Rightwing or Leftwing: Something good to be said for the Middle

Let me apologize for taking so long in writing a new note.  Honestly I haven’t told anyone this blogger site even exists.  So congratulations to the few who might scan the blogs and find this note.  I’m on the rode a lot so I’m trying out the new Sirius Satellite Radio.  When you hear the same stuff all the time the idea of getting differing points of view actually becomes attractive.  Sirius is great because I can go from leftwing to rightwing talk shows at the click of my remote.

 

Quite honestly I’m finding there are talk shows as far to the left as Limbaugh is to the right.  It’s amazing how many issues can clog the mind with viewpoints that confuse the conventional middle of the road American.  Terri Schavo was a perfect example of typical right/ left confusion.  On the right we had James Dobson, some right wing senators and Terri’s parents all were adamant about keeping Terri alive.  The left was supported by testimony from doctors, court rulings and Terri’s husband (whom was quite frankly a bigamist fathering children with his girlfriend, but remaining married to Terri) keeping his bond of till death do us part.

 

Being a married man and father I can understand the difficulties of the parents more than the husband.  After all he could have agreed to allow the parents to have guardianship and the case may have turned out differently.    The expert testimony and decisions made by judges make most people agree that letting Terri die was a reasonable thing to do.   But, questions of motivations and loyalties of the husband remain.

 

Political motivations and media attention could not be denied in the intriguing elements surrounding Terri’s life and death.  This situation could happen to almost any person or family.  In my household my wife would want to live and I would want to die.  Does this mean that more Republicans would want to live and more Democrats would want to die if they were Terri Schavo?   This was in fact the problem, that no one was certain what Terri’s wishes were when it came to pulling the plug or feeding tube.

 

This event and Terri’s life turned heads away from the Iraq war and the economy for a few days, although the Bush’s couldn’t help but once again be at the center of this quagmire. The system prevailed as the decision to let Terri die was upheld.  This is one issue which can afford a left and right attitude.  Yes, we should place in writing,” I want to be kept alive by machines or I want you to let me die if I can not sustain myself. “    Of course the left and right would fight about whether government should allow this choice also.   

 

Randy Lockdall