Worth More Dead than Alive"You're worth more dead than alive." chirped Henry F. Potter, the scrooge-like banker in the movie “It's a Wonderful Life.” The villain in this classic Christmas movie, Henry Potter chastised George Bailey, the president of the competing financial institution in the mythical town of Bedford Falls. George Bailey’s savings and loan was missing an 8,000 dollar deposit and the bank examiner was ready to review the books. The 8,000 dollar loan was accidentally left with Mr. Potter earlier in the film, and it seemed that Mr. Potter has no intention of return the money. Mr. Potter was satisfied with using his position, his influence, and his apparent control of the situation to drive George Bailey to almost commit suicide. A modern group of Mr. Potters revised this dark scene over a brain-damaged woman in Florida. "You're worth more dead than alive" was the unspoken sentiment conservative politicians used in their weak attempts to save Terry Shiavo. The head Mr. Potter, none other than Tom DeLay, did just enough to appear concerned without doing enough to actually save Terry's life. Why would he do such a diabolic thing? Because a martyr is worth money and free publicity. Conservatives can blame activist judges and liberals. They can raise money by screaming "never again" The horrific reality of this political maneuver was that Terry's family had to believe the hype and in the end Terry had to die. Terry Shiavo died in Florida, a state with a Republican-controlled state legislature and a Republican governor. Her family had the support of the Republican-controlled U.S. Congress let by Tom Delay and had the blessing of the Republican President. Florida Governor Jeb Bush had at his disposal the Florida Army National Guard, whose mission is to "provide trained and disciplined forces for domestic emergencies or as otherwise required by state law." President George W. Bush had at his disposal the U.S. Military. Tom DeLay, in all his grandstanding, never asked for military intervention. Apparently it's OK to send Americans to Iraq to free the Iraqis people but it's not OK to send a few soldiers to Florida to free a woman trapped in a hospice. In the end, Terry's life was not worth challenging the rule of law in America. This is in sharp contrast to the actions of another Republican President, Dwight D. Eisenhower. In 1957, President Eisenhower sent the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock, Arkansas to enforce the U.S. Supreme Court ruling Brown versus Topeka Board of Education. In this heroic act of forty-eight years ago, President Eisenhower mobilized the U.S. military unit in response to the deployment of the Arkansas National Guard ordered by Governor Orval Faubus. All of this so that 9 black students could attend the all-white Central High School in Little Rock. No lives were lost, no lives were at stake. But Eisenhower believed in the importance of protecting the federal court's ability to rule on the laws of the land. In 2005, it seems, conservative politicians are unwilling to take the same risks to protect an innocent life. Instead of taking the actions necessary to save Terry, Tom Delay let her die. Afterwards he argued that "... the time has come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior." In this statement, he is absolutely correct. And we should start by getting Tom DeLay a mirror. He continues to use a defenseless, brain-damaged woman to improve his political standing with religious conservatives. He proved himself a coward when he did not do everything in his power to save her and now he is leading the effort to make her a martyr. While his actions drown out his words, we know what he is saying under his breath. "Terry Shiavo, you're worth more dead than alive." |
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