasia to compulsory euthanasia is a short one.

It is interesting and sad to see how the so-called "mainline" denominations have painstakingly avoided making any pronouncements about the value of human life in light of what has happened to Terri Schiavo. I visited a few mainline websites and entered the search term "Schiavo." Here's what I discovered:

• Presbyterian Church (USA): Exactly one hit, a link to a newsletter which cites Terri Schaivo's case as a reason to establish a "living will."
• United Methodist Church: Several hits, most citing a statement by Jim Winkler, chief executive of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society, saying the Schiavo case highlights "the difficult issues related to quality of life and our own participation in life with life decisions."
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: One hit to a "Bible study/discussion" weekly which asks the question "Do you think it is a sin to let her die? Or to keep her alive? Discuss your response."
• Episcopal Church: One hit, "While the Episcopal Church’s General Convention has not specifically addressed the situation of Terri Schiavo ... several resolutions have been passed regarding end-of-life issues."
• United Church of Christ: Five hits, mostly dealing with the importance of having a "living will."
• Reformed Church in America: No hits.

That's enough for now. Let's pray for Terri's family and for all of those who face the daunting task of preserving human life.

He Is Risen!

The tomb of Christ is but the bed He rested on three days. Easter morn He rose again, The flower of our spring. On Him, arisen from the dead, Must we, though flesh decays, Bestow our faith that when we die Our souls, like His, shall not long lie Forsaken in our tomb. Christ shall, with deep affection, when He sees our soul's affliction, then Redeem us with His pain. In His eternal suffering Shall we find grace enough to bring The seed of faith to bloom. - Nicholas Gordon

He Is Risen! Originally uploaded by eye2eye.

Why so Eager? Why so Anxious?

Peggy Noonan is a must-read today:

Why are they so committed to this woman's death?

They seem to have fallen half in love with death.

What does Terri Schiavo's life symbolize to them? What does the idea that she might continue to live suggest to them?

Why does this prospect so unnerve them? Again, if you think Terri Schiavo is a precious human gift of God, your passion is explicable. The passion of the pull-the-tube people is not.

I do not understand their certainty. I don't "know" that any degree of progress or healing is possible for Terri Schiavo; I only hope they are. We can't know, but we can "err on the side of life." How do the pro-death forces "know" there is no possibility of progress, healing, miracles? They seem to think they know. They seem to love the phrases they bandy about: "vegetative state," "brain dead," "liquefied cortex."

I do not understand why people who want to save the whales (so do I) find campaigns to save humans so much less arresting. I do not understand their lack of passion. But the save-the-whales people are somehow rarely the Stop stop-abortion-please people.

The PETA people, who say they are committed to ending cruelty to animals, seem disinterested in the fact of late-term abortion, which is a cruel procedure performed on a human.

I do not understand why the don't-drill-in-Alaska-and-destroy-its-prime-beauty people do not join forces with the don't-end-a-life-that-holds-within-it-beauty people.

I do not understand why those who want a freeze on all death penalty cases in order to review each of them in light of DNA testing--an act of justice and compassion toward those who have been found guilty of crimes in a court of law--are uninterested in giving every last chance and every last test to a woman whom no one has ever accused of anything.

There are passionate groups of women in America who decry spousal abuse, give beaten wives shelter, insist that a woman is not a husband's chattel. This is good work. Why are they not taking part in the fight for Terri Schiavo? Again, what explains their lack of passion on this? If Mrs. Schiavo dies, it will be because her husband, and only her husband, insists she wanted to, or would want to, or said she wanted to in a hypothetical conversation long ago. A thin reed on which to base the killing of a human being.

Read the whole thing.

On Terri Schiavo and Congress

Mark Levin writing at The Corner:

The right to live, or more specifically, the right not to be killed, is a fundamental right. And it's a right recognized in our founding document, the Declaration of Independence. So ingrained in our society is the notion of life, that the 8th Amendment prohibits "cruel and usual punishment" (even short of death) and the 14th Amendment prohibits states from depriving any person of life without due process of law. This has nothing to do with federalism, unless you ignore the 8th and 14th Amendments. (Unlike the Left, that contorts the 14th Amendment, I'm recognizing its literal meaning.)

What really offends the Left is Congress asserting its constitutional power over a court, and not in service to the liberal agenda. Article III specifically empowers Congress to determine the jurisdiction of the federal courts, which is all it did today. It authorized a federal court to determine whether Terri Schiavo's due process rights and the right not be subject to cruel and unusual punishment were properly protected by a state court. In Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decided on its own that abortion was a federal question, not to be left to the states, without any constitutional basis whatsoever. It preempted every state court and legislature (and Congress, for that matter). And the Left celebrates this decision.

As for why Congress is acting here, as opposed to any other case with overlapping issues, I suppose that question could be asked whenever Congress acts. The Schiavo case has risen to national attention. So, Congress is responding. That's how representative government works. The week after the Titanic sank, Congress held its first hearings to change U.S. maritime laws.

We must not allow the Left to define the terms of this debate. It is willing to make almost any argument to protect the supremacy of the courts. And even though Congress here is instructing the federal courts to review the case, the Left objects to any congressional exercise of constitutional authority over the judiciary. As Rep. Jim Moran (Dem, VA) said yesterday, "The judiciary has spoken."

"The right not to be killed." But not if your name is Terri Schiavo.

Lebanon Panorama

Here is a sweet link to a panoramic photo of recent democratic protests in Lebanon. Note that Quicktime is required to view the photo.

[Hat tip: Instapundit]

Super Volcano

Oh great:

The eruption of a super volcano "sooner or later" will chill the planet and threaten human civilization, British scientists warned Tuesday.

[Hat tip: The Corner]

Gnawing Away

Possibly one of the cutest puppies in the history of the world. I saw this on Flickr and just had to share it with y'all.

Mダックス Originally uploaded by dani333.