My wife and I have lost both our children - one to a full-term stillbirth, the other to a waterfall accident a month shy of his 20th birthday (my avatar is actually a piece of his tombstone). Having survived both of those episodes, there's little the world has to offer that really frightens either of us at this point - we feel that together, we can survive nearly anything.
The one and only thing that really causes either of us to lose any sleep nowadays is the prospect of one of us having to live for any appreciable amount of time after the other's death. For the two of us, the option of being allowed to die together would be a truly beautiful thing.
RE: "YHWH is the Rapturian Rights attempt to weasel outta the sin of idolatry."
I only used the term because it was my understanding that early Hebrews weren't allowed to speak the name of Yahweh and that this was one way in which to refer to that god. Please forgive me if I misapplied the term.
That group is called Remote Area Medical. There's a segment with Stan Brock, the founder of the group, on Democracy Now today. You can watch or listen to it at the website now and there will be of the segment within the next hour or two.
I'm really fed up with people who want to deny me free will. In this country I can't even refill a prescription I need (like an inhaler) without my doctor's permission, which the pharmacy will get eventually if I use up all the current ones. Now I listen to these creeps about the "gift" of life and the eternal reward. I very much believe in god and something after death, but I also believe I should have the right to end my life when and how I want. I or my representative should be able to get the necessary drugs to end life when I feel I'm done. That may be because I'm in agony or it may be, as I've stated in my will, that under stated conditions my life may end. If this is against some mythical god's rules then that's my problem and no else's business. I don't need any standing between me and my god.
As for the management-of-pain doctor, she's clearly not experienced extreme pain and tried to get meds from a medical professional who really doesn't care, isn't in pain themselves and really believes, as many Americans do, that suffering is what should happen to humans and we need to learn to "handle" it. I've actually been told this by a licensed therapist. I've been in chronic pain since I was 10 years old and I will be until I die because I've had autoimmune disease that's attacked my joints since I was 3 and now that I'm in late middle age sometimes I can barely walk and if its a special request, like a vacation where I'll be walking a lot I can get a little vicodin, but I don't expect anything more. I go to accupuncture when I really need help, but for ruined joints, it's temporary at best. I've had cancer and survived it fortunately with minimal physical discomfort. But when I know that all quality of life is over and I want to move on. THAT'S MY DECISION AND ONLY MINE. I don't need the government telling me what to do at the end.
I am always amazed when people tell me they know the mind of "God", and I am to listen to them.
We all create "God" in our own image.
My image of "God" does not wish for me to suffer in order to grow spiritually. My image of "God" allows me to die with dignity.
Jeez, B Roll, you really threw me a curve ball (so to speak) with that last post. There might be another type of blog where you could find the answer to your question. LOL
Thom,
While I'm in favor of euthanasia on general principle, I wonder if doctors' Hippocratic oath to do no harm might be a sticking point.
i will never forget the 60 minutes piece on remote area medical. remote area medical is an organization of doctors and nurses that volunteer to go to ares around the world to give medical care to the poor. the 60 minutes piece was done in Tennessee in the united states. to see the lines of people waiting to seek all kinds of care from a medical doctor, dentist or eye doctor . these people where poor white Americans. many had to be turn away. i need to learn more to understand why some poor white Americans would vote republican.
I doubt that Father Tad has ever experienced prolonged, excruciating pain. I recently had minor sugery which unfortunately led to a complication rssulting in a period during which I was in extreme pain. During that time I had no ability to reflect or grow, only to suffer. My only relief was the knowledge that it was transitory and would soon subside. I can't imagine the state of someone terminally ill who can hope for no relief other than that provided by medication, but I believe that personal spiritual growth is beyond the ability of most of us in such a situation.
