smockmomma: March 2005 Archives

try to swallow this logic: "Michael Schiavo's brother, Scott Schiavo, said [Terri] will be buried in an undisclosed location near Philadelphia so that her immediate family does not attend and turn the moment into a media spectacle."

so in essence, michael schiavo is going to play "hide the body" with Terri's ashes?

when asked about perhaps never knowing where his sister was buried, bobby schindler said, "... [michael's] been doing this kind of stuff for 15 years. What would make him stop now?''

indeed.

his holiness has had a nasogastric tube inserted to help suppliment his diet as he recovers from his tracheotomy. according to some, this could be the first step toward a more permanent feeding tube, not unlike the one used to nourish terri schiavo before the florida courts ordered her death by starvation and dehydration which began March 18th.

i never thought i'd see the day when i'd agree with the ultra-liberal rev. jesse jackson; but there's a first for everything i guess, as jackson is quoted as saying "this is a moral issue and it transcends politics and family disputes.''

of course being "the smock of little charity", i find it telling that he's waited until day 12 of Terri's starvation and dehydration to make his appearance, but it seems that barring a miracle, there is little anyone can do at this point aside from making token gestures in support of Terri and her family.

kudos to the 47 protesters who've tried to get Terri water. i can only dream of such courage.

Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, said, "I thirst."
from st. john 19:13

sculpture by s.l. jonson

an excerpt from harold fickett's personal testimony posted at godspy:

The reason that Catholic teaching on faith and morals is so important is that it represents the only informed conscience adequate to humankind's most difficult moral dilemmas-questions like whether to insert feeding tubes into our dying parents. The settled mind of the Church presents Christ's answer to many questions that leave the individual at a loss. In cases where we do not have the immediate answer that conscience demands, we need to be able to "look it up": to consult the Magisterium.

The cool reflection of the whole Church together, guided by the Holy Spirit, constantly extends divine wisdom in addressing civilization's new questions. That reflection will be needed more than ever in the coming century as new discoveries in biology and medicine present humanity with new and difficult choices.

The "hard cases" are usually used to vanquish any dependence on traditional wisdom. "This is such a complicated matter that the individual should be left to make whatever decision he wishes," says secular reasoning.

I have my own reasons to know that the "hard cases" prove exactly the opposite point: when I was in an emotional and cognitive muddle, what I needed was a dependable, objective authority.

"More than two-thirds of people who describe themselves as evangelicals and conservatives disapprove of the intervention by Congress and President Bush in the case of the Terri Schiavo, the brain-damaged woman at the center of a national debate."

i understand that federal intervention can be a scary thing. but, hey people! an innocent woman is being tortured to death!

[crass alert] let's see if this one doesn't bring our dear mr. luse out of hiding. yes, it's real.

chatting with moms this afternoon at an easter egg hunt -- okay, okay, so grace attends a lutheran school, what can i say? -- i had a mom deliver a response to the "she's having SIX kids!" remark made by another mom that caught me off guard. she looked me straight in the eye ... i of course was holding my breath with a smile frozen on my face waiting for the slings and arrows ... and she said, "you're a better woman than me." blinkblink. i blurted out, "it's not a contest" and laughed thinking to myself, oh, that was a smooth response, you dork. but, she didn't seem to take offense because she laughed too and said, "no, but you must be great at it to be so blessed." i was thoroughly perplexed. i didn't know how to respond. i wanted to say, "hey there are a lot of really bad people out there with lots of children" or "there are a lot of really holy people who can't have children" but it didn't sound right inside my head, standing there in the middle of a park full of laughing children. i finally said, "you're right. we ARE blessed. thanks."

i truly was unprepared for the "family size" pendulum to swing that far to the other side. i want to have a response that conveys the fact that "hey, i'm no better than you" but that also confirms that we know we are blessed and try not to take our wee ones for granted, but it's so difficult. especially when i'm practically always on guard and in defense mode when it comes to family size comments.

is the grass just always greener on the other side of the fence?

as terri schiavo dies of thirst in a hospital bed in the prosperous nation of the United States of America ...

"The United Nations is marking World Water Day (WWD) 2005 with the launch of an International Decade of Action with the theme "Water for Life". By proclaiming the period 2005-2015 as the Decade of Water, the United Nations and affiliated Governments place greater international focus on water and water issues...One of these targets is to halve the number of people that do not have access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015." [emphasis mine]

gee here's an idea, let's start with terri schiavo. the woman dying five feet away from a water faucet!

many thanks to mrs. vonhuben for pointing out this stomach-turning irony.

MYTH: Terri's Medical Trust fund has been used to care for her.

