When Terri's finally gone, would it be possible for DUers

[clem_c_rock]

to maybe take 2% of that energy you all put into posting about 1 person and focus it on other topics that could affect millions of people if not spark WWIII.

Topic #1. Invasion of Iran. This could easily be the end. If it
Doesn't spark WWIII, it will certainly be the straw that
devestates our economy (if that straw hasn't already been
long dropped), bring backs a draft.

Topic #2. What happened in Falluja. Folks, I think we're safe to
count on the fact Napalm was used. Hospitals were
purposefully targeted so there would be no victim report.
Now it's almost safe to count on the fact that Chemical
weapons were used as well. We're supposedly a
democracy, that means this has been done in all of our
names.

Topic #3. Collapse of the US economy. This doesn't look good. It
May change many of our living standards to 3rd world
standards. If someone told me I should buy a house
right now and start a family, I would tell them they
are out of their minds.

We have a lot of issues that, if many of them come to pass, that will make us wish we could be only talking about Terri again.

PS: AND FOR GOD'S SAKE PLEASE NOTE THAT I'M NOT SAYING THAT THIS IS AN
IMPORTANT ISSUE. IT NEEDS TO BE TALKED ABOUT - I AGREE. CAN WE
EXPAND OUR DISSCUSSION TOPICS A BIT IS ALL I'M ASKING.

[Demit]

1. Hopefully it will be possible then for people to stop

rebuking others for what they choose to talk about.

[mondo joe]

2. Since you asked that way, NO. n/t

[Terran]

3. The repugs made Terri "about" more than one person

Forgive DUers for responding to the most blatant attacks yet from the right on our constitution and legal system. I wouldn't worry; the topics you mention are very important to a lot of us.

[clem_c_rock]

10. Funny, when I post any articles on them they get 0 - 5 responses

[Guckert]

4. No. we like to focus on real issues like Terri and Steroids in baseball.

[wtbymark]

5. you can add to that

4) Seeing that the sunset clause on the Patriot Act is observed and not made permanent law

5)DeLay's numerous ethics violations be prosecuted and punished

6)Payolla Punditry fully exposed, expunged, and the people responsible punished

[Virginian]

13. and other things, too

7.) The Plame investigation
What ever happened to finding out who committed the felony of exposing a covert CIA operative. Why is this felon still employed at the White House?

8) Enron! How is Ken Lay these days? When is his trial. He certainly distroyed the lives and fortunes of a lot of people while making himself filthy rich.

9) The rise in Oil Prices and Drilling in ANWAR and the other interests of the Big Oil people that get favorable treatment.

[seabeyond]

6. this one person, effects all our lives here in u.s.

it isnt about teri. and if you odnt see the repercussions or possibilities of these action with terri, well hey, that is cool. some of us see it is a major event, that will shake the whole political field. i personally feel it is pretty important. but if it makes you feel better to talk down to so many, well, go for it

[clem_c_rock]

14. Here's another assault on our entire lives: STOLEN ELECTIONS

If you disagree it isn't a problem try to debunk these points:

http://nightweed.com/usavotefacts.html
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0307/S00065.htm#password

[mondo joe]

22. Goodness knows we've never spent time talking about that on DU. n/t

[hinachan]

27. What "stolen elections"?

Heck, we're saying that Terri S. is 100% for certain in a persistent vegetative state, just because some judges say so. If their judgement is that infallible, therefore, the elections weren't stolen because even SUPREME COURT judges said so. I mean, to hell with the fact that Michael S.' lawyer was a major contributor to the campaign of the judge that sided in favor of Michael...there's no such thing as corrupt judges. ;)

I've been such a fool, being upset about the 2000 and 2004 elections supposedly being stolen. Who am I to question the Supreme Court judges OR the 20 judges who say that Terri is unaware of her surroundings. (I guess those morphine shots they're giving her now are just for fun, since she can't feel pain...JUDGES TOLD US SO! And I guess doctors can't be wrong, either. I mean, there's no such thing as a successful malpractice suit, right?)

