Since Giovanni’s World first posted on August 20 on the Veteran Administration’s Death Book, which bears the innocuous title of Your Life, Your Choices, others also commented on this macabre handbook. Among them are Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and Sean Hannity.
The latest is an editorial in today’s (Aug. 26) Washington Times, which concludes with the following:
There is no attempt to ask people, “What would it take for you to want to live?” Instead, the booklet focuses on wanting to die. “Your Life, Your Choices” originally was put together by the Clinton administration and then shelved during the George W. Bush presidency. Jim Towey, director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives during the Bush administration, said the booklet was problematic because it made injured veterans feel like a burden and encouraged severely injured soldiers to want to die.
After a ruckus over the booklet this past week, the Obama administration added a new note saying the work was being revised. Either way, the Death Book is instructive as a reflection on Obamacare priorities and perspectives and what the administration might view as a “waste.” This is important because Mr. Obama and other administration officials regularly talk about a need to cut back on what they term as massive waste in health care.
What government considers a waste, many patients and doctors consider a necessity. Denying this care based on vague notions of efficiency is rationing. Even the New York Times admitted last week that “the concerns [about rationing] are not entirely irrational.” Concern about rationing has been particularly acute among the elderly for good reason. The Death Book shows government’s perverse interest in the end of life rather than its extension.
Meanwhile, former RINO Senator Arlen Specter (D-Pennsylvania) said yesterday (Aug. 25) he may introduce legislation to prohibit the use of the VA Death book because it sends a “hurry-up-and-die” message to injured troops. (For more on this, go HERE.)
To which I say, “Good for you, Senator Specter. You’re finally doing something that’s useful and decent!”
~Eowyn
A friend sent me this e-mail about this post’s reference to Specter:
“Yes……..except for the fact that this traitorous Senator is going to vote for Card Check, depriving laborers of the right to vote by a secret ballot and thus enriching the labor union coffers, and which they always use to give big sums extorted from the union members to support the demorat party for all their liberal leftist politicians.”
Eowyn,
That’s the problem with these guys that have been in D.C. for far too long, their judgement get’s clouded. Clouded may be too soft of a word, let’s try “their judgement takes a hike and they only listen to people that can help them further either their career or enrich them in some way.
The other day one of our readers that goes by the name of ‘Hattip’ took issue with me because I do not see myself voting for the Dems nor the Reps, instead voting 3rd party. His was an old ploy… “a vote for a 3rd party is a vote for the Dems”. The longer I thought about it, the more upset I became. If I am to go through the rest of my life thinking like ‘hattip’, then I guarantee this country will continue to go straight down the crapper!
I better stop now before I go on a rant.
Gio-
It’s simple mathematics:
If enough numbers of Americans vote their true conservative conscience — for a party that truly represents our beliefs — then a vote for a 3rd party will not be a vote for the Democrats.
The trick is getting that enough number.
American electoral history is against third party success, but perhaps we are in truly unusual unprecedented times that the mold will be broken.
Eowyn,
I truly hope so.
Gio-
Gio: IMHO a person who has voted his/her conscience has not wasted their vote. I’m sure many people will disagree with me, but we all have our opinions on this issue.
Agreed. I know there are many opinions and I respect other opinions. What bothered me was having someone tell me that my only choice is to vote GOP. Maybe they haven’t been around my blog for long so they honestly didn’t know, but most of us are pretty vocal about not falling into the same old trap that we have no choice but to vote for the GOP. Hell, the GOP has helped to get us in the fix we are in now. It’s only a matter of convenience that they suddenly find a small amount of back-bone.
Right now I have no love lost for either Dems or Repubs. Both parties have sold us down the river and we are about to go over one hell of a waterfall.
And I don’t see either party being capable of throwing out a life-line, It’s going to take a real maverick from a 3rd party, and ‘the people’ to turn this around. And unfortunately this brings me back to something I have said a few times already… I fear we are heading for a civil war. We the people must stand-up and take charge before we lose this great country to a slew of Marxists.
Gio-
I was so disgusted by this book and this checklist, I decided to make a real “What Makes Life Worth Living” checklist. I hope you like it.
http://wp.me/pCuTu-4
http://the4thhorseman.wordpress.com/2009/08/27/the-real-what-…ving-checklist/
Thanks, 4thhorseman!
I’m glad you’ve joined the Great Battle of Our Time. We’re with you, shoulder to shoulder, side by side — against the onslaught of Orcs and Urukhais.