[mburbank]

Wow, Zig! Horrible, funny, callous, mean spirited, and under it all an almost zen like summation of the human condition. THAT my friend, is my kind of joke.

Apart from that, I have no opinion on the right or wrong of this case. It's a horrible tragedy, and you can't put yourself in the shoes of the husband or the parents unless you'bve actually been through this. The information is so horribly muddled at this point that I would despair of being truly informed on her actual condition or the sate of the science behind it.

Here's what I have an opinion on. This being taken up in special session by congress to perform an end run around the judicial branch of government is an abomination, and just one more sign of the contempt the current Republican administration has for our carefully balanced system of government. I also find it sickening how willing our representatives are to take a very personal tragedy and roll around in it like a dog in cow shit. A special session? W returning in haste from vacation? How many times did this same man as governor of Texas with the legitimate power of life and death in his hands, allow Alberto Gonzales and the courts execute potentially innocent poeople in Texas? How many times did he say it was not his place to interfere in matters of life and death where the courts had already pass judgement? How many crises has he NOT cut short vacations (which he takes more often than any modern president, including Reagan) for? How cynical. If the literal hell fundamentalists believe in exists, there may well be a few senators and congressmen sincere enough about this to avoid it. But I'm certain the doors are wide open for people using this families tragedy as a wedge issue.