Ruth Graham in a coma, close to death

[rsmith6621]

Source: Associated Press Writer

RALEIGH, N.C. - Ruth Graham, the ailing wife of evangelist Billy Graham, fell into a coma Wednesday morning and appears to be close to death, a family spokesman said. "She appears to be entering the final stages of life," said Larry Ross, Graham's personal spokesman.

The news came the same day Billy Graham said he and Ruth will be buried at the recently dedicated Billy Graham Library in Charlotte. In a statement, Graham said his 87-year-old wife, who has degenerative osteoarthritis of the back and neck and has been bedridden at their home in the mountains of western North Carolina for some time, "is close to going home to heaven."

**************************************

Billy Graham is not a Falwell or Robinson or Dobson.....Billy Graham has a real heart one that is what Jesus would be pleased with. Billy also is a Democrat.....Keep the Graham family in your thoughts tonight.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070613/ap_on_re_us/billy_graham_burial

[Dinger]

1. Billy A Democrat?

Are you sure?

[rpannier]

2. Actually he is

He has been one most, if not all, of his life.
His son is supposedly a republikkan though.

[Edweird]

10. Here

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8326362/

Interview with Katie Couric.

[roguevalley]

3. expect him, at his age, to be next. very sad.

[BrotherBuzz]

33. "Widowhood effect"

Statistically the deck is stacked against him for the next month or two.

[Bluzmann57]

4. Partyt affiliation doesn't matter here

The reverend Graham and his family have my deepest sympathies. His son is a big time fundalmentalist but I still grieve for him as well. After all, it can't be easy losing your mother in this manner.

[MissMillie]

28. classy

:thumbsup:

My sympathies are w/ them regardless of party affiliation as well.

But I will acknowledge that I've always like Rev. Graham.

[Bluzmann57]

35. Wow! I think you are the first person here to call me classy

Thank you.

[liberal N proud]

5. Our thoughts go out to the Graham family

And No party affiliation does not matter, it never has here at DU.

But I also do believe that I have heard several times that though Billy Graham has been friends with nearly every President since Truman that he is a Democrat.

He is the one evangelist that is tolerable in this country and actually refreshing even at his age.

[JanMichael]

7. with the exception of GWB. I am not kidding;

look it up.

The man has avoided the WH since the selection, and to my knowledge, did not attend the first inauguration.

[liberal N proud]

8. I have heard that many times.

Billy isn't radical enough for the bu$h tribe

[DemKR]

6. I don't know where Ruth and Bill went wrong with their son

but I respect the two of them very much.

[Divine Discontent]

12. I agree, but we have to realize sometimes...

possession occurs.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/12/AR2006121201338.html - a must read about Franklin's audacity!

www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable <<-- top 08 designs

[roguevalley]

34. I have known preacher's kids the same way. Franklin Graham is

an extremist. He was awful as a marauder and he's awful as a preacher. He will never find the middle ground.

[Raine]

9. All my sympathy

to the Graham family

[Speaker]

11. Billy Graham is the only televangelist I ever liked.

The rest of them are all scumbags.

I think Billy was the only one who actually believed what he preached.

My thoughts with the family.

[Divine Discontent]

13. truth to power, truth to power......

I pray a new man of faith comes along like him in my lifetime, that just transcends what these other hacks (joel osteen, rod parsley) try and do.

[MissMillie]

26. or respected.

My heart is with him and his family.

[Divine Discontent]

14. prayers and thougths about Billy's ministry

Reverend Billy Graham is the only absolute real deal I've ever seen. I am referring to the television evangelists. As a young child and throughout my life, I'd always watched his crusades with interest and excitement.

I see Jesus 'in' him and he shines that light, and his words are love incarnate led by the Holy Spirit, springing directly forth from his hope in the promised salvation given to us by grace, through faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

He doesn't preach about ascertaining wealth like many of them do, and he lives rather modestly in his long time residence. He doesn't belittle with his words by speaking incendiary sound bites to breed contempt of select groups of God's children that so many televangelists employ against abortion rights activists, peace marchers, GLBT community, etc. And mostly, his ability to speak with discernment and humility are a blessing and it is an honor to him before God, and I feel for him in this challenging time.


He is the epitome of a preacher who will come to the aid and prayer of gov't leaders without being political and instead speaking the truth of the Beatitudes, as poverty is a great concern to him. I always liked that about the elder Graham, he truly cares about the well being of all of God's children, especially the poor and downtrodden and will take action with those in power to bring the message of God's will to help shape compassionate decisions. He is a modern day hero who led an amazingly effective ministry in spreading the good news of Christ's promise, and why I effuse such love for him and his wife. It is unforunate, and a strong sign, that this current president, did not have him in attendance at his selection ceremony in 2001.

I hope everyone will send up a prayer for Ruth, who is quite witty, and once said about being ill, 'Being flat on my back gives me plenty of time to pray for you.'

Billy may not fully agree with what many of us believe here, but he is a far cry from the vile words of Robertson/Falwell types that blamed gays for 9/11. He is a loving man who believes gay people too are made in God's image, that is touching to me, because I genuinely respect him for leading many to my Savior.

