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Apr. 8, 2005 The three-ring circus outside the hospice in Florida is gone. The Fox News Channel has switched to weightier matters: The Michael Jackson trial and rumors of Britney Spears divorcing her husband. Republican politicians have squeezed all the political capital out of Terri Schiavo and have returned to condemning gays and bilking the poor. Now that the sad saga of Terri Schiavo has finally come to an end, the question of her legacy arises. Will the name of Terri Schiavo quickly fade from our national consciousness? Will she become nothing more than the answer to a "Trivial Pursuit" question? Certainly this case has highlighted the importance of having a living will. No one wants to put their families through the nightmare situation that Michael Schiavo and the Schindlers were in. In the last few weeks, thousands of Americans have made out a living will -- in that sense Terri Schiavo's death impacted many lives. But perhaps Terri's greatest legacy is that her plight demonstrated the strength of our republican form of government. The doctrine of "separation of powers" survived an all out attack by President Bush, Congress, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, The Florida Legislature and mobs of pro-life cultists. The Florida state courts and the federal courts held firm, and refused to give in to presidential intervention and mob mentality. And hopefully Terri's legacy won't be a hastily passed law giving the government the right to interfere in a family matter. We don't need Big Brother to interfere in our right to live or die. All you need to do is pick up a pen and let your intentions be known. If you make out a living will, nobody, not the president, not a judge, not even your spouse, will be able to ignore or disobey your medical directives. When Terri Schiavo's entrails are no longer being picked over by pro-life vultures and media whores, I hope that some of us will still remember Terri and say a small prayer of thanks for the good that her tragic life and sad death have accomplished. ------------ About the author: Robert Paul Reyes is a columnist for the Lynchburg Ledger. Email: rreyes4966@aol.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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