1. Since it has come to light that President Bush signed legislation into law as governor of Texas to give the state and hospitals the power to override the wishes the parents to keep someone alive (click here for details), it strikes me as ironic that in both cases the government has taken the power to override the wishes of the family.
In Texas a family wanted to keep a young child alive and yet the government intervened legislating the hospital could let the child die (I guess privatization is more important than family values- I guess we see the true loyalties and priorities of Bush).
In Florida the government wants to intervene against the wishes of the family member that Terri Shiavo chose to spend her life with and who has the right to make all decisions for her.
Just ironic I guess, especially since we talk about a small government that stays out of the lives of families.
2. Two conflicting "Family Values" have come up against each other in this case. The Sanctity of Marriage vs. the Sanctity of Life. I think that is why Delay and much of the Hard Right has tried to discredit, slander and destroy Michael Shiavo (you know, he is the "husband", not the husband). They know that the talk of the sacredness of marriage is under attack in other areas, yet they are attacking the sanctity of this marriage and want to hand the power to the state and parents (which seems to go against much biblical teaching on marriage's sacredness).
Anyway, I know this simplifies the issue, and the Hard Right is able to justify any action they deem important, but it is ironic also.
3. From Sojomail, this quote which succintly points out the ironies of the Right fighting to save the life of someone they do not desire to actually protect through their partisan priorities (again, it is just grandstanding if they do not change their priorities)...
"The case is full of great ironies. A large part of Terri's hospice costs are paid by Medicaid, a program that the administration and conservatives in Congress would sharply reduce. Some of her other expenses have been covered by the million-dollar proceeds of a malpractice suit - the kind of suit that President Bush has fought to scale back."
- NPR commentator Daniel Schorr.
2 comments:
The ironies are incredible. This is where I feel the most rub with Christians lining up with the Political Right.
It inevitably leads to these kinds of inconsistencies and hypocritical ironies.
We certainly are "conservative" on issues of life, the Lordship of Christ, biblical authority, Kingdom living, etc.
But how the heck does that kind of "conservatism" have to be equated with economic and social conservatism?
Can't I be "liberal" when it comes to social justice issues and still hold to those "conservative" theological beliefs?
You would think so, wouldn't you? But, increasingly, it seems there is litle choice in the matter unless we are to be marginalized, which may not be a bad thing after all.
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