Inappropriate Content: R.I.P.

Today, the country mourns. Tomorrow, it's baseball season!

In the brief hours—day, day and a half, tops—before all memory of Terri Schiavo vanishes from the collective memory of the American public (which resembles so much a goldfish) I thought I'd make a few observations.

Speaking of both Schiavo's parents and her husband, President Bush said he “ appreciate[s] the example of grace and dignity they have displayed at a difficult time.” Which proves that he really doesn't read the newspapers, because of all the many things those three people can be accused of, “grace and dignity” are not on the list.

Tom DeLay said, “This loss happened because our legal system did not protect the people who need protection most, and that will change. The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior, but not today. Today we grieve, we pray, and we hope to God this fate never befalls another... [Congress] will look at an arrogant and out of control judiciary that thumbs its nose at Congress and the President.”

When a reporter asked DeLay to respond to charges that he was simply exploiting an innocent bystander's fatal condition in a cheap and cruel ploy for votes, the Texas Republican responded, “no shit, Sherlock—I'm a congressman!” He then regained his composure, adding, “I never thought I'd see the day when a U.S. judge stopped feeding a living American so that they took 14 days to die.”

Also, in a rare burst of not-being-assholes, Democrats are keeping a low profile.

Meanwhile, the lunatic fringe of the Republican party, represented by Rachel, made the following observations:

I read the Wolfson report and it turns out her parents are kinda nuts and Michael is not necessarily an evil asshole.
It also turns out - according to "most medical experts" on CNN and Fox - that dying by dehydration and starvation is actually painless and "peaceful", not traumatic or uncomfortable. Which has fascinating implications doesn't it? For example, what's the big deal about all those starving kids in Africa? Hell they're fine!
Because we are demonstrably batshit insane, we would collectively freak out if it were announced that from now on, death row inmates were to be killed in a way that caused any pain whatsoever beyond the prick of an IV needle.
You know, I would not want to live in a vegetative state like Terri has for the last 15 years. Yep, that would suck and if I were given a choice, I would rather be dead.
But as I have now repeatedly and loudly told my husband (and have written down): for the love of anything that ever was good or decent on this planet, DON'T FREAKIN' STARVE ME TO DEATH. Mmkay? How about a nice big syringe full of morphine and then something to make my heart stop. Thanks, that'd be super. Even if I look like a giant blue-eyed slab of vegetable matter, am drooling, and the scans show that all I have is a brain stem while the rest of my gray matter has evaporated. I'm not afraid of dying, just don't kill me slow.

So, to summarize, the lunatic fringe believes:

The details of this particular situation are not as clear cut as Schiavo's parents' PR agents would have us believe.
People should be allowed to die, if that is what they wish.
Starving people is bad.
America is demonstrably batshit insane.

The lunatic fringe: Last refuge of common sense.