Tom Delay murdered his father in 1988

Just as Michael Schiavo is murdering his wife by starving her, Republican leader Tom Delay murdered his father by suffocating him in 1988.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-delay27mar27,0,7102439,print.story?coll=la-home-headlines

How do you get people to vote against their best interests?

I read the story, fool. His whole family decided not to have his father hooked up to equipment that would artificially sustain his life. Terry, on the other hand didn't need this crap to keep her alive, just a feeding tube. And, I think it's horrible she had to be kept alive for 15 years against her wishes.

Not to go off topic, but how do you know for sure?

Depends on who's propaganda you believe. There's alot of people with nothing to gain from it saying opposite things. Of course, crap like trying to say she was religious "and would listen to the pope" or that her religious beliefs are being violated, and such, that's just pure desparation.

When was the "rehabilitation"/"testing" stopped anyway? I've heard that they stopped any kind of recovery type efforts after a relatively short period of time; and also that she was making progress, and so on. How much of it's true I haven't read about, yet.

Her husband attested. End of story.

The truly fascinating story behind this is that people actually think they know enough to have an opinion.

I find it odd that so much credibility is given to her wishes while she was alive. Considering that she ended up in this state because she suffered from bulemia, I have to question her state of mind leading up to this condition and also the home life she has that facilitated such an extreme condition.

Delay has flip flopped on this issue many times. Delay is also responsible for legislation that makes it okay to terminate babies born with the same condition. He was also responsible for making the decision to terminate his father. However, in this case for political gain he is changing his tune.

This is not about the wishes of a woman in a vegetative state. This is about politics.

This whole Terri Shiavo fiasco is just plain sad.

I can put myself in the hubby's shoes, and I can understand a parent's unwillingness to let a child go. My heart goes out to everyone involved.

I didn't like Republicans before this whole mess, and I won't like them afterwards.

- Ace

Having knowledge of an issue doesn't negate a person's right to have an opinion. The two aren't connected in any way.

Except Lecktor of course! He is the Michael Jordan of the GOP!

Lecktor is from the "Lovable Redneck" wing of the GOP. They are almost as tolerable as the Log Cabin Republicans.

- Ace

Yup - Lecktor is the Lovable Redneck with birkenstocks.

(I'll bet he gets teased a lot about that by his fellow bikers)


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Her husband had extensive testing done in the first 2 years wich included experimental brain surgery . Rehabilitation was stopped because there was no progress and the MRI's conclusively proved that her cerebral cortex had atrophied and turned to liquid. People without a cerebral cortex don't make progress....they persist in a vegatative state until death natural or otherwise.

The saddest thing about this story is that it is played out everyday and will continue to do so...You would think everyone would have a living will after this but there will be those that still won't do it.

I have mine.

I personally think the parents are being selfish by dragging this on and on. Of course they love their Daughter, but where does one draw the line in keeping her 'alive'? They love her but are not considering her feelings in the matter. Are they looking out for her best interests or their own? I do not know ANYONE who would want to 'live' in a vegetative state for years and years til imminent death while the family suffers on and on. Her husband isn't trying to 'murder' her...she died the day she went into her vegetative state. He wants her to be at peace...what is wrong with that?

I have an older sister who was born handicapped, she cannot walk or talk, she is blind, and deaf. What kind of life is that? Living in a special home and living in a wheelchair. She does not know anyone and cannot do anything on her own. If given the choice to let her go, I would. If that seems cruel then you really have no clue and have no right to judge. Her soul needs to go to a place where she can do all the things that she can't here.

I feel for the families, but if it was her wish not to be kept alive in those conditions then let her go, let her be in Peace. Let the heartache end...and the healing begin.

OMG doctors around the world are murdering terminal patients and vegetative patients who wish to not be kept alive by artificial means!!!!! not

What's next, anyone who doesn't have their body cryogenically frozen and their DNA sequenced will be classified as a suicide and their family and doctors murderers?

No, "because her husband says so" isn't good enough...



This could be misinformation, so keep that in mind. But--

I've heard that nurses are claiming that she was making progress, "eating jello" at some point, early on before therapy was stopped. I've also heard that there's "many" doctors who disagree with her evaluation. (Although perhaps 10 years ago was a different case from the present.) I've also heard that the husband was messing around with her medical records, removing pages that contained anything that could be considered "progress" after nurses added notes. I've also heard that nurses overheard him saying some pretty nasty things. I've also heard that basically the first two years or so were different, and then the husband's pattern of behavior changed drastically. And, I've heard the alternate version which goes totally contrary to this one. (Disclaimer: I don't claim to be an expert on the topic..)

I don't know what should be done. But I will not decide one way or the other until real evidence is presented that makes a strong case one way or the other (and of course, I'd need to actually read it ). I'm sure it never will be presented, though. Especially when she dies.

I'm not sure what these nurses have to gain from making things up. The husband MAY still have something to gain if this ends sooner rather than later, if he was in fact behaving the way some allege he was. (Which would be considered criminal.) When she dies I doubt there's much chance of ever finding out the truth about what factor he played in this.

I'm inclined to lean towards life in this case... I think it's better to "err on the side of life" as it was put. If there's even a fraction of self-awareness there, it's (probably) the right thing to do. If there's not--she's not being effected anymore anyway, technically. So take the time to get second opinions and (try to) satisfy those who have been attracted to this via media coverage. I'm sure a more concrete conclusion about this whole thing could have been reached if the people making these decisions really wanted that to happen.

The only thing that can be said for sure here, is that someone is REALLY lieing their asses off about this. Pretty sad really.

Garoad, I challenge your arguments. I don't think you've considered the other side enough...

It is for every other major medical decision. A spouse, unless otherwise specified, has power of attorney.

There's also that whole "sanctity of marriage" thing the right-wingers have been screaming about, but it seems to not come up in this case for some odd reason.


This phrase really irks me. It is possibly the most devisive, egotistical, retarded sound byte popularized by the Bushes yet.

I don't think Terri is even alive. Her EKG is flat. All those nifty lines you see that go across the nifty medical machines that indicate a patient's life? They're all flat except heartbeat. In this way, erring on the side of life could be letting letting nature take its course. Why is Bush, Mr. Iraq War himself, suddenly a credible source of what it means to err on the side of life?



Not necessarily. People believe what they want to believe. People witnessing Terri can see her as unresponsive, or they could take little random movements as signs of life. Nurses, who have formed an emotional bond, have that at stake. It's quite possible that everything is as it says it is, but people just have different perceptions of what is going on.

Her husband has asked that an autopsy be performed after she dies so the extent of her brain damage can be shown.

Real evidence has been presented... before state courts and now before the Federal courts. Many judges have looked at this issue, and all have come to the same conclusion. There has been expert testimony (from both sides), and I'm sure that every nook and cranny of this question has been examined in minute detail by judges who are paid to decide such matters.

The issue that remains is that Terri's parents have lost their case in the courts, and are now trying to win it in the court of public opinion. The whole "Right To Life" crowd has latched onto Terri as their "pet cause of the month".

As I originally said, the whole situation is just plain sad.


- Ace