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The Daily Dose/March 26, 2008
By Gaylon Kent
The Writer's Shack
   
More notes from around the Human Experience, including someone dedicated to ending human experiences running for Congress, the latest from freedom-loving, if not freedom-experiencing Tibet, some token On This Date action, plus the Column Four Foto: sue us for having a crush on Rebecca St. James!
Dr. Death Goes To Washington: Convicted murderer Jack Kevorkian announced this week he is running for Congress. He will run as an independent in Michigan's ninth district for the seat currently held by Republican Joe Knollenberg.
Dry, Technical Matter: Kevorkian is currently on parole after serving eight years of a ten to 25-year sentence following a 1999 second-degree murder conviction for one of an estimated 130 assisted suicides he participated in the 1990's.
Kevorkian, 79, is running to promote awareness of the ninth amendment to the Constitution which states, in full:
"The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."
Which is a fancy-pants way of saying that Americans are free to assert rights that aren't specifically described in the first eight amendments to the Constitution.
Numbers Game: There are over six billion people on this planet and there aren't many things every single one of us possesses. One, is the same 24 hours in a day to with what we want. No matter where you are on this planet, no matter your station, everyone has 24 hours they can either make serve them or squander. Except for the most extreme downtrodden who were born with no chance in this life, the choice is theirs. You can make your time on this planet serve you, or you can serve time.
Uh, Can We Get Back On Message Here?: The other possession we all have is a sovereign body that lives and breathes. It is ours and, in most cases, no one elses. Which brings us back to Dr. Kevorkian, who is of the opinion the Ninth Amendment means a person has the right to do pretty much whatever he wants, as long as it doesn't bother anyone else, which was also a point brought up by one of this country's great thinkers, Henry David Thoreau.
Get Your Official Writer's Shack Policy Right Here: This will surprise you, but the feeling here is that if someone wants to die, they should certainly be allowed to do so.
Well, This Is A Fine Mess: But, honestly, this philosphy does open a can or two of worms. One, we don't think there would be a whole lot of doctors looking to practice assisted suicide. And good luck getting this covered under your health plan, and it could be rather macabre having death clinics pop up on street corners ("what's that, mommy?"). It would be nice if people in the market for ending their life would grab the bull by the horns and do it themselves. But in theory, we don't see anything wrong people being allowed to go to a professional to assist in their death.
Actually: In the only state where assisted suicide is legal, Oregon, those interested in ending their life with professional assistance must fill out a form that "shall be substantially in the following form:
REQUEST FOR MEDICATION
TO END MY LIFE IN A HUMANE
AND DIGNIFIED MANNER
I, ________________, am an adult of sound mind.
I am suffering from _______, which my attending physician has determined is a terminal disease and which has been medically confirmed by a consulting physician.
I have been fully informed of my diagnosis, prognosis, the nature of medication to be prescribed and potential associated risks, the expected result, and the feasible alternatives, including comfort care, hospice care and pain control.
I request that my attending physician prescribe medication that will end my life in a humane and dignified manner.
INITIAL ONE:
_____ I have informed my family of my decision and taken their opinions into consideration.
_____ I have decided not to inform my family of my decision.
_____ I have no family to inform of my decision.
I understand that I have the right to rescind this request at any time.
I understand the full import of this request and I expect to die when I take the medication to be prescribed. I further understand that although most deaths occur within three hours, my death may take longer and my physician has counseled me about this possibility.
I make this request voluntarily and without reservation, and I accept full moral responsibility for my actions.
Signed: ___________
Dated: ___________
We Report, You Decide: If this death is so dignified, can't we use this prescription for executions? I mean, we're already killing them, we might as well do what we can to make it painless.
SPEAKING OF ENUMERATED RIGHTS, WHAT'S UP IN TIBET?: The rebellion by the Tibetans yearning to breathe free successfully crushed, the Chinese government has seen fit to let journalists into the region.
Initial reports from the area are that a handfull of journalists have been allowed only glimpses of the affected area with very limited access to real life Tibetans. Their travels have been slow and stopped repeatedly by soldiers at checkpoints who actually said they were only checking to make sure people had their seat belts on and that traffic rules were being followed.
Forecast: Zero substantive reporting is expected to come out of this.
135 Days And Counting: The first rumblings of a boycott of the Beijing Olympics are starting to be heard. French President Nicolas Sarkozy hinted he might boycott the Opening Ceremonies and the Dutch are considering staying away, too.
Uh, We're Not Going To Get Some More Writer's Shack Policy Are We?: No, not yet. Boycotts have a history of not working, and partial boycott of the Games might only serve to make the Chinese madder and cause them to completely destroy Tibet, although, if the Chinese were presented with the prospect of only North Korea and Vietnam showing up to their Games, then something might get done.
AND EVERYONE LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER: On this date in 1979 the Camp David peace treaty is signed by Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, forever ensuring peace in what used to be a volatile, dangerous and chaotic region.
America's Game: On this date in 1917 the Seattle Metropolitans of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association became the first American team to win the Stanley Cup, defeating the Montreal Canadiens 9-1 in game four, winning the series three games to one. The series was played under two sets of rules. Games one and three were played under Pacific Coast Hockey Association rules, which called for seven players per side and allowed forward passing in the neutral zone and prohibited substitutions for penalized plaers. Games two and four were played under National Hockey Association rules, which used six players per side and prohibited forward passing in the neutral zone, while allowing substitutions for penalized players.
FunFact: The last Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup was the Montreal Canadiens in 1993. The last three Stanley Cups have been won by teams located in such traditional hockey towns as Anaheim, California, Raleigh, North Carolina and Tampa Bay, Florida.
See Above: On this date in 1999, Dr. Jack Kevorkian was convicted of second-degree murder for giving a lethal injection to an ailing man whose death was shown on "60 Minutes."
Answer To The Last Trivia Question: Monrovia, Liberia is the only foreign capital named after a US president. It had been named Cape Mesurado, but was renamed in 1824, when James Monroe was president.
Today's Challenger: How many times did Lord Stanley present the Stanley Cup to the winning team? - Answer next time!
Threats? Recipes? Trivia question answers? Email The Writer's Shack Here!
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