Tom Marsland
Easter Sunday, March 27, 2005

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Its dictionary definition states that it results in "a quiet, painless death." For Terri's sake, I hope so.

We've always euthanized horses and dogs that can no longer race, and pets that are suffering needlessly, often in their last months of life. While it's been a guilt-ridden procedure for pet owners, we've all gotten over it before by telling ourselves that needless suffering was avoided ... and yes, it probably was.

Modern humanism, whose values are now taught nearly exclusively in our nation's classrooms, has told us we're merely descendents of animals anyway. So why not adapt euthanasia as a method to alleviate human suffering in this veil of tears? After all, haven't we done the same for our cousins, Seattle Slew, Fido and Fluffy?

Not until I read the recent Frank Rich op-ed in the New York Times ("The God Racket, From DeMille to DeLay") did I realize the overt contempt that the new Left has for traditional religious values. This crowd claims moral high ground in the value of human life by asking that the death penalty be done away with for the guilty, but are A-OK with barbaric late-term abortions for the innocent.

Further, they scorn the practice of peaceful fundamental Christianity in the public square, citing the vaunted constitutional argument, all the while embracing any odd Eastern belief system that desires a stage at many of our major government-funded universities. They claim to embrace free speech while their politically correct speech codes subtly mock our First Amendment.

What, then, do we do, those of us who are horrified at the prolonged death of one so weak and unable to fight back? Do we stand by and say that a sanctioned body of government, the judiciary, ordained it, therefore it is good?

As embarrassed as I am to say this, I really don't know what to do. But I do know that doing the right thing often comes at great expense to the righteously indignant. A famous politician once said, "No good deed goes unpunished."

I am generally a proud American, but on my most recent weekly broadcast (as U.S. correspondent) on nationwide radio and television throughout New Zealand, I admitted my shame for my/our often-great nation. The last time I did this was over the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.

Though I believed both then and now that we should aggressively interrogate captured enemy combatants, I felt as though the line had been crossed, that we didn't appear above the fray in that sad moment.

Don sackcloth and ashes, said I. With weeping and gnashing of teeth should our rulers consider their error of judgment. King David said, "A humble and contrite heart, oh God, thou shalt not despise." Where's our humility in these matters?

I have heard that the Schiavo case was mishandled by the legal team employed by Terri's parents and was handled brilliantly by her estranged husband's lawyers. I am not an attorney and don't even play one on the radio, so I don't know. BUT ... should anyone be surprised that, in this world anyway, the Devil has a better legal team than does God?

And as to America's national sin of our treatment of Terri Schiavo, It is over ... we have slowly executed a mute disabled woman, one unable to defend herself physically or intellectually. I hope we have learned through this egregious error, though that remains to be seen. I ask God for forgiveness for our ill action, but fear that may not be enough.

Former heavyweight wrestler, CEO and radio talk-show-host, Tom Marsland's been a guest at the White House and the West Wing Press Corps and is a volunteer for Pres. Bush's Faith-Based Initiative. He's U.S. correspondent to New Zealand's Nation-wide TV and Radio Rhema and writes cultural, political and religious commentary for numerous publications.

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