After reading all those anti-Israeli rants for the past couple of days, no wonder the Israelis feel isolated, and are a bit paranoid. The fact remains that Israel exists because of ranters like this, and centuries of virulent anti-Semitism in nearly all countries Jews immigrated to after being expelled from Israel by the Romans for fighting for their freedom. After the establishment of the state of Israel, there were four multi-nationsl invasions between 1948 and 1974 whose purpose was to obliterate Israel. As I stated on Monday, the Palestinians must take some accountability for the actions of their chosen "leaders" who have never wavered from their sole purpose of existing--the destruction of Israel. I personally think a two-state solution is a fantasy, because I don't think the Palestinians are capable of establishing a coherent state without being heavily subsidized by other nations. And let's remember that Palestine for the past 2,000 years has never existed as an independent state, but always under the control of various "empires," and its modern incarnation is the creation of the British mandate after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Hypocrisy on this matter doesn't change the reality on the ground. The bottom line is that the Palestinians could have peace if they want it; it is not up to Israel, it is up them to decide if they want it.
Why is it considered humane to put a suffering animal down, but a human being must draw their last tortured breath?
If one believes suffering is for their own good, fine; let THEM suffer. Just don't tell me that I have to. I wish to die with dignity!
What does this guy know about having children or being a parent. No wonder no one wants to go to church anymore - wack job. Usurping the throne of G-d. Dr. Tad Potato head check. A real- tater tot big time that guy. Who wants to go to his heaven- next.
This priest is a nut case. Its none of his business when or how anyone chooses to have us 'suffer.' What is he, some sadhist. We only grow when we suffer? A cop out- this guy is one royal a hole big time.
I have always thought the Inuit had it right --- I've heard that elderly members of the group who felt it was time to "go" would wander out into a snow bank and freeze to death:
"The prefix "eu" means "happy." Thus, the word "euphoria" means "happy mood," the word "eugenics" means "happy genes," and the word "euthanasia" means "happy death." The question of euthanasia is hardly a new one in biomedical ethics. Cultures which live in extreme conditions, such as nomadic cultures and those who live in more delicate ecosystems, for example the Inuit people who live in extremely low temperatures, have often practiced euthanasia as a matter of course. When a member of that culture grew too old to care for himself or herself, when a defective infant was born, the culture had developed rituals for hastening the deaths of people for whom it could not properly care."
Do you have any more info. on the Republicans and Eric Holder (Re: "They were doing what they did to Spitzer when he was causing trouble - reviewed his call on file at the NSA.")
Regarding yesterday's show....
On "Obama is spreading the wealth" comment - the alternative is "concentrating the wealth." The republicans have been very good and that we need to start using "redistribution of wealth to the wealthy" as the way to describe them.
Here is a darker thought on Eric Holder. Remember the confirmation hearings where they were "tenderizing him" - they needed some extra time before they would confirm him. They were doing what they did to Spitzer when he was causing trouble - reviewed his call on file at the NSA.
btw, I also spent alot of time at the local library reading through the biography and the sci fi sections, as well as stacks of magazines of all sorts. The library has always been my "home away from home." Whenever I moved to a new city, one of the first buildings I would locate was the public library (my "candy store.") You can imagine how I felt when I moved to NYC and got my library card at the 49th St. library!
Thanks for you wonderful, thoughtful post at the end of yesterday's blog. I read it twice and will probably go back and read it at least once more.
I am aware of the info. you cite regarding Akenaton (or Akenaten, also accepted spelling.) Maybe I misphrased my previous comments. I understood, from my readings, that Akenaton was the first to worship one god, which I thought later may have inspired the idea of worshipping one Jewish god - YHWH.
When I did most of my reading, I could find no apparent proof of a link between monotheistic Egypt and a Semitic group which left Egypt (the Hebrews.) All I could find was info on Hittites and I knew that wasn't even close, tho interesting. Since then, alot of additional archeological info. has come to light which helps to fill in the gaps.
MORE OF THOM HARTMANN'S ZIONIST "JUSTICE" AND WHITE SUPREMACY
WHAT A BLOODLUSTING FRAUD ....DON'T EVER SPEAK OF EQUAL RIGHTS AND JUSTICE AGAIN.
