What makes us Dems is the set of issues we believe in. In this case, it's the individual's CHOICE unfettered by government and religious pressure and power.
As for the cheering, we are not doing that. It's like with CHOICE vis a vis "abortion": Nobody wants abortion:: What we want is for individuals to have their own choices from ALL the options, with their own conscience.
As for the cold, hard facts: This case is a a disgusting mixture of SCOUNDRELS (DELAY, Jeb, the fundies), COWARDS (the Dems), and distractions (keeping attention away from DELAY's own problems, among other non-DELAY issues).
The shucksterism was everywhere, with George NOORY (the faux Art BELL) reading "news" that when the tube was disconnected Terri SCHIAVO "yelped" and gave out a loud yell that the policeman in the hall could hear. There's plenty of shame to go around.
*******QUOTE*******
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2026&ncid=2026&e=1&u=/latimests/20050319/ts_latimes/schiavotakenofffoodsupplyAfter the procedure was complete, Felos launched into a caustic attack on
Republican leaders, describing their subpoenas directed to the Schiavos as "nothing short of
thuggery."
"Apparently, according to the House of Representatives, any committee member can direct a subpoena to any American citizen, forcing them to have medical treatment against their will," Felos said. "It was odious. It was shocking."
DeLay said House Republicans would not be deterred by Friday's events. He called Greer's order "barbaric" and
cited Felos as "the personification of evil."
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2270&ncid=2270&e=3&u=/krwashbureau/20050319/ts_krwashbureau/_bc_braindamagedwoman_subpoena_waIn Florida, Michael Schiavo's lawyer, George
Felos, called the House subpoena "odious," but he
was especially harsh on Senate Democrats for even allowing any legislation affecting Schiavo to pass.
Democrats were clearly uncomfortable with any suggestion they had helped defeat legislation to keep Schiavo alive.
Wyden Friday rejected Felos' characterization that he had helped defeat the legislation, saying he only wanted to be sure that any legislation would not affect Oregon's assisted suicide laws.
Eventually, Democrats agreed to pass a bill partly out of
fear that the case could adversely affect the re-election hopes of Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson (news, bio, voting record) of Florida.
Nelson kept a low profile during the discussions, compared to Florida's other senator, Republican Mel Martinez, who was in the forefront of negotiations.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2270&ncid=2270&e=2&u=/krwashbureau/20050319/ts_krwashbureau/_bc_braindamagedwoman_guardian_wa....
Wolfson was appointed by a Florida court in the fall of 2003 to be Schiavo's guardian ad litem, or guardian at law, to deduce Schiavo's best interests and represent neither her husband nor her parents but Terri Schiavo herself.
This makes Wolfson
one of the very few people to have spent extended time with Schiavo and
gauged her level of awareness without having a vested interest at stake.
In the end, after long hours at Schiavo's bedside and after poring over 30,000 pages of legal documents,
Wolfson concluded that Schiavo was indeed in a permanent vegetative state. ....
But
Schiavo never made eye contact. When Wolfson visited her when her parents were there, she never made eye contact with them either, he said. And for all of Wolfson's pleadings and coaxing, he never got what he most wanted: a sign. ....
Wolfson was dismayed to learn Friday
that Barbara Weller, an attorney for the Schindlers,
claimed that Schiavo tried to speak. "Terri does not speak," he said. "To claim otherwise reduces her to a fiction." ....
********UNQUOTE*******