Last night I sat down with local friends of mine here the subject of the Terri Schiavo case came up. I found myself in a very difficult situation in my attempts to explain what is happening in my country, how our country's judiciary has come to this conclusion and why Terri Schiavo must die by starvation and dehydration.
A simple and yet painfully legitimate question was asked of me. "Why does your country not just give Terri Schiavo a lethal injection or simply put a bullet in her brain?"
How does one answer such a question?
For years the United States has at times worked hard to become a credible and consistent champion of human rights around the globe. No more. As the entire world watches this entire drama unfold right before their eyes many are absolutely horrified and chilled beyond belief at what they see. A great nation using a corrupted court system to legitimize their atrocities, the most heinous of human rights abuses.
When a great nation such as ours starts to dehumanize individuals in the way that Terri Schiavo has and is being dehumanized in an organized effort to justify and rationalize the killing off of those members of our society who are sick, disabled, no longer productive, "have worthless lives or lives not worth living" or "wish to die" then we have lost the moral high ground.
When great men stand by and mumble to themselves "...Well the courts have decided" and do nothing as an omnipotent judiciary and corrupted court system misuses the law to legitimize atrocities committed against our fellow man, then we have truly fallen as a people.
Human rights are those we possess by virtue of being human. They are God given rights, natural rights, i.e., rights we possess by nature, not by law. They are not rights granted to us by any government, and so they cannot be taken away by any government, regardless of what laws it may pass and what degree of violence it may employ to enforce its laws.
"The World's Superpower and Champion of Human Rights around the globe is starving and dehydrating a disabled woman to death and underage children who bring her water are being handcuffed and arrested."
Does that sum it up? Did I miss anything?
What right do we have now to excoriate others? What right do we have to speak out against human rights abuses around the globe?
So what if nations enslave their citizens or put their underage children to work in dangerous factories? At least they don't starve their disabled citizens to death.
If China decides to put a bullet in the brain of all their retarded school children tomorrow, what can we say or do?
Next time we want to whine because Libya or Egypt is on the United Nations human rights council we better learn to bite our lip.
A dark shadow or moral sovereignty has not only fallen on America but now on the entire world. God help us all.
A simple and yet painfully legitimate question was asked of me. "Why does your country not just give Terri Schiavo a lethal injection or simply put a bullet in her brain?"
How does one answer such a question?
For years the United States has at times worked hard to become a credible and consistent champion of human rights around the globe. No more. As the entire world watches this entire drama unfold right before their eyes many are absolutely horrified and chilled beyond belief at what they see. A great nation using a corrupted court system to legitimize their atrocities, the most heinous of human rights abuses.
When a great nation such as ours starts to dehumanize individuals in the way that Terri Schiavo has and is being dehumanized in an organized effort to justify and rationalize the killing off of those members of our society who are sick, disabled, no longer productive, "have worthless lives or lives not worth living" or "wish to die" then we have lost the moral high ground.
When great men stand by and mumble to themselves "...Well the courts have decided" and do nothing as an omnipotent judiciary and corrupted court system misuses the law to legitimize atrocities committed against our fellow man, then we have truly fallen as a people.
Human rights are those we possess by virtue of being human. They are God given rights, natural rights, i.e., rights we possess by nature, not by law. They are not rights granted to us by any government, and so they cannot be taken away by any government, regardless of what laws it may pass and what degree of violence it may employ to enforce its laws.
"The World's Superpower and Champion of Human Rights around the globe is starving and dehydrating a disabled woman to death and underage children who bring her water are being handcuffed and arrested."
Does that sum it up? Did I miss anything?
What right do we have now to excoriate others? What right do we have to speak out against human rights abuses around the globe?
So what if nations enslave their citizens or put their underage children to work in dangerous factories? At least they don't starve their disabled citizens to death.
If China decides to put a bullet in the brain of all their retarded school children tomorrow, what can we say or do?
Next time we want to whine because Libya or Egypt is on the United Nations human rights council we better learn to bite our lip.
A dark shadow or moral sovereignty has not only fallen on America but now on the entire world. God help us all.
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