Israeli officer gets 21 day sentence over death of 17-year-old girl
An Israeli Defense Force officer was handed 21 days in jail on Tuesday following an inquiry which determined the soldier may have mistakenly ordered artillery dropped on a refugee camp, killing a 17-year-old Palestinian girl and wounding 11 others, including a baby.
The shell was intended for a house the IDF was allegedly receiving fire from, Israeli publication Y-Net reported.
“The Nachal Brigade’s Granite force was patrolling near the northern border fence earlier this month when it was attacked by gunfire and mortar shells from within Gaza,” Y-Net noted.
“The force returned fire using the Keshet weapons system, an autonomous mortar with the ability to aim and navigate independently.”
Instead of hitting the target area, the IDF said it is “highly likely” that it dropped on a home in the al-Bureij refugee camp.
Initially, the Israeli army suggested a Palestinian shell had injured the civilians and killed the girl. The military also said it would investigate whether terrorists staged the attack.
However, “The IDF force was targeted by RPG shells, while the home was completely destroyed, which shows it was a result of Israeli artillery fire,” an unnamed Palestinian said, according to Y-Net’s first report on the incident. “No rocket or RPG could cause the kind of destruction we saw at the house.”
“[Mortar] shells fired by the soldiers landed in open areas in the Gaza Strip,” The Jerusalem Post reported on July 3. The claim was later retracted by the military.
“Our force returned mortar fire in a manner not in accordance with area guidelines,” an IDF spokesperson told Y-Net. “The firing officer has been punished. It is important to note that the investigation has not been able to determine the cause of the woman’s death.”
My wife and I have lost both our children - one to a full-term stillbirth, the other to a waterfall accident a month shy of his 20th birthday (my avatar is actually a piece of his tombstone). Having survived both of those episodes, there's little the world has to offer that really frightens either of us at this point - we feel that together, we can survive nearly anything.
The one and only thing that really causes either of us to lose any sleep nowadays is the prospect of one of us having to live for any appreciable amount of time after the other's death. For the two of us, the option of being allowed to die together would be a truly beautiful thing.
Richard Adlof,
RE: "YHWH is the Rapturian Rights attempt to weasel outta the sin of idolatry."
I only used the term because it was my understanding that early Hebrews weren't allowed to speak the name of Yahweh and that this was one way in which to refer to that god. Please forgive me if I misapplied the term.
brian a. hayes
That group is called Remote Area Medical. There's a segment with Stan Brock, the founder of the group, on Democracy Now today. You can watch or listen to it at the website now and there will be of the segment within the next hour or two.
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/7/22/uninsured_travel_from_across_us_for
YHWH is the Rapturian Rights attempt to weasel outta the sin of idolatry.
The God of the matriarchs and patriarchs is יהוה
I'm really fed up with people who want to deny me free will. In this country I can't even refill a prescription I need (like an inhaler) without my doctor's permission, which the pharmacy will get eventually if I use up all the current ones. Now I listen to these creeps about the "gift" of life and the eternal reward. I very much believe in god and something after death, but I also believe I should have the right to end my life when and how I want. I or my representative should be able to get the necessary drugs to end life when I feel I'm done. That may be because I'm in agony or it may be, as I've stated in my will, that under stated conditions my life may end. If this is against some mythical god's rules then that's my problem and no else's business. I don't need any standing between me and my god.
As for the management-of-pain doctor, she's clearly not experienced extreme pain and tried to get meds from a medical professional who really doesn't care, isn't in pain themselves and really believes, as many Americans do, that suffering is what should happen to humans and we need to learn to "handle" it. I've actually been told this by a licensed therapist. I've been in chronic pain since I was 10 years old and I will be until I die because I've had autoimmune disease that's attacked my joints since I was 3 and now that I'm in late middle age sometimes I can barely walk and if its a special request, like a vacation where I'll be walking a lot I can get a little vicodin, but I don't expect anything more. I go to accupuncture when I really need help, but for ruined joints, it's temporary at best. I've had cancer and survived it fortunately with minimal physical discomfort. But when I know that all quality of life is over and I want to move on. THAT'S MY DECISION AND ONLY MINE. I don't need the government telling me what to do at the end.
