Who gets to live and who gets to die?

Originally posted 04.01.2005

No food or water for two weeks. Try it. I've experienced fasting and dehydration. They're not any fun.

I've tried fasting, and usually have difficulty making 36 hours without food because of the hunger pangs. Have you ever experienced hunger pangs? They are very uncomfortable. I usually don't make it through a fast, and I've never committed to a complete fast. The longest I've succeeded at fasting was a little over two days, and that was just avoiding solid food -- drinking one glass of freshly prepared vegetable juice for each meal. The hunger was amazing!

I've experienced dehydration. Labor Day, 2000, was the hottest day ever recorded in Houston, Texas. The high that day in the city was 112° Farenheit. My car broke down about 20 miles west of civilization on I-10. I walked several miles before I came to a gas station. The first thing I did was drink two quarts of Gatorade. I then called a friend to pick me up. The next day I went to an emergency room to be rehydrated. I was nauseated, dizzy and unable to stand.

Those two experiences were nothing like two weeks without food or water. I cannot imagine what pain and agony someone suffers when they are helpless and food and water are withheld.

So a court decides that, because a man no longer wishes to care for his wife, she must die. She must be executed. Do you agree with this? Do you believe that a person who must be cared for by others should be killed without their voices being heard?

Then there is nothing wrong with unwanted babies being dropped into dumpsters.

Then there was nothing wrong with Susan Smith rolling her car into a pond to drown her children

Then there was nothing wrong with Andrea Yates drowning her five children in a bathtub.

Then there was nothing wrong with ___________ (Fill in the blank).

Do you believe that?

OK, so maybe Russell Yates wanted to care for the kids, and his wife denied him that pleasure and responsibility. That doesn't matter, the parents of Terri Schiavo wanted to take custody of and care for her.

OK, so maybe an aunt, uncle or grandparent wants to care for a baby that a teen mother has dropped in a dumpster. That doesn't matter, Schiavo's brother, Bobby Schindler, want to take custody of and care for her.

Is it un-compassionate of me to compare Michael Schiavo to Andrea Yates? Is it un-compassionate of you to decide a woman must die simply because she cannot speak for herself?

Terri Schiavo was murdered by fascists. People who, "for the betterment of society," believe that those who creeate a drain on society must be removed.

Sound familiar?

Sound like Europe in the early 1940's

Ahhhh, now we're really touching a nerve, aren't we?

Many of the people who denounce Nazism as racist groups are acting like Nazis themselves.

When Judge Greer ordered the execution of Terri Schiavo, he showed his fascist side.

When higher courts, though cleared by the elected officials of this country, refused to intervene, they showed their fascist side.

Terri Schiavo was murdered. Nobody will be held responsible for it in this lifetime.

Now it is too late for her. Perhaps, though, her death will not have been in vain.

God urges us to "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute." - Proverbs 31:8 (NIV) "When you're kind to others, you help yourself; when you're cruel to others, you hurt yourself." - Proverbs 11:17 (The Message)¹

The LORD has called us to action. Let us act. Let us strive to care for those who cannot care for themselves. Rally behind The Banner of God. Rally to the cry of "Help the Helpless!" Individually we cannot do anything. As one, we are the Body of Christ. As one, we are mighty. As one, we are able to move mountains.

As one, we can change the world!

Prayer:

Lord, Almighty Heavenly Father, You have worked miracles for centuries to make yourself known. Show yourself today!
We have counted and come up short. We should have striven to help others but we did nothing. We should have broken the barriers when the government defied You, but we did not.
Father, grant usthe strength and wisdom to be your soldiers. We are called to help the helpless. Give us what we need to fight your battle! Rally your people to take this world back from Satan according to Your will.
Father, we pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, Your Holy Son, the Bearer of Our Sin.
Amen.

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How to Help:

What can I do? I'm only one person. I'm a small voice. "Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave."

This is not a conservative issue. This is not a liberal issue. This is a life issue. What happens ifYOU are the one that cannot speak for yourself? What happens if YOU are on life-support and, even though you are conscious, you cannot speak? What happens if YOU are the one that is executed because nobody is there to speak for you?

Things you can do:

• Write your Congressperson.
• Write your Senator."
• Vote. Sorry, there are no non-partisan links for this.
• Pray.
• Talk to others
• Neighbors
• Co-Workers
• Friends
• Family
• Church Members

One last thought. A friend of mine from high school was seriously injured in a car accident in 1984. He was comatose for nearly six months, and some thought he would not live. He is now gainfully employed, living on his own without the help of others. If, as in the case of Terri Schiavo, his plug had been pulled, he would not be here today to be one of God's lights to the world.