FACT: The following expenditures have been paid directly from Terri's Medical Trust fund, with the approval of Judge George Greer:

Summary of expenses paid from Terri’s 1.2 Million Dollar medical trust fund (jury awarded 1992)
NOTE: In his November 1993 Petition Schiavo alleges the 1993 guardianship asset balance as $761,507.50

Atty Gwyneth Stanley $10,668.05
Atty Deborah Bushnell $65,607.00
Atty Steve Nilson $7,404.95
Atty Pacarek $1,500.00
Atty Richard Pearse (GAL) $4,511.95
Atty George Felos $397,249.99

Other

1st Union/South Trust Bank $55,459.85

Michael Schiavo $10,929.95

Total $545,852.34

[this info is taken from terrisfight.net]

my guilty pleasure has been enjoying the status of diehard "arrested development" fan since it's first season. it's a very well, and very dryly, written show with incredibly understated talent. it's won FIVE emmy's, including best comedy series. that said, it's derailed itself this last season and i just had to speak up:

i've been a diehard fan of "arrested development" since season one, and even used my weblog to promote the show. but the anti-christian plotline, which i've tried hard to ignore, is just getting worse and worse. do you have any idea how many in your audience consider themselves mainstream christians? and, are you purposefully trying to alienate them? if not, i suggest you give the christian bashing a break. i can take a joke with the best of 'em, but this is getting ridiculous. it isn't funny anymore, it's just as annoying as hell.

i'm hoping that fellow fans will weigh in with fox as well.

as of today, we are counting down and praying for 13 more weeks for the twins to stay put. june 20th will be the desired 37th week mark, also considered to be full term for twins.

*in the interest of full disclosure, these are not the actual smocktwins. i hope to have an updated pic of the smocktwins by early april. your patience is greatly appreciated.

1. for lent, give up or take on?
2. shorts weather or sweater weather?
3. take-out or delivery?
4. electric toothbrush or manual?
5. father knows best or leave it to beaver?

my new favorite word of the week. it's actually a blend of "chill" and "relax" and has apparently been around for about ten years.

another cool word. may be used as a synonym for gossip.

that's the "March Mom Debate" being conducted by parenting online. the results so far?

Can a family have too many kids?

79% Yes (27,520)

21% No (7,519)

i encourage our readers to make their voices heard.
my response sent to tips@parenting.com:

When did we become a culture of fertility police? And, exactly how many children are "too many"? We're the parents of four children with twins on the way. It's insulting and infuriating when people make snide remarks -- "Don't you know how that's happening?" "This is your last, right?" "Ever heard of birth control?" or "You must be Catholic!"-- as if it's any of their business in the first place. I recently heard that it takes at least three workers to cover the social security costs of one retired worker. If that's the case, then my husband and I are covering our bases. What I want to know is who's going to pay your social security?

i hate to admit it, but i just hafta: i LOVE my new ford excursion for all the wrong reasons.

when we first bought what i now lovingly refer to as "the tank" (see "never say never" post), i was really intimidated by the size, but was thrilled over the gas mileage -- yes, it's a diesel. marc begged me not to put an “avon” sign on it, “please don’t make it a girly car, mick.” to which i legitimately countered, “honey, i could put a big ol’ pink bow on top and a feather boa ‘round the bumper and this would still be a manly man’s ride.” and it is. it’s so big. it’s so loud. and believe you me, people see you coming, or they hear you coming, and they move. they don’t just move, they move. out. the. way. after almost a month behind the wheel of this big ol’ manly machine, i’m starting to feel the power. and, i finally get it. so this is why so many people drive trucks. the excursion isn’t really a truck. well, at least not in my book cuz it doesn’t have the big ol’ open thingie in the back, but our insurance company and the state plates call it a “TEXAS truck.”

mind you, i’m five feet and a happy one inch tall. or, short depending on how you look at it. i have to climb into my own car for the first time in my life. and now, five months into my pregnancy, it’s quite a show, i assure you. but that’s okay. cuz i’m driving a tank and it’s a real ego booster, lemme tell y’all.

CBS and ABC have said they are seriously considering airing condom ads during prime time and daytime television. NBC and Fox and other networks will follow their lead.

I hope this concerns you as much as it does me. The condom companies say their purpose in airing their ads is to help stop the spread of disease. So, why do their ads promote products like "Warm Sensations" and "Twisted Pleasure"?

Don't be fooled by their double-speak. If the networks decide to break their self-imposed policy of not airing condom ads, we'll soon have Church & Dwight's "Trojan Man" ads bombarding our children at every turn.

You can expect that these ads will be aired repeatedly, especially during sporting events.