Just my two cents, I'm not trying to proselytize anyone, it just makes me feel for him knowing he's losing his wife, and I think him to be a very compassionate and true person regardless if we don't agree 100%.

God bless Billy & Ruth Graham.

[Heidi]

15. Kick.

:kick:

[kskiska]

16. Graham: Wife To Be Buried In Charlotte

Source: WP

Thursday, June 14, 2007; A12

With his wife, Ruth Bell Graham, in a coma at home in western North Carolina, the Rev. Billy Graham announced yesterday that she will be buried in the city of Charlotte and not in her beloved mountains at the site she said she favored as recently as a week and a half ago.

(snip)

The burial site has been a matter of contention for months, threatening to break apart the country's most famous Christian family. A Washington Post story in December revealed that son Franklin Graham, chief executive officer of the BGEA, had told potential donors that he planned to bury his parents at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte.

Two of the other four Graham children, Ned Graham and Anne Graham Lotz, objected, as did Ruth, who called the library, a Disney-like building in the shape of a barn, "a circus." In the presence of six witnesses, including Ned, a neuroscientist and a Graham employee, Ruth signed a notarized statement saying she wished to be buried in a memorial garden at the Cove, a mountain retreat center that she and Billy built about 20 years ago.

Originally, she and Billy wanted to be buried there, the document said, and "under no circumstances am I to be buried in Charlotte, N.C."

(snip)

According to Ross, Ruth Graham has been alternately conscious and unconscious for a while. Earlier this week, with a doctor's approval, Billy and several of the children, including Franklin, decided to withdraw the solids and liquids from her feeding tube, Ross said.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/13/AR2007061301447.html?nav%3Dhcmodule&sub=AR

---

Something strange going on.

[Kerrytravelers]

17. I can't imagine Billy Graham doing something underhanded. I wonder what happened.

I'm not going to speculate and wait for the story to break.

[ingac70]

18. The decision is ultimately the family's, but....

I wonder why the would blatantly go against her reported wishes? Weird.

[Hulk]

19. Who give's a rat's ass???

I could care less where this hypocrite's wife ends up. I could care less where I end up. What a none story this is. Let graham die and rot where the rest of the religious hypocrites go...to hell, the most of them!

[CBHagman]

25. Well, for starters, those of us who know how to write in English.

Your theology and attitude are worse than your abuse of the English language, though the latter is pretty egregious.

[Bake]

29. That's both rude AND ignorant.

You don't have the first idea what you're talking about. First, calling Billy Graham is hypocrite ... I've met the man, and he IS the real deal. Sincere, genuine, and authentic. There's not an egotistical or hypocritical bone in his body, and I challenge you to find a shred of scandal in his history.

I suspect your statement simply reflects a view that ALL religious persons are hypocrites, and if that's true, you've slammed a large segment of Democratic Underground. I wouldn't think a newbie would be quite so prone to that.

Learn some manners and come back when you can behave like a decent human being.

Bake

[Posteritatis]

30. Nobody cares? That explains the thread participation. (nt)

[ronnykmarshall]

36. Good god

Did find a giant rat turd in your oatmeal this morning or are you always just an asshole?

[Mz Pip]

20. Where's Randall Terry?

Shouldn't he be gathering his minions to demand the feeding tube be reinserted?

Mz Pip
:dem:

[WatchWhatISay]

21. They are withholding food and water?

Somebody call Dr. Frist, convene a special session of congress and call out the right to lifers!

[blitzen]

22. Time for Congress to intervene! n/t

[Midlodemocrat]

32. When someone is approaching the end of their life,

continuing with the PICC tube can actually hasten death.

At the end of life, people aren't hungry and the resulting stress on the body to digest the foods can actually bring death about more quickly.

It does sound contrary to what we would think and when I was at MSK with my brother when the GI pulled the tube on my dying sister in law, I felt that she die almost immediately. In fact, she lasted for 7 more weeks.

[wageslave71]

23. Was it Billy or Franklin ?

who called the re-election of Bush in '04 "God's answer to prayer"? The story was front page of the Charlotte Observer within a couple days of the election. Of course, I didn't read it but my father and I both remember it.

[Dogmudgeon]

24. Franklin, doubtless

Though Billy hasn't specifically criticized Bush, there has been no love lost between them since, oh, about 1980.

Billy is a genuinely interesting fellow and he has grown in wisdom through the years. Franklin is a run-of-the-mill culture warrior who has a long way to go before even being able to imitate his father, let alone bear his mantle.

--p!

[lonestarnot]

27. I also read that Billy was in a coma yesterday somewhere. Guess this

was a mistake and actually his wife?

[Drunken Irishman]

31. Billy Graham is very close with Bill Clinton.

During the whole mess in 1998, Graham stood by him and never once demanding Clinton resign. That ticked off a lot on the right, because they thought Graham would use his position to shame Clinton, which he did not do.

Then there was a rally Graham had in New York and both Bill and Hillary attended. This is what Graham had to say about them both:

"I told President Clinton that when he left office, he should be
an evangelist because he has all the right gifts for it, and he should
leave his wife to run the country."

This from an article slamming Graham (from an Evangelist) about this statement.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/printer-friendly.asp?ARTICLE_ID=45083