The Value of human life is getting cheaper by the day it seems. Most of use have heard about the recent case of a Florida woman who had her feeding tube disconnected after her husband won a court case that allowed him to put a stop to the measures that kept her alive. He had argued that she was in a vegatative state and was unaware of her surroundings and had no hope of recovery due to irreparable brain damage.
What nobody seems to get is the fact that once the feeding tube was disconnected the woman was then ALLOWED TO STARVE TO DEATH! I'm no expert, but that doesn't sound humane in any way, shape or form. Then there's the fact that everybody could see when she was shown on television during the legal battles when her story was told. She was indeed aware of her surroundings and what was going on, she was simply unable to communicate because of her physical condition.
It may have been a more expensive, difficult to deal with option, but I think that continuing to keep her alive and attempt to treat her would have been the righteous thing to do.
There was a poll recently on the subject of euthanasia because of this case. The results are shocking.
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Survey for Sun, Oct 3, 2004
Euthanasia
Generally speaking, do you think that euthanasia (ending the life of an individual suffering from a terminal illness or an incurable condition, as by lethal injection or the suspension of extraordinary medical treatment) is humane or inhumane?
69% - Humane
14% - Inhumane
17% - I'm not sure
0% - I don't care
Do you think that euthanasia should be legal in the U.S.?
62% - Yes
19% - No
18% - I'm not sure
0% - I don't care
Do you have a living will or a legal document stating your wishes for your health care should you become incapacitated?
37% - Yes
61% - No
2% - I'm not sure
0% - I don't care
Survey Page:
http://dsurvey.iwon.com/results.jsp?poll_id=2004-10-03
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As many expected, the 9-11 commission's recommendations are being used as a handy excuse to go overboard. Passing legislation that is bringing us farther down the path that ends with us having NO civil liberties, freedoms OR rights of any kind!
My advice is to let your senators and representatives know that this is un-acceptable!
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House Bill Morphs 9/11 Advice
By Ryan Singel
02:00 AM Oct. 05, 2004 PT
As the full Senate and House prepare to vote on competing versions of the 9/11 Commission recommendations this week, most eyes are on how the government's intelligence services will be revamped.
But civil liberties advocates, immigration groups and some 9/11 Commission members are criticizing provisions in the House bill that they say go far beyond the commission's recommendations.
At issue are provisions that would:
- create a de facto national identification card
- allow employers running a background check on an employee to obtain records of arrests and detentions -- not just convictions -- without limitation on republishing the information
- speed up the implementation of the newest airline passenger screening system, Secure Flight, by requiring congressional approval after it is deployed, not before
- require the State Department to study the feasibility of a worldwide database tracking American citizens' and foreigners' "lifetime travel history," including information on what countries Americans traveled to
- require the State Department to intervene with foreign media outlets and foreign governments to influence media coverage
- make it easier for the government to deport immigrants to countries where they might be tortured or to countries to which an immigrant has no relationship
- expand Patriot Act wiretap provisions and the ban on material support to designated terrorist organizations
- make it tougher for illegal immigrants to get a hearing to protest deportation
- prevent states from issuing driver's licenses to undocumented aliens by changing what documents are acceptable at Canadian and Mexican borders
Full Article:
http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,65222,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_5
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And while we're on the subject of overreaching security legislation that needs to be stopped, lets not forget that Congress is working on a sequel, one that's uglier than the first.
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The Son of Patriot Act Also Rises
By Kim Zetter
02:00 AM Jun. 14, 2004 PT
While activists and politicians work to repeal or change parts of the Patriot Act that they say violate constitutional rights, Patriot Act II legislation -- which caused a stir when it came to light last year -- is rearing its head again in a new bill making its way through Congress.
The bill would strengthen laws that let the FBI demand that businesses hand over confidential records about patrons by assigning stiff penalties (up to five years in prison) to anyone who discloses that the FBI made the demand. The bill would also let the FBI compel businesses to cooperate with record requests, and it would expand the government's secret surveillance powers over noncitizens in the United States.
"There is no reason for this legislation," said lawyer Chip Pitts, head of the Bill of Rights Defense Committee of Dallas and a former constitutional law professor. "Given the expanse of powers and secrecy already granted in the Patriot Act, and given the unclear security benefits and possible security detriments of that legislation, why do we need a further amendment of the law to grant more powers to the government?"
Full Article:
http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,63800,00.html?tw=wn_story_related
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Well, we're one step closer to the mark of the beast. RFID technology can now be used in chips that can be implanted in humans. The claim is that it's just to make medical record keeping better, but there's a LOT that they DON'T tell you about RFID chips.
The ONLY information stored ON the chip is it's unique ID number.
It sends this number to ANY chip reader that detects it.
You can be tracked with it by simply having chip readers in wide use and recording the ID numbers of every chip detected. This builds an electronic trail that shows where you have been and when you were there. Not only that, but because they can be scanned from as far as 50 to 100 feet away, you have no idea that your chip has been scanned and tracked.
While many noble uses and claims have been made about how they'll be used, the problem is that you'll never know if you've been lied to untill it's too late.
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FDA Approves Use of Chip in Patients
Oct 13, 11:27 PM (ET)
By DIEDTRA HENDERSON
WASHINGTON (AP) - Medical milestone or privacy invasion? A tiny computer chip approved Wednesday for implantation in a patient's arm can speed vital information about a patient's medical history to doctors and hospitals. But critics warn that it could open new ways to imperil the confidentiality of medical records.
The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that Applied Digital Solutions of Delray Beach, Fla., could market the VeriChip, an implantable computer chip about the size of a grain of rice, for medical purposes.
With the pinch of a syringe, the microchip is inserted under the skin in a procedure that takes less than 20 minutes and leaves no stitches. Silently and invisibly, the dormant chip stores a code that releases patient-specific information when a scanner passes over it.
Full Article:
http://apnews1.iwon.com//article/20041014/D85MV4DG0.html?PG=home&SEC=news