The networks and condom companies don't really care about what they advertise when our children are watching television. They want to make money! That's why one company president said, "…we could quadruple this business." Does that sound like a company that has our children's best interest in mind?

Do you want the networks to start airing condom ads all hours of the day? Once condom companies get their foot in the door, it’s only a matter of time before the ads will get more and more graphic.

Please send an email message to the six major networks that use public-owned airwaves. Let them know you want them to reject any offers to air condom ads on network television.

Click Here To Send Your Letter To The Networks!

[from the american family association]

the who would you be in 1400 AD quiz

The Cardinal
You scored 68% Cardinal, 28% Monk, 32% Lady, and 27% Knight!

You are the real power behind the throne. No one dares dispute or refuse you. Which is good because that's how you get things done. You are also, however, completely corrupt and highly immoral. This doesn't bother you in the least as you lounge around your rich comfortable surroundings, reveling in wealth and authority.

thanks, mrs. von huben.

senor eric has had hits for "pink recipes." i think we should encourage him to post at least a few "girly" recipes for his lady fans.

you see baby 5 from the top of the head, he's on the left.
baby 6 is "in shadow" on the right.

now, before you answer that, read this.

we're seriously considering naming one of the twins "damien" and we're catching a lot of flack from well-intentioned (superstitious?) family and friends. but get this: at every high Mass i've attended at our beloved anglican use parish over the past ten years, i've heard "saint damien" and frankly, i've grown to love the name. now, i know that a lot of people - especially people of my generation and just a smidgen before - think of the omen. but, can we really be restricted in our name choosing by old horror flicks?

who stopped using the name michael after halloween? or jason after friday the thirteenth? i've known several regans despite the exorcist. and these are just movies after all. what of using true criminal names? i know several jack's -- not one of 'em a ripper. and a few ed's -- not one owns a piece of human furniture that i know of. and charles . . . c'mon.

anyway, d'artangion and dominic have already been nixed, but feel free to submit any other "d" names.

on a not totally unrelated note: at mamaT's urging, we rented molokai: the story of father damien. it's a beautiful movie about a wonderful and holy priest who worked in a leper colony. i agree with mamaT that it's definitely worth viewing.

As you may already know, Terri Schiavo's case has reached a critical point. Judge George W. Greer has ordered that her nutrition and hydration be removed on March 18, 2005. Remember, contrary to media portrayals of Terri, she is not in a coma. Medical experts confirm that 41-year-old Terri Schiavo is aware of her surrounding. Removing Terri’s tubes will kill her by starvation and dehydration, a gradual process that could take 7 to 30 days. Terri is no criminal. She is a healthy individual with a disability. She breathes on her own and her body operates normally. She responds to the people around her, and she is very much alive. However, because her estranged husband, who is her legally appointed guardian, has denied her the therapy she should have, she relies on a feeding tube for nourishment.

PLEASE HELP SAVE TERRI and disabled people like her, from this type of court-forced death. Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) and Rep. Dave Weldon (R-FL and a Physician) introduced the Incapacitated Person's Legal Protection Act (H.R.1151 and S.539) – a bill that could save the life of Terri Schiavo, who suffered a brain injury 15 years ago. The Act will give Terri Schiavo, and anyone else in a similar situation, the same Constitutional protection of due process as death row inmates. Present law does not explicitly recognize due process for an incapacitated individual and leaves the rights of disabled persons to the mercy of the courts.

Click Here - To Email Your Representative and Senators - and for Additional Information

In addition to sending the email, please call your members of Congress in support of Incapacitated Person's Legal Protection Act (H.R.1151 and S.539) – a bill that could save the life of Terri Schiavo. They can be reached through the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.

Please forward this emergency alert to all of your pro-life friends and family members around the country.

Sincerely,

Don

Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and Chairman
American Family Association

to mamaT for keeping this site's home fires burning. i've been dealing with a nasty upper respiratory infection and my doctor refused to prescribe anything with any oomph to it and in the end, i'm stuck with OTC antihistamines.
i'm on the mend, yet have about a week's worth of purgatory time ... er, chores ... to catch up on, but i'm still here. i won't go down without a fight. as shirley maclaine says in postcards from the edge, "never let 'em see you sweat. or was it @ss -- never let them see your @ss?"
i blame the antihistamines.

i'm supposed to "name ten things that i’ve done that i think my readers haven’t done" but this is close enough:

1. was disgnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome before finding out i was actually suffering from legionnaires' disease.

2. experienced menopause at the tender young age of nineteen -- no kidding. and was healed by God Himself through a "faith-healer" -- still not kidding.

3. survived a car accident that took "the jaws of life" to rescue me from my car -- amazingly, my first thought as i was pinned into my car with the windshield shattered into my head and neck, was "damn, i think i spilled my coke on the seat. my dad's gonna kill me."

