Brain-Dead Politics On The Left
By Chuck Muth (03/24/05)
When it comes to truly complicated, controversial and difficult issues, the debate these days is rarely between Democrats and Republicans. Let's face it, on issue after issue of importance, the left's arguments are about as deep as a parking lot puddle.
When thoughtful debate and disagreement on an issue takes place, it's almost ALWAYS among conservatives themselves. So it shouldn't come as any surprise that Democrats have been again relegated to the sidelines during the emotional debate over what to do about Terri Schiavo.
Schiavo, in case you've been on Mars for the past few weeks, is the unfortunate Florida woman who a state judge has ruled must be disconnected from the feeding tube which is keeping her alive. Naturally, like mosquitoes to a bug zapper, all the media attention has spurred Congress to get into the act. But should it?
And that, my friends, is a darn good question. A difficult question. A complicated question. A serious question. And not surprisingly, Democrats have been pretty much left out of the debate. No one really cares what they think. This intellectual and constitutional battle over the Schiavo matter is taking place almost exclusively among those on the right, with bona-fide card-carrying limited-government types finding themselves on opposite sides of the issue.
Talk-show host Neal Boortz, for example, objects to the federal intervention in what he sees as a state issue: "The matter of Terri Schiavo has already been decided in the courts of the State of Florida," he writes. "Due process has run its course. But along come the Republicans to once again expand the role of the federal government. From this day on your right to die, your right to instruct your loved ones to not take extraordinary measures to keep you alive if disaster strikes, is a federal matter, not a state one."
On the other hand, the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal sees a congressional role in this matter: "(Federalism) is not simply about 'states' rights.' Conservatives support states' rights in areas that are not delegated to the federal government but they also support federal power in areas that ARE delegated. . . . The bill before Congress essentially treats the Florida judgment as a death sentence, warranting federal habeas review.
Mrs. Schiavo is not on life support. The court order to remove the feeding tube is an order to starve her to death. Moreover, Mrs. Schiavo is arguably being deprived of her life without due process of law, a violation of the 14th Amendment that Congress has the power to address."
And then there are conservatives such as Lyn Nofziger, Ronald Reagan's former press secretary, who agree with both sides of the argument.
"Ordinarily I believe the federal government should keep its nose out of state affairs and this is plainly a state's rights, 10th Amendment case. It is also the exception that proves the rule. For me it boils down to this:
What kind of a nation are we becoming that we would be willing to stand by and let a state - in this case Florida - abet the murder by starvation and dehydration of a helpless human being whose only crime is that she is the wife of a man who wants her dead so he can marry someone else?"
Yes, conservatives of good conscience can and are finding themselves credibly and legitimately on opposites side of this argument. The only thing everyone can agree on is that Democrats have nothing substantive to add to this national debate. The fact that no one gives a whip what they think about this life-and-death issue is yet another indication that the left, intellectually speaking, is itself brain-dead.
Maybe it's time to pull the plug on THEM.
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