"An era can be said to end when its basic illusions are exhausted." - Arthur Miller

Thursday, March 31, 2005

Terri Schiavo Dead - A Nation Shrugs

As I am sure you heard, over and over, on every news outlet in the country, that Terry Schiavo is dead. The attention she is getting is usually reserved for heads of states and people that have actually contributed something to society. She has done neither. Looking at the extension coverage you would think this women accomplished great things of at least the mother or family member of someone that accomplished greath things. Nope, she isn't.

So what is she to deserve this attention? Well she was a tool for the press, the republicans, and religious leaders. It is pretty clear that she was a means to an end. For the press, its ratings, for the republicans, its a way to show they are prolife. For religious leaders and the like, it was a means to fill the seats and the coffers. Its sad, its manipulative, and from what I hear, the parents are not short on money because of it. So really its seems, everyone is using her for some agenda.

The reality is this. She was just mrs average citizen thrust into the limelight by a bored press and desperate politicans. Her obit is really this: 41 year old Terry Schiavo passed away today after remaining in a 15 year vegatative state caused by her bulimia. She is survived by her husband and 2 parents who spent the last 8 years fighting each other on how to deal with her condition.

In the end, for all the coverage she is getting all day long, she will become just a law school case study and nothing more. To bad thanks to our president and his ilk, we may have to deal with the repercussion of them running roughshod over the seperation of church and state, seperation of powers, and state rights vs national for years to come.

No comments:

Post a Comment