I’m beginning to wonder if the Republican party will soon oppose the whole concept of an independent judiciary. Just read William Bennett’s screed in National Review. It contains the sentence: “It is a mistake to believe that the courts have the ultimate say as to what a constitution means.” Bennett and his co-author argue that Jeb Bush should send in state troops to reinsert the feeding tube and break the law if necessary. Screw the science. Screw the court system. Screw the law. I disagree with Jonah that this is a minor spat with no long-term consequences. We are looking directly at the real face of contemporary Republicanism. Sane, moderate, thoughtful people are watching this circus and will not soon forget it.
THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT VERSUS MARRIAGE: Dahlia Lithwick highlights yet another conservative inconsistency in the Schiavo case. What this case comes down to is the right of a spouse to determine his or her incapacitated spouse’s fate in the absence of a living will. Civil marriage is indeed a unique and special legal bond. The social right believes this. But they only believe it when it suits them. If it can be used to marginalize and stigmatize gay couples, they are insistent. If it is an obstacle to their absolutist views on feeding tubes for human beings who have ceased to be able to feel, think or emote, then they discard it. Here’s a Tom DeLay quote that says it all:
“I don’t know what transpired between Terri and her husband. All I know is Terri is alive. … Unless she has specifically written instructions in her hand, with her signature, I don’t care what her husband says.”
So much for the “sanctity of marriage.” With each passing month, the cynicism and power-lust of these people become clearer and clearer. Here’s a principle: the government should stay out of living rooms, bedrooms and marital bonds. That used to be called conservatism.
The Dish 