BY JAMES TARANTO
Thursday, March 31, 2005 3:49 p.m.
Terri Schiavo, RIP
After 13 days of court-ordered dehydration and starvation, Terri Schiavo is dead. CNN reports her husband, Michael, barred her parents from her bedside before she perished:
John Centonze, the brother of Michael Schiavo's live-in girlfriend Jodi Centonze, said Michael Schiavo was with Terri Schiavo when she died.
A friend who phoned Michael Schiavo soon after news broke of his wife's death said he couldn't talk. "He (Michael) couldn't speak, he was crying," Russ Hyden said.
That John Centonze is certainly a mensch. It's not every guy who would make time to act as the spokesman for his sister's live-in boyfriend who's just lost his wife.
Liberalism Without Compassion
This morning President Bush offered his condolences to the family of Terri Schiavo:
The essence of civilization is that the strong have a duty to protect the weak. In cases where there are serious doubts and questions, the presumption should be in the favor of life.
"The strong have a duty to protect the weak": Didn't that use to be a liberal sentiment? To be sure, some prominent left-liberals--Jesse Jackson, Ralph Nader, Sen. Tom Harkin--joined the effort to save Mrs. Schiavo, and 47 House Democrats out of 100 voted in favor of the law that would have done so had the courts not defied it. But it seems clear that liberalism is not as compassionate as it once was.
Why? Part of it surely has to do with abortion politics. In the aftermath of Roe v. Wade, as we've argued, American liberals have supported ever-more-extreme pro-abortion positions (and we say this as someone who is moderately pro-choice on the issue). Defending such practices as partial-birth abortion entails the dehumanization of unborn life, and the dehumanization of other "incomplete" forms of life follows logically from this. As Carol Stahl argues in the Amarillo (Texas) Globe:
Because they are not persons, fetuses are not entitled to the same extensive rights as persons. Pregnant women are persons. And, as bioethics professor Andrew Johnson wrote in the February/March issue of Free Inquiry magazine, "Persons cannot rightly be forced to make their bodies available as incubators to unwanted nonpersons for nine months, especially considering the physical dangers, emotional trauma, and drastic life-changes pregnancy often entails."
Johnson also stated that "(t)he vast majority of human beings are persons, because they exhibit the qualities generally thought to be characteristic of persons: intelligence, autonomy, self-awareness, emotion, future-regarding intentions, and moral responsibility, among others."
But Johnson reminds us that not all human beings are persons. Brain-dead humans sustained by life support are one familiar, tragic example.
Mrs. Schiavo was neither on life support nor brain-dead; she was unable to swallow and in a persistent vegetative state, which means she lacked higher cognitive functions, but her brainstem was not substantially damaged. But for many, that's enough to declare that she was no longer a person. As we've noted repeatedly, advocates for the disabled worry--to our mind, quite reasonably--that they may be the next to be defined out of "personhood."
In a fascinating essay for The Weekly Standard, Eric Cohen argues that what went wrong in the Schiavo case was that "procedural liberalism"--the respect for Mrs. Schiavo's right to make her own decisions--gave way to "ideological liberalism"--the presumption that because she was unable to make such decisions, her life was worthless:
Treating autonomy as an absolute makes a person's dignity turn entirely on his or her capacity to act autonomously. It leads to the view that only those with the ability to express their will possess any dignity at all--everyone else is "life unworthy of life."
This is what ideological liberalism now seems to believe--whether in regard to early human embryos, or late-stage dementia patients, or fetuses with Down syndrome. And in the end, the Schiavo case is just one more act in modern liberalism's betrayal of the vulnerable people it once claimed to speak for.
Opinion on the Schiavo case did not split along traditional left-right lines, of course; libertarian-leaning conservatives tended to side with those who wished to pull her feeding tube. Autonomy and compassion are both important values, and there are dangers in overvaluing either at the expense of the other.
It does seem, though, that the "religious right," for better or worse, has supplanted the liberal left as the political faction that most strongly and consistently advocates compassion in social policy.
An Actual Fetus Theft
Consider these two headlines:
"Suspect in Fetus Theft Headed Back to Missouri"--MSNBC.com, Dec. 23, 2004
"Two Women Sought in Theft of Fetus"--Associated Press, March 30
It seems there's a rash of "fetus thefts" afoot in the land. Only the two crimes these stories describe are totally different. In the first, a pregnant woman was murdered, and her killers cut out and abducted her child. In the second, a preserved fetus was taken from a museum exhibit.
In other words, the December case wasn't a "fetus theft" at all, but a murder and kidnapping. But out of solicitude for the abortion lobby, some news organizations were at pains not to call it what it was, so instead they labeled it a "fetus theft."
Playing to Type
Yesterday we noted a hilarious Boston Globe story about an evangelical Christian family from Ohio, which treated its subjects as if they came from some sort of exotic alien culture. Here's an excerpt from a letter to the editor the Globe printed in response:
The Wilkersons' singleminded and self-absorbed quest for Heaven, for themselves and their children, suggests that they have also forgotten the lesson of Ephesians 2:8-10. "By grace we are saved through faith--yet we are saved unto good works, which God has ordained for us to perform."