I am always amazed when people tell me they know the mind of "God", and I am to listen to them.
We all create "God" in our own image.
My image of "God" does not wish for me to suffer in order to grow spiritually. My image of "God" allows me to die with dignity.
Jeez, B Roll, you really threw me a curve ball (so to speak) with that last post. There might be another type of blog where you could find the answer to your question. LOL
Thom,
While I'm in favor of euthanasia on general principle, I wonder if doctors' Hippocratic oath to do no harm might be a sticking point.
i will never forget the 60 minutes piece on remote area medical. remote area medical is an organization of doctors and nurses that volunteer to go to ares around the world to give medical care to the poor. the 60 minutes piece was done in Tennessee in the united states. to see the lines of people waiting to seek all kinds of care from a medical doctor, dentist or eye doctor . these people where poor white Americans. many had to be turn away. i need to learn more to understand why some poor white Americans would vote republican.
Support H.R. 676 – Sponsored by Rangel and Kucinich. Single-payer for all.
Yes- going to G-d will relieve pain - hello. Who are you to get in between me and G-d.
Quark,
Does that mean that I have to rename Mr. Happy to Mr. Eu? Funny, he doesn't look Chinese.
The reason why the AMA won't let you die is because you will no longer be generating a profit for them.
I doubt that Father Tad has ever experienced prolonged, excruciating pain. I recently had minor sugery which unfortunately led to a complication rssulting in a period during which I was in extreme pain. During that time I had no ability to reflect or grow, only to suffer. My only relief was the knowledge that it was transitory and would soon subside. I can't imagine the state of someone terminally ill who can hope for no relief other than that provided by medication, but I believe that personal spiritual growth is beyond the ability of most of us in such a situation.
After reading all those anti-Israeli rants for the past couple of days, no wonder the Israelis feel isolated, and are a bit paranoid. The fact remains that Israel exists because of ranters like this, and centuries of virulent anti-Semitism in nearly all countries Jews immigrated to after being expelled from Israel by the Romans for fighting for their freedom. After the establishment of the state of Israel, there were four multi-nationsl invasions between 1948 and 1974 whose purpose was to obliterate Israel. As I stated on Monday, the Palestinians must take some accountability for the actions of their chosen "leaders" who have never wavered from their sole purpose of existing--the destruction of Israel. I personally think a two-state solution is a fantasy, because I don't think the Palestinians are capable of establishing a coherent state without being heavily subsidized by other nations. And let's remember that Palestine for the past 2,000 years has never existed as an independent state, but always under the control of various "empires," and its modern incarnation is the creation of the British mandate after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Hypocrisy on this matter doesn't change the reality on the ground. The bottom line is that the Palestinians could have peace if they want it; it is not up to Israel, it is up them to decide if they want it.
Why is it considered humane to put a suffering animal down, but a human being must draw their last tortured breath?
If one believes suffering is for their own good, fine; let THEM suffer. Just don't tell me that I have to. I wish to die with dignity!
What does this guy know about having children or being a parent. No wonder no one wants to go to church anymore - wack job. Usurping the throne of G-d. Dr. Tad Potato head check. A real- tater tot big time that guy. Who wants to go to his heaven- next.
This priest is a nut case. Its none of his business when or how anyone chooses to have us 'suffer.' What is he, some sadhist. We only grow when we suffer? A cop out- this guy is one royal a hole big time.
