I taught Honor and Ethics at the Air Force Academy. I was also the Professional Ethics Advisor for one of the cadet squadrons. In those roles, I was deeply involved in the Honor Code system there. And that system, run by the cadets themselves, can be brutal.
The key, as we discussed many times, was not in being able to do the right thing. That’s easy. What is often difficult is determining what the right thing is.
That’s the real issue with the Terri Schiavo case.
Neal Boortz continues with his view on the situation, this time in terms of “payback” as threatened by the Religious Right.
Have you seen today’s approval ratings for President Bush? They’re down. Way down. He’s down to 45%. He was at 52% one week ago. This is the lowest point in his presidency. These polls are not because he hasn’t done enough in the Schiavo matter. The downtrend is because he did too much.
The Far Right have fallen into the trap of believing their own press releases, and those of the Far Left. Dubya didn’t win reelection because of them. They were going to vote Republican anyway. The twenty percent at both ends of the political spectrum cancelled each other’s vote. Dubya was reelected by the majority of us in the middle sixty percent.
The fanatics are out threatening Dubya and Congressmen for doing exactly what the law allows them to do. Some are even demanding Jeb Bush do what Janet Reno did–something they blasted her for. She was wrong then, and they are wrong now.
Like my cadets, Dubya operates from a position of moral standards which he must obey, not because of simple law but due to his personal integrity. He is not applying religious belief, but making his determination based on moral values he has from his beliefs and the oath he took as President. He pushed this issue to the limits of his Constitutional mandate, and can go no further. I have no doubt the desire to do more was there, but he had to decide what was the right thing to do. That decision is the hard part. And why Presidents age at an accelerated rate during their tenure.
There may be two dozen people in this country who truly understand the facts of this case. The rest of us are operating on supposition and pieces of information, and building an argument based on emotion and opinion rather than fact. And many are using this as a political tool. It shouldn’t be.
Like Boortz, I want to see Dubya and Congress go back to doing what we pay them to do. I want the Mexican border sealed. I want to see Social Security upgraded. I want to see many things improved. Things within the bounds of what the Federal Government is allowed (that’s right, allowed) to do.
What these folks don’t grasp is that they are asking for more intrusion by the Federal Government in our lives.
That is not why I voted for Dubya.
i often meet the prospect of another day with the old chestnut, “Bless me Lord that I may have the strength to do the right thing and the wisdom to know what that is.”
the problem with ethics as a guide is that most issues have multiple facets and an ethical argument can be constructed to support most positions. here i personally fall back on some long standing basic principles, the Hippocratic Oath — “First, do no harm.” — and the commandment — “Thou shalt not kill.”
in our federal system, the federal power is very limited here. the power of the state, however, is essentially unlimited. here is Jeb Bush’s chance on the national stage, and he is not winning any points with me.
Comment by rammer — March 25, 2005 @ 11:32 pm
Even at the state level, there are limits. And those limits have been reached. Anything Jeb does beyond what he has already done would be, at the minimum, a very loose interpretation of the law. We had that kind of interpretation with Janet Reno as AG. And before when she was a DA in Florida. I don’t think we want the same now. We didn’t want it then.
Comment by Bunker — March 26, 2005 @ 6:25 am
Bunker…
I understand why you feel the way you do about this and perhaps your analysis of our president’s approval rating are spot on accurate, but I really have to wonder if after 15 years this is about Terri anymore…or her parents wishes.
Unfortunately I believe that Michael Schiavo’s concerns are about the convenience of the whole situation and I really don’t think someone should be allowed to die the way Terri is right now. Maybe this is a situation where assisted suicide or euthenasia is appropriate. I hope that I’ll never be faced with what is happening in Florida today. However, I think that others should be concerned about what their level of inconvenience might be in the future…and what Terri’s fate will hold for them.
Always on the high ground…
MajorDad1984
P.S. I’m quite familiar with the morals and ethics held by your cadets. I’m sure you had a huge impact on them under your care.
Comment by MajorDad1984 — March 26, 2005 @ 8:01 am
There’s also the possibility that Jed Bush could/would be held in contempt of court and face severe repercusions if he attempted to do more for this unfortunate woman.
Needless to say, I don’t like the decision of the judges either, starvation is a terrible way to die. Perhaps future judicial appointments will be affected by this case. Let’s see them squirm as they are placed under the microscope for a change.
Comment by john — March 27, 2005 @ 6:03 am