How far from the teachings of Christ can one fall and still consider oneself so wholly Christian? How long will an agenda that claims to be the word of Christ yet ignores the spirit of Christian kindness and justice be allowed to hijack our national discourse?
The letter's author is Michael Feely of Medford, Mass. The guy is a walking, talking stereotype: a touchy Feely liberal!
Physician, Heal Thyself
"Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean ripped into U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum at a party fund-raiser in Old City last night," the Philadelphia Inquirer reports:
Dean, a former Vermont governor and former Democratic presidential candidate, called Santorum, a Republican who is up for reelection in Pennsylvania in 2006, a "liar" and "right-winger" who actually lives in Virginia.
"He doesn't tell the truth," Dean told a gathering of about 150 at Bluezette on Market Street. . . .
Dean joked that Santorum should "stay in Virginia," although he added that the senator was "too much of a right-winger for Virginia. How about Venezuela?"
The next paragraph says that Dean urged his fellow Democrats "to use less confrontational language with those socially conservative Democrats who deserted the party last year to vote for [President] Bush."
Howell Heflin, RIP
Former senator Howell Heflin of Alabama died Tuesday of a massive heart attack, the Washington Post reported. We met and briefly chatted with Heflin once, at a cigar smokers' dinner in Washington, though on doctors' orders he wasn't smoking his cigar, only chewing it.
The Post's obituary notes that Heflin, an opponent of segregation, was "viewed as a progressive in a region that had been marked by bitter racial conflict." It also points out that he opposed Robert Bork's nomination to the Supreme Court in 1987 because of what he called Bork's "proclivity for extremism."
It shouldn't be forgotten, though, just how viciously Heflin smeared Bork. From a George Will column that appeared in the Post on Jan. 21, 1988, a few months after the Senate voted down the Bork nomination:
In his newsletter to constituents (your tax dollars at work) and in letters, such as one to some constituents in Mobile, Heflin charged that, "The history of his [Bork's] life and his present lifestyle indicated a fondness for the unusual, the unconventional and the strange."
Regarding Bork's present life, Heflin says not a syllable to substantiate his smear. It just hangs there, reeking of innuendo and its author.
Concerning Bork's past, Heflin says Bork once considered himself a socialist. Heflin does not say that Bork committed that crime when he was a teen-ager. Then, Heflin says, "He nearly became a communist--he recruited friends to attend Communist Party meetings."
That is another lie. As Bork has cheerfully recounted his adolescent intellectual life, when he was 16 he and a friend attended one--count with us, Heflin: one--communist meeting.
In his role as God's servant, Heflin has told an Alabama radio station that he was "disturbed by his [Bork's] refusal to discuss his belief in God--or the lack thereof." To this Heflinism, three responses are required.
First, there was no "refusal." Second, in the hearings Heflin himself eschewed such questioning, noting that the Constitution says "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office." Third, with Heflin now implying such a test, there is a noticeable silence from the self-appointed guardians of "the American way." The liberal lobbyists are too tuckered out from Bork-bashing to rise to the challenge.
The campaign against Bork was one of the uglier episodes in recent American politics, and no one's behavior was uglier than Howell Heflin's.
We Get Results
It seems we stirred up quite a kerfuffle with our item last week on an article in the Middlebury Campus, a student newspaper at Vermont's Middlebury College, that denounced Rudy Giuliani. The article, by student Ben Gore, was accompanied by what we thought was a photo of Adolf Hitler but was actually an "illustration"--a photo of Giuliani with a Hitler-style mustache drawn in.
Gore "expressed frustration with the decision of The Campus editorial staff to include the modified image with his work," the Campus reports:
"I feel the photo trivialized and sensationalized what was actually a very measured article, with a very moderate message. This had nothing to do with Hitler," Gore said of his submission. Gore calls Giuliani an "authoritarian" and a "racist" and wrote that Giuliani was "coming to be considered a fascist," but does not mention the Nazi dictator in his submission.
So it's "moderate" to call someone an "authoritarian," a "racist" and a "fascist," so long as you don't actually use the H-word. Anyway, the editor of the Campus resigned and the president of the college, Ronald Liebowitz, wrote a letter condemning the illustration, which, he says, "reflects a gross misunderstanding of history, let alone of Mr. Giuliani's record." It makes you wonder about the quality of the Middlebury history department.
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
"If you took away the huge declines in crime, violence, and risky behaviors since the early 1990s, the picture for America's children would be bleak."--Duke University sociologist Kenneth Land, quoted by Reuters, March 30
'You Shouldn't Have. No Really, You Shouldn't Have.'
"Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist did not participate in the decision, which was heard in November when he was being treated to thyroid cancer."--Associated Press, March 30
The Next Jonestown?
