Because I once wrote about a an early case such as this, I have followed this case for some time and its pretty amazing to see how very little actual truth of the story gets reported by the Media who seem to only be able to cast this as two extreme positions. I call it.. "The Cross-fire-ization of American discourse". The reality is very murky.

Both the husband and the parents have greatly exaggerated their case in appearances on TV, leaving most people bewildered. First off, she's not Brain DEAD, she's brain DAMAGED and that was as a result of what some people would consider suicidual behavior. She had an eating disorder and was binging/purging. She so screwed up the electrolyte balance in her body that her heart stopped, depriving her brain of oxygen and leaving her in the semi-vegitative state she is in now.

There are doctors who say she is conscious of her suroundings and just as many who say she is not; that her higher brain functioning that would permit that has been wiped out. She does make vocalizations which her parents swear is an attempt to communicate. Neurologists say that is pure fantasy. Her parents say it is only her husband claiming she had stated she did not want to be kept alive by artificial means, but in reality there were several witnesses who reported those conversations as being sincere and adamament. Her parents say her husband wants top profit, but the courts don't agree with that characterization.

Basically it's a big old mess and I have no opinion one way or another. If it WAS her wish to not be kept alive this way..I hope there's an afterlife so all that are prolonging this can PAY. If she did not say these things..I hope there is an afterlife so those her want to snuff her out early can Pay.

The whole money motive is also murky. If, as the parents claim, there is loads of money somewhere set aside for her care and that whomever has custody of her gets their mitts on the dough..then don't THEY have a profit motive in seeking physical custody?

I think the real tragedy is that this ever had to go to court in the first place. You'd think of both sides of this case really loved her as they say, they would have worked something out. I do know that if something like that ever happened to me, I'd want my husband and ONLY my husband to decide what to do. As much as I love my paents, I know them too well and I know that my wishes wouldn't mean squat.

I am amazed at the amount of government intervention and expenditure on this case. We can't get congress to spend one extra freakin' minute in session to try and reign in our debt, but they can risk dragging them all back in for this poor woman's case? They even supbeoned her to 'tesify'! Talk about abuse of the system.

Congress just preserved all the loopholes for rich people in their 'bankruptcy reform' package and made it harder for the 90% of truly broke people who don't abuse Bankruptcy filing to ever get to file.

We have 8 hours of live TV coverage of millionaires taking steroids but nobody addresses the fact that at last report, 1 in 12 9th graders have used inhalants such as Glue and Shoe Polish to get high. That's more than teens who have tried MJ!

I just see on TV a govt. report that shows Americans wast something like one and a half BILLION dollars a year by throwing away edible food and that at least HALF that food could be redirected without a great deal of effort to programs for the hungry like Second harvest and to after-school food programs. Good lord, why not have hearings and special sessions on THAT?

Ah well...I'm praying for the woman. She needs it.

I'm done now!