March 22, 2005

Terry Shiavo, the Religious Right, and why this annoys me

There are many reasons why this Shiavo incident annoys me. One is the hypocrisy of people like Bush and Delay who talk about a "culture of life" but pursue profits over people on a daily basis. If they were really concerned about life, wouldn't they be busting their asses to get healthcare extended to those 50 million Americans who are uninsured?

The other is simply the way the Religious Right has responded to this president. They, in my opinion, have shown themselves to be incredibly politically slutty. They will roll over and support Bush for the silliest damn things. "Oh, my god, those Gay people might be happy--organize a demonstration," or "We will have the ten commandments to worship or die trying." Nothing on poverty, nothing on meaningful healthcare reform, nothing on addressing the environment that we all live in. Nothing.

The Terry Shiavo case is clearly another one of these emotional heartstrings that people like Bush like to pull. Think of this, Bush didn't return from vacation (most vacationing President in history, btw) when 250,000 people died in a tsunami, but he returns to sign this politically grandstanding bill for this one woman. Don't some of you start thinking that maybe this guy is playing you? Don't you start to feel a little silly? Don't you ever find his blustering bravado "bring it on" a little jarring with his constant use of biblical images in his speeches? Or do you really think that Jesus is a War God?

I don't always agree with the The Anti-Manicheist, but he nails it here:
"There is no doubt that the left in US politics needs better leadership and stronger unifying principles. But the real cause of the decline of the US's democracy has been how the religious right has been giving its votes for cheap to the economic conservatives that run the republican party."

5 comments:

Undine said...

Hi, I'm Silvia , an Italian girl who usually reads your blog. I just want you to know that I added your weblog to my links . Unfortunately I write there in Italian, but hope you go ahead !

Anonymous said...

Streak,

You should look on NPR from yesterday afternoon. It had a good discussion of the Shiavo story and the hypocrisy of the Bush administration on this. One, the report indicated that Medicare is paying for most of Shiavo's medical bills. Two, the other part of Shiavo's funds that keep her alive come from a lawsuit, the same kind that Republicans usually call frivolous and want to get rid of. Thought you should be aware and, yes, Wyoming allows NPR to break through on secret FM frequencies.

-- Cold in Laramie

Wasp Jerky said...

Hey Streak. You might enjoy David Rees' cartoons on the Terry Shiavo
madness.

DLW said...

thanks Streak for the link.

I think that's why we need to work on improving inter-cultural communication and the redirection of the religious right's activist energies along lines that will garner more bipartisan support.
dlw

Anonymous said...

A few other random thoughts:

Isn’t it ironic that this whole sad affair started with an eating issue (bulima) and now ends with another “eating issue” (the feeding tube)?

If I were in a similar state, how vigorously would my spouse fight to carry out my last wishes?

Should a parent’s wishes carry more weight than a spouse’s? Kinda puts that whole “giving the bride away” tradition in a different perspective….

On any given day, how many people are forced to make (and live with) the decision to remove life sustaining support for a loved one?
What makes this case any more profound or tragic than theirs?

I can not even imagine the pain and anguish the girlfriend and Michael’s children must be living through during this time…

If a person is truly in a “persistent vegetative state,” do they feel pain from dehydration or starvation?