And let's not forget, one of the judges in question here is a right-wing Republican. We all know right-wing judges are NEVER wrong. ;)

Oh, wait...this one ruled that a man wasn't a danger to his wife, when she sought an injunction to protect herself from him. A few days later, the man stabbed his wife to death. Such wisdom! Such fairness! I'm in awe!

You know, folks, if you want to goosestep behind a right-wing judge who has a thing for sentencing women to unpleasant deaths, that's your choice. Just please don't ask me to do the same.

[mondo joe]

32. Time to make more corrections:

1. "Heck, we're saying that Terri S. is 100% for certain in a persistent vegetative state, just because some judges say so."

No, we're saying the best medical knowledge available says she is in PVS because every qualified neurologist who has examined her agrees she is.

2. "If their judgement is that infallible, therefore, the elections weren't stolen because even SUPREME COURT judges said so."

No one said courts are infallible. Courts CAN'T be infallible because that is a non legal standard. The best a court can be is legally sound, and this one was.

3. "(I guess those morphine shots they're giving her now are just for fun, since she can't feel pain...JUDGES TOLD US SO! And I guess doctors can't be wrong, either. I mean, there's no such thing as a successful malpractice suit, right?)"

Are you saying successful malpractice suits mean a doctor was wrong? Because you just finished up saying courts are not infallible.

So which is it?

4. "And let's not forget, one of the judges in question here is a right-wing Republican. We all know right-wing judges are NEVER wrong."

Almost every judge in the whole process, from dems to repubs have all agreed. Even the Supreme Court with its wide idealogical split was unanimous. So political bias in a non issue.

[0007]

7. Man, I wish this Terri thingie would go away!

[hinachan]

28. "This Terri thingie"?

Whatever side you take on this issue, Terri and her family are human beings caught in a horrendous situation. It's not a "thingie". (Sounds like Michael Jackson, when he referred to feces as "doo doo".)

[0007]

29. You can't be fucking serious!

Terri's family are first class nut jobbers. Michael Jackson probably has more creditability .

(((((((((((((((((((((((((gong)))))))))))))))))))))))))))

The doo doo head came off of the thingie Dearie

[KharmaTrain]

8. How About Party Building?

There's an election 18 months away...Democrats face the battle for their very existance as a national party and can put the brakes on this regime and this invasion...but not by wishing and hoping and posting on message board. The time is now to start organizing, fund raising and building up local party organizations so Democrats can avoiding losing further seats and pick up the 10 to 15 in the House that are needed to send DeLay, Hastert and the rest of the worst abusers of our system in the back benches.

I see precious little out here about people who are already involved in campaigns and even less from the national party that wasn't much of a help on the local level in the past.

Want to make a difference? Want to end this invasion? Want to start the long road to taking our country back? A call to your local Democratic precinct office is one hell of a good start.

[mmonk]

9. I feel this is a real issue that affects us because

I think this was a strategy to affect the judicial battles. For 2 decades, the republicans have been focusing on it. Rove and company are about total control and power (they think that a judicial strategy can help secure republican control for many years).

[clem_c_rock]

11. I agree TOTALLY - this is a real issue, but i posted something

about the Patriot act - A massive attack on our personal rights - I would be lucky to get anyone to respond to this.

[seabeyond]

15. i am going out to buy a car

adn i keep thinking about peak oil, and what is to come. just have a strong feeling. i woke this morning with such a feel that business has been so corrupt and economy so hollowed that we have really created a bad for all of us to experience. i wont go to airports anymore because of the patriot act, i have no desire strong enough to make me want to take that trip. and i am really having fun in all the old people pot smoker thread

[mondo joe]

19. Since we're all too stupid to understand what's important, why

do you want our attention anyway?

[clem_c_rock]

20. Noone used the word stupid anywhere except you.

Maybe you can remove the emotional responses and replace them w/ and actual response to what I was posting which really wasn't that controversial in the first place.

[mondo joe]

21. Rephrase: Since we don't seem to know where to direct our energy

on our own, why would you want our participation?

