The DeLay Dilemma:
A family tragedy that unfolded in a Texas hospital during the fall of 1988 was a private ordeal
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Tom DeLay IS Conservatism
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Tom DeLay IS Conservatism
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Tom DeLay IS Conservatism
kc
And less than 30 minutes after “Happy Easter, remember whats important”? And what happened to “This is my last post on the Schiavo matter” from early last week? You really might want to let this go. You’ve made your point several times now. Anyone who is going to get it, has. Those who havent, never will. Just let it go. Then again, its your site and its a good one, say want you want. This just seems a little low for you though.
Sixteen
Nicely done, nicely said a concise presentation of the issues, What has happened to principled conservatives?
CaseyL
” What has happened to principled conservatives?”
It’s a numbers thing. They didn’t comprise a majority. The only way the Right can win elections is if principled conservatives join forces with right wing nut jobs.
The principled conservatives thought they could toss the right wing nut jobs a bone or two once in a while, on issues that really aren’t all that important anyway – like equal rights for gays, women’s reproductive autonomy, and school science curricula.
In return, the right wing nut jobs would lend their support for the really vital issues – like pre-emptive wars, liberating the upper classes from taxation, and destroying the last vestiges of the New Deal.
But there’s a saying, something about what happens when you dance with the devil. Let me see if I can remembe what it is…
MommaBear
….. “I got mine- screw everybody else” …..
You take them out of ALL political parties and no party will have anyone left to run those political machines !!
Bibby
POEM FOR TERRI
I will never marry Terri,
For she is already wed.
But I’m hoping I can carry
Her metal coffin when she’s dead,
For to do so would please Jesus,
He who gives us breath and life.
He strives so very hard to please us!
Though she cannot be my wife,
We share a bond of Christian duty,
One transcending space and time.
No, I’ll never stroke her booty,
And she’ll never read this rhyme,
But in a year or two, or seven,
When my time on Earth has passed,
I’ll meet sweet Terri up in Heaven,
And I’ll kiss her face at last.
Copyright 2005 by Bibby Bibibbian. All rights reserved. This poem may be disseminated as long as it is not modified, and if I am given credit for its authorship. Praise Jesus Christ!
B.R.
Uuuuh, Bibby, you REALLY need a girlfriend, amigo…
ape
JC – your coverage of this matter continues to be excellent.
jcricket
It may sound a little trite, but I’m reminded of that old adage, “when you dance with the devil, the devil don’t change, he changes you.”
Frankly, I’m not surprised at the “mess” your party is in – because I think that Delay, Frist and Coburn are the natural result of the GOP’s alignment with the Randall Terrys, Ralph Reeds and Michael Savages of this world.
Frankly, the GOP has successfully used wedge issues to gain the votes the far right-wingers in America for the past 20-30 years. And, as you’re belatedly learning, the religious wing-nuts (much like the far lefties) are insatiable, and your party will never be “pure enough” to satisfy them. They’ll keep dragging you farther and farther right until your party loses elections so badly we’re talking about the “death of the Republican party”.
Remember, with Bush’s “51% mandate” it doesn’t take much party-switching for the GOP to end up losing the next presidential race, despite all the problems the Dems have. Even the Republican majority in the Senate is easily up for grabs. With moderate Republicans like Chafee, Snowe and Collins, whose seats could easily switch hands if your party platform becomes any more religious and intrusive. Throw in the ethically-challenged Delay threatening to take down the house (a la Newt) and I don’t see “Republican dominance forever” as many on your side so flippantly predicted after the 2004 elections.
And as your recent posts point out – I’d even worry start to worry about another significant part of the GOP base, fiscal conservatives (like yourself) who still believe in good government (i.e. there are some services the government can provide). If the GOP constantly panders to anti-government types like Grover Norquist, that’s is a recipe for fiscal disaster. Already, Republican governors in several states (Colorado, Alabama, etc.) are having to raise taxes because of unfunded federal mandates, or the effects of the recession + tax cuts + growing population.
