Patterico's Pontifications

3/29/2005

Grokster Case is Critical to Free Speech

Filed under: Civil Liberties — Patterico @ 10:37 pm



I agree with Justin Levine about the importance of the Grokster case.

I still wish he or Volokh would weigh in on the “neutral reporting privilege” issue.

L.A. Times On Memos Being “Ascribed” — and on Reporting Push Polls as Legitimate

Filed under: Dog Trainer,Schiavo — Patterico @ 10:16 pm



There are at least two problems with today’s L.A. Times article discussing the political hit that the GOP is taking for its actions in the Schiavo case.

(more…)

Two Interesting Opinions on the Schiavo Case

Filed under: Civil Liberties,Schiavo — Patterico @ 9:23 pm



Two interesting takes on the Terri Schiavo case:

The first is titled Bigotry and the Murder of Terri Schiavo, by Joe Ford:

The reason for this public support of removal from ordinary sustenance, I believe, is not that most people understand or care about Terri Schiavo. Like many others with disabilities, I believe that the American public, to one degree or another, holds that disabled people are better off dead. To put it in a simpler way, many Americans are bigots. A close examination of the facts of the Schiavo case reveals not a case of difficult decisions but a basic test of this country’s decency.

I’m not sure I would have put it this way. I think the words “murder” and “bigotry” are extreme — especially when I take into account the opinions of so many well-meaning (and some not-so-well-meaning) people who have commented on this blog.

Still, I’m not going to be too critical of Ford. He has personal experiences that are relevant — some doctor once tried to kill him because of an anticipated disability.

Go read his piece. It’s very well-written and thought-provoking. (Via Power Line.)

The second piece I want to highlight is titled The Other Self-Righteous Fanatics, by (believe it or not) Julian Sanchez Jesse Walker:

Much of the pro-death side pretends that they’re neutral bystanders who don’t want to “interfere” with a family’s private business, even as they actively argue for one side of the family dispute. They say they want to respect the woman’s wishes, even as [they] refer more readily to what they’d want for themselves in such a situation. And they warn gravely of a slippery slope to theocracy, without pausing to wonder whether there are any other slippery slopes to worry about.

(Via Xrlq.)

Amen, brother. Sanchez makes a good argument that current trends may not value individual interests. Libertarians, take note.

Terri Schiavo Will Have Autopsy

Filed under: Schiavo — Patterico @ 6:30 am



Terri Schiavo will have an autopsy . (Via Michelle Malkin.)

I think this is a positive step. An autopsy would hopefully provide more definitive information regarding the state of Terri Schiavo’s brain. If it truly shows that her cerebral cortex had liquified, as many claim it has, that might prove reassuring to those in despair over her death.

Also, I hope that the autopsy is thorough enough to address any allegations that Michael Schiavo may have put Terri Schiavo in this condition to begin with. I have never advanced that argument, but if it’s not the case, it’s in Michael Schiavo’s best interest to have any such suggestion definitively ruled out.

Schiavo-Related Letters in the L.A. Times

Filed under: Dog Trainer,Schiavo — Patterico @ 12:12 am



The L.A. Times has printed several letters about the Terri Schiavo controversy here. One of them opposes the paper’s comparison of the Schiavo case to that of Tom DeLay’s father. But none makes the point I made in my letter (which will apparently not be printed): the biggest difference between the two cases is that the elder DeLay’s wishes were clear, while Terri Schiavo’s wishes remain a mystery.


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