"Vermont Considers Doctor-Assisted Suicide"--headline, United Press International, March 30
Must Be a Big House
"Millions of U.S. Kids Live With a Substance-Abusing Adult"--headline, FoxNews.com, March 31
No 'Culture of Life' for These Guys
"Update: Hurd Promises 'Execution-Oriented Culture' at HP"--headline, Computerworld, March 30
This Just In
"Why Sex Is Good for the Species: Process enhances survivability in stressful conditions"--headline and subheadline, MSNBC.com, March 30
'You're Supposed to Be Here to Protect Me'
If you need a laugh amid all the grim news, click on the link atop this item, where you can download a recording of what is purportedly a call to 911 from an Orange County, Calif., woman. In case you don't want to go through the trouble (believe us, it's worth it), here's a transcript:
Dispatcher: Sheriff's department, how can I help you?
Caller: Yeah, I'm over here at Burger King, right here in San Clemente--
Dispatcher: Mm-hmm.
Caller: --um, no, not San Clemente, I'm sorry. Um, I live in San Clemente. I'm in Laguna Niguel, I think that's where I'm at.
Dispatcher: Uh-huh.
Caller: I'm at a drive-thru right now.
Dispatcher: Uh-huh.
Caller: I ordered my food three times. They're mopping the floor inside, and I understand they're busy. They're not even busy, OK, I've been the only car here. I asked them four different times to make me a Western Barbecue Burger. OK, they keep giving me a hamburger with lettuce, tomato and cheese, onions. And I said, I am not leaving.
Dispatcher: Uh-huh.
Caller: I want a Western Burger. Because I just got my kids from tae kwon do; they're hungry. I'm on my way home, and I live in San Clemente.
Dispatcher: Uh-huh.
Caller: OK, she gave me another hamburger. It's wrong. I said four times, I said, "I want it." She goes, "Can you go out and park in front?" I said, "No. I want my hamburger right." So then the lady came to the manager, or whoever she is--she came up and she said, um, "Did you want your money back?" And I said, "No. I want my hamburger. My kids are hungry, and I have to jump on the toll freeway [sic]." I said, "I am not leaving this spot," and I said I will call the police, because I want my Western Burger done right. Now is that so hard?
Dispatcher: OK, what exactly is it you want us to do for you?
Caller: Send an officer down here. I want them to make me the right--
Dispatcher: Ma'am, we're not going to go down there and enforce your Western Bacon Cheeseburger.
Caller: What am I supposed to do?
Dispatcher: This is between you and the manager. We're not going to go enforce how to make a hamburger. That's not a criminal issue. There's nothing criminal there.
Caller: So I just stand here--so I just sit here and block--
Dispatcher: You need to calmly and rationally speak to the manager and figure out what to do between you.
Caller: She did come up, and I said, "Can I please have my Western Burger?" She said, "I'm not dealing with it," and she walked away. Because they're mopping the floor and it's all full of suds, and they don't want to go through there, and--
Dispatcher: Ma'am, then I suggest you get your money back and go somewhere else. This is not a criminal issue. We can't go out there and make them make you a cheeseburger the way you want it.
Caller: Well, that is, that--you're supposed to be here to protect me.
Dispatcher: Well, what are we protecting you from, a wrong cheeseburger?
Caller: No. It's--
Dispatcher: Is this like, is this a harmful cheeseburger or something? I don't understand what you want us to do.
Caller: Well, just come down here! I'm not leaving!
Dispatcher: No, ma'am, I'm not sending the deputies down there over a cheeseburger! You need to go in there and act like an adult and either get your money back or go home.
Caller: I do not need to go. She is not acting like an adult herself. I'm sitting here in my car. I just want them to make my kid a Western Burger [unintelligible].
Dispatcher: Now this is what I suggest: I suggest you get your money back from the manager and you go on your way home.
Caller: OK.
Dispatcher: OK? Bye-bye.
Caller: No--
[click]
As a public service, we'd like to make two points: First, please do not try this yourself. Frivolous or prank calls to 911 divert public resources and can endanger people in real emergencies. Second, if you want a Western Bacon Cheeseburger, you're better off going to Carl's Jr.
(Carol Muller helps compile Best of the Web Today. Thanks to Steve Pearson, Richard Belzer, Michael Segal, Joe Mandarino, Allen O'Donnell, Andrew Berman, Paul Dyck, Elizabeth Christopher, David Schlosser, Stephen Barton, Thomas Brueckner, Art Steinmetz, Mark Moore, David Beebe, C.E. Dobkin, Dan Calabrese, Deborah Hendrick, Bill Ferris, Israel Pickholtz, Kathleen Myalls, Dawson Bell, Robert Betzold, Aaron Reeves, Ethel Fenig, David Zicherman, Vaughn Harring, Burt Rublin, Steven Allen, Brian Perry, Greg Belfrage, Scott Miller, Sue Pierce, Bruce Goldman, George Bone, Philip O'Hara, Russ Seidelman and Eric Satermo. If you have a tip, write us at opinionjournal@wsj.com, and please include the URL.)
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