To put it another way, “”when you lie down with dogs, you end up with fleas.” You will have to forgive me (as a liberal) if I don’t cry too much for the GOP.
Scott Chaffin
John Cole
Scott:
A.) Why did you blockquote the whole thing?
B.) Michael Schiavo, as her spouse and legal guardian, is her family. And, it was determined that this would have been her intent.
C.) I am glad you now agree that a feeding tube is life support. And yes, one is more extreme than the other. IF you had a feeding tube and a ventilator, and you had the choice to remove one for 24 hours, which would you remove? And you can mischaracterize my McDonald’s comment all you want. I am just glad you sobered up enough to recognize that feeding tube’s are life support and a medical treatment.
As far as this:
“As I said in my very first comment here on this matter, you’re as full of shit as a Christmas goose. One week of some really tough questions, and you’ve got the moral and ethical consistency of a jar of applesauce. Hard & brittle on the outside, and naught internally.”
My position is still the same. I have not waffled. Not sure how that constitutes having no moral or ethical core. My opinion is clear- This was none of your damned business, none of mine, and none of Tom DeLay’s. If you find where I have wavered, let me know.
tfgs
John,
When someone as dumb as Scott Chaffin takes the time to criticize you, you know you MUST be doing something right.
willyb
John
When you start getting compliments from the lefties, you got to start wondering about whether you’re doing something wrong…
John Cole
Willyb:
This is something even the Fat Guy and I can agree on. When you blog, it is guaranteed that no matter what the issue, 40% of the people who read it are going to disagree and hate you, 40% are going to agree and love you, and 20% just want you to link to their perspective.
Joe
Pretty sure the horse is dead, but keep beating just in case.
willyb
John,
As I’m sure you know, my comment was intended as a dig to the patronizing comments of folks who have been quick to call you brain dead on other issues.
I enjoy your blog, and I while I may have a slightly different take than you on Terri Sciavo, I respect your point about this being a personal family matter which should be left to the family to decide. Too bad the family didn’t reach some sort of agreement so we could have avoided the last 10 or so years of regrettable government involvement.
Thomas
Conservatives should be madder at Tom DeLay than anyone else. He makes them look back with his hypocrisy and his lack of ethics. DeLay is a CINO – conservative in name only.
newsom101
Where was all your rage when this ROTTEN PUKE was dished out on the Democrats for the last 12 years by Delay and many more? (Un-deserved I might add)
Only when it effects you personally, you decide to speak up?
Kevin
Nice to see I am not the only one who has an almost visceral loathing of Tom DeLay.
Bob
The difference between a feeding tube and a respirator? Money.
Funny how it often gets down to that?
Scott Chaffin
a. Bad tag, I guess.
b. You called a feeding tube an extraordinary measure. I have never said it wasn’t a medical treatments and in fact, I listed some other common medical treatments that are used to prolong life. Nor am I mischaracterizing your statement. They are your words.
c. No your position is NOT the same. You’ve moaned about the state govt. and the federal govt. getting involved in a family matter to save an innocent life. Yet you, the Goldwater conservative, have made a vast proposal, after what one would imagine was some consideration, a federal law that governs all weddings, and all marriages for the life of those marriages. Yes, applesauce.
And yes, Christmas goose. You’re so locked in to your religion angle that you can’t even see that there are other valid arguments for what the government is doing. The religion angle is the easy one, though, since Randall Terry is on the teevee. Way to dig in.
John Cole
Having a group of experts convene to create terminology we all agree on so that we don’t have these fights in the future is a “vast proposal?” I doubt the states will require living wills, but how exactly has your life been hampered by federal standards for weights and measures. It would be the same damned thing.
And my position is the same- this is none of your damned business, despite what you think. The proposal I suggested, while large, would KEEP THE GOVERNMENT OUT.
I am starting to think this is about your personal luggage than any relationship to facts.
And if you still can not recognize that a ventilator is a touch more extreme than a colostomy bag, this argument is pointless. By your logic, a skateboard= a scooter = a motorcycle = a car = 18 Wheeler, because hey- they are all forms of transportation.
wavemaker
Hello John, First time here. Excellent piece, and you have one more conservative Republican in agreement with you. Look: http://www.screenshotblog.blogspot.com/2005/03/on-morality-and-hard-cases.html.
