Presidential Hypocrisy and Terri Shiavo

When signing the new law on Monday morning, George W Bush wanted to "err on the side of life." He has spoken countless times about a "culture of life" which he, of course, supports. However, 2 actions brought to my attention lately cause me to question the commitment to such a culture. The hypocrisy I mention today (and vote on your favorite, or point out others) includes...

1) According to the St. Pete Times, and various other sources (including a Congress woman) " in 1999, as governor of Texas, George W. Bush signed a bill that would allow hospitals to override the wishes of family members and remove a patient's life support when further treatment was judged as futile by a hospital committee."

Many from the Christian and Secular Right have pointed out this law in which the state or hospital can decide when a person dies (and do not think it is not related to finances), without mentioning who signed the law (and supported it). By the way, there have been families of children affected by the whims of a hospital committee.

2) Also according to the St. Pete Times, "on June 23, 2000, while still governor of Texas, George W. Bush allowed the execution of Gary Graham, a man whose claim to innocence was so strong that FIVE members of his own, notoriously sanguinary parole board had argued to spare Graham's life. So had four justices of the Supreme Court.'

'Graham's murder conviction depended entirely on his identification by a stranger who said she had seen him briefly through a car windshield from more than 30 feet away. Two eyewitnesses who had been closer to the shooting later said that Graham wasn't the killer, but they had never been interviewed by his court-appointed counsel and were not called to testify at his trial.'

'Graham was 17 when arrested, making him one of the last juvenile offenders to be executed anywhere on this planet. The senior warden of Huntsville prison at the time wrote later that it was the worst execution he had commanded; that Graham 'was extremely angry, and struggled until he was finally strapped down.'

'In washing his hands of Graham's innocence, Bush rationalized that Graham had committed other crimes. Indeed he had, and admitted them. But they did not justify his execution, given the shakey facts and the inherent unreliability of eyewitness identification."

For her sake, I am glad there is no proof that Terri Shaivo had eating disorders that contributed to her heart attack. Bush may have not signed the law because she had done other bad things....


Remember this is the same man who told reporters asking what Carla Faye Tucker (convicted murderer and born-again Christian) said to him in her appeal for clemency, "Oh, please don't kill me (said with a laugh)" while Texas governor.

I guess some lives are worth erring on the side of life for, while others are not worth so much, at least when pandering to his base. Oh, the hypocrisy (and do not get me started on DeLay).

Onward Christian Soldiers.