I have always thought the Inuit had it right --- I've heard that elderly members of the group who felt it was time to "go" would wander out into a snow bank and freeze to death:
"The prefix "eu" means "happy." Thus, the word "euphoria" means "happy mood," the word "eugenics" means "happy genes," and the word "euthanasia" means "happy death." The question of euthanasia is hardly a new one in biomedical ethics. Cultures which live in extreme conditions, such as nomadic cultures and those who live in more delicate ecosystems, for example the Inuit people who live in extremely low temperatures, have often practiced euthanasia as a matter of course. When a member of that culture grew too old to care for himself or herself, when a defective infant was born, the culture had developed rituals for hastening the deaths of people for whom it could not properly care."
http://www.miracosta.cc.ca.us/home/lmoon/EUpage.html
Mike,
Do you have any more info. on the Republicans and Eric Holder (Re: "They were doing what they did to Spitzer when he was causing trouble - reviewed his call on file at the NSA.")
RE: "You can imagine how I felt when I moved to NYC and got my library card at the 49th St. library!"
s.b. 42nd St. library!
Regarding yesterday's show....
On "Obama is spreading the wealth" comment - the alternative is "concentrating the wealth." The republicans have been very good and that we need to start using "redistribution of wealth to the wealthy" as the way to describe them.
Here is a darker thought on Eric Holder. Remember the confirmation hearings where they were "tenderizing him" - they needed some extra time before they would confirm him. They were doing what they did to Spitzer when he was causing trouble - reviewed his call on file at the NSA.
btw, I also spent alot of time at the local library reading through the biography and the sci fi sections, as well as stacks of magazines of all sorts. The library has always been my "home away from home." Whenever I moved to a new city, one of the first buildings I would locate was the public library (my "candy store.") You can imagine how I felt when I moved to NYC and got my library card at the 49th St. library!
s.b. "Hebrew god --YHWH."
B Roll,
Thanks for you wonderful, thoughtful post at the end of yesterday's blog. I read it twice and will probably go back and read it at least once more.
I am aware of the info. you cite regarding Akenaton (or Akenaten, also accepted spelling.) Maybe I misphrased my previous comments. I understood, from my readings, that Akenaton was the first to worship one god, which I thought later may have inspired the idea of worshipping one Jewish god - YHWH.
When I did most of my reading, I could find no apparent proof of a link between monotheistic Egypt and a Semitic group which left Egypt (the Hebrews.) All I could find was info on Hittites and I knew that wasn't even close, tho interesting. Since then, alot of additional archeological info. has come to light which helps to fill in the gaps.
MORE OF THOM HARTMANN'S ZIONIST "JUSTICE" AND WHITE SUPREMACY
WHAT A BLOODLUSTING FRAUD ....DON'T EVER SPEAK OF EQUAL RIGHTS AND JUSTICE AGAIN.
Israeli officer gets 21 day sentence over death of 17-year-old girl
An Israeli Defense Force officer was handed 21 days in jail on Tuesday following an inquiry which determined the soldier may have mistakenly ordered artillery dropped on a refugee camp, killing a 17-year-old Palestinian girl and wounding 11 others, including a baby.
The shell was intended for a house the IDF was allegedly receiving fire from, Israeli publication Y-Net reported.
“The Nachal Brigade’s Granite force was patrolling near the northern border fence earlier this month when it was attacked by gunfire and mortar shells from within Gaza,” Y-Net noted.
“The force returned fire using the Keshet weapons system, an autonomous mortar with the ability to aim and navigate independently.”
Instead of hitting the target area, the IDF said it is “highly likely” that it dropped on a home in the al-Bureij refugee camp.
Initially, the Israeli army suggested a Palestinian shell had injured the civilians and killed the girl. The military also said it would investigate whether terrorists staged the attack.
However, “The IDF force was targeted by RPG shells, while the home was completely destroyed, which shows it was a result of Israeli artillery fire,” an unnamed Palestinian said, according to Y-Net’s first report on the incident. “No rocket or RPG could cause the kind of destruction we saw at the house.”
“[Mortar] shells fired by the soldiers landed in open areas in the Gaza Strip,” The Jerusalem Post reported on July 3. The claim was later retracted by the military.
“Our force returned mortar fire in a manner not in accordance with area guidelines,” an IDF spokesperson told Y-Net. “The firing officer has been punished. It is important to note that the investigation has not been able to determine the cause of the woman’s death.”