[Zan_of_Texas]

12. more

Topic #4 - the stolen elections. What are we going to do to stop the runaway train of stolen democracy.

Topic #5 - the propaganda machine / echo chamber called corporate media. How are we going to put pressure on it, and continue to build alternatives? And, how are we going to stop our OWN taxpayer money, hundreds of millions, from buying more propaganda to convince us to join the Delusion Hordes.

Topic #6 - how do we build economic structures that allow people dignity and equity, in this country and abroad? Sending jobs overseas is leaving only hands-on jobs here, like trucking and nursing.

Topic #7 - how do we break our addiction to fossil fuels, which are in decline, and how do we break our addiction to spending our money and kids on war to get those fossil fuels owned by others?

[clem_c_rock]

16. Thanks - I wanted to mention those too.

These are issues that will have massive reprecussions to nearly everyone's lives not just the tiny percentage that end up in Terri's situation.

In other words we're talking about a billion to one ratio.

[gollygee]

17. Is #3 related to Peak Oil?

cause we need more discussion of that IMO

[Zan_of_Texas]

26. peak oil - see Topic #7 a few posts up. eom

[MrModerate]

18. I agree: the Schiavo case has been a huge distraction . . .

From much more serious issues.

However, it's not surprizing that DUers would latch onto an issue that is 1) "gripping the nation," as they say, and 2) particularly when the RWFTs have put their collective foot in such a large pile of elephant-doo.

Repubs' simulation of sincerity has been a powerful weapon for them, but now it may be wearing thin. If we can get a substantial number of voters to realize how wicked these pols really are, that will magnify any organizing efforts we put forth.

I'm a little remote from the frenzy (being in a furrin country an' all) but from this side of the pond, the fundies sure look like dumb clucks, and their enablers look dumb AND cynical.

[mmonk]

25. ignore at our peril

No one said it was the greatest issue, most burning issue, etc. It's mobilizing the base when it needs mobilizing for another play at power. They know many Americans will shrug it off. No moderate republicans are going to be contacting their representatives over it, just the well organized right to lifers and such.

[SmokingJacket]

23. Of course people will go back to the old subjects...

we always do. But you can't really blame people for latching on to the new thing.

What's more to say about the impending collapse of the economy? "It's gonna happen!" "Nah, it's not!" "Well, let's wait and see!" Same with Iran: "Gonna happen!" "No way!"

Schiavo raised a whole pile of new questions. It was also exciting to see the Repubs stumbling all over themselves.

But even I had enough of it after a while and had to take a posting break for several days...

[onecitizen]

24. Why don't you start a.........

thread about one of those topics and see what happens? If people are ready to move on from Terri, they'll pick it up and go with it. If they are not ready, you'll probably have to wait till it's out of our collective systems. At least that seems to me to be the way it works around here. Majority usually rules. Shaming only makes us belligerent usually.

[Marnieworld]

30. I'll talk about attempts to make this a Theocracy and

attempts to circumvent all checks and balances of the branches of government to create a totalitarian state.

Oh wait a minute! Then I'd still be talking about Teri Schiavo since that IS WHAT THIS HAS BEEN ABOUT. Not just one person but an attempt by a large and largely in control, group of people to completely change America as it is into what they want it to be. Do not dismiss this case as so much media and political distraction. This case is emblematic of the greater problem as much as stealing elections.

[UTUSN]

31. Our Interest Regards How the Wingnuts 1)Subvert Democracy

2) assaulted the court system, and 3) assaulted our individual rights.

Repeating, it was NOT the family situation that was the core of the furor. It was how our political enemies were making political hay, then proceeded to thug their way into the legislative process.

When we delved into the specifics of the SCHIAVO case, it was to refute scurrilous and false representations, not to re-hash the 15 year old case itself.

And just another addendum, we Dems are NOT pro-DEATH in this or in reproductive CHOICES. We're about CHOICE. And we will not be celebrating when Terri SCHIAVO passes.