4. did a strip tease at my not-yet hubby's place of employment.

5. had a short story entitled "mandy's picnic" (about a woman who killed and ate her boyfriend) published.

6. [censored]

7. got reprimanded by a bobby for hanging on the front gates of buckingham palace.

8. met our number one local television anchor at a big shindig and, not knowing who she was asked, "so, what do you do?"

9. won first runner up prize in a drag show and was titled "miss the real thang."

10. have lived in every region of this great state of TEXAS. yee-HAW!

a new survey shows 48 percent of all couples have two or more checking accounts, up from 39 percent in 2001. a growing distrust between men & women on money matters is a big reason why. in other words:

For Richer or for Poorer, but Only If We Have Separate Checking Accounts

why would you marry someone you don't trust with money?

His Holiness according to richard brookhiser :

"Now John Paul II is falling apart before our eyes. The handsome skier, the tireless pilgrim, has become a wraith, like characters in Endgame, like the inhabitants of a thousand nursing homes. He could shut himself up in Castel Gandolfo or in a hospital, but he doesn’t. What does he mean to say by exhibiting himself to us?

... we wear out, grow weak, whisper, shake. Our lovely rose-tinted flesh rots away, like roses. Everyone knows this, and everyone does not want to know this. So John Paul II is using his star power to remind us. Also to tell us that we are still worthy of respect and love, if only for old times’ sake."

lifted shamelessly from TSO.

i LOVE older men in cowboy hats who walk with carved walking canes, feel free to put their arm around you and say, "why lil' lady your purt'neer aglowin."

how beautiful is that?

yes, it happened to me on my way into the perinatologist's office. a total stranger opened the door to the medical building and just slid his arm down around my shoulder once i'd passed through. he was seventy if he was a day, smelled of pressed startch and cologne, and had the sexiest southern drawl i think i've ever heard.

i put my arm around him and said, "you must be a native Texan."

"uh-course," he said as he let go of me.

i smiled, "it's so nice to be treated like a lady."

he actually tipped the brim of his hat and said, "it's as it should be."

i've been smiling ever since. oh, how i LOVE this state and it's Good 'Ol Boys!

1) Do you have a favorite bible verse that isn't instantly familiar (like John 3:16)? yessir. john 11:35: "Jesus wept."

2) What would you like your tombstone to say, and will it be all lowercase *grin*?

3) Why "smock" mama? a smock momma, in the world according to me, is the epitome of the perfect mom. you know the sort – home schooling, daily mass-going, artsy craftsy, slightly crunchy moms who don smock dresses with short sleeves in summer and turtlenecks in winter. the difference twixt ‘em is the hair or the shoes. the bigger the hair, the more likely to home school; the more discalced the shoes, the crunchier the diet. and, seein’ as how it’ll be a snowy day in hell before i ever muster up the perfection required, i’m hopin’ that hidin’ behind the moniker’ll do.

4) As a fellow Florence King fan, you appreciate her humorous view of Southern womanhood. Is Southern culture now defunct due to urbanization, migration & cable TV? bite your tongue, sir; just the thought gives me the bends.

5) How did you meet your hubby? we met in january of ’90 in a class entitled “ethics and moral issues” at Texas Tech. i thought he was the spawn of jimmy swaggart because he quoted lots and lots of scripture, and right from the hip, too. he thought i was a wiccan hippy – but aside from my habit of wearing lots of black and espousing very militant pro-choice, pro-gay/lesbian/transgender, rabid feminist, anti-established religion views, i can’t imagine why he thought that. i mean, he was the dingleberry who voted for a democrat, not me. he thought all i needed was a little salvation and i thought he prolly just needed to get a little. there must be something to that “opposites attract” theory cuz fifteen years later here we are, albeit a tad more complacent 'n civilized.

our dear mr. luse gave his two cents on the then-nominated/now-award-winning clint eastwood paean to assisted suicide in his post entitled now playing: million dollar baby, for which i thanked him for gagging through the movie so that i wouldn't have to.

but the critics of the critics of the movie have been braying that people like myself and mr. luse -- indeed anyone who is able-bodied -- have no right to judge to film concerning the merits of that particular topic. okay well, here is an intriguing review written by ruth harrigan, a quadriplegic attorney and disabilities rights advocate and her personal aide, author meredith gould.

"I want people to see this film even though—and perhaps because—they know the ending. And then, I want them to get angry…"

visit godspy for the full review.

while we're on the topic of the right to life, be sure to check out mr. luse's latest feature in touchstone, let live or make die?: terri schiavo, christopher reeve & the right not to be killed.