Dear Editor, I woke up Monday morning and did a quick scan of
the news during breakfast. One of the items was the late-breaking
Congressional action in the case of Terry Schiavo, which
transferred the jurisdiction in the case from state to federal
court.
Dear Editor,
I woke up Monday morning and did a quick scan of the news during breakfast. One of the items was the late-breaking Congressional action in the case of Terry Schiavo, which transferred the jurisdiction in the case from state to federal court.
I couldn’t stop thinking about this while driving to work, because it makes me angry (and a little frightened) on several levels.
I’m hopeful that most of your readership is also outraged. At least, they should be, if they believe in any of these issues:
States rights: The case has been through Florida court numerous times, finally ending with various special laws being struck down as unconstitutional.
Sanctity of marriage: It used to be generally recognized that the first person to describe the wishes of a married person was the spouse.
Individual freedom: To most people, freedom means the right to do as you wish, providing you don’t harm others, and even if others might disagree with you.
True freedom is championing another’s right to be different (or believe differently).
n Congressional focus: There are a few other issues that might require the attention of Congress, slightly more sweeping in scope.
If the notion of Congressional action in this case doesn’t scare you, then you simply haven’t been paying attention.
As many people have noted in the past few days, this type of decision happens many times every day across America.
Believe what you will, the point is simply that you should have the right to believe as you will, without Congress stepping in.
This particular case has moved beyond a (relatively simple) right-to-die case and evolved into a much larger entity.
If you’re not outraged, I sincerely hope you find yourself someday in a situation where you want to do something that you believe in, and you find that Congress has passed a law stopping you personally from doing it.
The rest of us should start writing letters to our senators and representatives. Find them at www.house.gov and www.senate.gov.
In 1776, Thomas Paine wrote “These are the times that try men’s souls.” I wonder if he realized how complicated the world was going to get?
Al Tervalon, Morgan Hill