Tom Today
“there is a MARKED difference between a feeding tube and a ventilator and a patient whose organs are failing.” Schiavo’s brain is not just failing, it’s not there. Where’s the marked difference?
Nash
jcricket: “To put it another way, “”when you lie down with dogs, you end up with fleas.” You will have to forgive me (as a liberal) if I don’t cry too much for the GOP.
John, I’ve seen a lot of this arrogance from liberals. As a progressive-leaning sort myself, I’d like to say that I have the deepest respect for your integrity. I’ve seen you take grief on your stance from both sides now. I don’t imagine you will need a cheerup from me, but please realize that the jcrickets of the left don’t speak for all of us. All appearances aside, many of us *can* be positively affected by intellectual honesty such as you are demonstrating
There are going to be things you and I agree on in the future and things we disagree on. How American of us. But take it from me–you’d be an honored guest at this American’s dinner table, anytime.
Scott Chaffin
If I understand you correctly, you’re proposing that we build a federal concepts and phrases commission, that would work in the same manner as the people who ‘manage’ federal weights and measures. So that the terminology is federally managed and regulated. Do I have that correct?
Viz feeding tubes: you do realize that there are people walking around today, maybe even into a McDonalds, who have to use feeding tubes to stay alive? Is it the fact that they’re walking around, and Theresa Schiavo is not, that makes the difference? How about if they’re in a wheelchair? I can see why you’d need a federal panel to define all these various permutations of ‘extraordinary’ for you.
I don’t see any need for you to cheap-shot about personal baggage, but it’s about on par with ‘stupid’, your favorite. Great work, again. Fill me in on just what it might be for this case, since I am chock-full of baggage and I’m in the dark.
John Cole
If I understand you correctly, you’re proposing that we build a federal concepts and phrases commission, that would work in the same manner as the people who ‘manage’ federal weights and measures. So that the terminology is federally managed and regulated. Do I have that correct?
Yes. I don’t fear the heavy hand of government every time I read that a car is two tons and I know that is rougly 4k lbs.
don’t see any need for you to cheap-shot about personal baggage, but it’s about on par with ‘stupid’, your favorite. Great work, again. Fill me in on just what it might be for this case, since I am chock-full of baggage and I’m in the dark.
I have no idea what your luggage or baggage might be, I just don;t understand why you are reacting the way you are to this case. I would think that you would want a society where the federal government stays out of things like this- that seems to be more consistent with your other beliefs.
And I do more than simply say things are stupid- I explain why- yuo just systematically reject all those arguments. You, for whatever reason, reject that feeding tubes are extraordinary measures and a form of life support, when they clearly are. What else am I to do when arguing with someone and they just say “No- I disagree- your point is invalid,” when there is no basis for a disagreement.
And there is a difference between TErri Schiavo and other people walking around with colostomy bags and other medical devices. There is a difference between Terri Schiavo and Christopher Reeve. AAnd you know there is…
Scott Chaffin
I greatly fear a federal commission defining what is meant by, say, “viable” or “potential”, vs. what is meant by “a ton” or “a yard.”
I’ve explained my position, such as it is, as it has evolved and clarified in my own mind, here and elsewhere. Let me repeat it in capsule form: we were formed as a nation of men with unalienable rights, and we formed a government of men, answerable to the citizens, to protect those rights. The government should not EVER, as in this case, take away those rights from a wholly innocent person. If they do, there is not just reason, but a duty, for the rest of government to intervene. Extrapolate that up and down the line between states and feds as you wish. Yeah, I’ve got baggage, but it’s about 225 years old, and I’m not about to pitch it.
Feeding tubes and Christopher Reeves can wait until we get this part hashed out.
Kimmitt
The government should not EVER, as in this case, take away those rights from a wholly innocent person.
Absolutely, and among those rights is the right to certain decisions regarding the end of one’s life.