Today President Bush, playing the political game along with his Congressional cronies, signed a law that brought the Schiavo case into the Federal arena. He said, “I will continue to stand on the side of those defending life for all Americans, including those with disabilities.”
Oh, boy. We could have some fun parsing that one. Let’s see. He presided over enormous numbers of executions in Texas. He has sent more than a thousand Americans to their deaths in a country that was no threat to us (but has lots of oil). Defending life, indeed.
And I’m sorry… I know people with disabilities. Being dead, brain or otherwise, is not a “disability.” It’s dead. That’s it. There is no issue of being “handicapable,” putting in a ramp is not going to help Mrs. Schiavo. A new wheelchair will do no good. (Incidentally, I don’t see the Bush administration rushing to help out the millions of disabled Americans who are in desperate need of medical attention, health care, and — ahem — prescription drugs.)
By the way: Mac points out that:
… President Bush sign[ed] into law [as governor of TX] the Texas Futile Care Law, which allows hospitals to pull the plug against family wishes if the patient in question can’t pay and has no chance of recovery.
Now this is just horrifying, but unsurprising: evidently what he’s saying is that he values life… except when there’s no profit to be had in it.
Did you happen to see last week’s Boston Legal? Scathing attack on the Texas executions and how they aggressively go about it.