Okay.

I wanted to rant on and on about this, but I decided that I don't really need to since it has been everywhere. But you know what? I can't leave it alone because this is so crazy.

But for the Christ, can we just let Terri Schiavo alone? Can we? This whole issue didn't need to be as public as it is. It happens ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. The poor woman has become a pawn in a discussion that really comes down to one thing:

The sanctity of marraige.

Funny I say that, isn't it? You know what, I'm gonna rant. There's politics and emotions and religion involved. And it's time to take them out of the discussion. I mean, I'm not a lawyer, but apparently, people think I am. And maybe it's because I think like one, but let's look at the legal argument, shall we?

In a case where there is no living will, decisions of life and death lie with the person closest to the person in question. The order usually runs: spouse, child, and then parent.

So legally, her husband has the right to make this decision. The parents are claiming that Terri has had her due process rights and violation of religious freedoms trampled on. I understand this, but I fail to understand how this would hold up in a court of law if she cannot even be aware of possibility of her rights being trampled on.

More than twenty courts have sided with her husband. The Bush brothers have intervened twice before. Congress, er, the Republicans, passed emergency legislation a few days ago to push the issue to the Federal Courts.

The courts, to their credit, have upheld the law. The Supreme Court did something smart and didn't take the case, despite the enormous pressure for them to do so. I'm happy they stuck to Marbury v. Madison and exerted their understanding of the law. After all, it's not like the Court would have decided to pick up the case if the U.S. Court of Appeals wouldn't. It's just not done. Besides, the argument that she has been denied proper due process and religious freedom is very difficult to uphold considering the state that Terri Schiavo is in.

Now I'm going to talk politics because this is the part that fascinates me.

Did you know that if the Republicans in Congress had actually screwed up the legislation? The legislation says that the district court has to determine whether the case has merit first and then provide relief if the court decided that the case had merit. Because if Congress had ordered the feeding tube to be connected before deciding if the case had merit would render the whole legislation unconstitutional because it would be the Legislative branch exerting their power over the Judicial.

But you're not hearing that from the Republicans, are you?

No, you're hearing them lament "out of control courts" and that the "courts ignored their intent". Um. Not really. The courts did what the legislation said. First, they determined whether the case had merit. And they decided that the case did not have merit, thereby nulling the second provision of the legislation. Had the Republicans been smart, they would have figured out a way to reinsert the feeding tube while the courts worked it out. They could have done it. But they are too connected to the Churches and the religious right to see clearly enough.

You know, I actually read yesterday that Dic...er, Rick Santorum (R - Sen. Douchbag Nozzle from PA) said, "In this case, saving Terri Schiavo's life is more important than the sanctity of marraige."

I'm serious. He said that.

I'm not going to say that the Democrats are not anywhere in here. In my opinion, they have smartly avoided this issue. But part of me longs for one of them to step in and say, "We are all saddened by this situation, but we firmly believe that this issue is between the family and politics should be far removed from the situation."

But no one wants to even stick their neck out and say it because some Republican will attack them for politicizing the situation. Though the Bush Tag Team has been all over this issue, intervening and doing whatever they can to get the issue in the open.

And for the gajillionth time in a month, I have wondered why the Republicans are getting away with all of this. Because they would prefer skewing the argument to whatever benefits them best. Talk about flip-flopping. It's not okay for two men or two women to marry for the sanctity of marraige, but when a husband has the legal right to decide that the time has come for his ailing and barely cognizant wife, the sanctity of marraige is no longer valid. It's okay for us to save someone in a state like Terri Schiavo, but not okay for us to continue funding programs that provide relief for millions of low-income Americans, children, and families (I'm talking Medicaid amongst other things). I could go on forever here, but I'll stop there.

Who do they think they are kidding? You cannot have it both ways. You cannot even define when life begins and life ends. I mean, they want to preserve life and describe life beginning the minute you meet someone and may or may not decide to copulate with them. They say that if a machine can sustain your life, you should stay on it forever. Yet, they'll do everything they can to screw with you between those times - from the moment you're born to sustained living in a nursing home or hospice.

You know, I'm not going to lie. I'm not going to say that I think Terri Schiavo should live or die. Because that's not my decision to make. I feel incredible sadness at her situation. Not many people are aware, but my cousin in the Philippines suffered from a anuerism of the brain when he was just thirteen and he is still alive. The difference between my cousin and Terri Schiavo is the simple fact that he doesn't need a machine to determine his life and death. He may not be able to feed himself, but he doesn't have to rely on technology to keep him alive. He cannot really speak, either. But he communicates. He listens. He watches you. He plays with you. And while Terri can do that - according the the news - once again, he is not hooked up to a machine. I don't pray very often, but I pray for him. And he has shown improvement over the years. So I have a very good understanding of what her family and friends are going through. But god help me if I ever had to face anything like that with my spouse.

At some point, one has to say enough is enough. One has to know when it's time to go. I was reading earlier that her husband wants to have her cremated and buried near Philly in their hometown. Her family will probably fight that because they are going to argue that as a Roman Catholic, Terri wouldn't have wanted to be cremated.

I want them to cremate her and spread her ashes over the sea so that she can finally be free and no longer belong to anyone anymore.

No matter what, I hope that she may find peace. And that we will stop making politics out of it and point fingers. Because in the end, this is about Terri Schiavo. And she is being forgotten in the midst of all of this. And that is the saddest part of all.