Welcome to Flippity-Floppity Land
Man, this is tiresome. The sort of nonsense that makes you wonder why you bother to fight. Here's what stalwart movement conservatives have had to say about the Schiavo case (which I'm still really, really disgusted by even having to address). No, you won't hear a peep about the following hypocrisy on network or cable news. No, it won't make a damn bit of difference in how Americans view the issue. Yes, it demonstrates the GOP's willingness to do whatever it takes to remain in power. And yes, it proves once again that Republicans don't give a damn about conservative values. While you're reading it, just think about accusations of John Kerry being a "flip-flopper."
Bill Frist: The notorious Republican senator who has a degree from Harvard's medical school, yet insinuated that AIDS could be transmitted through tears and sweat-- although there isn't a single case on record of that happening.
Frist on Schiavo: "I'm proud of today's Senate passage of the Terry Schiavo Bill. As a doctor and a Senator, I believe that Congress must do everything in its power to ensure that any life and death decision is based on a sound medical diagnosis of Terri's condition. There is no more sacred virtue in our society than the need to preserve and protect human life. To knowingly and purposely starve Ms. Schiavo to death would be callous, cruel and immoral. I am hopeful that the House will consider and pass this legislation quickly." (March, 2005) Nice transition between favoring a 'sound medical diagnosis' and determining that letting her die in peace is 'callous, cruel and immoral,' don't you think?
Frist on politicizing the injured: "I find it opportunistic to use the death of someone like Christopher Reeve -- I think it is shameful -- in order to mislead the American people. . . We should be offering people hope, but neither physicians, scientists, public servants or trial lawyers like [then vice-presidential candidate] John Edwards should be offering hype. It is cruel to people who have disabilities and chronic diseases, and, on top of that, it's dishonest. It's giving false hope to people, and I can tell you as a physician who's treated scores of thousands of patients that you don't give them false hope." (Oct. 2004) Man, what a disgrace to see a politician make a supportive statement about a guy who wasn't brain-damaged and worked as an advocate for stem cell research.
Frist on-- wha?!?!: Near the end [of his 1989 book 'Transplant'], for example, Frist suggests changing the legal definition of 'brain death' to include anencephalic babies, who are born with a fatal neurological disorder but show just the slightest hint of brain-stem activity. Such a change would make it possible to harvest their organs for transplant--something the Catholic Church and pro-life groups oppose. (book pub. 1989) Whoa! Suddenly it sounds like he's promoting some sort of evil government organ-harvesting farm!
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Pat Buchanan: I think we're all familiar with his brand of xenophobia, and his reliable street cred as a Republican hack and punditocracy attack dog.
On Schiavo: "What George Bush ought to do right now is send federal marshals in and pick up Terri Schiavo and put that ... food and hydration tube back into her." (March 23, 2000) Well, I suppose that when it comes to human rights, we have to look to the government to take action...
On Elian Gonzales: "[Clinton's decision to use federal law enforcement officials to take custody of Gonzales was] a police-state tactic one associates with a Communist tyranny, not the United States." (April 23, 2000) Dammit! When are those jack-booted thugs going to stop dictating our lives by taking our decisions out of our hands?
Note: I'm borrowing the quotes from several sources (notably Media Matters and Eschaton), and since I'm still feeling under the weather, I don't have the energy to source them all with hyperlinks-- although I've decided that they're credible. If any of them prove to be inaccurate, I'll correct this story.
Bill Frist: The notorious Republican senator who has a degree from Harvard's medical school, yet insinuated that AIDS could be transmitted through tears and sweat-- although there isn't a single case on record of that happening.
Frist on Schiavo: "I'm proud of today's Senate passage of the Terry Schiavo Bill. As a doctor and a Senator, I believe that Congress must do everything in its power to ensure that any life and death decision is based on a sound medical diagnosis of Terri's condition. There is no more sacred virtue in our society than the need to preserve and protect human life. To knowingly and purposely starve Ms. Schiavo to death would be callous, cruel and immoral. I am hopeful that the House will consider and pass this legislation quickly." (March, 2005) Nice transition between favoring a 'sound medical diagnosis' and determining that letting her die in peace is 'callous, cruel and immoral,' don't you think?
Frist on politicizing the injured: "I find it opportunistic to use the death of someone like Christopher Reeve -- I think it is shameful -- in order to mislead the American people. . . We should be offering people hope, but neither physicians, scientists, public servants or trial lawyers like [then vice-presidential candidate] John Edwards should be offering hype. It is cruel to people who have disabilities and chronic diseases, and, on top of that, it's dishonest. It's giving false hope to people, and I can tell you as a physician who's treated scores of thousands of patients that you don't give them false hope." (Oct. 2004) Man, what a disgrace to see a politician make a supportive statement about a guy who wasn't brain-damaged and worked as an advocate for stem cell research.
Frist on-- wha?!?!: Near the end [of his 1989 book 'Transplant'], for example, Frist suggests changing the legal definition of 'brain death' to include anencephalic babies, who are born with a fatal neurological disorder but show just the slightest hint of brain-stem activity. Such a change would make it possible to harvest their organs for transplant--something the Catholic Church and pro-life groups oppose. (book pub. 1989) Whoa! Suddenly it sounds like he's promoting some sort of evil government organ-harvesting farm!
_______________________________
Pat Buchanan: I think we're all familiar with his brand of xenophobia, and his reliable street cred as a Republican hack and punditocracy attack dog.
On Schiavo: "What George Bush ought to do right now is send federal marshals in and pick up Terri Schiavo and put that ... food and hydration tube back into her." (March 23, 2000) Well, I suppose that when it comes to human rights, we have to look to the government to take action...
On Elian Gonzales: "[Clinton's decision to use federal law enforcement officials to take custody of Gonzales was] a police-state tactic one associates with a Communist tyranny, not the United States." (April 23, 2000) Dammit! When are those jack-booted thugs going to stop dictating our lives by taking our decisions out of our hands?
Note: I'm borrowing the quotes from several sources (notably Media Matters and Eschaton), and since I'm still feeling under the weather, I don't have the energy to source them all with hyperlinks-- although I've decided that they're credible. If any of them prove to be inaccurate, I'll correct this story.
posted by Matt Sandwich | 7:38 PM
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