] President George W. Bush, in fact, signed a law as
] Governor George W. Bush, the Texas Futile Care Act, which
] contradicts the one he rushed back to Washington from
] vacation to sign. That law allows a hospital to decide
] when to pull the plug. Just last week, against the wishes
] of his mother, a 5-month-old baby with a fatal genetic
] disorder was disconnected from life support and died in
] Houston.

I can understand the Schiavo case. There are two sides, both intimately involved, both family and they are at odds. The courts chose to side with the husband and let her die. The Texas Futile Care Act however really does amount to not just state sponsored euthanasia, it is state MANDATED euthanasia. This I don't understand at all. Hospitals are allowed to terminate patients over the objections of ALL the related parties??? Want to see something god is really going to be pissed about? And why aren't all these nutjobs down protesting every one of these cases in Texas?

Bush vs Bush or Spy vs Spy

] The custody request from Bush cited new allegations of
] neglect and challenges Schiavo's diagnosis as being in a
] persistent vegetative state. The request is based on the
] opinion of a neurologist working for the state who
] observed Schiavo at her bedside but did not conduct an
] examination of her.
]
]
] The neurologist, William Cheshire of the Mayo Clinic in
] Jacksonville, is a bioethicist who is also an active
] member in Christian organizations, including two whose
] leaders have spoken out against the tube's removal.
]
]
] Ronald Cranford of the University of Minnesota, a
] neurologist who was among those who made a previous
] diagnosis of Schiavo, said "there isn't a reputable,
] credible neurologist in the world who won't find her in a
] vegetative state."

A couple of thoughts come to mind here immediately. "Peacekeeper Missle" is an oxymoron. "Christian activist-bioethicist" doesn't even make it to that level. It ranks somewhere below "Model-Actress." Second, a doctor making a diagnosis without ever examining the patient? What the hell sort of quackery is this?

I have said previously I feel sorry for the families involved, but frankly, if the 15 years this woman has been kept alive were being done "to" someone instead of "for" someone it would be considered the most heinous of crimes and I am having a hard time with finding where that distinction comes from.

On the other hand, this is perfect timing. The 2nd anniversary of the Iraq invasion was just a few days ago, and no one ia talking about that.

Supreme Court Rejects Terri Schiavo Case

] Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass.,
] rejected the notion that elected lawmakers could
] accurately diagnose her condition.
]
]
] "The caption tonight ought to be: We're not doctors, we
] just play them on C-SPAN," he said.

If I have any family member who does to me what this persons family is doing to her (refusing to let her finally go) I hope someone shoots them so they can pull the damn plug.

This is abhorrent. With any luck the person at district court who has to hear the pile of crap will send it back because it serves no state interest whatsoever.

Congress Condemns Schiavo to Undeath!

] The current account trade deficit is closely watched by
] economists because it is the broadest measure of
] international trade, covering not only trade in goods but
] also trade in services and investment flows between
] nations. The deficit for 2004 was not only a record in
] dollar terms but also as a percentage of the total U.S.
] economy, climbing to 5.7 percent of the gross domestic
] product, up from 4.8 percent of GDP (news - web sites) in
] 2003.

And the bleeding continues. Something else of note, elsewhere in the article they make the point that the dollar has been on a three year slide, meaning foreign goods are getting more expensive, yet the trade imbalance continues to grow. Something in that says there is a huge problem.

"Don't cry for me Argentina..."

Trade Deficit at All-Time High of $665.9B

] The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) told
] investigators that the luggage-screening system it set up
] at airports across the USA "increases security risks,"
] according to the report by the Government Accountability
] Office.

I seem to remember screaming this when they first started doing it. Their new security plan made airports much more dangerous, and has a side benefit of making airport parking ramps the one place nutjobs can't get maced when that urge to rape hits, TSA took the mace.

TSA fears targeting of crowds at airports

] The Homeland Security Department's former independent
] watchdog says he was twice summoned to then-Secretary Tom
] Ridge's office last year and asked why his reports
] criticizing the agency were being sent to Congress and
] whether they could be presented more favorably to the
] department.

It seems someone doesn't understand what "Independent" means.

Yahoo! News - Watchdog Details Run-Ins With Ridge

] The easy answer for divorce is the same answer for gay
] marriage: ban it. Make it illegal. You want a divorce?
] Not in our country, Sunny Jim. Save the children. Save
] the family. Ban divorce.
]
]
] So many people claim that being opposed to gay marriage
] has nothing, no NOTHING to do with the same type of
] prejudice that once prohibited marriage between blacks
] and whites or Jew and Catholic. Heavens no. It has to do
] with concern over saving marriage itself, even though not
] one shred of evidence has been produced indicating that
] gay marriage would somehow threaten straight marriage.
]
]
] There's the simple answer, then. Ban divorce. Put it on
] the voting referendums of every single state that banned
] gay marriage, watch it go down and flames, and expose
] them for the screaming hypocrites that they are.

A nice thought from someone who never fails to suprise me by coming up with an interesting idea.

PeterDavid.net

] U.N. landmine commerical won't air in US.
]
] A U.N. commercial depicts American girls playing in a
] soccer match. A girl steps on a landmine and there's a
] big explosion. Kids get blown apart. CNN and other
] networks don't want to air the ad.

Someone else also linked this but that link seems gone. The people who made this are absolutely right. If this were happening, we'd be incensed.

Boing Boing: U.N. landmine commerical won't air in US.

] Republican officials briefed by White House aides have
] said even younger Americans who decide not to establish a
] private account would receive a lower government
] guaranteed benefit.

So I can sign up and get less or not sign up and get less?

Now see, here's something I don't think that anyone has bothered to pay attention to. The Bushies are going to cut the benefits either way, and that has sort of been glossed over. You know what? I'm tired of these losers blowing through my money for shit I don't approve of. They don't think the NEA should support PBS because PBS might have something "bad" on? Fine, I don't want you shoveling my money into supporting shitheel dictators or "nation building" something that these guys were screaming about as a horrible thing to do 5 years ago when they were trying to beat Al Gore.

The Powell Doctrine was, if you are going to take military action, you have a plan, a set of goals, and a specific set of conditions for how to get out. Instead, we're now fighting a never ending war in the one way that is guaranteed to not result in a win.

"One more such victory, and I am undone!" King Pyhrrus for whom the Pyhrric victory is named.

Personal Accounts Tank in Polls, GOP Says

] ROME - Left-wing journalist Giuliana Sgrena claimed
] American soldiers gave no warning before they opened fire
] and said Sunday she could not rule out that U.S. forces
] intentionally shot at the car carrying her to the Baghdad
] airport, wounding her and killing the Italian agent who
] had just won her freedom after a month in captivity.
]
] ...
]
] The White House called the shooting a "horrific accident"
] and restated its promise to investigate fully.

When we can't even succuessfully whack a pinko journalist, why do we think we'd be better at, something Shrub said in 2000 was a misguided mission, nation building?

Ex-Hostage Disputes U.S. on Iraq Shooting